I like the bar but there are some sketchy semi-abusive patrons that are obviously friends of the bartenders. Ruined my night for me. Tonight was my second night there and this one very drunk guy kept pulling on my ear and rubbing my back, and repeatedly being way overly hands-on - I asked him several times to stop. He started taking straws out of random glasses on the bar and putting them *INTO* my drink - this was in between randomly holding his credit card in front of my face (I'm assuming trying to impress me?) and ripping up coasters and throwing them at me. After say, five minutes of ignoring him he decided to stick *HIS FINGERS IN MY DRINK*. I asked him to please move to another section of the bar and then asked the bartender to ask him to leave me alone. The bartender obviously knew him (by name) and after asking him to move a couple of times the bartender ultimately asked *ME* to move down a few seats because "it'd be easier for me to move than it would be to corral him to another part of the bar." Prior to this he was doing the same sort of things to another (disabled) customer who complained loudly, but after no staff came to his aid (despite being 2-3 feet away so I'm sure they heard him...) the guy actually started to call the police - or at least pretended to do so to get away from this person. This was a very odd experience for my second time at this place. I'm sure I'll be back, but this has soured my opinion of an otherwise cool bar. read more

A few people in my office have been raving about Trade since it opened, and I finally went last night. I was very impressed: the space is somewhat narrow, but deceptively large, with a lot of seating in the darker back area. It was pretty crowded by the time we left, but still felt spacious. (Then again, this was a weekday night, so maybe it's absolutely packed on the weekends.) The drink prices are the biggest draw: four (good) beers for $12 is virtually unheard of in this city. Bartenders were friendly and some staff came around every so often to clear empty glasses; no complaints about the service. Bonus points for having a gender neutral bathroom. read more

Husband and I decided to have a staycation in the city for valentine weekend due to the ice storm in the DMV. Got a room in the city and hit up a few spots near our room for dinner and drinks. Hubby had mentioned a bad experience previously at Trade Bar near our hotel...he mentioned that he was turned away at the door and felt that it was discrimination when he attempted to come here before. Tonight we decided to give it a 2nd chance. Maybe the experience he had before was just a misunderstanding. Nope...walked in at 920pm and the bar area was scarce but the host told us immediately upon seeing us that there were no seats, and no availability due to last call. I asked what time was last call and he said 10pm, almost 40 minutes away....we leave, no fuss, go upstairs to Black Whiskey (who has the same last call) and get seated instantly. We mentioned to our server what just happened downstairs and he was appalled and dumbfounded. Long story short, if your black and gay your not welcome here. Frequent somewhere else. read more

Compared to other gay dive bars I've visited across the country, I wouldn't necessarily consider Trade to be a gay dive bar. The decor and seating in this place create an ambiance that is more loungy than divey. When you walk in, there's the main bar on the right side; keep walking and you'll find upholstered benches lining the walls. There's also an outdoor patio, which I presume is still waiting on a permit approval for alcohol consumption. (Normally in December, there'd be no desire to drink outside, but with this atypical 60 degree plus weather, that patio would've been the perfect setting to sit out and enjoy the balmy December weather.) During happy hour, the drinks come in tall pint glasses, but for a gay bar, they felt a bit weak. If the owners are looking to distinguish themselves from the other bars and to embody the whole concept of being a dive bar, stiffer drinks are a must! Filling up pint glasses with more mix and marketing it as a deal isn't going to stick. (This observation wasn't just based on 1 drink.) Overall, there really isn't anything unique about Trade that sets it apart from all the other gay bars in the neighborhood. I'm sure they just need some time to figure out where they truly stand in the spectrum of DC's gay bars, because for now, hyping it up as a dive bar is far from precise. read more

Stopped into Trade over Pride weekend and had such a great time! The staff was pleasant even though it was a full house. The crowd was diverse and welcoming. It was a great evening. read more

I am here visiting and had the most terrible day. Just wanted a judgment free zone and a drink. I was created at the door by one of the rudest people in town. I had my ID but had not been asked for my VAX card at one place here so I left it at the Hotel so I wouldn't loose it. He screamed at me that I needed to leave. I was going to head back to my hotel and get it however I was so turned off by this guy I went to another place down the street once I got my card. First impressions matter and this guy is not good for any of your business. I would not recommend. Many other comments here say the same thing. A bit of a trend! read more

