Bar Elena - Cocktail bar in Washington - 414 H St NE, USA

Came here for happy hour. Not too crowded. Their happy hour is pretty weak straight forward with things like nachos, tacos, sliders, and $6 glasses of wine. Seems like a place that a lot of regulars come too, because people were walking in and being greeted by the bartender by name. I’d come back.

Good service and delicious food. I tried the burger, oysters, hushpuppies and their tap beer. Everything was tasty. The cocktail shrimp was overcooked therefore extremely expensive. The atmosphere is good. They have arcades, pinball machines and other games. My wife and I liked the bar at first. We tried it a couple days after they opened and have been back a few times. However, it is very disappointing that in such a short period of time, they are doing the same as the majority of restaurants in the area which is to raise the price and decrease the amount of food or quality of the food so I have to downgrade them to a 3 star place. It is ok without being anything special just an average new restaurant that wants to recover their investment in one week with overpriced food and drinks.

The Cuban sandwich was good. Definitely filling. The Caesar salad with the grilled romaine was horrible. The lettuce was wilting and hard to cut. It presented nice but it was terrible. The bartender was the only one there. I didn’t sit at the bar so the service was lacking a bit. Dull atmosphere.

The atmosphere was amazing the drink was great service was not bad but the food was not for me I like my food well seasoned

After a long rideshare trip, my boyfriend and I caught the last ten minutes of happy hour at Bar Elena. I enjoyed the Blake's Grizzly Pear Hard Cider, Our Fancy Nachoes, and 1/2 Dozen Oysters on the Half Shell. The Blake's Grizzly Pear Hard Cider was sweet, light, fruity, dry, and smooth. Their Fancy Nachos consisted of crispy corn tortillas loaded with pico, crema, cotija, radish, cilantro, lime, black bean puree, and braised brisket. The 1/2 Dozen Oysters on the Half Shell was served with mignonette, cocktail sauce, and lemon. I liked how fresh they were.

Today was my first time at bar Elena and I honestly enjoyed myself on a Wednesday. The general manager is friendly and makes great drinks. A lemon drop with fresh lemon juice and lemon garnish is a guilty pleasure of mine. He has the best staff from bartenders to chefs. The menu and drinks are outstanding, most times in Washington DC it’s hard To get both great food and good drinks in one spot but this place has both! I ordered a Caesar salad with steak and I am beyond satisfied. His bartender Nash is welcoming and had a great personality to match! This place is worth visiting! I’m a dc native and I take pride in good drinks and great food. Lunch and Happy hour is quite peaceful during the week however the weekend kicks in full throttle. 🙌🏾

Lo makes the most fabulous drinks Ever! And Melba is just the most kind and friendly manager, we had a great time for our girls happy hour 💃

Nice little happy hour spot and the nachos were so delicious we ordered two!