Fruit Bat

I have to say I enjoyed 99% of my night at Fruit, the 1% that I didn’t enjoy had more to do my own issues than anything Fruit Bar or the Fruit Bat staff did wrong.
I love the laid back vibe. There was literally nobody there when a friend and I arrived around 8:30 on random Thursday night but we were still greeted with cheer by the staff members who appeared to be chilling.
The service was great; the bartender whose name I either forgot or she didn’t tell me was very engaging and fun. We had many discussions about the Food Network show Chopped that was playing on the TV above the bar.
The background music was good as well, a nice mix of soft beats to add to the dim lighting and laid back vibe.
I don’t know if they food menu is changed on a day to day basis but the menu online did not match the food menu in the bar. The menu was rather limited with a few items but seeing how Fruit Bat is on the small side I doubt they’re known for their gourmet meals. I wasn’t hungry and therefore didn’t eat but my friend had some mozzarella based sandwich that she claimed was delicious.
Drinks were pretty good and reasonable priced, I had the Avele and I will say the taste of lavender is something you have to get used to. I also had a mango and vodka concoction made especially for me by that same friendly bartender whose name I sadly cannot remember, it was a tad on the sweet side but definitely good.
Best part was the bartender made sure I was okay but didn’t hassle me to keep drinking, finally after an episode of Chopped, Sweet Genius and half of something else, I sadly had to leave Fruit Bat, with only my dreams of one day returning to help me through the rest of the night.
All in all a fun place and definitely worth a return visit by me.

Really weird place. Gimmicky drinks.
Church and State, I believe owned by the same people, is upstairs and 90x cooler.

Yo checkit! I don’t really know where dis place came from, but the noodle joint we tried to hit up was over-​slurped again… so we just rolled-​up to this chill spot: da Fruit Batattack!
Funny story yo, my girl wuz Colombian (still is I think) and we notice tha joint had all this South American flava wrapped up and showcasin on da wallz. She wuz like, «WTFruitbat!» I wuz like, «I ain’t pre-​meditate nuthin gurl!!!» I think I got like 500-​bonus-​points from her cuz she was feelin da vibe being all Colombian and wut not. I didn’t really get it, but who cares… I still got it! (if you know wut I means!!!) Gohead playa…
Bartendtress wuz nice. I dig. She had some custom Vermouth action she tried to pimp our way. I tried it. I was in HEAVEN! Smooth silky with a lil’ kick right where it counts! Ask em about it, that shizzle nocked me back a bit dawg…
Didn’t try da food. My gurl was like, «hell no, I’ll c (o)(o)k you somethin later…»
(surprized awkward facial expression)
Alls in alls, I can dig tha Fruit in a Bat. Rat a tat tat…
Payce

Came here for drinks after dinner nearby.
Agree with other Unilocalers that it’s a confused interior; dark and minimalist but then kept playing cliché bar music (such as «Like a Prayer» or «Sweet Caroline»). Generally filled with groups of girls and a few people eating tacos, wasn’t nearly as hip of a vibe as other nearby spots.
Got a hot spiced cider with rum for $ 6 and my drinking companion M got a vodka caprowsky (vodka, ginger, simple syrup and lime) for $ 9. My cider was pleasantly spiced, a decent sized portion and was pretty strong. M’s cocktail on the other hand was small and not very strong at all; pretty inconsistent there especially given that her drink was more.
Service was friendly but unfortunately slow; we waited so long for the waitress to come back to our table that we decided to switch venues. Getting the check and then paying (with cash as we were hoping to speed up the process) took even longer.
Wanted to like this place but it just wasn’t great and definitely didn’t fit it’s self-​proclaimed speakeasy label.

Halloweekend brought us to H Street
for a bar crawl of sippable treats.
First stop: fruit bat
with plans after that
for more cocktails that couldn’t be beat.
My old-​fashioned was anything but weak,
plus I was drinking with a shark week (!),
but with only one tending
our time here was ending,
but I know I’ll be back, maybe next week :)

This place is right up my alley: fun, fruity cocktails; personable bartenders; friendly and big crowd but not overcrowded. And when I say fruity, I don’t mean fru-​fru — at least, that was not the case with my jabenero-​infused tequila cocktail. Right on the money, my drink was citrus-​y, spicy and designed to be enjoyed slowly. My husband’s whiskey cocktail was perhaps just a teensy bit too heavy on the currant but enjoyable just the same. I was disappointed to see that the Dark Knight was no longer on the menu (I suppose fall is past!), nor was the lychee, though there seemed to be a popular blueberry-​agave option in its place.
Our bartender was attentive and sweet, more than happy to answer every question we had about the selection behind the bar (and the fruit in the baskets, which apparently they’ll chop up for you as a snack!)
We’d come from dinner next door, but next time I’m SO in for eats here. The menu is small but the plantains were calling out to me.

