Be Bar

I came here with 2 of my roommates one night. One of them knew someone who told us about it and got us all in. I wasn’t expecting much, but just wanted to go check it out and dance off what I ate that day and the many days before that. As my gay friend and I call it, «dancercising». hahah =P
When we got inside, I was so amazed at how nice it was! It has really nice lighting and tons of couches you can crash on. Like the previous review from Seiji C. said, the boys were definitely pretty. The men here are GOOORGEOUS and such nice people, but it’s a tease because they’re gay, and I am a straight female. BOoo. hahhahahah. My gay friend and I have the same taste in men, so I know for SUUURE he’d love it here! As for me, BeBar = eye candy galore.
P. S. There’s a REALLY hot bartender here! ;D
I had a good time here at BeBar. My roommate had an even better time, but I’ll spare the details. hahah. =P

A group of friends and I decided to check out BeBar because of the supposed house scene and some amateur «out of townie» DJ was spinning. Sure enough, my first few sentimental thoughts of BeBar were– wow very eclectic place… or your average gay bar… or really, just both. Gay bars don’t bother me in the least bit, why I’ve had some of the best times of my life (that I can recall at least). With $ 5 reyka vodka drinks and vibin’ (but not dirty ass grinding) music, the night turned out semi-​decent.
I still stand by the fact that it was an eclectic crowd of sorts, definitely not pretentious at all– trust me when i say this is a rarity, esp. in the DC area. And so you can imagine my surprise when a totally random stranger grabbed me, only to catch me off guard and started making out with me… Seriously? I’m convinced that either he was gay and got completely slaughtered or like me… totally stumbled into the place without really know what’s up. Either way, I just don’t wanna know…

Now, see, I love me some BeBar. Its probably one of my favorite places to kick back in Washington. I’ve been here a few months, and still love this place. Heres why:
1.) I think the overall vibe is pretty sweet. Decent music, dark (blue) lighting, lots of couches, chill bartenders, dance floor, ‘vip’ area upstairs that you can always walk into, etc., etc.
2.) Its not Town.
3.) Semi-​interesting shit goes on every week.
4.) Its not that expensive AND they take credit cards. count me in.
Overall, i don’t mind ending up at BeBar after a night out. I usually always have a good time (heh heh), and I think its a sweet place to bring a group of people to kick back. Sometimes the décor is a bit much (whats with those antlers on the wall?), but its still a good time. Sometimes its a bitch to get a cab, but I usually have my vodka jacket on, so I deal.

My first visit to Be Bar was the other week on Sunday Be Charitable event for the DC Cowboys. I have lived a few blocks away from the place but never been in… I’m like Kevin where gay bars in DC can make me uncomfortable… not here! It’s in a converted row house, so you have a less lost feeling.
The décor is modern and groovy… got to love a mounted animal on the wall (use your imagination if you want). The lighting is hip and sets the mood.
For the martini crowd, this place is one of the best in DC with a wide selection and a drink made by a hot stiff bartender. Oh, I meant the drink was stiff. :) Bartender on Sunday night was very friendly, very cute, and had great arms…

Not terribly surprisingly quiet on a Sunday evening, Alicia and I popped in here to say hi to the DC Cowboys. We almost couldn’t find the place! Be Bar is almost as subtly announced as Tucson’s IBT.
Between the swank, yet simple lounge décor, the raised dance platform, a huge wall projection screen (plastered with mostly naked DC Cowboys that evening), and a hunky bartender serving up some strooooong martinis (Alicia and found ourselves texting each other later that evening about who was more plastered), I could totally see stopping in with friends to escape the weather and catch up over a stiff one here.
Bonus points for supporting a local volunteer organization like the Cowboys with their «be: charitable» event.
This is totally one of those obviously queer spots that I don’t feel uncomfortable in — if you know me, you know that’s saying a lot. It’s also a spot that I would readily invite gay and straight friends to hang out, with the expectation that everyone would enjoy themselves. When it comes to lounges in DC, this is probably toward the top of my favorites list.

