Madhatter

Great happy hour! food is $ 5! Nice selection. You also have to try their Mangoritas! Will be returning!

Saturday brunch was excellent! Although my reservation through THIS site didn’t get through for whatever reason, the wait staff was very understanding and accommodating. I had the Hatter’s Skillet and it was truly a decadent entrée, which I couldn’t finish. A great place for brunch! Just make your reservation directly with the restaurant to avoid the issue I experienced.

The atmosphere was awesome! The drinks were really good and the prices weren’t bad. The music was amazing and there wAs a mixed crowd. Really enjoyed the night. I had catfish and onion rings it was good

When we first got there this extremely tall big guy greeted us at the door with «Are you 21!!!» A «hi» would have done great first. Aside from the scary guy, the food and the service was great! I had the Blooper and the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. It was great! My friends enjoyed their meals and it was exceptional and better than I thought it would be. Loved the server.

I will give this restaurant one star because it was open and one star because it was kind of cool inside. Stopped in at about 3 PM, was completely ignored by multiple servers. I realize that this is not a busy time of day, but we were in the bar and there were half a dozen people there, chatting with the bartender etc.
We got up and left after about 12 or 15 minutes. They obviously did not want our business. I hate it when that happens.

What a great brunch spot! My gf’s and I were seated in the back garden outside. It was beautiful out. The food options are plenty but not over whelming like at some brunch establishments. Our waitress was attentive and informed us that our food would be coming soon but b/​c of a large group in front of us ordered it would be a minute. I appreciate that she told us, b/​c we were beginning to think she forgot to put the order in: p
Ordered the skillet (sausage, potatoes, cheese, jalapenos, red peppers and onions… all topped with two sunny-​side eggs!) all served on a sizzling skillet. perfect meal for the day after you’re out with your friends all night ;)

I came here for my friend’s black tie brunch with maybe 30 – 40 guests. It was priced at $ 45 per person on a Saturday.
Pros:
–large space for 30 – 40 people
–waitress was efficient in the smooth operation of collecting money from each guest
–arm bands given for the private party
–unlimited mimosa and Bloody Mary until a certain time
Cons:
— WAY TOO expensive for like 6 items of food: bagels, toasted bread, sausage, bacon, eggs, and salad *that’s it… Just 6 items of food for $ 45 per person
— you can only pay in cash
–open area (not too private) anyone can walk in and eat your brunch because there’s no monitoring
Given these reviews, If you have another place to host your brunch event, I would go somewhere else because it’s not worth $ 45 for just that.

Went here during a Saturday night. I would definitely go here again during another night out with friends. Theres one room for dancing and theres another room that is separated from the bar if you just want to hangout and talk. There is also an upstairs level which seemed more chill. Wasnt too crowded which is a plus! The big bowl hat drinks taste super sugary and they skimp on the alcohol

Terrible service
The bartender here — young woman, not sure what her name is – comes of as incredibly stuck up and has had a terrible attitude both times I’ve come here. She seems disgusted to even be taking an order. Then she comes back and says «you should look at the menu closer — it’s Steak Tacos not Beef Tacos.» Then she comes back with a receipt and when I say that I had actually said I wanted to keep it open she says, «well you should have stopped me.»
What a gem.

Um, can I just say that this place is amazing?
I used to be a professional boozy bruncher in my younger years (ok like last year…) so I’ve been to LOTS. I really wish I had experienced Madhatter back when I «could hang». With that said, I don’t think I laid eyes on my glass with less than just a sip missing from it. And of course what do I do with a full glass? I drink it. The food, PHENOMENAL. I think the best French Toast I’ve ever had. And they’re dipped in baileys. Like, what? That just sounds like a good time. Thankfully this was my last stop before passing out on a bus back home to NYC because I was totally tipsy and totally stuffed.
We didn’t have reservations and arrived just in time to catch a spot at the bar, there was a 45 minute wait for a table. I wish I remembered the bartenders name because she was awesome and from NY. Not sure if I’ll be back since I tend to try different/​new places while traveling but you’d better believe I’d recommend this place for any of my fellow boozy brunchers out there.

