Bossa

I’m of two minds about this joint. The musicians I’ve seen here are really good — nice selection of world music and great salsa on the weekends, though be forewarned the place does get cramped. You get the sense that this spot could be great, but for some reason it’s not working. One reason could be the bartenders. Do not order a martini if you like your martinis done right! I ordered a regular ol’ dirty martini — should be a bartending standard, right? Homegirl had no idea what she was doing. She poured some gin in the shaker with some ice then just swished it around (!!!). It was also nowhere near dirty enough, and when I asked for more brine, she copped an attitude. It made for an awkward situation later when I went out onto the patio to make a call, and there she was on like her eighteenth smoke break, heavily avoiding eye contact with me. I really, really want to like Bossa, but something is missing. More often than not, I end up blowing this popsicle stand and bolting next door to Madam’s Organ. Madam’s doesn’t have the great eclectic music selection Bossa has, but it also doesn’t have the subpar bar staff. It’s a toss-​up.

My friend and I decided to host a joint birthday get together with friends of ours last Saturday night (jan. 16). I arrived early with a friend and we stumbled into free salsa lessons upstairs which was a lot of fun and a nice surprise.
We then made our way downstairs to join up with the group. After spending 10 minutes trying to get the bartender’s attention she finally took our food and drink order. While taking a photo or two my co-​birthday girl’s drink was cleared from the bar while still pretty full. When we asked the bartender what happened to her drink she simply told us, «I haven’t cleaned anything from this area». When a few friends joined us they too were hungry and tried to place a food and drink order with the bartender. Once again we were completely ignored. Fifteen minutes later she acknowledged my friend and when he tried to order she told him the kitchen closed at 11. It wasn’t yet 11 and we told her that, and she just said «the kitchen is closed». So my friend left to get food elsewhere.
I was truly disappointed in the lack of service from the bartenders. It wasn’t that busy so there is really no excuse for the rudeness and the lack of professionalism. Normally I wouldn’t post such a review, but as someone who also works in the industry I was appalled at how callous the bartender was. Despite how much we enjoyed the salsa band and dancing upstairs I don’t think I’ll ever come back. I’d rather spend my money at a place that truly cares about their guests and prides themselves on good service.

Bossa makes you pay a cover charge for the live music at 9pm when it doesn’t start playing until 1030pm. The manager was extremely unhelpful to this complaint and basically shrugged her shoulders at us.

Came here for Saturday night live band and salsa — cannot comment on the food because I did not try it. I will comment on the music and atmosphere. I’m from Miami and it’s hard to find cozy, comfortable Latin spots for a cold chilly night. The band was amazing — super old schools rhythms you won’t find Pitbul or reggaeton here. Come for a good time with girlfriends or a date — bar is cute and super comfy. It’s a small place but I did not find it cramped like a typical Admo bar. Would recommend looking ahead of time at the website to see what entertainment there is for the night. Highly recommend if you love traditional Latin music!

We came on a Friday night for a birthday party and had a lot of fun here! Great crowd, fun dancing, the works. I was thinking of hosting my birthday here but it is a little on the small side. Drinks are also crazy strong — at least the night we were there.

Beautifully decorated Bohemian style, good food and service. I know a lot of people see this place as a club and come in late for the dancing, but it’s actually a great place for happy hour, tapas and/​or just a drink before the live entertainment starts, too. One star off because the food is a little pricey for what they actually give you (most tapas places are).
Definitely recommend it.