How can you NOT love drag bingo!!! I totally got chewed out by the drag queen host on full blast on the mic cuz I was late but it was fun anyways: D You get invited on stage, too!
I know most people are into that party atmosphere, but I like the slight emptiness of BeBar, room to breathe and talk. Wish the drinks weren’t so $$$$ but I love the gays: P
It’s super clean (including the bathroom) and I’m not afraid to sit down on the furniture even being the über-​OCD-​clean freak that I am.
I’ve been to Town and Halo too, but Town is def the club scene and a drive while I found Halo a bit boring (great drink specials and bartenders tho!)

Kevin and I came for the DC Cowboys thing here on Sunday after the photo walk and we both got plastered after one drink each (they were half off).
Kevin got a dirty martini (ew olives!) and I got the jolly rancher martini (with the side of an actual jolly rancher candy).
Sure it could be that we’re both Asian and have the lowest alcohol tolerances you’ve ever seen… OR I could just argue that the drinks were incredibly strong.
Plastered. We were done. I’m half surprised we made it back to the metro.
The place is pretty unsuspecting as we almost walked right by it. The space is pretty neat. Very chill but trendy and modern and cool. Really, it felt like the perfect spot for an elite event…(!!!)
I’d definitely come back here — they may be gay (and therefore unavailable to me) — but they’re so pretty! (And the forearms on the bartender… hellllooooo!)

I went here a couple of times a few months ago to see a live art event — that sounds a little weird, and it was a little weird — but I like it like that. We made sliced bread sculptures, watched a fire dancer lady and some friends were in a graphic design competition.
The vibe was good both times I was there — decent service and pretty friendly, which isn’t what I expected when I saw the place. There are good spots to sit and chill, but the décor is maybe trying a little too hard for my taste. That didn’t matter at all when I saw they were serving up absinthe at the bar. Now, absinthe doesn’t really do the trick for me, personally, but the little container they serve it from is so fun — and my friend convinced himself that absinthe basically gives him out-​of-​body experiences, which is hilarious to watch.
Probably my favorite thing about Be Bar is walking/​biking by at night and seeing the well-​groomed men outside and asking my fiancé if he would wear something nice like that for me. .. it only worked once so far *sigh*.

Despite its proximity to my house, I’ll still walk further to go to Halo or Nellie’s for a good time — any day of the week. The décor was cool when they opened, but after a few years, it just seems dated and a little desperate. I have never managed to connect to any of their staff members, which is uncharacteristic of most gay bars in this town.
Drinks — meh… but I don’t know how you make a Ketel One and soda more exciting than just that.
And on my only visit to the VIP area I felt totally clostrophobic (sp?). It’s just an awkward space that doesn’t really seem to have a purpose. Curtained off tiny little private areas? mmmm, no thanks.

Been to Be Bar with the gay boys, I love the intimate size and the raised dance floor. Its nice to go to a place that is stylish, yet not boring or pretentious. Décor is modern (think DWR) and semi eclectic. It’s really a great mix, good size bar with great service, loungy sofa spots, and a blue tiled dance area that makes you feel like you are in a big shower — wonder if that was the intent?;) People sit, stand, lounge, chat and dance here — and its not hard to meet new people. It’s got a good vibe, quality décor, clean space and good bartenders. I also love the location, not much else around then you walk into this shiny gem. There are different nights so check their site for what’s going on.
I always have fun at Be Bar, even too much fun — one night I got so blasted, I vaguely remember a drag queen telling me that I was okay, I just needed another drink… what a night!