If not for the Unilocal check in special (20% off here so a very good deal! Even covers alcohol) I would’ve given only 2 stars.
I was intrigued by the Alice in Wonderland theme I had heard about, but disappointed the décor was subtle (Except for the giant teapot perched on a shelf and a few wall hangings.) I definitely would have played it up more because as it is, it’s really just another neighborhood bar.
Walking by, we noticed a sandwich board outside advertising $ 5 orange crushes-​one of my favs-​for happy hour. Inside was a decent number of people, but not too crowded. The host told us there was a bar upstairs as well and when we went up to investigate, we saw why she directed us there: a little older crowd than the interns downstairs. Still, there were no seats up there so we ended up back downstairs at the bar.
My orange crush was way too mild, like watered down Orangina. We didn’t order any food but the happy hour specials coming out looked pretty good. We learned they have $ 2 Taco Tuesdays so we may go back for that sometime, but otherwise the place was unremarkable.
Unless, perhaps, you are an intern on a very limited budget looking to bond with other poor interns in search of cheap drinks (in price and quality) and cheap food (in price but a bit better quality from what we could tell.)

I have to start by saying that I LOVE the theme of this restaurant! I love how everything is so Alice in Wonderland! From the images on the wall, to the restaurant’s business cards… it’s perfect!
We started with a round of drinks (don’t kill me because I can’t remember the name) that were a mix of Gin, mint and lime… they were DELICIOUS and very REFRESHING!
As a starter we order the wings and they were really good! I also ordered the Cajun Chicken Pasta and it was FANTASTIC! I couldn’t get enough of it.
But the most exciting thing of the night, was that we got 20% OFF one of our dishes by CHECKING IN on the Unilocal App… SCORE!!!

We stopped in Madhatter as a backup option because the line at Golden Brown Delicious was too long, but we definitely wished we’d waited.
While the service was friendly and fast, the food was really super mediocre.
D barely ate his «Mad Man’s Breakfast», noting that the pancakes seemed like they’d been cooked prior and then reheated, the eggs were gummy, and the homefries were bland.
My french toast, labeled «DC’s best french toast,» was far far too sweet (and I got the less sweet bread option of baguette) and extremely gummy. Totally one-​note, it was hard to eat more than one piece. The side of turkey bacon that it came with was burned, but very necessary as a salty contrast to the sugary bread.
We won’t be back, there are many better options around.

Got a nightclub experience here and there were a few very shady and sleezy people trying to get with the girls in my group. If we didn’t have our male friend with us getting them to go away, I’m not sure what would have happened. One guy looked clearly very high and nodding on something. I think the bouncers could be more attentive.
Also, the coat check was a bit shady. It looked like they just threw my jacket and scarf on a pile instead of hanging up and what not.
Also came here for brunch on Valentine’s Day. Bartender was very nice and attentive. Got a waffle with home fries. The waffle was a bit soggy, but still decent. Never made it to the home fries. Also, the pineapple juice was pretty watered down.

Madhatter is literally a «mad» house.
I came here on a Saturday from out of town and this place was packed as a bar can be. I had to squeeze my way to the bar. I’m actually surprised I even got a drink. Drinks were average prices that you would typically find in DC, but still expensive for a dive bar.
Other than it being crazy packed, shoulder to shoulder, it was actually a fun time. I got pushed around a ton on their huge dance floor, even splashed beer in my face from some obnoxious drunk. Super fun. Despite my unfortunate mishap, I enjoyed the young vibe, remixed top 40 music, and of course, the dancing.
Tip: if you go with a group of people, make sure you check out the madhatter fishbowl. It’s a huge fishbowl in the shape of a hat with a mix of booze and green flavoring. Looked awesome.

