D.C.’s Hottest Restaurant Openings to Look Ahead to This Winter

The bitter chilly can’t decelerate the slew of anticipated eating locations slated to reach within the nation’s capital this winter. Right here’s a roundup of ones we’re most excited to fulfill over the following few months.

Alara

What: D.C. hitmaker Hakan Ilhan calls his newest challenge Alara, which refers to a “lovely water fairy” in Turkish mythology. Seasonal menus and wines plan to deal with the 4 coastal international locations of Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, and Israel. The restaurant kicks off with a number of meze and cold and warm dips like purple pepper-and-walnut muhammara, adopted by a lot of meaty mains like lamb chops, and Greek interpretations of seafood (branzino). Alara can even import finest sellers discovered at Ilhan’s Turkish stalwart Ottoman Taverna in Mt. Vernon Triangle. Alara takes over the deal with that lengthy housed Italian darling Paolo’s Ristorante till 2018.

The place: 1303 Wisconsin Avenue NW

When: January

The Occidental

Occidental

What: James Beard Award-winning hospitality magnate Stephen Starr (St. Anselm, Le Diplomate, El Presidente, Osteria Mozza, Pastis) resurrects an iconic D.C. energy spot this winter. The Occidental, billed as Starr’s “most glamorous and decadent” D.C. restaurant so far, will characteristic tableside martini service and a “traditional midcentury American” menu. First opened in 1906 by the Willard resort’s founder Henry Willard, Starr’s revival of the legendary two-story venue strives to showcase white-tablecloth hospitality at its finest (there’s even a resident “polisher” of silver, glass, and plate ware). The expansive, 11,000-square-foot venue, lined with portraits of famed friends like previous presidents and sports activities stars, sits two blocks from the White Home and sports activities views of the Washington Monument.

The place: 1475 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

When: February

Elmina

Adedayo Kosoko

What: Meals Community star Eric Adjepong places a contemporary spin on conventional West African meals at his first brick-and-mortar restaurant. Elmina showcases traditional Ghanaian dishes like fufu and kelewele (spicy fried plantains) throughout a la carte and tasting menus, together with new interpretations like spicy cassava udon noodles and egusi hummus. Located in Seven Causes’ former 14th Avenue NW residence, two-story Elmina carves out room for 124 diners. The High Chef Season 16 finalist additionally introduces the identical roti flatbreads and doubles that have been purported to be featured at On the Double, his fast-casual Union Market stall that fell by way of in the course of the pandemic. Cocktails flip to regional flavors like mango, hibiscus, soursop, and passionfruit.

The place: 2208 14th Avenue NW

When: January

Tapori

What: The staff behind Eater 38 hit Daru doubles down on H Avenue with a rowdy new South Indian restaurant and cocktail bar. Tapori, opening within the former Fancy Radish house, facilities round communal consuming and flavors that span from Kerala to Nepal. Nepalese chef Suresh Sundas and beverage director Dante Datta carry a decade of native business information to their second Northeast restaurant. This time round, the pair groups up with faraway chef Baburam Sharma to develop a menu that displays his Nepalese background, upbringing in Delhi, and a long time of expertise in cooking South Indian delicacies. Dishes like pani puri, vada pav, and dosas be a part of cocktails made with indigenous spices and fruits like chaat masala, jackfruit puree, and hibiscus. Tapori, which implies “vagabond” in Hindi, attracts affect from South Indian road markets and Bollywood movies that embrace Mumbai tradition. A glance from Edit Lab features a 20-person communal desk, patchwork tile-covered bar, and cubicles peering into the intense open kitchen. The Tapori staff hosts a pop-up preview at Union Market’s La’ Shukran on Tuesday, January 14.

The place: 600 H Avenue NE

When: Mid-February

Ned’s Membership

Ned’s Membership/rendering

What: Meet Ned’s Membership Washington D.C., the anticipated non-public membership opening throughout from the White Home. Govt chef David Testa, who most just lately led the kitchen at downtown’s Spanish showpiece The Bazaar by José Andrés, spearheads three separate eating places inside Ned’s. Famend mixologist and Silver Lyan alum Vlad Novikov leads its two bars. The three eating places, all opening without delay, highlight Italian (Gallery), American (Founders Eating Room), and pan-Asian (Kaia) cuisines. Ned’s Membership, birthed in 2017 by a pair of Soho Home bigwigs as “an area for the discerning” in London, went on to increase to NYC and Qatar’s capital of Doha in 2022. The fourth version in D.C. is its first club-only location that caters solely to members, who will combine and mingle on the highest three flooring of the identical Artwork Deco-era constructing that after housed iconic establishments like Riggs Financial institution. Becoming a member of is way from low cost: D.C. members pay a one-time $5,000 initiation charge and $5,000 yearly after that.

The place: 734 fifteenth Avenue NW

When: Early winter

Lucille’s

Schamu Machowski + Patterson/rendering

What: Critically-acclaimed D.C. chef and restaurateur Matt Baker will get into the steakhouse sport for the primary time with the opening of Lucille’s Trendy Chophouse on Capitol Hill. Located on the bottom flooring of the Kimpton George Resort, Lucille’s replaces pioneering chef Jeff Buben’s Bistro Bis. The trendy American menu combines his New Mexican roots, Texas upbringing, French coaching, and Singaporean experiences. Lucille’s will give meats the dry-aging remedy in a brand new locker on full show within the eating room. A good-looking marquee out entrance leads the way in which right into a throwback house paying homage to the glamorous Rat Pack period, when steakhouses rose to fame. Baker’s 101 Hospitality group contains Michelin-starred American restaurant Gravitas, French-influenced Michele’s, all-day cafe Baker’s Daughter, and catering firm CMB at House.

The place: 15 E Avenue NW

When: Mid-February

Bar Betsie

What: Trade vets and buds Jean Paul (J.P.) Sabatier, Drew Porterfield, and Ralph Brabham, the staff behind Logan Circle’s pint-sized consuming den Jane Jane, will do a second enterprise throughout city. Like 3-year-old Jane Jane, which has shortly risen as one of many metropolis’s finest cocktail bars, Bar Betsie honors one other accomplice’s matriarch. Bar Betsie, named for Sabatier’s mother who had a penchant for hospitality, strives to be “soulful, unpretentious gathering place the place everybody involves play,” per an announcement. A design by Edit Lab at Streetsense requires hip neon accents mirrored off mirrored partitions, wooden paneling, intimate cubicles, banquette seating, and 14-seat bar and out of doors patio slinging gentle snacks, beers, wines, and cocktails.

The place: 1328 4th Avenue NE

When: Winter

Slice and Pie

What: One in all nation’s finest pizza locations debuts a second D.C. location within the Parks at Walter Reed improvement. Search for its acquainted lineup of New York and Detroit-style pies and slices alongside an expanded providing of panini sandwiches and small-batch gelato from acclaimed chef and Naples native Giulio Adriani. The brand new house is way bigger than the 14th Avenue NW authentic, with room for as much as 26 sit-down friends.

The place: 1155 Dahlia Avenue NW

When: Winter