Delta Haus Brings Bar Pizzas and Frat House Movie Nostalgia to Downtown Boston

A movie-inspired bar and restaurant arrived in Downtown Boston last week, and it’s full of nostalgia for several cult classics. Delta Haus calls to mind movies like Animal House, Old School, and Revenge of the Nerds, and as might be expected, the folks behind it also operate Boston’s Caddyshack-themed bar, Bushwood Cocktail Club (as well as sibling spot Finn McCool’s).

Delta Haus (200 High St.) has plenty to offer in the way of food and entertainment. After the success of Bushwood, the team wanted to create something similar in the space beneath Finn’s, according to assistant general manager Keith Gleason. (Bushwood is in an adjacent space.)

“Why don’t we try to duplicate not the same idea, but something along those lines?” he said. The team considered other movies they loved to watch and “rolled it all together.”

“You want to have things to occupy people,” Gleason said, noting that Delta Haus complements Bushwood’s arcade games with its own unique selection of bar games, including pool, shuffleboard, pinball, darts, and air hockey, among others. Pulling from multiple movies gave the team flexibility with both decorations and the menu, which Gleason developed with some help and inspiration from the management team.

“I drew stuff from multiple movies and was able to hopefully get a couple chuckles from people,” Gleason said.

Look out for menu items like the “Bleu-Tarsky burger” (named for John Belushi’s Animal House character), and cocktails like the “Mrs. Dean Wormer” and “Fawn Liebowitz.” Just as Jack Daniels played a role in Animal House, the liquor is featured in two different cocktails.

Other items on the food menu include several varieties of a South Shore classic, bar pizza, plus a fried chicken sandwich, and appetizers like “pledge pretzels” and “delta nachos.”

Aiming to appeal to anyone who was ever in a fraternity, attended a fraternity party, or watched movies about them, Delta Haus serves some classic college beers, like PBR, Coors, and Rolling Rock, and it’s all “frat-style,” according to Gleason (no glassware, but plastic cups nicer than Solo cups). The bar also stocks several (less fratty) local craft beers, including Sam Adams seasonal, Harpoon IPA, Allagash, Jack’s Abby House Lager, and UFO Abracadabra.

For decorations, Delta Haus fully embraces the movie theme — there’s a mirror sporting different quotes, as well as several other design features, including some created by an employee who’s an artist.

“On the back wall by the dart area we’ve got a collage — it almost looks like a page out of a yearbook — that has all the different characters from all the different movies we drew from,” Gleason said.

There are couches on one side of the bar, and there are tables made from barrels with tops on them featuring the bar’s logo and caricatures. There are also seven televisions scattered through the space.

“It’s definitely a unique space,” Gleason said. “Every person who came down here [during the first few days in business], you saw them pointing, laughing, just having a good time.”

Delta House made its official debut on Thursday, January 18. “If the first week was any indication, it’s gonna take off just like Bushwood’s did,” Gleason said.

The bar plans to host events (think toga parties and Greek Olympics) as well, so stay tuned to social media for details.

Located in the Financial District, Delta Haus is initially operating Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and may extend those hours depending on demand.

• Delta Haus [Official Site]
• Finn McCool’s Is Serving ‘Boston Poutine’ and Corned Beef Nachos Downtown [EBOS]
• Cannonball: A Caddyshack-Themed Bar Just Opened in Downtown Boston [EBOS]