As The Wharf takes shape, the growing list of food and entertainment options has been hard to keep track of. We hope this list will help:
Five new concepts were added this month, which are:
- Eric and Ian Hilton, renowned for creating neighborhood mainstays including Georgetown’s Chez Billy Sud and The Gibson along 14th St. NW, will open The Brighton, a high-energy waterfront pub.
- Chef K.N. Vinod and Surfy Rahman, the DC area–based hospitality veterans behind Indique and Bombay Bistro, after more than a decade of serving diners some of the most celebrated and exciting Indian cuisine in Washington DC and Maryland, will open a new Indian dining concept.
- Cathal Armstrong will open Kaliwa, a new dining destination with a distinct Filipino, Thai, and Korean menu.
- Nick Fontana, Bruce Gates, and Henry Gandy, the team behind DC’s original dock bar, Cantina Marina, are bringing a small-format, live music venue and tavern named Pearl Street Warehouse to the waterfront.
- Nick Stefanelli, the chef behind Masseria, is opening a three-story Italian market and restaurant that will include an 80-seat trattoria, a rooftop bar, an Italian eatery, a butcher shop, a cheese counter, and a bakery. Stefanelli’s yet-to-be-named Italian market has an anticipated opening of Spring 2018.
These five new restaurants add to a growing list that includes:
- Potomac Distilling Company, a multi-story rum distillery with an inventive new twist on a Tiki Bar from “master mixologist” Todd Thrasher.
- Del Mar by James Beard Award–winning chef Fabio Trabocchi will pay homage to the seaside town of Mallorca. The two-level waterfront Spanish and seafood restaurant is destined to become a standout in the DC restaurant scene.
- Hank’s On the Water by Jamie Leeds, one of Washington’s most highly recognized chefs, is a reinvention of her famed Hank’s Oyster Bar. Hank’s On The Water will be known for its simple, approachable seafood menu, consisting of “urban beach food” in small and large plates for sharing—in an incomparable waterfront setting along 7th Street Park and Wharf Street.
- Rappahannock Oyster Bar, by cousins and fourth-generation oyster farmers of Chesapeake Bay Travis and Ryan Croxton, will open. The new location will occupy the restored historic oyster shed (circa 1912) at the Municipal Fish Market and will have 40 seats indoors and another 80 outdoors.
- Requin by Top Chef‘s Mike Isabella and Top Chef finalist Jennifer Carroll will open. Their restaurant, situated on the edge of District Pier, will bring the Mediterranean coast of France to The Wharf. The riverside restaurant will have an extensive European wine menu and a social-centric sharing menu. The restaurant’s indoor-outdoor setting will have expansive waterfront views.
- Kirwan’s by Ireland native Mark Kirwan will be an authentic Irish pub that will honor the rich Irish heritage of the Southwest Waterfront. Live Irish music will complement the convivial scene.
And remember, about a year from now on Oct. 12, 2017, we will be able to enjoy these restaurants. At least more than the construction.