Omega DC

Once upon a time, this place was known as The Fraternity House, and was the scruffy Levi’s wearing bad-​boy alternative to the sparkly Barbie & Ken Malibu Beach House known as Cobalt. «The Frat» was like a never ending, rowdy, pool-​shooting, keg party… Marlboro reds, v-​neck tee shirts and muscle cars. Time went by, the hot bad boys grew up, got real jobs, and bought houses in Arlington and Silver Spring. Now, «Omega» is home to an ever dwindling collection of not-​quite-​bottomed-​out alkies, and the unlovely hustlers who prey upon them. Sad, sadder, saddest: Mardi Gras beads in the gutter, a ’91 Miata in a junkyard, a skeletal Christmas tree at the curb in late February. A gay bar for Miss Havisham and Austin Powers…“yeah, baby!” Two stars for the great memories and the building, which is an authentic 19^th century livery stable/​carriage house with some real potential.

Omega closed on 25 December 2012. An end to an era.

The best bar in town! God I love this place!

If you like a great dive that maybe used to be a successful gay dance club, Omega is your place. CHEAP drinks on Thursday nights. Great if you want to eat large baskets of pretzels and play pool. Fabulous/​hideous erotic art. I loved it!

A dive defined is a dive you must go to. Visiting from out of town, my friend and I were in search of shenanigans and we were promised that by the men of Omega on a Wednesday night.
I didn’t mind the $ 5 cover, the bar was dimly lit, a few studly men sitting around, the first of more than six rounds of Yuengling ordered (sigh, a beer I pine for, since I’m west of the Mississippi), we sipped then wondered around the place. No, this is no ordinary dive, for one, it’s not tiny, no, it’s big. bars in almost every room, and porn playing upstairs, a wii system in another, then the clock struck 10… and shenanigans started, shirts came off and hot sexy dancers in little briefs with hightops showed up on the bar top. In my buzzed state, I was in awe, a little shy too. That didn’t last long tho, coz the dollar bills came out a flying, little touch here, a face grind there, a grope where?! and I touched penis… eek. It was fun, lots of hot libations! 11:30 struck and realized at midnight our metro train would turn to a pumpkin so we had to leave this crazy place. Thanks for the fun night Omega. cheers!

Gosh… what’s happened to this place. In my 20’s this was one the places to see and be seen, Now the sound system is just awful and the stage for the drag show has the worst lighting I’ve ever seen. I just don’t see why they keep this place open.

Go to this place just to check out the most unfriendly, unhappy, dour faced young woman checking IDs at the door. Inside, prepare to be disappointed and your expectations will not be exceeded.

What can one say about Omega that hasn’t been said about some of the dirtiest, dingiest, dives in most every major city? How about this, don’t judge a book by its cover. Sure, it’s down a dark seedy alley. Yes, it looks like the type of place where scratching yourself would give you Hep C. Maybe the patrons are not your ‘type’ or some other nonsense. Try as hard as you like to take away from this bar, it will still keep on being an awesome place for having a great night out just being yourself.
I have never had a bad time at this bar because the bar tenders are very friendly, unlike at the clubs in town, the patrons are always respectful and kind. Even the ones that may initially hit on you are respectful of a polite declination of affections. The dancers are fun to watch and there’s someone for everyone dancing so all one needs to do is wait for the perfect guy to come around. Wednesday nights are always a hoot and a half as shirtless men drink free from 10−11PM and the bartop dancers are always out in force. I’ve never turned down an opportunity to go to this mandance and I doubt I ever will. Shout out to Perry for being the best man in the house!

How Quinn E. gave this 3 stars… I do not know. I wouldn’t recommend even my sketchiest of gay friends go to this place… except on a dare.
the only two good things about Omega were the location (so close to everything in Dupont) and the fact that you get a bucket of alcohol when you order a drink…
on second thought, they might have just been trying to keep Quinn liquored up and confused.
hey look! silly porn!
we got out of there as quickly as possible.
if a seedy gay meat market is what you are looking for though…
this is your place.

I felt like a gazelle in the Serengeti. When we were about halfway done with our drinks (which were about 90% booze), my friend was like, «We should go. Those guys have been staring at you with laser beam eyes for a while.» So if you are (or look like) a young twink, prepare yourself for the lions. And watch out for those drinks. I’m an expert boozehound, but I had a hard time choking down a glass of Jack Daniels. And I worried that I’d be asked to choke down more than that. I’m all for stiff drinks, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the only stiff thing in the room!

This past weekend I went to Omega, after being at the Fireplace. (See my review.)
Needless to say, I think I have found a new watering hole when I am in DC. Especially on Saturdays. The staff there (from what I’ve seen) are friendly, the drinks potent, the people are either into you, the pool table or the dancers, and the dancers on Saturdays are… well…they are.
If you decide to check out this place on a Saturday, take my advice. As soon as you enter the building, turn left and go up the stairs. At the top of the stairs you will find a bar with one of the friendliest bartenders I have ever experienced in DC. Be sure to tip him well, engage him in conversation, and he will have you laughing all night long!
Omega DC = Check!

HAHAHA This place was hilarious. I don’t think I’d go back (I don’t have the right equipment), but it was just the nightcap I needed after a fun, fabulous night on the town.
I saw it out of the corner of my eye down an alleyway, and dragged my friend there later on in the night when we were not quite ready to go home. I was served with the most outrageously large scotch-​on-​the-​rocks I’ve ever seen, and we watched the dancers for a bit (I’m pretty sure my jaw hit the floor for a few seconds).
Then, we went upstairs and played the most pitiful game of pool. My friend attracted some company while I struggled to choke down my 6 shots of scotch while watching some really hard-​core gay porn…
Apparently after I left, my friend was being fought over by two sketchy old guys. He left unscathed, and we have since laughed together about the experience a number of times – all in all, a fun time for all!!!