Echoing off Nate H, this bar definitely has a lot of hype without a lot to support it...yet. The long lines, extremely packed premises, and lack of something that makes this unique is what left me feeling a little less than fulfilled. Though loving Number 9 and Town and the fact that this dynamic duo just opened this bar I am definitely going to update this review and hopefully see the following in the future below. Though what I want to give 4 or 5 stars for in the future: -Give us something unique! Number 9 brought in the popular BOGO, the piano in the front, and the HUGE booth against the wall. Town brought space (what's that) to a DC bar, true dancing, and a huge space for drag queens. What will Trade bring? - The back porch (it looks like permits still being worked on) is going to be a great and welcomed addition. Excited to see that. - DJ booth and dancing? Hopefully. It looks like it has that set to work, but with the crowds/crowd I do not think they have the space or patience for it yet. This place has the potential to be banging so I'm excited to see where it goes. For now, I'm going to leave it right at A-OK. read more

thee best (queer) bar in dc . Great bartenders, cute vibe, amazing shows and a nice back patio. Home

It is empty outside but this guy won't let us in cuz he thinks some people have to come out before he lets us in. Extremely rude behavior. Name is Jacob. read more

Trade - a man standing on a city street at night - Gay Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

While the bartenders are nice enough, the drinks are weak. They have this "extra large" Happy Hour which is nothing more than a large glass with lots of extra mixer and minimal booze. Not really a "Happy Hour" special unless you're into lots of mixer and a weak boozey drink ... if it is then you are in HEAVEN ! I'll pass. read more

Only visit on Saturday nights but they consistently have especially good music, off-beat vintage videos, good drinks, indoor/outdoor space, welcoming, diverse crowd and overall good vibe. read more

I've been here a couple times over different trips to DC. I definitely prefer to come here during warmer weather months when you can take advantage of the outdoor patio. The patio gives Trade a totally different vibe than visiting in the winter. The drinks are good and bartenders are helpful, but they lacked some of the top shelf whiskey and vodka choices I prefer. While I fully realize this is a gay bar, it would still be nice if the bar itself had purse hooks underneath. In any case, the DJ had good music and I enjoyed the scene. read more

So I'm quite conflicted about Trade. Every time I've gone, they have pretty great DJs playing original mixes and tracks. As a huge fan of creativity in DJ mixing, this is such a nice bonus and shift from the standard gay bars and clubs playing the same trendy tracks over and over. I will keep going just for that reason. However, I see little to no investment in atmospsherics. It gets pretty crowded here on a weekend evening and it would be nice for owners to invest in some go-go dancers or better yet performance artists, to get the uptight crowd loosened up a bit. Invest beyond the same 15 second TV projection clip loop on the wall. Having gone to successful bars and clubs in LA and NY, you can be driving a lot more business and crowd fun! You're almost there by having diverse DJ's. Bring in one or two dancers to set the tone, project creative clips on the wall. Not a huge investment. The place could be so much more! read more

Yelp states the bar closes at 2am and since it was slow today they closed at 1am on a Tuesday. The reality is that today the bartender was rude, unwelcoming as I conveniently ordered my drink. Besides the bowl movement smell in the air, trade feels like it was robbing me of my gayness. read more

The bouncer was very rude, he picked and chose who got in. There was one person who left and he would let someone off the street come in. There is no reason to come here cause they don't even let gay people in for a gay bar read more

I like this place as a bar. The drink specials are good as long as you're there during happy hour. After happy hour even the draught beers cost $8 a piece which seems rather pricey to me. It's very clean and nice inside, maybe with a few years it'll look more like a dive bar but it's far too polished for that at the moment. Personally, I found the clientele to be on the young side and very preppy. I've never seen so many pastel shorts in my life! But that's based on two visits during the week. They even have a phone charging box which I found very helpful! read more

