3.5 stars - good food and drinks and average service plus the Happy Hour here today made me a little poorer than I would have liked.
The location is easy to find and down the street from Dupont Circle metro. I'm a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland so I loved the theme of this bar. There's a very large bar area near the front of the restaurant.
My friend got a Miller draft and I got a mangorita to start. While the mangorita was good, it wasn't worth $4... it came in a 3/4-filled glass that was half the size of the glasses rail drinks come in. We also ordered Old Bay wings, chicken tenders, the mini "changas", and the Hatter's fries. The wings were tasty but nothing to rave about. LOVED the changas, which are essentially fatter taquitos with a crispier shell. The fries were so good to munch on that we actually got a second order - they're topped with cheese, bacon (!!!), and sour cream.
We also got trashcans - assorted liquors with an inverted Red Bull can. Somehow one of these set us back $15??? I guess that's DC for ya.
$37 (per person) spent in 1 happy hour... not sure how given what we ate and drink, but it was a fun time and I'd be willing to come back again.
We held a happy hour at the Madhatter. The bar did a great job of sectioning off the top floor for us and we had an excellent bartender named Tony. The prices for the happy hour were excellent and some of the best prices I've had in DC. They had good food as well, not the typical crap bar food. We had pizza and fruit plates. Tony was friendly, great with the drinks, and the reason I would come back to the Madhatter.
Review Source:Yes, I know MadHat isn't the classiest of bars to go out to. Sure, it gets really crowded and sweaty and the scene can be a little shady (read: if you're a girl, guaranteed you will get hit on, welcomed or not) and sure, it kinda smells funky during the day...BUT I always have a good time here. There is no denying that.
Food is good (even better when you've been drinking and all you want is a warm, delicious mac and cheese!), drinks are cheap, and the music is great. Definitely try to go late on a Thursday when it isn't so crowded, or really late on a weekend night when people start to leave to go home/elsewhere. Maybe I have a soft spot for this place since I spent many of my early DC weekends here and because I'm always with a good group of friends. Still, if I'm in the mood to dance (and I'm in the area), I won't say no to MadHat.
I had heard a lot about this place as a spot to hang out in after work. Â Certainly the bar had a small crowd during my visit but the dining room was empty and over chilled by the AC. Â I was hungry and their huge hamburger with mushrooms was a satisfying deal. Â I would definitely go back. Â I didn't really care for their house tea.
Review Source:When I go to Madhatter--I've only been at night--I almost always sit at the bar and almost always find myself surrounded by people who do not live in Dupont Circle. Â
What I appreciate about this place is that the bartenders are really sincere and friendly. Â They are patient with the goofy 20-somethings who are there to drink and grope, and they also take a little extra time with me and my girlfriend who just came to eat fish and chips (they do this very well) and watch the game somewhere other than the hazy depths of Buffalo Billiards.
Excellent lunch spot with good service and no-nonsense menu. The burgers are awesome and a total hangover cure. Busy happy hour with fast cheap pours. They tend to book all kinds of happy hour special events for a wide assortment of groups, so if you wander away from the bar, you may find you've inadvertently crashed a gathering of investigative journos or the Walt Whitman fan club. Retro grunge, navy blazers with Madras shorts, ink & piercings, the Bad Hatter is the nexus of the DC universe, and all & sundry are made welcome here, with all 'tude and baggage checked at the door.
Review Source:I stopped in for a drink with family members that included two small children during brunch hours after we ate breakfast somewhere else (don't freak, we tipped to use the table). We ordered a couple of drinks and desserts, one of which was this giant ice cream sundae served in a huge martini glass, covered in crushed oreos and garnished with a lit firecracker (sparkler? I dunno, it was way fatter than a sparkler). It was a specatcle, made a ridiculous hazy gray cloud inside the restaurant, and was a load of fun.
After they left with the children, I spent a ridiculous amount of time in the bar area during daylight hours. The scene was comfortable and casual.
One of my favorite lunch spots, the Madhatter has a varied lunch menu, with a range of prices. There are plenty of big screen tvs tuned to sports and a large enough space that lunch seating is always quick.