To be completely honest, I am always a little hesitant to go to gay nightclubs in an entirely gay group. Even though, I have plenty of gay friends, there is something about gay bars that put me off.
Well Be Bar, you have shone new light on the gay club scene with your Madonna night. Free (stiff) drinks until Midnight with a 5 dollar cover (which one of my friends so graciously paid), and they don’t skimp on the alcohol thereafter. The tunes were great, the dancing was fantastic, and the people watching was unprecedented. While my wing-​girl skills probably weren’t necessary here either, it was just so much fun.
When walking to brunch the next day, my friend and I were complaining how sore our legs were.
All in all a great time, and for all of the gays out there, the pickings at Be Bar were definitely not slim, and they liquor you up to smooth the pick-​up process over.

Wondering what happened to Chaos’s Xavier Bloomingdale and Gigi Couture? Well, look no further — the lovely ladies are hosting drag bingo at Be Bar every Tuesday night (9-​ish.) The prizes are various, erm, toys.
Went last night and had a really great time. I was shocked this doesn’t attract more of a crowd — Xavier and Gigi are absolutely hilarious and you MUST go check it out.
Be Bar has a very attractive space with comfy couches and a great martini menu that’s half off until 9 PM (featuring martinis like Tropical Sorbet, Gummi Bear, and Key Lime that taste deceptively sweet but pack quite a punch.) Oh, and all rail drinks are $ 2 on bingo night.
Haven’t been on a weekend, but I’m told the place is full of shirtless 18-​year-​old boys. Could be good or bad, depending on one’s preference.

This is a nice, small posh space in a ‘railroad’ style. You have to walk through the loung/​bar area to get to the dancefloor. I usually hate that layout because of the traffic jams it cause — but when it’s not too crowded and especially now with no smoking indoors, it can work well.
The interior is trendy and upscale — or at least if not more trendy and upscale as the now defunct Dragonfly was and more posh than Fab Lounge. I make those comparisons because of their respective ‘ladies’ nights’. Oh, and this place is hella classier than Chaos was. Hahahahhaha, uh-​oh am I kicked out of the club now? :(
It seems Be Bar has replaced the Wed. night void left by Chaos and I think it does an admirable job. I can’t imagine all the ladies from Chaos filling Be Bar’s tiny space — then I remember that so many of the patrons at Chaos’ ladies night were men and otherwise heterosexual peoples.
Not that there’s anything *wrong* with that but —
Yeah I like this space. I even like the fake astro turf that leads to the stage/​dance floor. I appreciate that the lounge space and dance floor are separate and that if you really want to shake your groove thang in private, you can go to the back of the stage where the bass is louder (+1) and no one but the DJ can see you! When you’re back in the lounge area, the music isn’t so loud to deafen you.
As for how fun it is overall, I guess that would depend entirely on the DJs spinning and the particular event going on.
The drinks are very strong — gay strong. But the pricing is a little mysterious to me – then again, and again, (and again) as a woman at queer joints, you never how much you’re gonna be charged for a drink.
I would like this place better if I didn’t have to walk through bumblefuck nowhere — in this case Mt. Vernon Sq. — to get there. I know it’s technically just a few blocks from the metro, but late at night, no, I don’t want to be walking through such a dead area.

If enjoying $ 5 Red Bull Vodkas against the backdrop of scantily clad, hard-​bodied men and Madonna with the overall sensation of being in an iPod commercial makes me gay, then by God I must be gay.
I’ve never had sex with a man, but those who have seem to know how to have a good time. Be Bar is proof of that. The conventional wisdom on this place is that it’s a good gay bar to take your straight friends.
Totally true.
But I’ll raise that statement with another: Be Bar is a good bar. Period.
I went to the bathroom (it was pretty crowded so I had a friend spot for me… lol gay bar nube, rite?!) and I was pleasantly surprised to be complimented on my haircut. This never happened at Cleveland Park Bar and Grill! And the notoriously overpriced Red Bull Vodka tastes so much better here when it’s only $ 5, which I believe it is every Friday night.
Some folks give me grief about putting my heterosexuality on the line with a trip to Be Bar, and that no Red Bull Vodka can be that good. I’ve tried mixing them at home, or paying $ 10 for them at places like Nannie O’Brien’s and Black Cat, but it’s just not the same.
No matter what your sexual orientation is, if you swing toward Red Bull Vodka, Be Bar will satisfy your every desire.