So let me start out by saying that I had a great time most of the night at this bar. The music was great and there was a fun drag show. The space in general is fantastic and they have a nice outdoor space until 11pm. My issue tonight was the way that I saw others treated by the bar staff and the way that I was treated. The first issue that I had was the way that I saw a patron treated by the bartender, who I think may have been the bar manager. I had a later interaction with him and he identified himself as the bar/general manager. A patron was asking questions of the bartender, which apparently was one too many because he walked away from the customer saying that he was wasting his time. He came back with a drink in his hand and served the customer, who was upset about the comment. The customer said to him that he did not need to tell him that he was "wasting his time" at which point the bartender doubled down saying that he was wasting not only his, but all of the customers time. I get that there is some urgency to drink orders when you are working in a busy bar. I worked in one for 8 years, but you do not need to be that rude to a customer. The next issue that I have is the way that I was treated when I tried to order a drink. My partner opened a tab at one end of the bar. Throughout the night, we ended up at the other end ordering drinks. I went up to the bar and ordered two rounds of drinks successfully. The next time that I went up, I was greeted with attitude and told that the bartender would not serve me. Apparently when with their system, when you open a tab with one bartender, all the tips go to that person rather than being split between all bartenders. He told me this in a rude and disrespectful manner after I had already waited in line to order drinks. So clearly I disagree with this policy as every other bar I have worked in or drank in do not follow such a ridiculous policy. With that being said, even with a policy I do not agree with, this should have been stated upon opening a tab to ensure that people comply with their policy and do not wait in line to then be told rudely that they will not be served. Upon hearing this, I attempted to move down the bar to get to the bartender that we opened a tab with. As there was a drag show going on, (which was great...I really do like almost everything about this bar), I could not get more than midway down the bar. I found a spot and tried to get the attention of the correct bartender. I was engaged by the apparent bar/general manager as that is how he later identified himself. He asked me what I wanted and I told him that apparently I could not order from him as he was not the one that I initially ordered with. After a couple of rounds of him not hearing me, he finally understood what I was trying to convey. He reiterated the policy and stated that I was in the wrong, but still asked me what I wanted. When I told him that I was trying to order from the other bartender to adhere to their policy, he told me that I was in his well and wasting his time. He again asked me what I wanted in an unpleasant way. I told him that his bartender did not need to be rude. He stated that this was somehow a "normal" policy, at which point I told him that with 8 years working in a bar, this was not a normal policy. Most places fool their tips, rather than assuming people will always go to the say bartender. He again claimed that they were in the right and I was in the way. I told him I just wanted to pay the tab. He gave me my bill. I did not leave a tip on the CreditCard receipt, but left a cash tip, asking him to split it between the two bartenders. I told him that I did not intend to be an asshole, but simply did not understand their policy. He told me I wasn't, but the way I was treated made me feel like the bartenders felt I was. There is no need for anyone to be treated this way. This literally ruined my night, making me to leave frustrated and disappointed. Be aware. read more

I asked a bartender & manager at Trade Bar DC @ named Dusty for help. I had just been verbally abused and threatened at a different bar relating to my trans expression & I asked him if I could charge my phone till close. It was 1:10 am on a Thursday. I was nervous, scared, and I just wanted to make sure I could Uber home. As a regular, I know Trade closes at 1:45am on Thursdays. I asked Dusty if I could stay and charge my phone because I had just been hate crimed. He told me I have 10 minutes, despite it being 1:10am. In my head, I knew that he just wanted to get the Thursday crowd out as soon as possible, just to make his night go smoother. I get it. But I still asked:"Is it okay if I stay a little longer"? And he said "sorry babe, when we close, we close." So I said "So you're just going to throw me out on the street?" And he said "Yes". As a last effort, I said "You could just help me out". He said "I could, but I'm not going to." & sassily walked away. I felt so sad. Not because I had been threatened at another bar. Not because I had to tell a man on my walk to Trade that I was a drag queen so he would stop following me. I was upset because I looked to another member of my community for help, and they literally said "No" with a smile. I'm so sorry but if you or your organization think that this level of unprofessionalism and queer apathy is okay, you need to learn. They still refuse to get a DEI consultant/refuse to let me back in the place bc of my complaints :( read more