Food is typical tavern fare, but with some twists, e.g. flavored teas. Â The Philly Chicken steak is very good as is the fish and chips. Â The cole Saw makes a nice alternative to french fries and can be readily substituted.
As indicated by the name, the decor is "Alice in Wonderland" themed with movie posters and other art related the story.
I've been there for brunch a couple of times. The hangover remedy or something like that is AMAZING. Both times everyone at the table wish they had had it.
The first time it was really nice. However, the second time it took them about 10 minutes to get the order. Food was great, but we only got a glass of water and they brought us more till we were pretty much done.
My friend ordered pancakes, she asked for butter and got it about 15 minutes after, when she was already half way.
I loved the mimosas, but didn't love the waitress telling me I needed to "finish my coffee first" before getting a mimosa (?).
I'd still go back, but I was disappointed that brought friends from out of town after a really good first experience and it was a bit of a let down.
Bar by night, Madhatter converts to a restaurant during the daylight hours. While I haven't been to the bar at night, I can only speak to the food served during the day. The food is typical bar food cuisine (burgers, fries, sandwiches, salads, etc.) and as a frequent patron, I have not found anything spectacular thus far...just mediocre.
The ambiance of the restaurant has a charming feel and is decorated with some Alice in Wonderland themed items including the large top hat prominently displayed in the front window. There is an upside down room great for private parties that can be reserved which features various dining items nailed to the ceiling as well as a large flat screen TV.
One great thing about this place, especially for those running on an intern/non-profit salary, is the everyday $6 burger and fries special. In addition, Madhatter often has daily specials (Panini Mondays, Spicy Turkey BLT Tuesdays, etc.) that are reasonably priced, especially for a restaurant in downtown DC. However, beyond the specials, the prices are a little high for what it is.
If you're looking for a safe place to eat, this place will definitely work. But if you seek something outside the typical American bar food, there are other options around the diverse Dupont Circle.
I went to Madhatter for a fundraiser happy hour for an education program that I am a part of. Â The only thing that I had been previously told about it was that it was somewhat of a dive and frequently houses sketchy alcoholic types. Â However, I had hope that it would be interesting since the Mad Hatter is one of my favorite characters in literature and I feel like there is a lot of potential there for a badass theme.
When I arrived, the man checking IDs seemed pretty distant and aloof. Â He didn't make much eye contact and seemed sort of perturbed that I asked him a detailed question about where the fundraiser was.
The interior was somewhat themed, but in my opinion could have been much more robust with its decor. Â It mostly seemed like a regular, nondescript bar/restaurant which a series of Alice in Wonderland posters stuck on the walls and a few velvet curtain here and there. I would have liked to see more of a Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass type of theme, or at least some variation from room to room. Â There were a few posters in the Lewis Carroll vein, but also some Johnny Depp and Disney posters for me that to me cheapened the vibe a lot. Â The one cool piece was a steampunk art metal top hat in the middle of the entryway.
The fundraiser was held upstairs in a private room with limited ventilation and a one-stall restroom that opened right into the place where the most people stand. Â The room was poorly lit and the furniture was old and rustic (not in a good antique way). Â The bartender was an older gentleman who was able to handle a high volume of business, and so I appreciated that. Â However, the drink options were somewhat limited and the mixed drinks were less than stellar. Â My friend Kerry ordered a mixed drink that turned out to be a little bit strange.
All in all, I would only return to this bar for specific events. Â It was fine, but mostly just kind of there. Â Meh.
We went here for breakfast on a Saturday morning. Â Being a bar, it is a completely different place at night than it is in the morning. Â We were pleased though and if given the choice, I'd definitely dine here again - especially to try the unlimited morning drink specials.
The Good - the service was friendly and the food was good. Â The home fries were flavorful and the bacon and pancakes hit the spot. Â For the location, the prices were reasonable as well.
The So-So - they seemed to struggle to get the eggs done just right, but they weren't bad.
The Bad - nothing really.
This is one of my friends that lives out in Maryland's favorite weekend to go out dancing places. I was willing and ready to give it a shot after I accidently put my credit card into the wrong slot in a metro machine and it ate it up. This was me sober. And in doing so, had to wait 30 minutes for a guy to open it.
