Red Palace

lamest bar on the block — go to Rock n’ Roll instead. seriously. Didn’t care too much for the tacky lady with the black hair working the bar. Beth was nice though. the scene is kinda dry there as well, even on a Friday night. I only went there for a show, so hopefully none of my favorite acts will play there in the future.

Officially closed forever and I could not be more distraught about it.
RIP Red Palace. I will always love you.

I’ve gotta up this place a star before they *tear* close! That’s right, this beloved DC classic is closing its doors in 2013. You knew ‘em and loved ‘em first as Palace Of Wonders and The Red And The Black, then when they combined the two into Red Palace, it was like an awesomesplosion. It’s still an awesomesplosion. Site of burlesque shows, live music, sideshow weirdness, random shit on the walls, and lots and lots of cheap booze.
They’re promising that they’re moving onward and upward, brighter and better and all that, but this spot’s a DC institution, and if you don’t get in here before the doors close, then shame on you.

The Red Palace is a must visit when out on H Street. Cheap drinks, friendly service and good shows. I recently saw a nerd– themed burlesque show that was AMAZING. The third floor space is small and intimate… all the better for live shows.

Three and a half stars. Some street parking to be found in nearby residential blocks. Downstairs was low-​key, with an awkward layout broken into two spaces. The stage and space adjacent to the upstairs bar serves as an intimate performance venue. A few giant trash cans around, and the merch table tucked to the left of stage. Mixed drinks are in small plastic cups, $ 5 a pop but poured decently strong. Billing still denotes the name as The Red and the Black. Audio quality was good, though I’ll remember my earplugs next time. I was glad to see my favorite unknown band come through here, and at such a reasonable price-​point I’ll be keeping an eye on their lineup schedule.

Great local neighborhood bar! Also a music venue, they have two parts Palace Side and the Red and the Black side. Palace side has a bar downstairs, and upstairs is the music venue where they have a variety of rock bands come and play. The Red in the Black side is usually where I reside when I come in here.
I like dive bars where I can drink good whiskey and cheap beer. The bartenders are cool and friendly, but don’t try and kiss your ass either. The food and the music are awesome too. They hands down have the best burger on H St. (Sorry Big Board) You can get a specialty burger or do a build your own. Oh, and I forgot to mention they have shoe string fries with curry ketchup. Score!!! and the mac cheese is oooey gooeys good too…
Tuesday nights are my favorite here because they have half price burger night. I like to do the build your own burger. And I load it up with cheddar cheese, avocado, tomato, extra pickles, and then top it off with blue lump crab meat. I wash it down with a lovely can of PBR and I am a happy lady!!!
I would recommend this place to anyone:
A. Has not been here yet
B. Lives on H St
C. Likes Burgers
D. Likes Rock N Roll
E. Likes live shows
F. Likes dive bars

I’ve never been to the show, so this is a bar review only. They have an extensive and great selection of beers on the list from cans to bottles ranging around $ 4 and up. The bartenders are always quick, and although I’ve been here many times, it never seems over crowded. There is plenty of lighting to see the person sitting across form you and the massive booths are great for groups. Good place on Hst to stop by for a few beers before heading out to less mellow places.

This place is great! I saw Youth Lagoon here back in Fall 2011, and it was WAY better than seeing him them again at the Rock and Roll Hotel in the spring.
The stage is all the way at the top, so keep in mind you have to walk past the bar, around the corner, and up the stairs to get to the show! The bottom is just a bar, so they won’t check your ticket until you get to the last staircase before heading up to the show. The space is tiny, but I really liked it! The crowd was super friendly and totally into the music, and the sound was surprisingly solid for a venue as small as Red Palace with pretty low ceilings. In terms of seeing a show, I’d take this place over Rock and Roll ANYDAY.