What a fun neighborhood bar on 14th street. It has a similar vibe to Number 9, laid back, not much room for dancing, but plenty of great bartenders and drink specials. We ran here to grab their drink deal (get there by 10pm and you pay the same price, $6 rail, for double the cup!). Can't gripe about that. Great place to start the night, or to just have a chill night at one spot. Non-pretentious and mixed crowd, not many boys though, if you want that, go to Friday nite at Town instead. read more

I got locked out on the patio in the heat and was humiliated by having to beat on the door to be rescued and then repeatedly lied to by the staff about how the door could not be locked but I love them anyway. read more

Cute. Quaint. Good beers. Busy on a Saturday. Just missing the wow factor. I think that is why it has low stars. read more

Trade - a group of people sitting at a bar - Gay Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

You think that as a gay person, you can feel safe from bias and discrimination when you go to a LGBTQ bar, well is not the case at Trade in DC. I came for the first time to this place last weekend with some of my friends (5) and from the moment I stepped inside I felt unwelcome by the unfriendly attitude of the door guys. We ordered drinks, sat by the window and I brought with me one candle from the bar to the table. When we ordered the second round, one of the door guys (the one with the tats) came over, reached around us, snatched the candle from the table, got on my face and said to me "You have one more mothafuckin' time to take this candle again and you are out" and this yes, was said to me in front of my friends. Everybody talked to me on letting it go and so I did and so we left. If this was a problem, I personally believe that there are better ways to approach the situation. I can see why re-adjusting cheap deco can be irritating and probably I should have asked if it was ok before but there is not excuse for an employee to be disrespectful in any way to a customer for something petty like this and that is why makes me think that is more to it. I am not asking anybody NOT to come to this place, to the contrary I am encouraging you to visit it and experience for yourself that there are much better places in the area where you can spend your money and have a good time with your friends read more

Great prices! The drinks are good and strong. Plus the have the square ice cubes that are perfect for drinks. Can't wait until Spring for their huge patio!! read more

Trade - Newest Gay Bar! I like it. The drinks are good and strong!! - Gay Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The worst bouncer at the door ever. He was rude as hell. Me (the DD) and my group of friends were trying to get in on a Saturday night because one of our best friends is leaving for the military tomorrow (April 17th). I understand if you don't want to let us in but there is a way to deny entrance. He literally began yelling NO on top of his lungs as soon as he saw us and then got in my other friend's face a just yelled "GET OUT" and pushed her. We weren't even being mean we were just asking politely to get in. Other people outside the bar were apologising on his behalf because they saw that we were literally so politely asking. None of us was drunk either. Maybe Trade should thinking about actually "trading" that asshole for a person with decency. read more

Jared (got his name from another bartender) was rude as fuck. I can't believe a bartender wouldn't want to close out a tab and get a tip. Unimpressed with the service.... no, more than unimpressed with the service. In a place that's supposed to be inclusive, SHAME on you for not having better bartenders. read more

So what do you do on the first night of the new year....go to a new gay bar of course! My understanding of Trade is that it is a new "divey" (?) gay bar. It's a bit of a paradox that really does not seem to work. First, its location on P and 14th sure was divey perhaps circa 1996 but not in 2016 with Logan all in its gentrified grandeur. And second, new and dive is a bad oxymoron and not a paradoxical statement that probably fits together....now take a place like Wonderland that has been there for ages and has withstood the test of time, and has a feel of authenticity, then yes I'd call it a dive bar...but no to that label on Trade. Now that isn't necessarily a bad thing but all in all, Trade was what I was just expecting..a new gay bar! I say it felt like being in a cleaner version of J.R.'s. The gay demo it is I supposed trying to attract are the bear/otter hipsters of DC? All in all, it is a nice alternative to our brethren twinky and super jock havens of Nellie's and Town. It seems to fit the Logan vibe of now so I'll take it...the true test now is if it will find its niche of a crowd to stay relevant...hopefully it does but we'll see. read more

If you want a bar to misplace your credit card and insist you have it, this is the place for you. I ordered my last drink and asked the bartender to close out my tab. He informed me my tab was already closed. When I responded I didn't close my tab he searched for my card and couldn't find it. He told me to search my pockets as if I had my card. After asking the other bartender, they again insisted I had my card. Following that, instead of assisting me or calling over someone to help me, they started serving customers again. After 7 minutes I asked for the manager who continued the blame the customer routine. He finally decided to search the Rolodex where they keep the cards and low and behold there it was: misfiled. My friend later tried to close his tab and the bartender didn't seem to understand. I'm starting to think the bartenders are too fresh to know what they're doing. read more