This is my Thursday night hang out place. My best friend and I always go and have so much fun. We’re always sad when the lights come up at 1:30

Went here for evening drinks and had an amazing time. Prices were good and atmosphere was friendly.

I made a reservation through Unilocal,received a confirmation email, and then showed up only to be told by the hostess that Madhatters «had a problem with their system and wasn’t getting the Unilocal reservations.» She assured me that the problem would be remedied shortly.
Fifteen minutes later, with not a single person waiting for a table, and still nearly half of the tables open, I asked her how long I would have to wait. She asked me, «for how many people?» And I responded, «for two… We had a reservation…» She immediately sat my party, but the whole thing was very bizarre.

We were there tonight with 32 people for a pre-​fixed price dinner. We had salad, a main course (choice of 7) and dessert. We had a brand new server who worked her butt off. She was pleasant even with people complaining about their food and time it took to get the checks. I say first day on the job… shame on management. My steak was perfectly cooked. Everyone seemed pleased but tired. I would like to come back when there are only a few of us.

Here in DC for a volleyball convention and stopped by with my kids for brunch. As soon as you walk in you could smell the alcohol reaping from the floor. I have to say I was very disappointed with the décor, the place could use a facelift. With a name like Madhatter you would think there would be more Alice in Wonderland decorations, more large hats or a little more sinister looking. But, all that aside, the food was great, we had the Biscuit sandwich and Hangover Helper. If your ordering the mimosa, get the unlimited. I gave it 4 stars bc of the décor.

The place is a packed, I’m really impressed on how difficult it is to actually going from the front door to the bar. It was quite an adventure trying to make it there.
Anyways, my buddies and I, we’ve decided to order something to go. The food was done fairly quick. However, some genius has decided that it would be a fantastic and lovely idea to put 5 slices of orange in a sealed to go box. Once we opened the box, it literally smell like cat food mixed with rusty eggs.
Shout out to that amazing kitchen staff for this splendid idea, someone give that man a raise for doing that.

Came during the weekend of the snow storm Jonas. One of the few places open and serving food and drinks. The theme once inside was Alice in Wonderland. It was cute but not overwhelming.
Offered a limited brunch menu because of the storm and also bottomless mimosas for $ 12! Service was great, would not have known a snowstorm was happening outside. Only downside was our food was lukewarm once it came out.

My review is based on the nightlife, because I haven’t gone during the day. With that in mind, this place is pretty skeevy. The employees are nice, but the people that frequent this place are honestly creeps. On multiple occasions I have been at the bar trying to order, or trying to dance when someone will LITERALLY grab my arm and try to pull me somewhere. The bouncers need to be more vigilant, because that is not cool. I’ve lost my place in a line or my spot at a bar from aggressive patrons trying to grab me. In addition, the drinks are overpriced (except for the beer deal on thursdays). Overall, I really don’t feel safe going here alone.

Madhatter is a casual dining place great for meeting up with friends for brunch. They have bottomless mimosas and bloody mary’s, possibly another one or two. The mimosas have just the right amount of alcohol in them that you can keep drinking throughout your brunch and feel good! :)
The service has always been very good. We visited last Saturday on January 23^rd during the «Snowzilla» and we were very surprised when we discovered Madhatter was open! They had a limited menu of course due to the weather conditions, but the food was still delicious and the service wasn’t affected! The staff was happy to be working and serving us. They even let me use my Unilocal coupon even though it wasn’t the right day of the week.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is very cool with their «Alice in Wonderland» theme on the walls. There’s also a huge top hat in the window.