This might be my new obsession. First, I love the laid back vibe and dim lighting. I have not (yet) heard the DJ, but just the music choices on the speakers are fairly upbeat and the bartenders love to dance while making drinks.
Drinks are great and all handmade — no sugary mixers here, which lessens the hangover. I’ve had the Rum & Coca, Lychee Caipirinha, Raspberry Basil Gimlet (a special), along with sips of the Cucumber Gimlet and Pineapple Cardamom cocktail. Rum & Coca is good, but I loved the caipirinha and gimlet. Just the right about of sweetness to both, and very strong.
Food is also great. I’ve had the pork tacos, plantains, and arepa. Plantains are crispy but sweet (not tostones) — I don’t love sweet plantains, but I can deal with these. Pork tacos are yummy and the arepa is a thin corn cake, not the classic, thicker version, but still good.
Probably one of my favorite bars in the city, as I think most recently I was there for about 4 hours, just hanging out at the bar on a Friday night, and never felt pressured to order more or leave because I was not continuously drinking.

Four stars, easy. My first visit was pretty underwhelming, but I’m glad our mini-​reunion dragged us back here the following week. Chef Jose Sanchez describes Fruit Bat as «a low-​lit, boozy bungalow,» and that description is right on the money. Jose was working the bar on our first visit, and showed good humor about Mike S ordering water for me. I guess if I were a belligerent drunk who was more sloshed than I was that night, I may not have caught «H2O on the rocks,» haha. Waitress on our second visit was energetic and friendly, giving us plenty of warning for when the tables get cleared out upon the DJ’s arrival. Her bebopping ways got me in the mood to dance, though the boys were more enthused about the early evening tunes.
My first visit, I had pork tacos, Mike S enjoyed an arepa de casa, and the girls shared an order of vegetarian tacos. I seemed to be the only person less than pleased with their grub, but only because I’m One Of Those People from the west coast. Yes, I compare every taco I have with the tasty cantina tacos of Cali… and while I didn’t hate these, they just didn’t meet that high standard.
My taste buds were appeased the second go, though. I love some of their drinks, and the other menu items I tried were much better. Sweet potato fries were quite good, and slow to descend into starchy blandness. Between the four of us, we powered through two orders of them. I usually disdain the option of ketchup for this kind of starch, but it worked. Simplistically prepared plantains were cut thick but cooked through, and accented well by the cream dip. Rice was done acceptably, and I surprisingly found the black beans unoffensive (another thing I’m picky about); beans were cooked to a preferable softness that wasn’t anywhere close to mushy.
Sadly they were out of coca leaf liqueur so the Rum & Coca was out of the question. I seriously contemplated the Colombian Cup just for the jolt of caffeine, but I ended up getting sidetracked by the Apple Strudel, Banana Boat, and shooters of pineapple cardamom rum. Apple Strudel was disappointing since all I could taste was the vanilla vodka. I nabbed sips of Evan’s lychee caipirinha and Eminent Domaine, both of which were okay but unimpressive (I’ve had plenty better of the former). Will got the Dark Knight because he’s a Batman geek, and my taste of it was also pretty lackluster. But oh, my Banana Boat! Okay, that sounded weird, but this was harmony in a cup. Talk about elevating soymilk to a whole new level, I could drink four of these in lieu of dessert. Not that my blood alcohol level should. And the Indian Ocean (pineapple cardamom rum) was equally delish! I would totally come back to drink here until I had to be scraped off the floor.
Update notes: I only hate seasonal drink menus if they rotate out liquor ingredients completely… Now that it’s spring, Dark Knight has given way to Batgirl and Robin drinks, and the rum used in Banana Boat was completely out so the bartender couldn’t make it for me off-​season. Blood Negroni tasted like fruit punch with a medicinal finish, and was wedged with blood orange. My second batch of Indian Ocean was on the pineapple-​y side, but good enough for me. Surfer On Absinthe and Ship Wrecked are both tasty delights that go down the hatch far too easily.