Went to Bossa last night for a Girl’s Night Out with my SIL, who’s visiting from France, and my cousins, and it was the best decision of the night!
I found out about Bossa from Unilocal reviews of restaurants in Adams Morgan. We were the first table of the night so we had the entire restaurant to ourselves! We explored the beautiful space upstairs and admired the beautiful art on the walls, and took in the amazing view of AM from the upper level window. The atmosphere comfy, cozy, eclectic, cultural, and all around awesome!
Now the best part of our visit to Bossa… THE FOOD!!!
Camarão a Baiana — Shrimp sautéed in garlic, green onions, cachaça, and red chili peppers
Franguin — Bite-​size crispy chicken marinated in herbs and spices
Farofa de Couve — Collard greens with garlic and crumbled yucca root flour
Branco e Preto — Rice and black beans topped with a delicately fried egg
LAWD THIS FOOD WAS GOOOOD!!!
Of course we partook in adult beverages! Mojitos, Caipirinhas, Amazon Green Teas, and a surprise shot that the bartender made for us just because!
The only thing that we missed out on was the salsa dancing because we were enjoying other spots in AM. We will definitely be back and we be sure to cut a rug on the dance floor!

Bossa recruits good bands and parties. But homegirls at the bar moves way too slow. I’m glad they’re weren’t a lot of people. Even still, when nobody is there I waited ten minutes to be seen. Plus, doormen can be arrogant. Typical DC place: cool and fun, nice ambience, but lackluster staff. Still got love for this place tho.

Went in there for dinner and the salsa, Was a Saturday night, my friend made reservations for 8:00pm the place was empty, awesome for us we had the place to ourselves the décor is very interesting like a art gallery the pictures from Daniel Cima is absolutely a conversation piece, the waiter was very nice and explain the menu, we order caipirinhas delicious. We decided to eat the following tapas .
Feijao topeiro (Red beans, mixed with sausage etc)
Bolinho de carne (meatballs)and bolinho de arroz (Rice croquettes) all Brazilian food was all so good, the portion is pretty big, after our dinner and couples drinks the place start getting ready for the Salsa and more people, the Band was the highlight of the evening great music, we all had a wonderful time.
I liked it so much the on Sunday I send a email inquiring birthday party information, here comes the disappointing factor I got a email an day shortly of a month old and when he/​she realizes the mistake send a another email saying «Oops, I see now the date has passed. My apologies.»
Because of the incident I give costumer service a one Star awful!

The food was way overpriced and bland. There was no sauce on anything. Basically chicken nuggets and meatballs. The service was pretty much nonexistent. There are weird pictures of indigenous people all over the walls. They need to try harder.

My boyfriend and I went here for a night of dancing to a live salsa band and were very happy to have done so! The cover is only $ 5 and drinks are pretty cheap! The place is Brazilian so of course we ordered caipirinhas which were very good (lots of places tend to mess this drink up)! The bartender was very attentive. The décor was amazing; full of art and culture! The live band was super fun and everyone there was have a great time! The place is diverse which was very attractive to us. We would totally go back! :)

Great Latin music Saturday night, and a really fun atmosphere. $ 5 cover, and vodka tonics were $ 7. The place was a little bit mobbed, so it was tough to get around, but we all had a great time.

There are many things to say about this place. Unfortunately, it has a lot of potential but it is not there yet. I’ll begin with the service, I walked into the place which was empty (around 830pm) to find all the staff huddling around the bar on their cellphones. I stood there for at least 2 minutes staring at them to no avail. Eventually, I just went up to them asked them if they had a menu available, after a bit of a blank stare the staff decided to hand me one menu (there were 2 of us). After perusing the menu I ask them to explain a couple dishes to me, to which I got some more blank stares. This continued even after we decided to stay because we wanted frankly to eat something you don’t eat every day.
The food was good, it was well made and definitely unique, the capirihna was good at least. That is all this place has going for it right now. The service was mediocre at best, and the outdoor seating is lacking any type of significant lighting. Thankfully we had a
certificate. Won’t be returning here for dinner unless I see it gets full with people.

Good live music and good overpriced drinks. Cover was only $ 5, and the music was worth more than that. However, this place stinks, literally; this place is crowded and they have the AC off. I couldn’t stay inside for more than 10 minutes (they have a small patio).

