Venue Review: Pearl Street Warehouse – Washington, D.C.

Venue Review: Pearl Street Warehouse – Washington, D.C.

Jason Herman
October 10, 2019

Pearl Street Warehouse (PSW) has become a mainstay of music at the District Wharf. This small but mighty venue opened shortly after the the Wharf in October 2017 and has established itself as a fundamental element in The Wharf experience. More than just a music venue, Pearl Street Warehouse is a place where you can see great music and also get full service dinner.

Pearl Street Warehouse

33 Pearl Street SW

Washington, DC 20024

(202) 380-9620

www.pearlstreetwarehouse.com

Capacity: 150-300 (Based on Configuration)

Located on Pearl Street, a quaint cobblestone street connecting the two main thorougfairs, Water Street and Main Avenue, with one another.   On any given night you can find a wide depth and array of music being hosted in this venue.  PSW hosts rock, country, folk, soul, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, and Go-Go acts. Not only does this venue attract national acts, but also draws on emerging local artists to perform on their well lit stage. If you are seeking a small venue at The Wharf to find emerging and national talent, look no further than Pearl Street Warehouse.

The true charm of Pearl Street is not just their intimate space, but in the fact that it is also accessible through floor to ceiling windows that draw you in like a moth to a flame. You're able to not only see and hear the music from a distance, but for their low ticket price you can get that much closer and to sound and acts performing onstage.  In addition to all that the space has to offer, the small outdoor beer garden along a quaint cobblestone street makes for a great place to hang out with friends and music lovers alike before and after any concert you see at Pearl Street Warehouse or anywhere else along The Wharf.

Performance Calendar

Performance Calendar

Performance Calendar


Please make sure to view the venue's website calendar or Facebook Calendar of Events for a complete lineup of upcoming performances.

 
 

Essential Information

Essential Information

Essential   Information


As mentioned earlier, Pearl Street Warehouse is located on the cobbled pedestrian Pearl Street.  The venue can be easily spotted by the accent lights criss-crossing Pearl Street (and illuminated at night) and by the outdoor beer garden that is present in the warmer months.

Depending on the configuration the entrance to the music venue:

Glass Divider Down: When the glass divider is down, walk straight ahead past the bar to your right and towards the restrooms. Once you get into the hallway you make a sharp left into the venue.  (This is actually quite easy to navigate because you can see through the glass divider and know where you are going)

Glass Divider Up:  When the glass divider is up, simply walk through the large entrance opposite the bar.

Pearl Street accepts both cash and credit cards.

Coat Check

Coat Check

Coat Check


Coat check is available and is available at the far end of the venue right behind the soundboard. (Think "the furthest from the entrance and past the stage.")

Accessibility

Accessibility

Accessibility


Pearl Street Warehouse is a wheelchair accessible venue. The vast majority of seats, bars, bathrooms, and all other facilities are on the ground floor of the venue and are completely ADA compliant. You must walk up a flight of stairs to sit in the seats upstairs.

If you have special needs, please call the venue at (202) 380-9620 ahead of time to make arrangements.

Parking Note:  Because parking at The Wharf is so unpredictable, pleae refer to DC's Disability Parking website. In particular we found that their Interactive Red Top Meter Map (CBD) to be an invaluable resource to find nearby parking spots.

Seating

Seating

Seating


Floor Seating:  Floor seating is first come first serve.  Seating configuration is base on the performance and also based on ticket sales for the given performance. Some shows are all seated, with seating first-come, first served. Some shows are all standing, some shows will be a combination of seats and standing. Pearl Street Warehouse's flexibility has actually been beneficial for the audience - there have been occasions when the configuration has been changed to remove tables and allow a higher capacity audience to attend the concert.

Permanent Floor Seats: No matter how the main room is configured, you will find six 4-seat bar top tables at the rear of the venue between the bar and the soundboard. These large round tables appear to be movable, yet permanent. Because seating is on stools, these seats provide a great place to enjoy a performance.

Bar Seating: Bar stools at the rear of then venue are first-come, first served.

Mezzanine/Upstairs Seating: There are several seated tables located above the bar.  Full service bar/dining is available at these tables. The mezzanine is accessible using a staircase to the left of the music venue's bar.  It is worth noting that at smaller performances the mezzanine seating may not be open and available.

Mezzanine Seating consists of:

  • Seven 4-seat tables - Along the rail.
  • Six 2-seat bar top tables - Along exterior windows.

Note: At smaller performances the mezzanine seating may not be open and available.

