Here’s the dish! I am always looking for fun things to do in the city. When making plans with a friend, we both decided to do a fun activity rather than meeting for a regular dinner. I did a bit of research and settled on SPIN DC, a few blocks from the White House. Because of its location, parking can be challenging, so keep that in mind if you decide to drive. I have incredible parking Karma and was able to find a free space in a loading zone after hours a few blocks from SPIN.

My friend was running a bit behind schedule, so I used this time to explore the venue a bit more and snap some pictures. SPIN is a social ping pong club in the city, and offers a full bar, menu, ping pong, and other fun games for patrons to enjoy. My first stop upon arrival was the bathroom. The stalls for women and men are separate, but the sink area is a common shared space, which I thought was interesting. Now this might not be ideal for the women who like to travel to the bathroom in packs, but it increases your chances of bumping into a cutie while on the bathroom run by yourself (or with friends).

My next stop was the check-in desk, where I was helped by the very friendly Brielle. She further explained the concept to me, and signed me up for the waitlist for a ping pong table. We didn’t plan ahead and make a reservation, so the wait was long–two and a half hours long! She took my name and phone number and told me I’d be texted when a table is available. At my time of arrival, there were plenty of empty tables, but because they had been reserved, you are not allowed to use them until the party arrives. While we didn’t end up playing ping pong, there was a tournament going on about an hour into our visit that we were able to enjoy. We immediately knew we were out of our league after watching a few professionals play! For those who intend to play, SPIN charges $9 per person, per hour, so essentially, you and a friend can get your Forrest Gump on for less than $20 an hour.

The decor at SPIN was one of my favorite things. The main area is more urban with beautiful graffiti-like murals around the walls. We ended up settling at the bar in the other area, which reminded me of a gentleman’s study. The bar in this area is backed by beautiful wooden bookcases holding lots of interesting knick knacks and books. One of the highlights of the venue is their claw-foot bathtub full of ping pong balls, which is the perfect spot to grab a pic for Instagram.

We settled in at the “gentleman’s” bar and ordered some food. They offer signature cocktails, but have a full bar can make just about any concoction you’d like. I ordered the Butcher’s Flatbread for $14 (Pepperoni, Soppressata, Fennel Sausage, San Marzano, and Mozzarella), while my friend ordered the SPIN Burger for $15 (American Cheese, Caramelized Pickled Onion, Fried Shallots, House Ketchup, Brioche Bun) with an option to add an Egg for $2 and Candied Bacon for $3, both of which my friend indulged in. The food was pretty mediocre and underwhelming for the price. With all of the restaurants within walking distance, I would probably do dinner elsewhere first before heading to SPIN to play the next time I visit.

We were catching up and continuing to wait for a table to open up, when someone brought out an electronic ping pong game. It’s a free game to play while you wait, and pretty fun if you aren’t that great at real ping pong. In addition to this game, we saw Giant Jenga and indulged in a few smack-talking games of Giant Connect 4. We did finally get the text that a table had opened up, but we were having so much fun with Connect, we never claimed it.

This is definitely a cute place for a date night or adult birthday party where you would like to do something other than a large dinner with friends. However, I would encourage all who would like to play to make a reservation ahead of time, especially if it’s Friday or Saturday night. Their website promotes a $9 all day play for Sundays, so I do plan to check them out for brunch soon!

Until next time, keep dishing!