The Betsy

We love the Betsy. It is an Eastern Market gem. Best cocktails in DC. Made with love. We tried the gin and tonic and a beautiful cocktail. I can’t remember the name. Oh so delicious. The chicken wings and waffle bites were delightful. Can’t wait to return.

I have mixed feelings. It’s got that blind tiger / speakeasy feel with a tightly packed room and dim lights. I felt like I’d officially entered my mob-wife era (complete with my well-timed faux fur coat and chipping nails) The cocktails were great. And it was a nice stop over with friends on a night of casual low-stakes roaming. It’s also close to the Metro so you can drink yourself silly without driving drunk (probably not safe to be too drunk on the Metro either but at least you’d only be hurting yourself not others) I enjoyed the pictures of chicken (is the plural chickens?) all over the place and the chicken humor. The cons: We couldn’t order food as the kitchen had closed already, which I thought was fairly early for a Saturday night (around 10 pm). It felt a wee bit grimy for me. I went at night and might need to go back for a better feel.

What a fun and great discovery. Up the stairs in a back alley is this fun and authentic cocktailbar (and quite extensive bites menu as well. Their selection of gin & tonic is quite impressive. The bar tender Arslan was a gem and made sure everybody in the group what they were expecting. Lovely lovely. I will definitely be back.

Such a hidden gem! Went for a birthday drink while visiting DC. Wish we could go there every week. Drinks were fantastic, great service and so much to look at in this small space!

I've been visiting Betsy off and on for about 7 years, waiting to see how the restaurant and bar develop. Pre-covid, it was just a little Rooftop resort above Belga. Good beers, craft cocktails, nice staff. Sometime during Covid, they added a covering. Staff stayed, drinks got better, and place became just a hint more intimate. Post Covid, it hasn't really changed a bunch in the past 4 years, but why change when you e found the sweet spot? Throughout it all, the staff has maintained their dedicated charm and attentiveness. Part of me doesn't want to write this review, because I selfishly don't want others to overtake this gem. However, I definitely want you all to enjoy what I have. Happy hour, date night, brunch, or just a place to breath amidst the bustle of DC... I highly recommend you give Betsy a try. It's like a speakeasy that's just trying to speak easy. Let yourself breath, and come enjoy this great spot.

the chicken decor is giving belgian cottage core. i absolutely think it’s divine. the drinks are gorgeous. also following the spray paint chicken claw prints to the entrance is genius.

The staff was welcoming and friendly, we never had an empty glass. The drinks were superb and absolutely gorgeous. Such a neat place with a unique vibe. A must for drinks before dinner.

Betsy is the rooftop bar behind Belga Café. To enter you need to go around the back entrance in the alley and up a staircase. It's technically a gin bar and they have an amazing array of gin and tonics and gin based cocktails. I recommend the Tested Negative off their cocktail list. My partner and I shared the mussel pot and the burrata salad, both were good, the mussels were a bit small and chewy but the sauce was so delicious. They did charge extra for bread. Service was prompt, if not very friendly. They are not following all Covid regulations for restaurants, they are not taking or making reservations, they are not contact tracing, they only have one small hand sanitizer on a side table available for all guests. I saw a woman come into the restaurant completely unmasked and use the restroom and walk out. I'm not sure where she came from or what. Everyone else was masked. The menus are standard, leather bound, which I am not sure how they are cleaned between guests. We were glad we brought our own hand sanitizer and portable disinfectant spray. It is outdoors which is nice.