I love this place but I can’t reasonably give it 5 stars, but it is VERY good. Of course, this place is also the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of restaurants. Yeah it’s a total meet market Friday and Saturday night, and yeah, you will probably get some guy trying to grind his way into your pants, one unsuspecting lady at a time. But, come here on a weeknight and it’s legit a family restaurant. One weeknight has a real amazing meal special but I won’t say what it is because it is such an amazing deal I afraid posting about it publicly will overrun this place and leave less for me. Yep, I’m being selfish, deal with it, I’ve had a long day. I’ve heard brunch is also good. Since I’ve started living in DC back in 2008, the food here has steadily improved.
There are two things that seal the deal for me at Madhatter (other than the secret dinner special), first is the décor. It is really lovely, especially the Upside Down Room. Second, the wait staff. They are so professional, timely, friendly, knowledgable, every single time. I’ve had them split a bill literally (and I use literally correctly) 20 ways with a smile on their face. Freddy is our usual waiter and he is like family, but there were times he couldn’t be there and our replacement waiter was always great too. They might be tied with Founding Farmers for downright best service in DC.

I’ve been here a bunch of times for a bunch of different Happy hour events. The specials they have here are limited but there’s something you can find to drink. The Happy hour options food wise aren’t bad, the wings are the best. The Old Bay style wings are actually quite tasty and it’s too bad that it’s not featured at Happy hour, the buffalo ones though are pretty good. The majority of the time I’ve been here for a quick beer or two and the food is okay. Honestly, sticking with the bar eats is your best bet. The brisket sandwich was too sweet and the potato soup was also pretty bland but all the bar bites are done well, wings, taquitos, that kind of thing.
What’s weird is that it turns into a nightclub after a while on Saturday nights, can’t say that I’ve ever been there then, just when it was a regular bar.

Came here on a Saturday. Went with some friends from BMore. The Mad Hatter is cool. Very vanilla. I didn’t love the music. Everyone knows that I love Jesus and Trap Music!!! Future is life! I didn’t understand their policy on closing. The top floor closed about an hour before the rest of the club. I’m not an avid club goer any longer so it’s very unlikely that I’d return. If you love mediocre music, pretty stiff drinks, and crowds… Then this is the place for you.

Came for Sunday brunch and I have to say it was a hell of a good time.
$ 12 unlimited mimosas — check
$ 10-​$ 15 huge portions of food — check
DJ that plays classic hip hop, r&b AND Justin Bieber so you can dance in your seat — double check
Having an awesome waiter (Jackie) that was forever refilling your mimosa glass– triple check
Its a very hip and laid back atmosphere. Not sure if they have a DJ every weekend but it is pretty loud in the dining room so just be aware. The brunch menu is definitely difficult to pick only 1 thing to eat. I mean there’s monte cristo and chicken and waffles? How can you choose between that! But I ended up with the hangover helper… biscuits, bacon, cheese, home fries and gravy all in 1 delicious bowl? Yeah I’d say it was pretty bomb! My fiancé decided on the all meat skillet and it was just a skillet with home fries, ham, bacon and sausage. It was huge, two people can probably share it.
Jackie, our waitress was awesome. She was very attentive and always made sure our mimosas were filled to the brim. I mean we would take one sip and she’d be right there to pour some more. She never rushed us or pushed us to leave, since we were there for about an hour and a half just drinking. They have a 2 hour limit if you got unlimited drinks. Overall, I loved the environment and the atmosphere, very hip. And the food just made it even better! Can’t wait to come back and try more food!

Ok let’s talk Pluses!
Brunch. OMG I am in love with the brunch. Legit bottomless mimosa deal, amazing eats. They have a cheesesteak that has scrambled eggs in it! Need I say more? Def in my top 5 for good price good food DC brunches
Night life. I have to say we always have a good time here. It can get messy and out of control but honestly the staff does its best to keep people under control. They have the fav top 40s playing and some classics depending on the mood for the crowd. It has a downstairs dance floor and an upstairs chill area. The only thing that can get intense it the dry ice when you’re dancing but that usually comes out later in the night,
Mad hatter = good times!

