Austin G.
Yelp
Inside Kaiju Ramen, which sells a $66 waygu ramen, along Barracks Row is a speakeasy straight from Tokyo. Walk down the stairs by the bar and through a neon flashing hallway to a door decorated that leads to a mural-painted, dimly lit room with colorful flashing lights everywhere. It's trippy, but worth the experience. After visiting on a Tuesday evening with a buddy, here's our experience.
1) Drinks: Hard to read due to the dim lights, the menu is large with many, many cocktails to pick from each with fun names. Ask the bartender for recommendations as it's easy to get lost in translation. Enjoying sweet and sour drinks, the bartender recommended their version of a sour. It was flavorful, but drank a little watered down.
2) Price: Most cocktails are $14 or $15, the average price these days in D.C. for a decent cocktail.
3) Service: It was more casual and a little standoffish, but we didn't mind since we went to the bar to catch up.
4) Space: It's quirky, but an experience and for that I'm grateful. The entrance is fun as are the lights inside. When the speakeasy closed, they turned on the lights, which took away from the vibe. The furniture is cheap and the whole place didn't fit well with light.
5) Neighborhood: It's along Barracks Row filled with restaurants and shops. It's also close to the Eastern Market Metro station.