Busboys and Poets is a bookstore, performance venue, restaurant, and bar named for the poet Langston Hughes, and completely unique to the DC area. It’s focus has been on creating a culture of community engagement since the early 2000’s when it was opened and began to grow its own community of patrons out of the Iraq War activism happening at the time.

Busboys and Poets hosts book events, open mics, poetry readings, film screenings and more. It’s a place that is family-friendly during the day, and stays open until the late, late hours of the night for adults to engage with each other.

Breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner are served at Busboys and Poets, and the food is affordable and highly praised – even earning the Slow Food DC Snail of Approval. There are plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free selections on the menu. The two DC locations are open every day.