Disclaimer: this review is in response to this being a «WVU bar».
We went here tonight to try and watch the Cactus bowl. A girl out front said all the WVU people are upstairs so we went straight there. It was a few small rooms with minimal seating and terrible TVs. There were two small service bars, one of which was not open but «would be running specials when the game started.» My husband and I both agreed that since there was no where to sit and no large TVs, we should go elsewhere. I don’t know why they can’t have the downstairs set up for us, it was nice and open with large TVs and would have been a much better fit.

At first, and when you read most of the reviews, Madhatter sounds like a shady bar with the worse food ever.
Don’t be mistaken! The week ambience is pretty good with nice servers and daily specials.
The first time i experienced Madhatter was on a Sunday where we basically just used it as our night watering hole. Plenty of tv’s to stare at.
Last night (Monday) I went there again due to their happy hour. They offer $ 3 Yuenglings and $ 5 bar food. I ordered the mozarella sticks and they were pretty decent. Even got some greens with it.
When i was going to the restroom, i saw Monday night special is half off bottle of wine AND $ 15 lobster!!!
After making sure that I wouldn’t get sick by reading every review on here, i realized, nobody complains about the food. So i’ll give it a shot.
The lobster was perfect! Lots of meat, well cooked. Only thing that i didn’t like where the potato wedges, they were very peppery but still very edible.
While there was a trivia night going on the back, the bar got pretty busy. I enjoyed talking to some lovely ladies. The bartenders Audrey and Steph were doing a great job, keeping the conversation up and making my laugh.
An good experience during my business trip in Washington

came in for sunday brunch. I would recommend making reservations as this place gets packed really fast. like most brunch this place offers bottomless mimosa so I was excited. the menu was amazing It took me way too long to figure out what I wanted to eat. I went with a mad mans breakfast. it was so much food I enjoyed all the breakfast foods of pancakes, eggs, potatoes, sausage.
the ambiance was great too with a dj and tv screens to show the football game that was playing. it turned into a party real fast.

The elevator is not accessible! ADA compliance is the key word here. Be careful with their definition of ‘accessibility’. It is accesible to some types of disabilities, but not all.
The managers assured us with pride that a wheelchair user would be able to use their half-​size elevator. It’s not even a standard-​sized elevator.
Well, my friend in a wheelchair has a motorized wheelchair, and the elevator dipped down and he couldn’t get out! They had to physically lift him and then the chair.
Luckily the staff was accommodating enough to help resolve the issue, but that was the extent. Our waitress was amazing though and she was the main glimmering light in the horrid experience we went through.
The first floor is accessible, but do not believe them when they ‘proudly’ say the second floor is, and that a wheelchair user can certainly use their elevator properly.
MADHATTER fails to grasp the diversity of wheelchairs and its users. It’s an insult that the establishment has evidently little regard for disability etiquette training for its employees.
Food is good for a bar. The first floor bathrooms do have handle bars and are somewhat accessible, but none of its central traffic doors (including bathrooms) are motorized to open at the touch of a button.

We come once a year when in Alexandria.
Just like this place
Right on DuPont Circle, couldn’t be handier
We come for unlimited Mimosas and very good food, and to see Coach (couldn’t get him to wear his mad Hatter costume) but still love this guy he is very funny and pay attention because his humor is intellectual and not every one will catch it.
Upstairs bar is our favorite and where Coach is the bartender.

Madhatter is a good place to go for happy hour $ 1 drafts, $ 5/​$ 7 happy hour drinks and the infamous $ 34 hat (which contains 12 shots of 3 types of alcohol).
As for dancing, it’s always packed around 11 fri and sat. I like that the bar and dance floor are seperate, you avoid a lot of spilled drinks!

