Hours
Restaurant Hours
M – Bar: 11am – 1:30am // Kitchen: 11am – 10pm
T – Bar: 11am – 1:30am // Kitchen: 11am – 10pm
W – Bar: 11am – 1:30am // Kitchen: 11am – 10pm
Th – Bar: 11am – 1:30am // Kitchen: 11am – 10pm
F – Bar: 11am – 1:30am // Kitchen: 11am – 10pm
Sa – Bar 10:30am – 1:30am // Kitchen: 10:30am – 10pm
S – Bar 10:30am – 1:30am // Kitchen: 10:30am – 10pm
Directions
601 Pennsylvania Ave SE Washington DC 20003
(202)546-8412
We are but a block NW from the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines via the Eastern Market Metro Station, and our block is additionally a stop for Metrobus 30N, 30S, 32, 34, and 36.
Some metered parking is available in the area; we are, however, without our own dedicated lot.
Contact Us
Have some burning questions that you can’t find the answers to on here? Wanting to know if we can accommodate your large group? Interested in renting out the upstair for a private event? Contact us!
(202) 546-8412 –or– mrhenrysdc@gmail.com
History
In 1966 founder Henry Yaffe bought the establishment at Pennsylvania Avenue and 6th Street SE, a country-western bar then called The 601 Club, and, without closing, “Mr. Henry,” as he came to be known, remodeled the space to the wood-paneled pub you see today.
Two years later Mr. Henry hired a local school teacher to sing in the pub. “She told me that if I could give her work three nights a week, she could quit teaching,” Henry recalled. Before long an upstairs performance area was constructed just for her, with oak paneling rescued from the Dodge Hotel before its demolition. This singer, none other than Roberta Flack, would go on to win 4 Grammys for the songs “Killing Me Softly” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
With its unique vibe of locals’ bar/soul nightclub, Henry’s drew a diverse crowd of a demographic mix atypical of the sixties. Noteworthy guests such as Eddie Harris, Ramsey Lewis, Johnny Mathis, Carmen McRae, and Burt Bacharach were in regular attendance at Mr. Henry’s, to name but a few. Flack would often share her stage and piano bench with them, even playing with Liberace one night.
Among the cast of characters that have called Mr. Henry’s home are two notable staff members, the late bartender Rudi Appl and owner-operator Alvin Ross, who between them set the tone for Mr. Henry’s. Appl kept watch over the bar for nearly 50 years, charming thousands. Ross, who started out as a waiter, became the manager and partner in the business. He operated the restaurant for decades and recently retired to take some well-earned time at the beach.
Eastern Market Main Street
Mr. Henry’s is a proud member of the Eastern Market Main Street, an organization that is dedicated to fostering a collaborative, connected, and competitive business community that reinforces our historic, iconic, and diverse neighborhood identity. We happily participate in all of the Main Street events such as Night at the Market, Holly Days, and Constitutional (n) : Prohibition. Find out more about EMMS great work here!
