The following review is held in memorial for the original SongByrd Record Cafe & Music House. During the pandemic, Songbyrd changed locations and is now located a few blocks away from Union Market at 540 Penn Street NE. A review of the new location will be done in due time. Until then, please raise a glass (or cup of coffee) to the original Songbyrd DC location.
What do you get when you combine a restaurant, bar, cafe, record shop, and music venue all in one space? The answer is the multi-faceted venue Songbyrd Record Cafe & Music House in Adams Morgan.
Songbyrd Record Cafe & Music House
2475 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
Capacity: 100-200 People
(100 seated / 200 standing)
This unassuming venue has a unique combination of features that ensures a complete and well rounded enjoyment day or night.
What we truly love about this venue is that it is much more than just a place to see truly exceptional music. By day it is a coffee house with locally roasted coffee, a store with an exceptional array of vinyl records to choose from, a bar to sit at, a small cafe serving food, and lastly a wonderful music venue.
It is worth noting that this venue's vinyl collection is quite spectacular. On many nights the band that is performing will bring their vinyl records for sale. For more information on the record store please refer to the following link.
Performance Calendar
Performance Calendar
Performance Calendar
Please make sure to view Music Event Calendar or DC Music Review's Songbyrd Venue Calendar.
Essential Information
Essential Information
Essential Information
The following section details all the essential information of the music space inside the venue.
Seating
Seating
Seating
The music venue has some permanent benches available on a first come first serve basis.
On occasion for more intimate and serene music, tables and chairs are set out.
Tip: For permanent benches please get there early as these are on a first come, first serve basis.
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
There is no elevator to the venue downstairs. However the venue provides the following note in their FAQ page.
if you need assistance getting down to the venue please email us at least a week ahead of time at info@songbyrddc.com so we can help make arrangements for you. Please not that we do not have seating at the front of the stage either as almost all shows are standing room only.
Stage, Lighting, & Sound
Stage, Lighting, and Sound
Stage, Lighting,
and Sound
The venue has a small and quaint stage. The lighting is modest and adequate and proportional for the size of the stage. If you happen to be taking photographs, you may experience a purple tinge on your photos due to the purple stage lights hanging above.
Note: There is a pole about 5 feet away from the stage and directly in the center of the stage. We recommend standing to the left or right of the center of the stage and not directly in the center of the venue for optimal viewing.
Food
Food
Food
Ground-level coffee house.
There is no food served inside the music venue. If you would like to eat at the venue before the show you can do so at their coffee house or full service restaurant on the ground level.
Please check here for a full menu.
Drinks
Drinks
Drinks
Ground-level Bar
There is a a single bar a located at the rear of the venue space. There is a bigger and more elaborate bar on the ground level of the venue.
Restrooms
Restrooms
Restrooms
A separate men's and women's bathroom can be found at the back of the performance space.
They are both located down the hallway opposite of the venue bar.
Vending
Vending
Vending
Merchansise sold by the artists can be found along a merch table towards the back of the performance space.
Pre & Post Show Options
Pre & Post Show Options
Pre & Post Show Options
Pre-Show
You can find wonderful food choices and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at the Coffee House, Bar, and Restaurant on the ground level of the venue.
There are no shortages of places to eat before the show in Adams Morgan. Of course one of our favorite pre-show favorites is Amsterdam Falafel.
Another option before the show is to browse and purchase Songbyrd's extensive record selection.
Post-Show
Once again, you will find no shortage of places to eat and drink after the performance, including the restaurant and bar on the ground floor of the venue. It is worth noting that, based on which night of the week it is, the ground floor amenities may be quite full after a performance.
If you are looking to absorb some post-show alcohol, we recommend once again Amsterdam Falafel and Jumbo Slice.
Getting There
Getting There
Getting There
Adams Morgan is quite the happening part of town with many storefronts and a lot of foot traffic. The following guide will help you find the best way to get to this venue.
Venue Entrance
Venue Entrance
Venue Entrance
The venue is located on the main thorogufare of Adams Morgan, 18th Street. The venue is located towards the northern stretch of 18th Street and not far from the intersection of Columbia Road and 18th Street.
The nearest and most recognizable landmark is the McDonalds on the corner of Colubmia Road and 18th Street.
Songbyrd Cafe's Entrance To Their Music Venue
To get to the actual performance space, go to the "Bar Side" of the ground-floor space and look for the stairs leading down.
Parking
Parking
Parking
Parking in Adams Morgan can be challenging on any given day, especially Thursday through Sunday. We highly recommend getting to the venue without using your car. Street parking comes down to luck and timing, while parking lots fill up quickly and can be expensive.
If you really want to park your car, there are several parking options available.
Public Parking
The venue does not have its own parking and the surrounding Adams Morgan neighborhood has quite limited parking available, especially on Friday and weekends.
We strongly recommend taking alternative means to get to the venue but if you must use your car here list of suggested parking lots and garages:
Parking Garages:
- 2421 18th Street, NW
Pay Lots
- 1811 Columbia Road
- 1827 Adams Mill Road
Spot Hero:
DC Music Review has partnered with SpotHero to provide you discounted parking options. We recommend this option for parking because you are guranteed a parking spot at a reduced and set rate.
Public Transportation
Public Transportation
Public Transportation
Metro Rail: The best metro station to reach the venue is the Woodly Park Zoo / Adams Morgan Metro Station. This metro is 0.7 miles or a 15 minute walk to the venue.
Metro Bus: Several Metro Bus routes run through Adam's Morgan. If you would like to take the Metro Bus to Songbyrd we would recommend using WMATA's Trip Planner.
Transportation Alternatives
Transportation Alternatives
Transportation Alternatives
Biking: One alterantive we would like to mention is Capital Bikeshare. It is quite easy to take a bike from one of the available stations outside of Adams Morgan and drop it off at one of several bike stations in Adams Morgan. The following is the Capital BikeShare interactive map which may be very useful for your travels.
Disclosure:
DC Music Review was not paid, nor compensated to write this review of this venue nor any other entity contained therein. All opinions are based on our first hand experience of this venue.
DC Music Review has an affiliate program with SpotHero. By using this service you help DC Music Review provide content to you.