I’m going to review Madhatter strictly on my experience on Saturday night when it was setup as a club.
This place was PACKED. I mean can’t move, can’t get to the bar. Can’t get to the bathroom. Can’t move anywhere packed. Manhatten subway at rush hour packed. If you get even remotely claustrophobic, you will have a panic attack here. Honestly, if it was 50% less full, it would still be uncomfortably crowded. If some person were to spontaneously combust due to friction (a real concern here), every person in the place would burn.
I spent almost an hour here and the only thing I accomplished was getting from the front door, to the back where the bathroom was, then back to the front door. I tried to get a drink but couldn’t get anywhere remotely close to the bar. I could see it, but the mass of humanity in front of me made that adventure pretty unlikely. Lucky for me, the jello shot girl also couldn’t move and was stuck right next to me. I bought several.
Now I never made it to the dance floor, but much like the bar I could sort of see it. Now, it’s tough to say where the dance floor really was because the the mass of humanity has no beginning or end. Also, it didn’t matter if you «really» wanted to dance. All you could do was sort of move up and down. The bonus… if you have no rhythm or dancing skills you can get out on that floor and shake it just like everyone else.
I really don’t mind a crowded, fun, loud environment, but there was nothing remotely fun about this place. You can’t dance, can’t move, can’t talk, can’t drink. I have no idea why anyone would go here.
tl;dr
If you like to spend all your time close enough to the person next to you to count the hairs on their neck, this may be the place for you, otherwise, I’d find another club.

I’ve been to Madhatter a few times while living in Arlington and it’s pretty much the same every time we go!
It’s not a bad spot, in the middle of Dupont so there is a lot of stuff around. There’s usually not much of a line and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them charge a cover.
It’s usually alllllways packed though. Like uncomfortably packed — especially at the entrance getting into the bar and then the dance floor. I think towards the back there’s also an upstairs that they only let a few people into at a time.
The drinks are priced about the same as any other mid-​tier DC bar but the real draw for this place is the Hat they sell. It’s $ 30 for the hat but a few people can sip on it for a while and its full of alcohol so it’s a pretty good buy.
If you don’t mind packed bars that run on the hot side, this place is pretty fun.

Hot, sweaty, American Summer. Ok. Really, those were the thoughts I had when my group entered this place sometime after midnight. It was slammed with people and there was hardly any space to move. While this is a sign of a successful Saturday night, it was tough to enjoy ourselves. It was also swamp hot. I mean, straight up, Louisiana dead of summer without a storm in sight, kind of hot. We lasted about 15 minutes in here before we called it quits.
From the time inside, I will say I did like the Alice in Wonderland theme and the music (from the bits we heard) were good. I also thought it was cool there were places to both stand at the bar as well as dance. I would definitely come back since the crowd there seemed fun and the atmosphere was lively (despite the heat)!

Arrived Sunday @ 10 am, they just opened for brunch.
Love it here! Great music, laid back, tons of Alice in Wonderland art, and good food. Bottomless mimosas ($ 12) & bottomless champagne ($ 10; Cook’s Brut) are free flowing.
Large, filling portions: omelettes with potatoes and toast ($ 13) & the Egg Breakfast ($ 9) with 2 eggs, bacon, toast & potatoes.
Great refills… Perfect for a chill Sunday.

***never eaten here so skip my review for food info
Thursday night happy hour late night here is the best. 1 $ Miller Lights… they’re only about 8oz but still cheaper than anywhere in the area! Plus they go all night 8pm to close! The atmosphere is fun and the bartenders are fast. Deff going back on Thurs for happy hours. Sat night after 11 ish is great too. The dance party gets off the chain and there is plenty of room to go with a group and have a good time. most people head into the dance floor room so it’s also easy to get drinks at the bar. They have a bathroom attendant sometimes which i hate but otherwise I love the atmosphere here and there are people there dressed in clubbing clothes and casual clothes so you can really go in anything. I’m sure this place isn’t for everyone but it is certainly for me ;)

The Madhatter is that place you never want to go to, but you always end up. It’s the place you hate, but you actually secretly love. Their Alice in wonderland theme is great, and once you feel like it’s starting to get old, you want to go back to it. Sometimes it feels too young, but you are old and you still have a blast every time you’re there. The drink prices are great, and they haven’t charged me for a Sprite yet — but let’s not jinx my streak.