Madhatter on one side looks like your typical bougie bar with an eclectic mix of people. Predominantly and shockingly male peoples. Decent selection of beers on tap. They had a Lemonade Shandy, Fat Tire, some ciders, your regular picks, stella, Hoegardden, Leffe, Sam Adams Seasonal. Well drinks were around $7 so not bad for late at night at a place that turns into a club. If you check in on Yelp on a weekday that's not Friday (I was there Friday sad face) you can get a 20% off your check deal. And their happy hour prices looked pretty decent. Though, not as many people are probably dancing during happy hour.
At about 10pm the bar takes away the chairs. Which I find kind of incredibly awkward. They're trying to enforce us to be social and buy each other drinks. I want to be able to do that sitting down though. In turn, this led us to go boogie on the dance floor. Separate room. Which makes it confusing why the bar stools are taken away. They play a ton of pop music. But it was kind of fun pop music and I honestly didn't mind. Which in my saying this, it kind of makes me confused why there are so many dudes here. The music is TOTALLY catered towards chics but I'm not going to say its bad. Perhaps they 'know'. They know hey, girls are going to come here so they can jump up and down to some Britney and some Ellie Goulding followed by Fall Out boooy yeah! There is a giant Mad Hatter Hat above one of the doors. I missed out on capturing a picture of it. But overall I like the club. Someone from Fox News tried to hit on us here. It was shameful. Who watches Fox News?!
Had to update my last review. I've only been here for happy hour and late night. Crowded- yes. Fun- definitely. The Alice in Wonderland theme is little creepy when you have people getting wild on the dance floor. My friends and I ordered one of their giant glass hats full of booze because after a few Jack and Coke's - why not? Whatever was in it, sent us to Wonderland. Great time and worth checking out, but expect it to start getting crowded after 11.
Review Source:I came here for a March for Life event in January when it was blistering cold outside. Thankfully the bar itself was warm and cozy. For the amount of people that ended up attending the event, the upstairs that had been sectioned off for it was not at all big enough to comfortably fit everyone. I've been to many bars where I feel like a packed sardine but for the type of event it was, it felt stuffy and was not all that enjoyable since I wasn't excepting that tightness going into the night.
Regardless of the space, the Madhatter provided some pretty scrumptious catering for the event. You could tell everyone liked it because it was gone in minutes. (Or everyone needed an excuse to move in to the "food area" where there was room to breathe).
I'm definitely open to returning to MH on another occasion and perhaps trying the downstairs part which seems a lot more open.
Went here for brunch and Bloody Mary's on a Sunday. Â I enjoyed the Hangover Helper, even though I wasn't hung over. Â My wife had steak and eggs and thought it was very good. Â The Bloody Mary bar was great, featuring lots of different hot sauces and other fixin's. Â The bartender gave me the choice of making my own or letting her make it for me.
Bonus: There was soccer on TV at the bar.
I will definitely be back.
I really wanted to love this place. Â Really I did. Â Came here for brunch a few months ago after a friend participated in a marathon, and it was just meh.
The make-your-own Bloody Mary bar sounds better than it actually is. Â They had store-bought mixes- ew. Â There were tons of hot sauces (though Tabasco is the only kind I care for) but it was lacking in the basics such as celery salt, limes, etc. Â I have a serious obsession with olives and had to hunt down a waitress since they were clearly all out. Â They were pretty heavy-handed with pouring the vodka though before I even filled my glass with the rest of the ingredients. Â
Belgian waffle + side of bacon was okay but nothing special.
Service was rather crappy upstairs and halfway through our meal, a strong odor of raw fish wafted up our way and lingered for the rest of our meal, even though we saw no fish. Â Blech.
The Yelp check-in deal (10% off or something?) is not good on Sundays, but they don't tell you that until you go to redeem it.
Went here today and yesterday for some lunch. The food is good, but the staff is what really shines at this place. Both days I had ridiculously charming bartenders take my order quickly and efficiently, with just enough small talk to keep from seeming terse.
