Allegory resides in a hidden corner within Eaton DC, a hotel owned by Great Eagle and Katherine Lo from Hong Kong. The bar somewhat reflects the mid-century vintage modern aesthetic of the main hotel, but turned on its head and with its own distinct story to tell. The bar was created with a vision of being one that exists truly to both serve and represent the DC community, driving conversation around the bar industry in DC and intersecting this with local art and music. This purpose-driven mission can be found throughout the touchpoints within the bar, from the moment when a guest enters, through to the artwork and the menu concept itself. 

On entering Allegory, guests are enveloped into the Progressive Library, a free-to-all collection of literature focused on topics of race, gender, climate, art and architecture. With a fireplace as its centrepiece, the warm and cosy space is styled in the mid-century, vintage-modern aesthetic of the hotel, with the ceiling covered in an art piece designed by local DC artist JD Deardourff, who took posters from the DC punk and hardcore music scenes and created a collage paying homage to a little talked-about part of DC history.

Coming through to the main bar space, a mural spans the entire wall. Created by another talented local artist, Eric Thor Sandberg, this mural underpins the concept of the whole venue, depicting a surreal interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, with an allegory – a deeper hidden meaning – that Alice herself represents Ruby Bridges, one of the first black girls to desegregate an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1961 – and one of the most influential civil rights figures in history.

This narrative continues throughout, with Alice and Ruby’s stories intertwining throughout the mural. 

Guests are given a 4D experience, with this narrative also playing out through the menu itself, with all cocktails directly inspired by the art and the story of the menu, following a classic literary Three Act structure. The drinks list itself is impressive – each bartender contributes a drink to the menu, getting it to 80% ready, with the team coming together to work on all drinks to get that to 100%. The team employ many different advanced techniques in the creation of drinks, which are underpinned by a commitment to delivering bold flavour, leaning heavily into clarified ingredients and carbonated cocktails as well as fermentation, clarification and cryo-concentration. The drinks are designed to evoke feelings of nostalgia amongst guests and unlock positive childhood memories. Sustainability is key, with every cocktail featuring at least one ingredient that would otherwise be thrown away and a self-created shelf stable citrus juice that is ten times less wasteful than regular citrus. This ethos is taken  through all aspects, even down to the reusable faux leather coasters made from pineapple fibres. Social impact is also taken hugely seriously, with 50% of their spirits either POC, LGBTQIA+, local, or women owned. 

The bar team itself is a testament to Allegory’s commitment to diversity, driven by an intention to not only cater to the DC community but also reflect it, a mission certainly achieved. This is a safe space for everyone, bathrooms are All-Gender, and also utilise artwork to make a stand, with a piece spanning the entire wall designed to demystify sexuality and gender and showcase and educate on the difference between queer or gender non-binary. This sits alongside a series of photos that were commissioned by the bar, showing trans models in glamorous (and not so glamorous) settings, with the aim of humanising trans people. 

Their local bartending community is cherished – Allegory offers an open door policy for anyone in the industry who would like to stage with them and offers monthly training sessions to the wider bar community in DC. Amongst the team – they encourage peer-to-peer learning and ensure that working hours are kept to a minimum to ensure the very best work-life balance – resulting in zero turnover in staff since the bar reopened after the pandemic.