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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Bar Belle: Burlesque and beer: An unusual Northeast bar

The Red Palace

Where: 1212 H St., NE
Cover: No. Tickets for shows are $5+
Carded: Yes
Happy Hour: Monday through Friday, 5 to 8 p.m.
Bar Bells:


There are two things I love in life: good shows and good beer. The Red Palace over on the H Street Corridor provides both and then some, offering up a hefty supply of odd vaudeville shows to impress the freak within.

The Red Palace – a mix of H Street’s music venue The Red & The Black and its burlesque neighbor The Palace of Wonders – opened earlier this year to combine a little bit of District sound with a surprising amount skin. If you’re looking for heavy liquor and mixed drinks, you may want to head elsewhere. Though it does have varying drink specials, The Palace is better-suited for a beer. 

Miller Lite, PBR and Yuengling may be the only recognizable beers to many of its younger patrons, but if you’re up for getting out of your comfort zone, try D.C. Brau’s The Corruption – a local brew made by two D.C. residents. Beers run from $5 to $7 and drop to around $2 during happy hour. Wine is $7 and cocktails run from $5 to $13. 

Downstairs, the two original bars are combined into an eclectic array of odds and ends, circus paraphernalia, stuffed animal heads, and vintage lights and signs. If you head upstairs for a show, another intimate bar awaits tucked into a corner beside the small stage. You’ll see all kinds of people upstairs, from tattooed District residents to employees straight from the Hill to a few ambitious college students. The bar just opened its Voodoo Patio for patrons to enjoy and plans to open a kitchen soon to provide grub through the late hours. 

The bar does card and has a cover only for shows, but the tickets are cheap compared to the 9:30 Club. If you’re thinking about getting by with a fake, these are the kind that won’t take kindly to that offense. If you’re going to a show, expect to hand over your I.D. twice in order to get upstairs. They do offer 18 and up shows throughout the month if you’re intent on trying out the place. 

But The Red Palace isn’t a venue just for drinking. Come out to see a local band, try out a burlesque show or just head out to Northeast for a drink before hitting up  The Rock N’ Roll Hotel. This is the kind of bar everyone needs to experience at least once. If you’re looking to impress a date or have a night so far from McFadden’s you’ll be sure you’ve left the city entirely, The Red Palace is the place to look. 

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