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By Kaylee Dugan, Jenn Tisdale, and Brandon Wetherbee

D.C.’s most popular bar of 2017 is open for a limited time. The Game of Thrones pop up will attract lines until it decides it doesn’t need more money. People in D.C. love Game of Thrones, lines and things that run for a limited time. So here’s a roundup of some future, potential bar pop ups.

Back to the Future Bar @ Eat the Rich / Southern Efficiency / Mockingbird Hill

I’m constantly surprised, and not surprised, by how easily I am able to work Back to the Future into my daily life. This time, however, it’s less of a stretch. In the world of themed pop up bars there is no theme more near and dear to my heart than Back to the Future. This is perfect for a Derek Brown scenario who has three bars we can take to 88mph. Back to the Future takes place in both 1985 and 1955 and the film’s climax happens at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in 1955. There’s the first bar. The second film takes place in 1985, 2015, alternate 1985 and 1955. I’m torn here. I either want a Cafe 80’s/80’s theme or I want a bar converted to alternate 1985 Biff’s casino but since his character was actually modeled after Trump, we’re kind of already living that nightmare. The third film primarily takes place in 1885 and provides the perfect opportunity for an old west saloon. And of course all bars can have a Delorean parked out front. Obviously. -J.T.
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Clue Inn @ The Tabard Inn

The movie. Not the board game. Murder weapons, chalk outlines, and all of the life size Tim Curry cut outs you can find on the Internet (because everything you can imagine is already on the Internet). The menu’s can look like dinner invitations from Mr. Boddy himself and there has to be a cocktail called “Flames On The Side Of My Face.” The decor is basically halfway there. -K.D.Image result for Tim Curry clue gif

Hannibal Lecter Bar @ Eat the Rich / Southern Efficiency / Mockingbird Hill

Derek Brown and Co. don’t need anymore ideas. Clearly his team has their hand on the pulse when it comes to the kind of bars that will get people to line up around the block, so this is a farfetched fantasy reach, but goddamn wouldn’t it be cool if they took on the world’s most famous cannibal? Considering how opulent the books, movies and TV series are when it comes to food and drink, you could truly go wild with the rich and avant garde approach. Style Eat the Rich like a prison (with straight jackets and all), transform Mockingbird Hill into the Tooth Fairy‘s home (including the infamous William Blake painting) and make that tiny baby Southern Efficiency into a sumptuous Florentine bar (just throw some wild boar on the menu). How chilling. -K.D.

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Milk Bar @ Barmini

Barmini already looks like a friendlier version of Kubrick’s Milk Bar from A Clockwork Orange and it’s already serving up the kind of drinks I would expect to find Burgess’s highly creepy version of the future. All it needs is more milk and more Ludwig Van. -K.D.

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No Reservations Bar @ Any “Real” Dive Bar

Everyone is dressed like a cool dad and the staff are all wearing Ramones shirts. The food is fantastic. -K.D.

Noah’s Arcade @ H Street Country Club

We’ve never actually seen Noah’s Arcade. We know it’s chill and we know it’s fresh and the kids keep coughing up quarter for Zantar, but other than that, this fictional arcade in Aurora, Illinois is a mystery. So why not turn H Street Country Club, which isn’t really a country club, into Noah’s Arcade? Put in a Ms. Pac-Man, add a Noah’s Arcade neon sign, change nothing else and watch the lines form. -B.W.

Rollerblade Bar @ The Dugout

Rollerblading encapsulates the worst of 90s nostalgia so it obviously deserves a limited time pop up. Zima is everything kitchy and bad about drinks from the 90s. Guess what’s back? Zima! It’s the perfect time to stage a Rollerblade (Rollerblade is a proper noun since it’s about the brand Rollerblade, like Band-Aid) pop up at The Dugout. It’s the only suitable location that has the space for a roller rink and the ability to attract the kind of people that think a Rollerblade bar is a good idea. -B.W.

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Snakehole Lounge @ The Howard Theater

Since we may be faced with the closing of The Howard Theater any day now, let’s make use of the space and turn it into the bar featured in the best episode of Parks & Rec, “The Fight.” Just throw some Snake Juice on the menu, sprinkle a couple of Lil’ Sebastians around the stage and let it play out just the way the show does. -K.D.

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Stephen King Bar @ Literally Anywhere

Stephen King usually pens a letter to his fans in the intro of every book, whom he affectionately refers to as Constant Reader. I’ve always loved that. I think this time the perfect gift to all of his Constant Readers is a Stephen King-themed bar. The options are limitless. A well-placed Pennywise the Clown (IT) here, a topiary maze (The Shining) there and perhaps even an old Plymouth Fury (Christine) are good starts. I think it’s important to go deeper as well. Let’s have the staff dress as Gunslingers (The Dark Tower) with a stuffed cat (Pet Sematary) hanging behind the bar. How about a jail cell (The Green Mile) wrapped around the booths? And of course no Stephen King-themed bar would be complete without a bucket of pig’s blood falling on someone’s head (Carrie) at some point. -J.T.
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Veep Bar @ Any Bar on Capitol Hill

Nothing changes, but everyone is slightly funnier. -K.D.

 

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