Stage, Lighting, & Sound

Stage, Lighting, and Sound

Stage, Lighting, 

 and Sound


AZTEC SUN performs at Pearl Street Warehouse

Pearl Street Warehouse is quite large for a venue of its size and can fit even the largest of bands.

The stage is also very well lit, with ample lighting and house lights for the performance.

The venue also has great sound, and there are no areas of the music venue without good sound.

Food

Food

Food


Pearl Street Warehouse is one part music venue and one part diner. Because of the diner, the music venue has a plentiful menu which can be ordered at the bar tabletops, mezzanine level, and concert place (if there is seating, they are serving). During the days and on the weekends you will be happy to see their breakfast, lunch, and brunch options.

The meu has evolved, stays fresh, and is updated seasonally.  The following is an example of the food available.

Pearl Street Warehouse All Day Food Menu
Pearl Street Warehouse All Day Food Menu

For a current food menu, please use the following link.

Drinks

Drinks

Drinks


Pearl Street Warehouse has a stellar lineup of drinks available. Drinks are available with table service, at the inside bar, and the outside bar (weather permitting). 

Pearl Street Warehouse Drink Menu

For a current drink menu, please use the following link.

Restrooms

Restrooms

Restrooms


There is a men's and women's restroom located on the venue to the right of the performance stage.  (Between the venue space and the bar space)

Vending

Vending

Vending


Artist vending is located to the left or right of the stage based on where the performer sets up their merchandise table. Merchandise purely depends on the number of artists and the seat configuration of the venue that evening. ,

Pre & Post Show Options

Pre & Post Show Options

Pre & Post

Show Options


Pre-Show

We highly recommend the food and drinks at Pearl Street Warehouse.

Post-Show

We also recommend the bar options at Pearl Street Warehouse after the performance. If you are seeking pizza after the show we recommend going to Union Stage, a 30-second walk from the venue.

Getting There

Getting There

Getting There


The venue and box office is located at 33 Pearl Street SW, Washington, DC 20024.

Pearl Street is a small street, almost alley-like, in The Wharf complex. 

Car:

From North of Washington DC:  From I-495, take I-295 South. Take Exit 1B-C toward I-695/Route 395/Downtown. Take Exit 5 for 7th Street/L’Enfant Promenade, then turn left onto 7th Street to Maine Avenue. Turn right on Maine Avenue.

South of Washington DC: Take I-395 North. Take Exit 4 toward SW Waterfront/National Park/Maine Ave and follow 9th Street to Maine Avenue. Continue down Maine Avenue to 7th Street SE..

Metro:

The Waterfront Metro station the closest Metro station from the venue as Union Stage is on the southernmost part of The District Wharf.

Taxi / Uber / Lyft

The venue and box office is located at 33 Pearl Street SW, Washington, DC 20024.
You can ask your driver to navigate to the address but to stop at the corner of Pearl Street SW and Maine Aveue SW.

Parking

Parking

Parking


There are several parking options available for people driving to Pearl Street Warehouse. It is worth noting that The Wharf has become a destination for tourists and locals alike. As a result, parking is at a premium and parking tends to fill up easily by 6PM on any given night, especially when a popular artist is performing at The Anthem just down the block.

Wharf Parking

The closest parking option for Union Stage is Wharf parking located at 690 Water St SW, Washington, DC 20024. It costs approximately $45 for 4 hours or more.  There are several additional entrances and exists to this parking lot that runs unter the entire District Wharf. 

Additional Parking (We cannot understate the value of the following section):

There are approximately 10 parking lots within walking distance of the venue.

If you are looking for pre-booked parking at discounted rates, we recommend using Spot Hero. If you don't mind walking a few blocks, you can buy parking for as little as $7.
Two reference points are Arena Stage Parking and The Anthem Parking.

Additional Resources

Additional Resources

Additional

Resources


For more information about Pearl Street Warehouse please see the following links:

For more information about The Wharf, please see the following link.

Additional Resources

Additional Resources

Additional

Resources


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About the author

Jason Herman

A 24x7 member and Photo Editor of DC Music Review. Jason has been passionate about music since his earliest days and is especially excited about the music scene around his adopted hometown, Washington DC.

Capturing the magic of hundreds of concerts and countless music festivals under his belt, you can find him at concerts around the country but especially in his adopted hometown of Washington, D.C. Before turning his lens to music, Jason followed professional cyclists around the U.S. Domestic Circuit and tallest mountains of Europe.


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