We came here to enjoy a drink (or two) before going to Granville Moore’s which is OH-​SO conveniently located next door. So if Granville Moore’s threating a 2 hour wait, you tell them that’s no problem b/​c the bar next door is fannytastic!
I tried the Eminent Domaine which I loved – it was a perfect mix of ginger and apple juice. I also had the Passion Fruit Caiprowska which I loved even more b/​c I’m a huge fan of all kinds of citrus. My date enjoyed his Dark Knight and Guava Rum, Coca Leaf Liqueur & Coke which I thought were just ok (i guess that’s why we got different drinks right?)
What I really wanted to try was their Hot, Spiked & Spiced Cider – which was on their menu – but that don’t serve now that it’s warmer. But. for the past week it’s been full-​on winter still so I feel like they jumped the gun a little. Oh well, would’ve been nice if they had removed it for the drink list at least.
The atmosphere when we were there was VERY chill. Not too loud (for a bar) and it wasn’t crowded which I liked. They were playing some funky foreign films on their TV which was quite amusing to watch and read the subtitles of.

Mr. Bat, let’s sit down and have a talk, shall we?
It’s been awhile since our last review, and we’re almost at the six month mark. I’ve read over your list of accomplishments and reviews. You have seemed to done quite well for yourself. You work well with others and I’d call you a team player. So, I stopped by this weekend for a tasty beverage to see if it was everything that I remembered it to be.
First lets discuss your location:
H Street, love it.
Décor: I am an island girl. Thanks for making me forget about winter. Love the ferns and exposed brick. You even had cute baskets of hanging fruit, and the fruit inside was fresh and smelled great. Yes, I smelled your fruit.
Drinks: Everyone seemed quite satisfied with their creative beverages. Gregg M and his charming companion, Carol, enjoyed a rum and coke with a hint of cherry liqour. Ok it was more than a hint. Brian B enjoyed a Dark Knight. I wish I could remember more about their bevergages but you see I was busy with my own beverage, the lychee caiprinha. Cachaca and lychee, lovely combo. Dear drink I call you $ 9 dollar deliciousness. Apparently you like a stiff drink, mr. bat= +1.
Ambiance: Oh yeah, I’m basking in it. It was rather crowded for a Saturday night but not uncomfortably so, but a much different environment from my daylight visit. There was one nightly addition I want to compliment you on. Your dj=+1. Your dj was spinning some nostalgia, just remixed and at a higher BPM. Do you miss the 90s R&B, hip hop and rap a little bit? Me too. You may have had me dancing in my seat.
So to sum it all up, I think you deserve a promotion, 6 stars. Unfortunately, this only goes up to 5 stars, so the last star is my gratitude to you for such a fun night and a time off award. Go ahead, take a vacation, you deserve it.

Though it was the last stop on a night of recon, a great time was had by all. It was great to finally meet Brian B and his lovely friend S.R. Rum and coca’s and Dark Knight’s consumed… voila…A new bar to add to my cocktail list.
Definitely need to make it back here and try a few of the other cocktails that are on their menu. You certainly can’t beat the prices here.

Fresh juice! Fruit/​Flavor Infused alcohol! Come here now!
So I came here after Sticky Rice with a few friends. The best thing about this place was I wanted to try the pumpkin rum and asked the bartender how he would recommend it… he made a drink with carrot juice, orange juice, soymilk which was AMAZING. While he said it had a huge amount of alcohol in it, it was smooth and delish. I had another drink with the pumpkin rum which he made more fruity which was amazing as well. While each drink was kinda pricey ($ 9), I’ d rather pay that price for a well made drink than a cranberry/​vodka at a regular bar.
My friends had drinks ranging from custom drinks with pineapple inflused rum to the caiprinhas. One great thing was one of them ordered a drink off the menu, but the bar was out of one of the ingredients, so the bartender created a drink similar to the one on the drink menu for her.
Great atmosphere, good music (even when they started having a dj played house music), and knowledgeable bartenders. Come here when you’re out on H St!

So, I got a Dirty Sanchez at Fruit Bat.
No, seriously, I did! It’s a drink people! Get yer heads outta the gutters.

