A friend of mine was performing here tonight, so I went to support him. The venue was a little strange for a show, but it wasn’t a big deal for me. What was a big deal for me was the service. I waited 10 minutes to get my drink order taken, then 15 minutes to actually get the thing taken care of. I found out that the reason they didn’t take care of me at first was that they ran out of my liquor of choice(which is fine — there’s plenty more drinks I’m happy to drink if you tell me!). Then, when I ended up getting a Jack and ginger, the guy tried to start pouring Coke in my drink. I get forgetting my order, but not if I told you two seconds beforehand. It took another 10 minutes for these people to even get me my check to pay them. Needless to say, I missed most of my friend’s show, which was the only reason I bought Axum’s overpriced drinks in the first place. If I’m ever here again, I won’t be drinking.
Lauren B.
Place rating: 1 Reston, VA
If I could give this«venue» zero stars I would. I went here with several people to see a close friends band on Saturday and honestly, EVERYTHING about this place was terrible. The bartender gave me straight vodka when she said she could make me a lemon drop, then we ordered vodka tonics and got gin. My friends card got charged several times for his tab. To make things worse, the soundman was pretty much gone the entire time, one of the band’s friends had to take over and the bands didn’t even get paid! Bands and patrons alike should seriously avoid this place.
J P.
Place rating: 1 Arlington, VA
It’s great that the absurd $ 50 charge on cards has been lifted, but it makes little difference when drinks are randomly priced and they even charge for water. Now the bartender brings every card over to a patron after every order to determine who’s tab is whose? Not an improvement. Drinks are slow and randomly priced, I was charged two different amounts for the same drink on the same tab. This bar seems to resent their customers and does not make you feel like your business is wanted or needed. As a music venue it is certainly to be avoided. There are too many other great places for musicians to perform and too many other great places to enjoy music than this cramped and disorganized space.
Chris H.
Place rating: 1 Temple Hills, MD
YUCK! A large rat ran across the bottom of the bar during a performance. NEVERRETURNING! This place needs to be condemned
Marissa B.
Place rating: 4 Washington, DC
While the ambiance leaves much to be desired, the food and service are great! My friend and I got a veggie dinner for 1 and a meat dinner for 1, and we couldn’t even finish it.
Jayne K.
Place rating: 5 Washington, DC
The Level X lounge upstairs from Axum is actually very nice!!! It’s clean and modern with beautiful art and wood floors! New sound system is awesome and the live band was great! The downstairs portion of the restaurant is definitely deceiving, because upstairs is so bright and vibrant! I would recommend anyone who wants a cheap drink and cool atmosphere to stop by the Level X lounge!!!
Jackie G.
Place rating: 1 Arlington, VA
Awful place. The only reason to come here is to see a band you like but that even sucks because the sound guys are terrible and have an attitude problem. They were literally on their cell phones while the sound kept going out. Basically there shouldn’t be a cover charge when the quality is so bad. It’s so tiny and the constant shrieking sound from the speakers was awful. People kept saying they are gonna gonna lose their hearing. Bands should avoid this place as they rip off artists all the time and don’t pay all of them. Stick to DC9 or Velvet Lounge for your intimate music venues because this place stinks.
Matthew T.
Place rating: 1 Washington, DC
Worst music venue in DC Went to see a show there last night The sound guy didn’t know what the fuck he was doing The microphones kept cutting in and out and it was lots of feedback And then to top it off sound guy disappeared and no one knew where he went in the Middle the show And not to mention the overpriced drinks Six dollars for a can of Coke and No AC at it was hot as hell in there Ran out of bottled water And ice I will never go there again
Mary S.
Place rating: 4 Washington, DC
Great venue for bands, drinks are reasonably priced and well made;) Upstairs foos is pretty tasty as well. Although they can come down on the price of fries. $ 5 is a little outrageous. All in all I give this place an 8 out of ten for the whole experience.
Dawn D.
Place rating: 5 Washington, DC
FYI– there is no longer a $ 50 hold for cards!
Ken s.
Place rating: 1 Washington, DC
Please be advised that this place puts a $ 50.00 hold on your credit card at the bar! I went in to see a band perform on friday I used my citibank card to buy a Red stripe and a Stella my bill totaled $ 11.99. I checked my account online the next day and I was charged $ 11.99 and the additional $ 50.00 dollars as a hold on my account. I called the owner and he said that the $ 50.00 dollars would drop off the next day but it did not! The staff and owners are VERY nice but this is outrageous! Please take cash!!!
Mo A.
Place rating: 3 Washington, DC
My first impression of this place was a good one. That being said, I think that was in big part because of the awesome band that was playing( ). The bartenders were friendly and the prices were resonable.