Hailing from NYC area I am not new to the dive bars that cater to the rock crowd scene. I planned to see a band that I wouldn’t have had thought I would be able to see living in the NOVA area, so they do have an event planner that has great taste in underground indie bands.
The music appearances range from thrashy punk to local synth pop. Where else can you find musical variety like that. The weekdays they have variety burlesque/​side show type of events. I was fortunate to see «Olde City Sideshow» and was hooked. Great comedic presentation with freakish acts and burlesque get ups. I don’t know how a night can end better for a day in DC.
They have two bar areas, an outside patio and an upstairs area where you can mingle intimately. The concert area is on the 2^nd floor with a bar as well.
The food, was abnormally good for bar food. My friend and I were graced with the chefs presence and he intrinsically wants to know how you enjoyed his food, and if there were any alterations that could have been done better. Of course my vegetarian mushroom burger came out amazing. The ketchup is mixed with I want to say sriracha or tobasco, so it has a nice kick. The shoe string fries were just as amazing. My friend who came with me said his hawaiian style burger (spam and fried egg) was amazing and cooked perfectly.
Now bathrooms. Newbies to this area won’t know that there are 2 places to go to the bathroom. There’s one by the kitchen area in the newer bar side. and the 2 in the older bar side. There aren’t any FEMALE /​MALE SIGNS. just go in! Everytime i come here I am able to bypass the line going to the bathrooms in the kitchen area by just walking over the to old side and going to the bathrooms right by the bar.
Good drink/​beer selections too. Big fan of local beers so cheers that they have DC BRAU on the menu. Woot Citizen!
All in all, a great establishment.
Great musical guests, great sideshow acts, great people in general. Don’t mind the damn tattoos, stretched lobes, and facial piercings. We’re all good souls!

Went here to support an up-​and-​coming band and was surprised that the stage was upstairs over the large bar/​restaurant area. Th food looked interesting and good, but we went straight upstairs.
For concerts, it’s a small, intimate stage, with a small bar on the upstairs level as well. Overall, it was a great concert experience, I’m glad I could see the band at a great price and get up close.

I came here to support a friend witness my first ever burlesque show. I must admit I was extremely nervous that this would be an uncomfortable experience. Surprisingly it was a ton of fun, and not exactly what I had been expecting. I expected tee to be a lot of super pervy guys lurking around but actually the majority of the crowd was female. Quite a lot of people were regulars or came to support a friend. They offered a super yummy girlie drink as a special. It would be the perfect dive bar if there were a place to rest your feet during the show… I wore high high heels.
The show itself was hilarious! I laughed so hard that evening. All the dances told a story and were pretty entertaining. Some dancers actually used legitimate dance moves, one girl was on pointe! The crowd was extremely lively and supportive.
Do like other Unilocalers pointed out not every performer is a perfect 10. True. But you’re not coming to see Dita Von Teese… and women of all sizes and shapes should be accepted. This being said I think both men and women should maintain a healthy BMI.
I really likes the circus décor and hopefully will be back soon!

I went expecting to have a good time. Red Palace has an incredibly cool history & a great reputation. Unfortunately I was very disappointed.
A few friends & I went for a burlesque show ready to drink & cheer on the girls till the wee hours of the morning. After paying a healthy $ 10 cover we were directed upstairs to the show. 1^st thing, it was so packed that we couldn’t get anywhere near the stage — this wouldn’t be a problem if they had been smart & provided SEATING. As it was the standing crowd almost entirely blocked the small stage which is set low to the ground. It was WAY overcrowded for the small space so there was no room to maneuver anywhere. There were also a large number of townie douchebags being obnoxious & getting wrecked making it all the worse.
We tried to enjoy the show, which seemed cute & fun from what little I could see. Even tried to sit at the bar which had a small, fuzzy screen playing the show, but again NO SEATS. No seating ANYWHERE in fact in the whole upstairs. We ended up leaving without seeing much of anything well before the show was over.
It seems like they crammed as many people as legally allowable into tight quarters just to make a buck. Not really cool to your customers, especially if you want them to return to your establishment.
It turned me off enough that I wouldn’t go back there again. Such a shame too, with a little consideration & some seating it could have been a great event.

Best dive bar in the H st area. I normally come on Thursdays for my favorite bartender Tracy, T Baby, T Dizzle or whatever variation of T you fancy.
The place is super laid back, alot of other bartenders from neighboring bars are usually here which seems to be a good sign.
There are burlesque shows and different live shows you can attend but I have not been to one yet.
The food is surprisingly good, the chicken sandwich and fries are my favorite. I also like the mac n cheese and crab dip. When I go I normally sit at the bar and let Tracy concoct something yummy. She hasnt let me down yet and she has a ton of custom made drinks.

