Our Story
Celebrating 20 Years of Busboys and Poets
This September, Busboys and Poets marks 20 years as a cultural hub in Washington, DC. Since 2005, we’ve been a place where art, culture, and politics intentionally collide—a space to take a deliberate pause, reflect, and connect. To honor this milestone, we’re hosting a month-long series of events, conversations, and special offers that celebrate the community, creativity, and activism that have defined Busboys and Poets for the past two decades. Join us as we look back on our journey and forward to the work still ahead. (Learn more)
Busboys and Poets is a restaurant, bar, bookstore and community gathering place. First established in 2005, Busboys and Poets was founded by owner Andy Shallal (@andyshallal), an artist, activist, and restaurateur. After opening the flagship location at 14th and V Streets, NW DC, the neighboring residents, and the progressive community embraced Busboys and Poets, particularly activists opposed to the Iraq War. Busboys and Poets is now located in nine distinctive neighborhoods in the Washington D.C Metropolitan and Baltimore areas. Busboys and Poets is a cultural hub for artists, activists, writers, thinkers, and dreamers.
Why the name?
The name Busboys and Poets refers to American poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy at the Wardman Park Hotel in the 1920s, prior to gaining recognition as a poet.
Busboys and Poets is a community where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted... a place to take
a deliberate pause and feed your mind, body and soul...
a space for art, culture and politics to intentionally
collide... we believe that by creating such a space we
can inspire social change and begin to transform our
community and the world.
Community Involvement
Busboys and Poets invests in our local community and works closely to support like-minded events happening at Busboys and Poets and occasionally at other spaces. We believe that building community around shared beliefs and dialogue over food and drinks creates connections that are meaningful and lasting.