A group of my friends decided to check this bar on Saturday night because of the good happy hour. My boyfriend and I were the first ones to show up and we were asked, very rudely, whether we intended to go to black whiskey instead. I responded that we intended on going into trade. A few minutes later, one of our lady friends arrived and was rudely asked why she was coming to this bar...Luckily the rest of our friends weren't asked such questions, but it was discriminatory and rude nonetheless. My friends said nothing of the sort had ever happened to them before at this bar. Not sure what the bouncer was thinking... read more

Trade is still okay and really has no reason not to be great. Happy hour drinks are awesome. My vibe plummets though with every visit because there are just too many Str8 women. Honestly, are there not enough bars in the neighborhood. Can't the gay boys have just one. read more

This place is great! Everyone is super friendly and the HH is until 10pm during the week! They have a nice outdoors patio and inside there is lots of space. read more

This is by far the best gay bar in DC right now. The have the most friendly bar tenders and I never fail to have a good time. I also love the space. I hope some day soon they take over the upstairs of the building too. read more

One of the only gays bars I've found in DC where at least the staff is friendly to femmes. Recommend it on weeknights more than the weekend--because it gets *packed*--but their drag show on the third Saturday of every month is definitely worth the crowd read more

This is my favorite bar in DC. It's divey but clean and when it's not crowded it's really a relaxing place to kick back and have a beer. We usually head here for a top off after Sunday brunch or Friday happy hour. I normally stick with beer but the mixed drinks are not for teetotalers. There's usually a heavy pour into a pint glass before a splash of mixers which I have very little problem with. There is literally zero demographic for Trade, I've seen everything from jocks, queens and bears to grunge drag, twinks and dads. All are welcome there and gladly accepted. I've taken many a straight friend here and they can't stop raving about not only the great bartenders but the classy wallpaper that graces the men's room. Make sure to say hi to our favorite bartender Lucian next time you head over. You won't be disappointed. read more

Great bar and the bartenders are nice. The door people are horrible! Music is ok, but I would definitely recommend trying it, but be aware of the door guys, not friendly and it makes you think that the whole bar is like this! read more

Small bar in DC....Great atmosphere....Friendly staff and great priced drinks! Will definitely be back.

Love coming here! The bartenders are friendly. It's a good non-clique place to go with friends and hangout after work during the week or on the weekend. read more

This place is very cute - it's too bad the bartenders are discriminative AF. Terrible bar service and my captain and Coke was ALL Coke. No wonder the place was empty. Do not go!!! read more

This place is garbage! I went here with friends after a pleasant evening and got physically assaulted by the front door person, and the manager did nothing about it. He didn't accept the ID that I had, and I went home to get my driver's license and still physically removed me from the front entrance. I was mortified and had not even been drinking yet. There was no reason for that level for excessive force. I highly recommend any other bar in DC except Trade. I doubt they will be in business beyond 3-4 years. read more

As far as gay bars go, it's one of the better ones around. It definitely has a better vibe than Number 9 and the patio out back will be a nice addition when it's warmer out. I went on a busy night and the service was ok - nothing special. I would imagine they are still working out kinks. read more

This is a review of the bar since covid. I used to come here and have a great time, but now I don't think it's worth going to at all. We were approached by two staff members who were very polite and told us the new rules which we were fully compliant with. However, a third staff member approached us while we were actively drinking and said that we had to wear masks when the waiter came to the table, which was not being enforced with other tables and was not one of the rules that any of the other staff had told us about (never mind the fact that it's impossible to wear a mask and drink at the same time). He then said that if he had to warn us again about not wearing the masks (after approaching our table without warning, giving us little time to put them on), then he would have to ask us to leave. He was extremely passive aggressive and implied that we were not being courteous. We left after one drink because of this absurdity. I understand the rules that businesses are being asked to follow but this went way too far. I have never been treated so disrespectfully by wait staff in my entire life and as someone who works in customer service I am very appalled. read more