This was my first time here and I think I was expecting something to the Gay bars I have been to in Albany (NY) or in the City (NYC). This was definitely a bar… not quite the club I thought up in my head. A few of us girls went on a Saturday night and they definitely cater towards men (i guess I should have realized that!). They had dancers on the bar on the main floor and a room for pool players (and a contest) with porn playing. There didn’t appear to be a dance floor, but it might have been too early.
It was also hard to find; it is hidden in an alley.

I came here with a few girlfriends last Friday night, because we had never been to a gay bar in the city. We only saw three other girls the entire night, but it was a good time. The scantily-​clad dancers went out of their way to talk to us. The drinks were strong (but expensive). There was no area to dance, which was a bummer for us. The place is pretty big (and sort of hidden down an alley — we definitely walked past it).

I must confess, I’m biased… I used to work here back in the day*. I bartended my way through my post-​grad school underemployment spell, and kept a once-​a-​week bartending gig as an underpaid Hill staffer for almost 2 years. It’s sort of amazing I didn’t end up on a campaign commercial for the Congressman’s opponent: queue in sinister music and deep serious voice «and one of his staff works at a HOMOSEXUAL establishment showing GAY PORN…»
Back then, it was called the Frat House and was soooo much seedier and dingier and trashier… Oh the stories I could tell. But you, gentle reader, might blush and we’d all feel cheap and tawdry and that would not be ok.
Suffice it to say that this was like a twisted, gay version of Cheers, albeit with a dark, gay porn room (imagine Cliff and Norm getting randy with the boys). I guess I fancied myself more of a Woody, maybe because I think Woody Harrelson’s a cutie. Seriously, we did know your name because you came here EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, including holidays. And you smoked. Alot.
Sometimes I miss the good ol’ days. And sometimes I don’t :-)
*I believe this is a violation of Unilocal’s rules, but I don’t think I’m throwing off the balance too badly. Plus it was like 15 years ago, and I’m just a regular customer now.

Being from New Orleans I like my bars a little trashy, my bartenders friendly and my drinks cheap and strong. Omega meets all of these requirements.
Once, the video for «Love is in the Air» started playing on the monitors and, when the chorus started, three queens in the corner of the bar threw napkins in the air. If you’ve been to Lafitte’s in NOLA you’d understand why this solidified my positive opinion of Omega.
To compare it to New Orleans bars, it’s like if The Corner Pocket and Lafitte’s conceived a bar on the pool table at Rawhide.
But in a good way.
As of a couple of months ago the porn room has been redone — it’s no longer a dark, sketchy room with porn playing and guys falling asleep on a makeshift deck. It’s now one big open room with multiple entrances/​exits. It’s better lit and just has two small TVs (playing porn.) The pool table is now the focus of the space.
There’s lots of nooks, crannies and bars to explore. One of the large rooms is dedicated to playing Wii — you’ll see people playing baseball or bowling on the two big screen TVs.
It’s probably the most friendly bar I’ve been to since moving to DC almost two years ago. I make it a weekly stop, usually around midnight when the crowd picks up.
There’s usually a VERY wide spectrum of guys there. It’s the bar everyone likes to go to but no one wants to admit it. :)
The music is good. It’s the only bar I’ve seen the Miss Piggy version of Peaches’ «F*ck The Pain Away» — that has to account for something, right?

It’s not my first choice of hangouts, but I’m not against it either. It’s kind of a dive, with a porno videos and disco videos on all the TVs. The staff is nice by DC standards, the drinks are good and the drag show is solid by DC standards. It’s a good place to go with a few friends and have a few drinks if you’re in the neighborhood. It’s nothing fancy, but sometimes you don’t want or need fancy.

It’s a gay dive bar, seedy, skanky, and dark.
There is porn showing on video monitors below the floor and then just about every where else you can look. I like going there when I am feeling ugly. I know that sounds kinda messed up but it does make me feel a little prettier.
Anyway, it’s a gross little place but the drinks are strong, the bartenders are nice and if you’re lucky a bridge troll will pop out from between the video arcades offer to buy you a drink and show you his bedroom!
There is an upstairs with a pool table, its across from the makeshift porn theatre. avoid that area! Super sleazy! It’s fun if you go with friends when you know what to expect. It’s a good starting off point to get a good cheap buzz. If you end there… you may wake up some where you wished you hadn’t hating yourself. Damn beer-​goggles!

This place is way past its prime I’m guessing… a bit of a dump inside… The average «frat boy» here is probably 40…
The upstairs has a porn room? how strange.
i’ve heard you get a free drink if you take your shirt off. luckily when i was there nobody was taking them up on their offer, because seeing some of these people clothed was already too much…

Omega is probably the one gay bar that can keep you busy all night long.
The first bar downstairs is roomy. When you first walk in, you’ll see a TV in the floor, playing music videos. You’ll see a couple more TV’s posted on the walls above, also playing music videos. Then, there’s another TV, playing soft porn.
There are tables in the back that you hang out with your friends or with your date/​partner.
There’s another bar on the other side. Nothing special here. Just another room to hang out with friends.
In the next room, there is a small arcade with classic games and a pool table.
Upstairs, there are a couple more pool tables along with a lounge area.
Of course, the most oft-​crowded room of them all is the porn room. There’s a big TV that constantly plays gay porns that, of course, draws men there like moths to lights. Of course, there are other people there curious to check out the porns. Women do go there with their jaws to the floor.
The staff are really friendly there. They make the best Amaretto Sours there.
However, you must keep your eyes peeled at all times. I had my wallet stolen there one time.