Beetle House

Pretend to close your eyes. You are told of a magical bar that has opened up that claims to have sprung from the mind of Tim Burton. It's two weeks from Halloween. It's Friday night. What are you pretending to see? An excited crowd? Delicious themed drinks? Maybe even decorations that make you suspend disbelief and send a chill down your spine? You will find none of that at this establishment. What you will find is despair. The top shelf liquor is Captain Morgan but you'll be paying $14 for an uninspired drink. There were only a handful of poor unfortunate souls who ventured into this pit of sadness with us on a Friday night a couple weeks to Halloween, which should have been one of the busiest nights for ANY bar in DC on H street. Curiosity killed the cat but this place will kill any hope you had for a good time.

Went on Halloween night and the decor did not improve from other's visits. The space looks half done, not even trying to be over the top, pop-up bars put in more effort to be "Haloween-y". Drinks were $14 and there was not the craft cocktail quality you'd expect from a pricey drink like that (better off going to Black Cat). I had the signature Beetle Juice and the glass was half crushed berries and syrup, a sludge you could not sip up with a straw with tiny seeds lodged in there. My biggest issue was the lack of seating or places for patrons to enjoy their time. If you sit in the empty seats by the stage you will be kicked out for diners coming from downstairs to see the 15 min sideshow. Just made us feel very unwelcome. Last note was that there was only one bar tender for the evening and he was slammed with the people coming in for Halloween night and then was getting a little rude as he was overwhelmed with closing people out and making drinks. This bar can do better, hope they make some changes to increase their potential. Please add more seating or gathering spots, another bar tender and pump up the decor!

A great unique bar where you can experience drinks in blood bags and Ri Diculous the knife swallower-so fun!

The food was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS 🤤... I recommend the root beer bbq wings and steak. The manager checked on the table and took the time to go over the menu. The staff came to work dressed and ready to impress. If it was only the food I would of gave it a 5star but the show was part of it and I just didn’t care for it as much. Maybe it was just the last show of the night or I just expected to see more ... like a knife getting swallow whole. But overall the experience was lovely.

The level of service I experienced here was prestine!!!! My family and I had a coven style dinner for my birthdaywhere we all dressed in black and came to Beetle house and I couldn't have dreamed of doing anything else. They were so accommodating and upgraded my reservation at the last minute. They were kind to all of us and even gave us our own private show with magic and sword swallowing. This place felt like home and everyone was extremely kind. Please visit and treat this gem well so we can have it forever. Everyday is Halloween 💀 at Beetle House. The food was on point, the drinks were unique and the vibe was unmatched. Thank you for making my birthday special ❤️

The bartender and manager were personable and worked hard in their attempt to make sure we were taken care of, that’s why I gave two stars. We didn’t have the interaction with the waitstaff others have mentioned, they did not earn the “generous tip” that was added to the bill. One half of our table was sitting with their food getting cold while the other half didn’t get their meal for another 15-20 minutes. The food and drinks looked very cool but they had no non alcoholic beverage option but water, the food tasted meh and they didn’t seem to be able to handle minor substitution requests. The filet mignon was melt in your mouth tender but with zero seasoning except for the red wine reduction which was sour and off putting. The fries were good but honestly McDonalds good, not $50 per plate good. The mac and cheese was cooked to mush. The mashed potatoes were excellent. With the exception of the sorbet (which was fantastic) the desserts were well, just weird but not in a good way. Overall an extraordinarily mediocre dining experience. Go to the bar upstairs, walk through the restaurant one time to see the decor but do yourself a favor and eat somewhere else before you go.

SO DISAPPOINTED. Went to Beetlehouse last night (A Thursday), at 11 pm when the rude bartender tells us she already did last call. They don’t close until 2 am........... it literally is a whole in the wall w 6 pumpkins splashed around. You shouldn’t advertise “Halloween all year round,” bc that wasn’t Halloween. I wasted a costume.

If you are a Halloween fan like myself, this is a must go to place! The atmosphere was spot on Tim Burton and they even have characters walking around to speak with you while you dine. Great experience.