Nasty, stained couches. Bartenders whose real career should be attached to a strip pole. Craptastic music. Expensive drinks. No air.
In other words, no thanks.
Let’s not forget the multiple gay bashings that have plagued this establishment’s clientele for some time now. All in all, I’d rather stay home.

I find it particularly funny and ironic that I am the first one to review Be Bar. How is it possible that with all the gay men in DC, a chick from New York who was visiting from Houston is the one to write about it? Eh?
What to say. Good stiff drinks. Probably good stiff other things, too, but I can’t speak from firsthand experience. Or any hand experience. Haha, I crack myself up sometimes.
Amanda Lapour was there last Saturday, but we get to see her all the time in NYC so I am not impressed. Take that, DC! Actually I love Amanda, but I figure if I’m writing a review of a gay bar/​club and it’s the first one, I have to be as judgemental and bitchy as humanly possible.

Just so you know Nicole, It’s gay night at Be Bar every night. That being said, I was kind of on the fence with what to think of this place. It was pretty cool inside, good music, very crowded. But it took forever to get a drink and it seemed like the bartender was a bit of a diva and was more interested in getting phone numbers than getting people their drinks. They have a little dance floor in the back that is kinda cool and the music is good (it is a gay bar after all). But it was so crowded and hard to get a drink I don’t think I’ll be frequenting this place.
* Update: went here last night for a design competition my friend was in… yep, still can’t stand it. Most poorly planned layout EVER. You can’t freaking move around in this place because they have so much superfluous crap everywhere, chaise lounges, enormous coffee tables. And to top it off there is ONE bathroom.

Be Bar is like another Halo except that Be Bar is even better. It’s trendier and welcomes just about any types of gay people.
Be Bar has stuff around their bar that makes you take notice and comment to your friends. I like the lighting system there. Just enough to make you feel relaxed, yet bright enough to see people around you.
Their drinks are pretty good although just a tad bit expensive. If you like martinis, then you’ll love their choices.

This is truly the place to — well –be! From the moment I stepped into Be at its two month anniversary party, it hit me. This is the perfect gay bar.
First off, the martinis. I felt like a kid in a candy store, not only due to the dizzying array of choices, but also the tastes and the names. Lemon Head? Check. Sweet Tart? Check. And my personal fave of the evening: Strawberry Creamsicle.
Next, the DJ rocks. Electronic tunes, ‘80s remixes and Top 40 (Sexy Back, anyone?). Video bar where they show movie clips? Cool concept, for sure. And the bartenders are extremely hottt.
Arrive before 9 for the Happy Hour deal– half price martinis. Be there!

Gay’s do it better– at least as far as Halloween concerned.
That’s right– this Halloween I found myself trading in the usual ghosts and goblins for drag queen butterflies, shirtless bartenders with flashing devil horns, and the not so occasional Jack Twist.
The night began at Be Bar, a new lounge which recently opened its doors this September. The kitschy dcor, including the garden gnome side tables, animal print rugs, mod plastic rockers, and an odd pair of antlers affixed to one of the walls, juxtaposed by soft blue lighting and a flat screen featuring the 2006 Gucci show is an unexpected combination, yet somehow, it completely works.
Although the male/​female ratio remains in favor of the boys, there were more than a handful of ladies and not once did I feel out of place, as is the case in certain gay establishments.
Hint– check out the Martini List– after drooling over the delectable drinks, Bradley, bartender extraordinaire, whipped up a Lemon Drop Martini– yum. Seriously. Several others were indulging in the Strawberry Creamsicle, which seemed to be a favorite– go for happy hour, from 5 – 9 all week long, when martinis are half price and the mood is more intimate lounge. Too mellow for your tastes? Check out Friday nights, when the Red Bull Vodkas are $ 5 and the DJ spins tunes from the 80s and 90s.