I’m going to have to come back here, because I can see my rating changing.
Last night I went into Fruit Bat for the first time. I had actually attempted to do so a couple of weeks ago the evening of the H Street Festival. But because I was starving, I asked if the kitchen was still open, and was told «we ran out of food today.» I know you get so slammed with H St festival that it’s hard to anticipate how much to make BUT I think that’s a little nuts to completely run out.
Anyway, last night I finally made it in. I arrived at about 6:15 and my friend and the bartenders were the only ones in there. We stayed for a couple of drinks and probably had about 12 others filter in during that time, but we were alone for quite a while. That made the atmosphere a little difficult to gauge. It’s pretty cool inside, and the hanging baskets of fruit and the herbs growing above the bar are a nice touch. My 2 mojitos were great – and pretty potent. I was glad I could walk the short distance home. The ladies’ room was nice and clean. The music was good, but somewhat loud given the tiny size of the crowd.
All in all, I liked it, but I wished there had been a bit more of a crowd. It was a little difficult to love it when it was so empty, but it has a pretty good vibe and I definitely plan to return.

Still lovin’ it.
The staff is über cool. So cool in fact that I actually want to relinquish my coolness and do something uncool like spell cool, «kewl.» Because they are cooler than I am without making me feel uncool.
Also, my sister and I discovered that the sweet potato fries here are bangers! They are cut Goldilocks perfect and lightly fried, so they somehow don’t taste too heavy.
It’s brain food people. Embrace.

This place is a work in progress. My wife and I stopped in here for drinks a Friday ago and found the place nearly empty — though it gets busier later. Their hours are a little sketchy as they ramp up so call ahead.
The drinks are great — good variety of fruits to mix into typical martinis or rum or gin drinks.
One complaint: the bartender was not keen to mix up something that I created myself, even though they sort of hint that you can make your own concoction. He kept saying — well that would be like this drink. Why don’t I make that for you.
Also practically no food choices. So come early and go elsewhere for dinner.

From the owner’s of Potomac Ave’s Wisdom come great tropical drinks. The granite bar remains unchanged from this location’s days as H Street Martini Lounge, but the rest of the décor has not; it’s now more atmospheric and sexy IMHO.
In your glass: La Revolucion, made with Philly’s Bluecoat gin, apricot liqueur, grapefruit juice and soda was a tasty revelation; I don’t normally think of gin as an ingredient in things aside from G&Ts. The Columbian Necktie, on the other hand, while refreshing might be an acquired taste. Made with banana rum, aguardiente and orange juice, it’s not for everyone.
Keeping with the fruit theme, they have two draft lambic beers from Belgium: Lindeman’s Framboise (raspberry) and Peche (peach). There are also virgin fruit smoothies for those who don’t (or can’t) imbibe in alcohol.
My only quibble: you can no longer sit at the bar.

Awesome name for a bar! 1-​star
Music that made me want to dance especially breaking into salsa. 1-​star
Growing fresh herbs for drinks above the bar. 1-​star
Alcoholic smoothie, adult rootbeer float and capirinha. My Ginger Mojito was fantastic! 1-​star
Tropical décor that made the chilly weather felt like 100 °F! 1-​star
Fruit Bat is hot!!!

When it comes to bars, I’ve really only been to those «eh» and stupid ones situated in a tiny club, dance hall, or a sports bar — all of which look pretty lame compared to Fruit Bat. I’m not entirely sure at what point in my night I ended up here but the point is that I remember loving it. Not crowded (I didn’t have to fight my way to the bar itself to make an order), great atmosphere, the people working here were awesome-​friendly I could just hug them (I think I may have…), and the strawberry adult smoothie: de-​licious. If those weren’t enough winning points, umm… their facilities are also rather clean. Impressive for a hip-​happenin’ bar in DC.
I love fruit and I love Fruit Bat. If I end up around H again, I would definitely stop here.

Oh bar spirits that control all that is good in the DC bar scene. Please give the people that run this place all the success they need to keep this place open and make enough money to buy nice things without ruining their bar by making it ultra popular and overcrowding this small place that is so cute and comfortable and attentive to my taste buds in a way that so many other bars are not.
May the cooler masses enjoy the Infused Tequila, fresh fruits, smoothies and excellent white wine sangria. Oh bar spirits hear my prayer.