Two group of people ALWAYS want to see at a restaurant (assuming you enjoy good restaurants): industry, and regulars. I've seen both of these in only two days at MH. Looking forward to becoming a regular here this summer.
This review is for their happy hour:
Nachos: excellent quality and quantity for the price. Â It's not super fancy or anything but for $5 it's pretty spectacular.
Beer: eh you know.
Chicken wings: not bad, a bit dry at times. Â
Ambience: we sat upstairs in their lounge. Â Conveniently a bathroom was located on that floor as well. Â The bartenders were all very nice.
No. No. No. No. No. I truly hate this place... I can't comment on the brunch scene, but this place is the worst for a Friday or Saturday night. Here's what you're promised if you come here:
1) As you walk in, you'll notice the place packed with bros. You try to make yourself to the bar or second floor, but it takes you a good 4-5 minutes. And as you're navigating the crowd, you'll be rubbing against every single person there... seriously, there's never an opening or a gap. EVER. It doesn't matter if you're walking in or trying to walk out, this place is always a CF.
2) After you finally get past the first floor madness, you make it to the bar. Cool. Now wait 10 minutes to get served.
3) Ha, it's only been 2 minutes in, keep waiting...
4) You finally get a chance to order. You get a mixed drink. Bartender takes his/her time to make the drink... must be good, right? Nah. It's a pretty crappy mixed drink. (Order a bottled beer... they can't screw that up, I think)
5) You grab your beer, turn around, then head to your group of friends. You slowly sip your beer and start to realize how much you hate this place. You start drinking your beer faster thinking it'll help the situation (it doesn't, been there, daydreamed about that). You might order another beer to give it one last chance because you know every beer you sip will make you care less.
6) Fast forward to the end of your second beer. It didn't work. Now you're in the "I gotta convince my friends to go to another bar" mode.
7) This is the pivotal moment. Your friends either agree and bail with you, or you're left to decide if you want to stay and have miserable night just or just pull a solo exit.
Solo exit isn't a bad option.
Pecan Cup (5/5 NOMs)
I been craving pecan pie for month, but sadly they are not in season yet (or so was I told, booo). So as soon as I saw this on the menu, I knew regardless how over stuffed my tummy felt, I'm getting me some PECAN PIE! Oh my this was excellent. My mouth was exploding in flavor orgasms. I usually don't like room temperature pecan pies, but this tasted surprising good for not been cold. Its all the pecan crack they put in it. This really hit the spot and satisfied my nomster pecan cravings. If you love pecan pie as much as me, then you must order this.
Turkey Burger (4/5 NOMs)
Bring on the turkey burger goodness. I don't usually order turkey burgers, but I felt I should change that up. This was a solid burger and good menu choice. Of course like any burger I added fried egg on top! You simply can't have a a burger without one. It was a veyr juicy and soft meat patty that just melted in my mouth. It comes topped with a veyr nice light and fluffy bun. Fries tasted simply delicious and I ate them up in seconds. Oh no there were plenty of them, it just I was so hungry I just vacuumed the place. I love fries that taste great without any sauce. Let the natural flavourness come out. This is something I would totally order again next time.
If you like to dance, don't come here. If you want a drink, don't come here.
Full disclosure: I have never actually eaten here. As a nightspot, the Madhatter is terrible though. It is unbelievably crowded and hot, regardless of what season it is. Impossible to get a drink or move anywhere. The "dance floor" is a black hole from which you will never return. Go to almost any other bar and you will have a better time.
Ugh, I hope I never ever come here again.
Brunch=extremely mediocre. The food isn't very good. And while the bloody mary bar is a good concept, the execution is lacking. Not very good ingredients, and lets be honest, a bartender can make a better bloody mary than I can.
As for the nightlife, I shudder just thinking about the sweaty bodies dancing, reeking of stale alcohol, looking like sexual predators. Alice in Wonderland will never be the same, as now I will always associate it with this stinker of a bar.
AYCD BRUNCH!!! I doesn't get any better than that. I hit this spot up before I left D.C.
The decor is a play off of Alice and wonderland...not to much so it's not cheesy.
Food is standard brunch...we got the steak and eggs..w/ the AYCD add on. They are definitely going to keep your glass full which makes for a happy patron!
