Harold Black

Love coming to HB, they make great drinks and have an amazing atmosphere.

Went on Friday & had a great time. The ambiance was on point. The old fashioned and the wine was delicious. We did a half meet & cheese tray and found it was very good. Minimal with the cheese, but delicious. Plan to spend what you would on a "fancier" date night. We will definitely go back.

The food and drinks were excellent, but our service was pretty lousy. We were seated in a booth and our server rarely checked up on us (we only got our water refilled once, I ended up taking my glass with me when I went to the bathroom). My boyfriend had trouble getting in because the host didn’t hear him knock, which was really awkward. Also, the pen they gave me to sign the check completely exploded over my hands. I think it’ll be ok for drinks - they really were fantastic - but I wouldn’t come back here for dinner.

Such a unique and enjoyable environment - staff is always courteous and engaging. Unparalleled cocktail preparation and presentation. Perfect late nite spot

This is our fav date spot in DC. It’s not pretentious but lovely, dark, and romantic. It’s well run, attentive, but we’ve never once had the awful experience of being deep into a conversation only to be awkwardly interrupted by a server who could care less. I also love that it’s not loud. The drinks are wonderful and they can make anything you like.

Great place. Friendly service. A little pricey but they certainly know what they’re doing. Highly recommend just giving the bartenders some guide rails and seeing what they come up with.

I had an amazing time at Harold Black on a Tuesday night.

Speakeasy rule -- sit at the bar if you can. You see the art of creating your drink. You hear interesting tidbits and stories. You bond with your bartender and your imagination won't run wild with ideas that you're not important or that this speakeasy is too pretentious. It's not.

While the drink menu was a little more limited what I had was great. A truly spicy cocktail with smoky mezcal? Sign me up. Best part? The bartender can customize to your tastes and needs. My friend thought her old fashioned was too sweet. 'No problem, allow me to make you something like a vieux carre and here's exactly why I am using what I am using.' And then thoughtful bar bites which weren't an afterthought for the drink but actually tasty? Gimme that Chicken Tinga Sandwich and an order of the lamb chops for my homegirl please! The R&B music (yaaasssss! to that) had me swaying, the drinks had me relaxed and the convo had me joyful-- this was a laid back speakeasy experience (And trust me, I've tried many in the area).

Four stars because it was great time but it truly was a LITTLE too dim and there could be more drinks but I loved this place. Will be back!

Great cocktails. Pricy but great atmosphere. Not too loud. Great service

It was our 22nd anniversary and I thought we’d do something a little different. Found this gem on a top places to go list and immediately placed a reservation. The ambiance was amazing, food was excellent the bartenders kept us entertained. Seating, well....for an anniversary date, I’d rather not have to sit at the bar but we made due. I wouldn’t suggested it for a special “special” occasion. Great for a nice date night or outing with friends.

this is one of the best bars in DC. a hidden gem in the heart of the city with the best bar tenders, service and ambience

Outstanding experience. Beautiful atmosphere and every drink was delicious. These guys are experts.

Bartenders not friendly.

This place was the perfect date night spot. The ambiance was perfect. The music was on point. The food and drinks were amazing and the bartender (Denasha) provided excellent service and great conversation! We will be back for sure!

LOVED our time at Harold Black. It has such a cozy, cool and chill vibe. The drinks are delicious. Loved the dark ambiance lit by candlelight. Good for conversation. Service was great - a balance of attentive vs. letting you be, to enjoy your time. Cocktails were delicious. Awesome music too. I did not want to leave!! Take note of their house rules too - most importantly tables are for two hours since the joint is small.

We enjoyed everything about it! Great, attentive staff. Delish small plates. Creative cocktails. Fantastic, intimate 'date night' spot.

This place never fails for good drink and intimate settings. They have light fare menu--which is great to have while drinking.

Good date. I have spoken

Ambiance was nice but the host asked us to leave after we had got done signing our bill. We were also seated where “guests are placed when they don’t have a reservation” - in the back corner. But we did have a reservation for my 30th birthday. Disappointed in the treatment by the host but it is what it is

Food & drinks were good. Waiter very friendly. However, a food order & a drink order never made it to the kitchen or bar. But waiter very apologetic & gave us a complimentary very good cheese board.

I thought the ambiance was fantastic and the bar tenders were really friendly. My only criticism would be that the bar tenders did not dress according to the theme of the establishment. It would have added so much more had the bar tenders worn something of the period. Suits, hats ect... to keep the vibe persistent.

Fabulous in every way, except no one told us there was a two hour time limit due to another reservation after ours, and they asked if I wanted a third drink with 10 minutes left. I would have liked more time so as to enjoy the drink instead of gulping down a $15 cocktail when we were told our time was up.

This place is a joke. Save your money. Service is poor. Staff is rude. I would never go back to this establishment.

Great drinks in a cool atmosphere.

Very cool place! Will definitely be back!

Just a very chill vibe. Relaxed. Great cocktails.

This is a great speakeasy for a date-night. The menu isn't extensive, but the execution is solid and they don't skimp on you. We got the cheese plate, meatballs, and brussel sprouts and were quite satisfied. The cocktails we tried were also really nice. One thing to keep in mind is that the music is kept fairly loud even when the restaurant is not very full, which may not be the vibe you're looking for.

Cool speakeasy venue. Stairway dark. Cool hidden bathrooms Fun atmosphere. Limit food choices. Pricey. Won’t take cash

As usual HB delivered great atmosphere and wonderful drinks!

Excellent ambiance, service and people! Perfect for a date

Fun speakeasy in Eastern Market. The third time we've been there and we bring different friends each time. The drinks are great, and to really take advantage of their mixology skills you need to give them a few hints and let them create something for you. We didn't get any food this time. It is expensive but the experience is worth it.

One of the best speakeasy bars in the city! Loved the drinks and the ambiance.

Terrible service. Sat there for two hours and was only served two drinks

Fantastic ambiance! Cocktails were fine but honestly nothing special special about them. Service was “meh”.

Worth it for the ambiance though!

As always, absolutely amazing experience. Great service and talented bartenders.

Unfortunately one of the bigger disappointments I’ve had in DC. Wonderful atmosphere and decor, but the worst bar tending experience I’ve had. The bartender asked order, made several drinks in front of us, and then after 15min, asked our order again. 15min later, she asked us again. Then after another 10 she brought us one drink (there were two is us) that wasn’t remotely what we ordered. So 45min after we first ordered we got our drinks. There were only about 12-15 of us in the entire bar so it was rather surprising.

Throughout the night the bartender also repeatedly spilled iced on the bar and therefore us. Heard so much about this bar, but unfortunately this wasn’t its night.

Great speak easy with an old world vibe. Walk in a secret entrance and knock on an unmarked door to enter a candle lit, quiet, rustic bar.

Service was not great, as usual, there and in Aqua al Due, its owner. Hoping it will improve soon.

Harold Black is a great “speakeasy.” Exceptionally good cocktails, fine bar snacks, and super service. To illustrate: the bar snack we ordered was a bit too highly seasoned for my companion. So the server arranged for the kitchen to produce another version of the dish without the spice! Amazing! I shall return to Harold Black!

Very cool speakeasy, enjoyed myself thoroughly and it was a huge plus for my date (who is a bartender) who said that she loved it. Earned me bonus points for finding such a cool bar.

Awesome cocktails, delicious lemon-artichoke hummus (I’ll be back for the chocolate cake) and flawless service. The bartendress was very engaging and made us feel most welcome. We had such a great time that we had to reminded to leave after 3 hours to let the next reservation come in ;)