Allegory — Restaurant in Washington

The service in the “waiting room” was beyond unacceptable, uncalled for, and completely unprofessional. I was visiting DC with two friends, one being a lobbyist, and the other being a criminal attorney like myself and we were simply looking to unwind after a long first day in the city. We had a long day, flew out at 5 in the morning and initially heard amazing reviews about this place. We arrived around 9pm.

We arrived and put our name on the waitlist with about 26 people ahead of us that quickly came reduced to 2 in about 45 minutes or so. In the mean time, the 3 of us went to the restaurant just across the lobby at the Eaton to order one cocktail each. Our bartender was a bald white gentleman who later became a key part of our bad experience.

As the waitlist remained with 1 party in front of us, the 3 of us returned to the waiting area with the live DJ to find only one other party of 3 sitting near us on the couch(and behind our party of 3 on the waitlist) where the 6 of us waited an additional hour and a half until almost 12:30am as we watched 3 or 4 single individuals fraternize with the host who let them each in without a wait or reservation. Because we had been waiting so long, one of my friends began to doze off on the couch in the waiting area when that same host, who was riding around on a scooter due to a leg injury, decided to contact the bald bartender of the restaurant we came from an hour and a half ago.

He comes by, sees my friend sleeping, says something to the host on the scooter, and walks away. Not even 2min later, Eaton security comes screaming at all 3 of us saying we’ll have to be escorted out if he’s too intoxicated and snatches a pillow from behind my friends head that had been part of the couch. No questions were asked, we waited calmly for nearly 2 hours, and all we were met with was animosity until a Second gentleman host with dreadlocks explained to the scooter girl that just called security on us how long we had been waiting and he immediately found us a table that scooter girl kept telling us was never available.

After we were seated, scooter girl is no longer monitoring the waiting area but instead she was seen having drinks with the same individuals she let in earlier without question at the bar while she left the gentleman with the dreadlocks to tend to the waiting area. Once inside, the drinks were good, and so was the ambiance. But between the bald white bartender at the Eaton and the girl on the scooter with a bum leg that called security on us without saying a word beforehand, our entire experience was tainted and I would never recommend anyone to a place with such...

I really wanted to love Allegory Speakeasy, but unfortunately, the overall experience left a lot to be desired. The aesthetic and vibe of the surrounding hotel are absolutely beautiful—there’s no denying that. The artwork throughout the space is stunning and adds a unique artistic flair to the atmosphere. Security was welcoming and informative, which made us feel comfortable while waiting.

However, the actual experience with the speakeasy itself was extremely disappointing. We were told there would be a wait, but what we weren’t told was that the wait would stretch to nearly two hours—and even after that long, we still didn’t get in. The staff was not transparent about how long we’d be waiting, and that lack of honesty made the situation frustrating. If we had been given realistic expectations from the start, we could’ve made a more informed decision.

Allegory is a small, intimate space, so I strongly believe they need to enforce a time limit per party—maybe a two-hour maximum like many high-demand restaurants. That kind of structure would help guests rotate fairly and avoid excessive wait times. Without a system like that, it feels chaotic and unfair, especially for people who have been patiently waiting.

The wait staff inside the library was just okay—nothing overly helpful or engaging. On top of that, the music playing didn’t match the vibe of a moody, upscale speakeasy. It threw off the ambiance and didn’t help the already uncomfortable waiting experience.

Sadly, we ended up leaving without ever being seated. It was such a letdown after hearing great things. There’s definitely potential here, but they need to improve time management, communication, and overall guest flow if they want to give everyone a fair and...

I had high expectations for Allegory based on the rave reviews, but unfortunately, it fell short in several ways. From the start, the experience was frustrating. Upon arrival, we were told the wait would be between one to two hours, which we were willing to endure to check it out. However, the host (wearing a boot on her ankle) had an attitude that made the wait less than pleasant.

To pass the time, we went around the corner for a quick drink and returned to find only a few parties ahead of us. At one point, I thought I heard my name called and approached the host to confirm, only to be met with more unnecessary rudeness. We brushed it off and continued waiting.

A friend of mine, exhausted from a long day of sightseeing and an early 4 AM flight, laid down for a moment while we waited. Soon after, we noticed the host speaking to someone, and next thing we knew, security aggressively approached us, insisting my friend had to be escorted out. I explained that he wasn’t drunk, just tired, and he sat up—at which point security relented but oddly took the pillow beside him. The whole interaction felt unnecessary and even a bit targeted.

When we finally got inside, the experience didn’t improve much. Despite having a relatively small cocktail menu of about 15 drinks, they were already out of two options. The drinks we did try were decent but definitely not worth the long wait. The final straw was seeing the same rude host—who had made the check-in process so unpleasant—sitting at the bar drinking and flirting with patrons instead of working.

Overall, if there’s a long wait, I’d say it’s not worth it. The service left a lot to be desired, and while the drinks were okay, the overall experience just didn’t...