Qui Qui, the Shaw staple for mofongo and different spot-on Puerto Rican dishes, will reopen in Park View in mid-August.
Sunday, June 22, was its final day of service in Shaw, the place it has operated above the Passenger cocktail bar since 2021. “As soon as we discover our footing once more. I’ll let ,” chef Ismael Mendez informed Eater on the time. The subsequent steps occurred quick: On Monday, Qui Qui revealed it’s shifting to a brand new Northwest neighborhood, taking up the Park View area that previously housed Tabla (3227 Georgia Avenue NW), an informal offshoot of D.C.’s Georgian standby Supra that closed in March after a five-year run.
Named for Mendez’s childhood nickname, Qui Qui 2.0 will probably be a wildly totally different setup than the second-story authentic. The brand new ground-floor location will get its first patio, with room for 40 outdoors and 75 inside with a full bar. Roll-up storage doorways framing the outside evoke a breezy, beachy vibe paying homage to Puerto Rico’s coastal capital of San Juan. Mild renovations embrace a pastel-soaked paint job, says Qui Qui, with ending touches accomplished this week.
Praised by the Washington Publish as a “Puerto Rican social gathering you don’t wish to miss,” Qui Qui’s greatest sellers embrace its pan sobao (bread), morcilla (blood sausage), mofongo with fried and smashed inexperienced plantains, chicharrón de pollo, costillas (ribs) slathered in barbecue sauce, and ample use of criollo spice throughout the menu. Previous to going brick-and-mortar, the restaurant acquired its begin as a Maryland-based catering firm earlier than turning right into a roving pop-up round D.C.
In the meantime, Qui Qui’s outdated downstairs neighbor, the Passenger, additionally closed final month to make means for an American tavern and much-needed makeover (1539 seventh Avenue NW). Per Washingtonian, proprietor Tom Brown offered his important cocktail spot to Indian chef and proprietor Sanjay Mandhaiya (Pappe, Karravaan), who was a longtime Passenger common. Search for a fall opening.
