The new year brings new creations from some of the most celebrated chefs and restaurateurs in the D.C. region, including David Guas of Bayou Bakery and Kevin Tien of Moon Rabbit. Some, like a well-regarded barbecue team, are expanding to new parts of the region, while others, like the chefs of a Michelin-starred French bistro, are cooking up something entirely new. With the opening of two more restaurants just a block apart, one D.C. neighborhood is reinforcing its reputation as a hot spot for food. Check out the familiar names — and some buzzy new ones — on DCist/WAMU’s list of highly anticipated restaurant openings next year.
2Fifty, 414 K St. NW
The Maryland barbecue joint considered to be among the best in the region is opening a location in downtown D.C. in mid January. Expect 2Fifty staples, including the wagyu and prime briskets, to be sold at the 80-seat restaurant in Mount Vernon Triangle. Pitmaster Fernando González plans to smoke all their meat in house and towed 1,000-gallon smokers from Lockhart, Texas — a rare practice within city limits. Co-owners González and Debby Portillo, who are married and originally from El Salvador, plan to close their 2Fifty stall at Union Market at the end of 2023. So locals will have to visit their new restaurant (or the original one in Riverdale Park) to enjoy their wood-smoked creations.
Atlas Brew Works, 2429 Mandeville Lane, Alexandria
The D.C. craft brewery is opening its third location, this time across the Potomac River in Alexandria. The 6,000 square-foot brewery will serve the six core Atlas beers patrons love, including World Beer Cup gold medal winner Silent Neighbor. The production space, which has a 2,000-barrel system powered by solar energy, will brew limited-edition beers only available at the new location. There will be a taproom with 16 draft lines and an outdoor patio. Similar to Navy Yard, the Alexandria location will serve Andy’s Pizza. It is expected to open in the late spring.
Aventino and AP Pizza Shop, 4747 Bethesda Avenue, Bethesda
Chef Mike Friedman of The Red Hen and All-Purpose Pizzeria is opening a sprawling Italian restaurant in Bethesda in early January. The menu centers on Roman and Jewish cuisine, so find carciofi alla giudia (deep fried artichokes) and supplì alla romana (risotto fritters). Of course, there’s handmade pasta like the classic cacio e pepe and pappardelle with slow-braised short rib and oxtail ragu. Next door to Aventino is the James Beard semifinalist chef’s takeout only pizza joint, AP Pizza Shop. The counter service-style pizzeria is inspired by the chef’s youth in New York and New Jersey.
Bar Del Monte, 3054 Mount Pleasant St. NW
The team behind the beloved pizzeria 2Amys is opening a casual Italian restaurant in Mount Pleasant. Oliver Pastan is the son of the 2Amys owner, Peter, and worked there for a long time, he says. Now he’s ready to open his own spot. The Bar Del Monte menu will be bare-bones, allowing for a nice selection of daily specials, Pastan says. There of course will be Neapolitan-style pizza. But Pastan says patrons should expect a variety of Italian food to be served at the trattoria. The hope is to open by February.
Bouboulina, 915 Meeting St., North Bethesda
The original founders of explosive fast-casual chain Cava are opening an American steakhouse with Mediterranean influences in North Bethesda. The 3,080-square-foot restaurant will be the team’s third eatery at the Pike & Rose development. The latest restaurant by Ted Xenohristos, Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ike Grigoropoulos will serve wood-fired steak as well as fresh seafood and house-made breads. The opening is slated for the summer of 2024, with construction beginning in the winter months.
Joia Burger, 3213 Mount Pleasant St. NW.
Patrice Cleary of Filipino restaurant Purple Patch — which Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema named his favorite restaurant of the year — is opening a burger joint any day now. Just a few doors down from Purple Patch, Joia Burger will serve smash burgers, fries, and ube soft-serve ice cream, according to Washingtonian. Patrons can get Filipino toppings on their burger, such as atchara (pickled papaya). Call the restaurant parent friendly, with a kid’s meal costing no more than $10.
Moon Rabbit, 929 F St. NW
The celebrated restaurant by James Beard semifinalist Chef Kevin Tien will reopen in downtown D.C. on Jan. 15. Just seven months ago, Tien left the Wharf InterContinental Hotel, taking the rights of his critically-acclaimed Vietnamese restaurant (namely, the name and the menu) with him. Tien has kept busy since the unexpected closure, hosting pop-ups and opening stalls at local food halls. But he’ll soon open a standalone restaurant of his own in Penn Quarter. Expect a revamped menu prepared by some of the original Moon Rabbit kitchen staff, according to Eater DC.
Neutral Ground Bar + Kitchen, 6641 Old Dominion Drive, McLean
Chef David Guas of Bayou Bakery is opening his first new restaurant in years after delighting locals with Louisiana-inspired baked goods, breakfast, and lunch at his quirky cafe since 2010. The McLean restaurant will serve classic American dishes, with ingredients sourced seasonally and locally from the mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast. The menu will include wood-fired pork chops, roasted oysters, and smash burgers. The only nod to Louisiana appears to be in the name of the restaurant. It is expected to open in the late spring.
Osteria Mozza, 3276 M St. NW
Locals have been anticipating this one for awhile. Here’s hoping the restaurant by award-winning chef Nancy Silverton opens in 2024. The D.C. outpost of the Michelin-starred Los Angeles restaurant will be massive and include an Italian market, mozzarella bar, and restaurant in the former Dean and DeLuca space in Georgetown. Publicists for Osteria Mozza, a joint venture from Silverton and Stephen Starr of Le Diplomate and St. Anselm, don’t have details to share yet on an exact opening date.
Pascual
732 Maryland Ave. NE
Chefs Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy of Georgetown hotspot Lutèce and its parent company, The Popal Group, the restaurant group also behind Lapis and the now-shuttered The Berliner, are opening a contemporary Mexican restaurant on Capitol Hill in January. The cuisine showcases the background of Coss, who is originally from Mexico City and has worked in several highly-respected Mexican restaurants, including world-famous Pujol. Her husband, Conroy, also has experience with Mexican food, after helming the kitchen at Michelin-starred Oxomoco in Brooklyn. All the savory dishes on the dinner menu will be prepared using the wood grill in some capacity for a smokey finish. The menu also centers around locally-grown Mexican heirloom corn. Expect moles, tlayuda (a classic Oaxacan dish of crispy tortilla with a savory spread), chicken al pastor, Yucatan-style baked branzino, and eight different variations of guacamole.
Source : dcist
