Beetle House

D.C.’s First Year-Round Halloween Bar Didn’t Make It Into the New Year | Eater DC

"I experienced a Tim Burton–crazed restaurant and bar full of stuffed bats and glowing pumpkins that opened on H Street NE and then called it quits just three months later. The two-level, kitschy ode to everything Halloween was tucked behind a dizzying black-and-white hallway at 816 H Street NE and was lined with coffins, skulls jutting out of walls, and lamps supposedly made out of real human bones. Its $50 three-course meal featured dishes named after Tim Burton movies—like Edward Burger Hands and the “Corprese Bride” salad—while the upstairs club showcased performances by fire dancers, sword eaters, and contortionists. Cocktails ($10–$15) came with lots of billowing liquid nitrogen for atmosphere, including a red punch served in a blood bag. The DC location posted a “Beetle House is closed for business” message directing visitors to its other pop-up–turned–mini-chain locations in NYC and Hollywood; owner Zach Neil has said he plans to open multiple Beetle House bars and previously ran the short-lived Stay Classy Bar." - Tierney Plumb