The prices aren't crazy, but with a yelp check-in you get 20% of your bill....aaaaaoooow! Â
Come here if you want a true AYCD brunch!
If you are going to partner with the University of Arizona Alumni (DC Chapter) and reserve off areas for them then ALL TV's should be showing the University of Arizona game. Â Very disappointed when we got there and 3 TV's in the UofA area were showing the other NCAA game. Â Because of this we left and found another great bar to watch basketball.
Hopefully you'll rethink this strategy for future UofA games.
Went by here for a happy hour with friends and it was nice to find a place with decently priced happy hour specials in DC! The wait staff was very accommodating when I could find them, but i am going to assume it was because there were multiple private events going on.
The only reason i deducted a star is because i dont think i should have to special request silverware when i order food, and I dont understand who brings french fries with no ketchup!
My roommate turned 22 this past week, so she hosted her birthday dinner at Madhatter because she loves Alice in Wonderland and it is a short walk away from where she works.
I got there late, but I enjoyed my experience. Our server was really nice and attentive. My crab cake sandwich was super yummy and it was served with steak fries. (I'm not the biggest fan of steak fries, but that's just me personally.) My boyfriend looooooved his burger, but we're not sure if it's because their burgers are amazing or because he was starving. XD
The decor here is definitely fun. Since it was a birthday and I was dreadfully late, I ordered the Hatter's Punch for us to share. The concept is super fun. The green rum punch is served in a giant clear plastic tophat with a bunch of long giant straws. It makes for a funny, if slightly awkward, drink-sharing experience. It is NOT a lot of rum, however, so do be aware of that. I wasn't peeved because I have only just started drinking, as did my roommate, but I can understand the complaints about paying $30 for so little alcohol.
Also, you don't get to keep the hat. We were pretty sad. :(
The restaurant is really nice in that they helped us surprise my roommate with their giant martini glass sundae dessert thing. It had brownies, Oreo cookie bits, ice cream, maraschino cherries, chocolate sauce, whipped cream... it was delicious and my roommate was pleasantly surprised.
With a giant punch tophat and martini glass on the table, the Madhatter proved to be a really fun place to celebrate a birthday for someone who likes Alice in Wonderland. I will definitely try to come back for their brunch.
Quick note: I was carded at the door, so keep in mind that Madhatter is a bar, if you are planning on having a meal after happy hour ends and you have underage friends.
Also, one of my other roommates really liked the music they were playing. :)
I went to the Madhatter for a birthday brunch on a Sunday. It was really spacious and just the right level of noise to allow close friends to have intimate conversation.
Everything on the menu is pretty affordable, loads of items under $20. I even happened to check in using Yelp and found a 20% coupon that was used for the whole table of 7.
The french toast were amazing and the sausage on the side was not bad either (this is coming from a person that is content without the meat options).
The unlimited mimosas deal was $10, which is very reasonable.
The music here is cool, the dancing is fun, the drinks are cold, there's tables when your heels are hurting your feet, they had $2 huge juicy chickens fingers (more like whole chicken breasts) and they were bangin'!
I love the theme, one of my all time fav movies so it's pretty cool. I would definitely come back to try the food. Only complaint it is a little small and can get crowded might take a little bit to get a drink at the bar, but I discovered there is an upstairs! Which is a little tight again.
I've tolerated Madhatter in the past (cheap HH drinks, fun dancing), but my most recent visit for a private event made me completely write off this place. What happened? The blonde bartender. Here's the exchange she made with my international friend regarding the bill.
BB: Did you have a problem with your drink?
Friend: No, it's great why?
BB: Why didn't you tip?
Friend: I'm supposed to tip on drinks? I'm sorry in my culture we only tip for food. I really didn't know better. Please give me the bill again and I'll change it.
BB: No. (eye roll)
I just want to stress this was a private event and the average age of attendees was about 25 yrs. Maybe I could understand her frustration if she were dealing with the underage crowd in the main bar area. But this is a well to do individual that made an honest mistake and she was completely mortified. The bartender's desire to embarrass her in front of friends was completely uncalled for in this situation.
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