A NW/​AdMo gem! They’ve got great live Latin music on Wednesday/​Friday nights. Such a fun place for dancing or just drinks; well worth the $ 5 cover.
One of the few places which isn’t overcrowded by questionable AdMo visitors :)

My girl and I have been coming here for a couple years. If you like live Latin music, this is THE place to go. Every Friday and Saturday nights, they have a live salsa band. Honestly, for the price $ 5 per person, you can’t beat this. I can’t stress this enough — this is the ONLY place in the DC area to hear quality live latin music.
The only downside is the dance floor and dancing. The dance floor is quite small and the people going there aren’t the most veteran of dancers and often enough, are a bit on the sloppy side. My girl and I are dancing vets so we have a tough time with this, but if you don’t care, then it should be great.
The place is small but has a great ambience to it. The service at the bar is decent enough and if you want a DJ experience, they have an upstairs area for more dancing (they would play top 40, house, latin). You can actually reserve the upstairs for a private party if you’re so inclined.

4.25
I like this place and I do not like to dance. For much of the time, it is an unassuming, chilled bar, good for a drink and a chat with friends. Then it turns into a bumping (but not obnoxious) dance scene later in the night. Otherwise, I like the ambiance, two floors and friendly people here. Good drinks and somewhat decent price. I would recommend if you are past the frat boy-​esque bars and want something with a little more substance. well, as much substance as a bar can possibly have. Nice art work hanging from the walls.
Had food once here of the 8 – 10 I have been here. Small portions but only so so taste and kind of a little over priced. Don’t come here hungry (or if you do, leave, eat something nearby and come back). Otherwise, like I said, I like the place for 2 – 3 drinks.

I wasn’t there but for an hour and a half since it was a week night, but I had a great time. The live music was awesome! Even thought it’s a small space, you can dance a little… or a lot (like the lady that whipped me in the face with her freakin’ hair — without a care). I will go back and I highly recommend it if you are hanging out in Adam’s Morgan. But parking majorly sucks and there’s not a metro station very close — worse when it’s cold. I’ll try again when it’s warmer outside…

If you love Latin music, this is a great spot on a Saturday night. They have a live band that plays salsa, merengue and bachata. On the night I was there, there were plenty of people to dance with; I had a blast! There is, however, a $ 5 cover and limited seating. Wear comfortable shoes, ladies! Oh, and the restrooms are smaller than airplane bathrooms. Consider yourselves warned!

We ended up Bossa on a Sunday night… just because. We ended up with some great caipirinhas, great music, great service, and good food. It was Hannah’s idea, and I can’t thank her enough.
The John Lee Experience played the night we were there and I enjoyed them. Bartender was really friendly and the yucca was perfect. It was fairly quiet inside, but I appreciated that.
I recently returned on a Saturday night. It was packed. Downstairs was salsa; upstairs was more of a club/​lounge. There was a different bartender; caipirinhas were awful. However, I really enjoyed people watching on the patio. I’d probably not return on a Saturday, though I’d go back on another night.

Oh Bossa. You have effortlessly become one of my favorite spots in the city. I wish you weren’t crammed inside the chaos of Adam’s Morgan. No one there appreciates you.
This place has an amazing happy hour. Half off their tapas, 4 dollar caipirinhas, 5 dollar martinis… all until 8pm! Last time I went I had 2 drinks, with food and paid only 20 bucks after tip.
Organic, non-​hormone injected food. Good food. Actually, great food. Why aren’t more people dining here? Where are you eating in AM? Amsterdam? Please people, step it up. You have better options! *see my review of Soussi*
There is a 5 dollar cover. Not because they want to piss you off. But because they want to weed out the riff-​raf of AM and maintain a sophisticated atmosphere where people can come and enjoy (the awesome) live music. Also, if you come often enough, the doorman will recognize you and not charge you cover. Where else in AM can you feel like a VIP without also being a tool?
Bottom line, this place is a neighborhood gem. And that should say a lot considering the neighborhood is Adam’s Morgan.