Café Citron
Café Citron is full of Latin heat. From the moment you walk in, it is obvious that the venue is Latin in every way. The Latin beats blare in your ears, people slug down margaritas and caipirinahs around you, and if you stand in one place for long enough you will start getting bumped around by the people throwing their hips around in rhythm to the music.
Cost – $$
Service – A-
The service is great. The doormen are as good as you could ask for (which means they are not overtly rude), the bartenders are good, and the wait staff is top-notch. For a crowded venue in Dupont, the service experience is pretty damn good.
Food – B+
They have a pretty good mix of Central and South American dishes, tweaked to suit North American palettes. They use pretty good ingredients and although most people don’t go there for the food it certainly doesn’t do the place a disservice.
Decor – C
I guess this is the one thing that is fairly average about the place – I don’t think it does anything to really stand out. The things that you remember about Citron are definitely everything other than the visual aesthetics.
Feel – B+
I’ve been to Café Citron a number of times and every time it has been pretty fun. The only time I didn’t enjoy myself was when I was in an introspective mood and some dude next to me was spinning these two girls and their asses kept bumping into me. Now on a Friday or Saturday night that might be the type of thing you want. There is no sense of isolation in the place – from the moment you step in, you are sucked into a club that is like one gyrating, sweaty Latin organism. Definitely a worthwhile visit for a weekend night.
Café Citron is located at 1343 Connecticut Ave. in Dupont Circle. They can be reached at 202-530-8844.
What’s the Buzz:
January 5, 2008 – Cafe Citron (where’d ya eat?) – I didn’t really have a full meal here so much as snacks to compliment the drinks. The mojitos and sangria were good; their happy hour pitcher deal was sweet. Ryanne got a tres amigos appetizer for all of us with salsa, guacamole, and a “cheesy guacamole sauce” which wasn’t very cheesy at all and led us to believe had mantequilla mixed in. Full article…
February 20, 2007 – Cafe Citron Mojito Madness (DCGuide.com) – If you seek a quiet lounge to chat over martinis, Café Citron is not the place for you. This sizzling restaurant and club will have you trying foods and dance moves from all over Latin America. The margaritas, Latin beats, and buena onda cast a spell over its diverse crowd. There’s no question about it -Café Citron knows how to ¡fiesta! Full Article…
The answer to the bumping is to do some bumping yourself. But yea, after awhile, the “coziness” of a weekend night in Citron can wear you down.
The lights get pretty dim, making it hard to people watch – in a place where one would think was great for people watching. Your best bet is to go upstairs and clear yourself a spot near the balcony.
If you got skills, you can take a turn at the congos/timbales, which are occasionally open to the public. I have no skills by the way. But after a couple of drinks, who care if you have skills?
In better English, it’s “who cares if you have skills?”