I noticed this bar as I was walking by H Street because there was a orange tabby cat inside! He was so cute, so I stopped to give him love and kisses (and had a tequila shot while I was there, ha why not?) and learned that the kitty has lived inside the bar for 4 years! Upon leaving I noticed there was a sign for a Burlesque Show later that night by a traveling group called Dangerous Curves Ahead: Burlesque on the Go-​Go. I came back later that night for the show and had a great time. This is not only a cool bar, but it is also a great venue. The bar doesn’t offer any beer on tap, but did have a decent selection on tap. The bar was decorated with very unique items, some including stuffed animals and other items from an old circus. Very cool. Def recommend this place which is great for any mood your in… just chillin back, listening to their live DJ, or catching a show. RAD.

I went for my first time for the Young Galaxy/​Winter Gloves concert, two Canadian bands that I have been into for the last few months.
Having never been to the Red Palace, I didn’t know what to expect, but it actually was pretty bad ass. The downstairs bar has a cool old world charm to it, and has a great happy hour special.
The concert was upstairs, where plenty of cheap beer continued to flow. The concert space was very nice too, having been recently remodeled. The acoustics were great, making for a fun and cosy show.
All day, every day they have a few beers that are only a few bucks, making the stay all that much easier.
They do not have any food though, which is a bit of a bummer, but they are launching a kitchen and food menu late summer of 2011, so stayed tuned for that excitement!
It is definitely a cool concert space, and I hope it takes off.
I am equally as excited to finally make it out there for a burlesque show or sideshow, which sound incredible.

The Red Palace is a great new edition to the concert scene in DC. As others have mentioned, it’s a tiny space that probably only holds 200 people.
If you think your indie concert will sell out, it’s probably best to get tickets online. There was literally only one ticket left this past Friday when the doors opened so I’m glad my friends and I got ours ahead of time.
The best part about the venue is the acoustics. The space looks run down, but the music sounds great. You’re so close to the performance that there’s not a bad place on the concert floor. You’ll even find the bands chilling with customers at the downstairs bar afterwards.
The drink prices didn’t seem too bad for a show. They had $ 3 Iron City, but the best deal was the $ 4 Konig Tall Boys. They also serve PBR for the Hipster crowd and I was pleasantly surprised to see classier beers on the list like Allagash White and Bell’s. If you go, get a beer. I can’t recommend the liquor drinks because they are served in really small cups. It was like getting a shot of mouthwash and felt like a ripoff.
I will definitely be back. This is a great new venue and I can’t wait to see another act coming through the Red Palace.

This place is a decent hole in the wall. Other than the whole place REEKS of cats. If you have anything in the way of allergies don’t go.
The shows are decent. Its what i would call a hipster hangout. Complete with bad retro eastern european background music. Unfortunately it is one of the few small concert venues on this side of town.

I recently went to Red Palace twice, so I got to see this new performance
space that is now booking so many indie concerts and burlesque acts. It is a tiny space — as small or smaller than Iota in Arlington. I had expected a space bigger and a bit nicer than Rock and Roll Hotel, but it turned out to be the opposite. The Red Palace is the new name of Palace of Wonders, which used to be 1 tiny rowhouse, and now is 2 tiny rowhouses akwardly connected to one another but a poorly skilled contractor. The performance space is upstairs and spans both rowhouses, but it feels like you are in someone’s dumpy attic.
I’m actually kind of excited to see shows there — you’re about as intimate as possible with the performers, and it only holds about 200 people. You could probably smell what they last ate on their breath — it’s that small of a space. It turned out that having the tickets mailed to me was a waste of money — will call was literally a printed list they held at the door and they used that instead of my actual tickets.
The burlesque and side shows there are a fun date. I’ve only been to one, but it was memorable.

I’m a fan of all-​things low-​key, and this bar definitely fit that description. The walls are busy and filled with pictures — literally every inch has some sort of decoration. The shots were strong but not cheap, but the rail drinks were reasonably priced at $ 5/​each. I had a few different shots and two vodka cranberry cocktails. We were able to find a 4-​person booth around 10 p.m., so it wasn’t too packed, but it was still a pretty good time.

3.5 stars. Thanks to Unilocalers out there I went with a friend to the Red Palace (aka Palace of Wonders) last night. Not exactly sure what to expect, we found a lively bar, then another — then walked upstairs, pushed aside a red curtain and entered a stage area. This was band night — not burlesque night — so we grabbed a beer and waited for the musicians to start. The first band (Constant Alarm) was pretty good — loved the guitar and drum players– but the lead singer was painfully off-​key. The second band (NRIs) was excellent: great energy, interesting rhythms, good lead singer — and the added element of a violin. I plan to return to RP soon for a wild night of flame-​throwers and circus-​y FUN!