A Lively Levantine Bar Comes to Town — And More September Openings

Fall is just beginning to set in, bringing September openings that celebrate comforting food and drinks for diners hard at work in the city. Consider this your guide to all the new restaurants, bars, and cafes that have debuted in September 2024 so far. This list will be updated weekly. If there’s an opening in your neighborhood that we’ve missed, let us know at [email protected].

September 20

Mykl Wu/H2-Collective

CHINATOWN—After a lengthy summer hiatus, Crimson Whiskey Bar returns to the depths of the Motto City Center Hotel. Along with over 300 whiskeys to choose from, a retooled menu full of small plates features crispy salt and pepper pork belly, wild mushroom toast, bourbon-smoked wings, and more. The reboot also calls for tasting events during the week as well as DJs and live music on weekends. Open at 5 p.m. daily. 627 H Street NW

DUPONT—Neighborhood wine bar Nero is back in fresh Dupont digs. Situated a short walk from the original, Nero slides into a storied brick row house that formerly housed Bar and Lounge 54, Tulips, and Irish Whiskey. Weekday happy hour (4 p.m.-7 p.m.) includes discounts on cocktails, local brews, and bites. The menu picks up right where it left off, fusing Indian and Italian flavors under one new roof. 1207 19th Street NW

September 19

UNION MARKET — La’ Shukran brings Levantine funk to the rooftop of chef Michael Rafidi’s newest Yellow location. The bar entrance is hidden in alleyway, underneath a colorful stained glass window just off Florida Avenue. Follow a long flight of tiled stairs to enter the late-night bistro serving cocktails by bar director Radovan Jankovic, a natural-leaning wine program from sommelier William Simons, and delectable treats, like Moroccan-spiced beignets with pickled huckleberry-topped foie gras. Reservations through October 6 are already available. 417 Morse Street NE

September 15

GAINESVILLE — A neighborhood tavern is serving up American fare and craft cocktails in Prince George’s County. Grain and Grog is owned by three local partners, including bartending and front-of-house management veteran Mikey Love. Expect upcoming live musical performances in the cozy new restaurant. 7960 Crescent Park Drive, Gainesville, Virginia

September 13

ADAMS MORGAN — A Brazilian bar and restaurant from the team behind Mercy Me, Cana celebrates Brazilian sugar cane and the spirit made from it, cachaca, in an array of caipirinhas and other innovative cocktails. The warm emerald green and wood-paneled interior is filled with music and dancing as DJs spin vinyls on weekends. Before his unexpected death in July, the food menu was headed by Robert Curtis, the former executive chef of Bourbon Steak and culinary director at Unordinary Hospitality. Chef Maximiliano Rivera Papic took over the bar’s menu and the new-to-D.C. chef is serving up salt-cod and duck leg croquettes, charred octopus, and hamachi crudo with passionfruit to pair with the Brazilian drinks. 2412 18th Street NW

September 12

PENN QUARTER — Fresh Baguette, a D.C. area chain, opened its 7th location. Beyond baguettes and baguette sandwiches, the bakery sells cro’gel sandwiches (croissant and bagel crossovers), tarts, muffins, cakes, and croissants with fun flavors like passionfruit. A few feet away from the Gallery Place metro, the new bakery is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. 575 7th Street NW

High Street Hospitality Group

FOGGY BOTTOM — A Philadelphia favorite just opened a D.C. outpost, taking over a 2,200-square-foot space above Washington Circle. a.kitchen+bar comes from High Street Hospitality Group’s Ellen Yin, who won the 2023 James Beard Award medal for Outstanding Restaurateur. The new restaurant imports super-seasonal American dishes, including a cheeseburger with a slather of “special sauce” (slow-roasted tomato miso and fresh herbs), shaved sweet onions, and butter pickles on a homemade sesame bun. Virginia’s Wavelength oysters pair up with celery, ginger, and a jalapeño mignonette, while curried Maryland crab balances atop a trio of thick potato rosti. Wine director Frank Kinyon’s curated list of low-intervention varietals includes 50 bottles and beverage director Harry Jamison brings inventive riffs on classic cocktails. 1 Washington Circle NW

HERNDON — Maharani Palace Fine Indian Cuisine and Lounge opened in the space formerly occupied by Mellow Mushroom, serving upscale North Indian dishes. Need Kamal, the owner and head chef, cooks up classic butter chicken, an array of biryanis, mutton kofta, goat soup, and other specialities. There are also Indo-Chinese dishes on the menu, like chicken manhcurian and Szechuan fried rice. Drinks include creamy lassis, chai, and Mohabbat ka Sharbat, a rose milk shake served on Old Delhi streets. 1030 Elden St., Herndon, Virginia

September 9

Scott Suchman

SOUTHWEST WATERFRONT — At the foot of the 373-room Salamander Washington DC, Top Chef star Kwame Onwuachi’s newest Afro-Caribbean showpiece pays homage to D.C.’s late-1700s land surveyor Benjamin Banneker and his ties to the West African Dōgon tribe. The Dōgon menu explores Onwuachi’s Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole heritage, Banneker’s capitol-creating connections, and “all the cultures within D.C.’s four quadrants.” Opening dishes include barbecue greens with candied Cipollini onions, roasted garlic, and beef bacon; carrot tigua (pickled onion, peanut crustacean stew, burnt carrots); and “H Street” chicken and rice with Ethiopian berbere spices, jollof rice, and herbs. The interior includes a glowing host stand surrounded in stunning gold chain curtains, an inviting open kitchen, a dark lounge area, and dramatic thick columns throughout the space. 1330 Maryland Avenue SW

Colada Shop/official photo

NATIONAL LANDING — The growing neighborhood around Amazon’s HQ2 adds another beloved D.C. spot, Colada Shop, on the ground floor of the new Grace and Reva apartment complex. The fifth location of the full-service cafe offers favorites like Cuban coffee and cold brew, mojitos and pina coladas, sandwiches, and empanadas. The wraparound corner spot includes airy, bright indoor seating in the classic blue and red colors, plus outdoor red folding chair and tables. 244 19th Court, Arlington, Virginia

September 7

BALLSTON — MidnighTreats, a budding Virginia chain, sells more giant vegan cookies at its third location by Ballston Quarter’s food hall. True to the name, the bakery will sell classic cookies, smaller “munchies,” and oat like ice cream sandwiches until midnight daily. Classic cookie flavors include brownie, birthday bash, and chocolate chip, with bi-weekly specials. 4238 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia

September 6

The Kota Agency

U STREET — Yalla brings Beirut buzz to D.C.’s U Street nightlife corridor, with weekend DJ sets accompanying Middle Eastern spreads, dips, and skewers. Chef Marcel Chehaieb cut his craft in the kitchens of highly rated restaurants like Annabelle and Michelin-starred Maydan — but his passion for cooking comes from the Middle East. Chehaieb serves up an umami-rich duck confit hummus, seared sheep’s halloumi over puckery pickled rhubarb, and phyllo-wrapped sweet-and-sour shrimp. Yalla’s guests are welcomed with lush greenery, walls dripping with ivy, canopy string lights, and arched doorways. A bar serving fruity and spiced drinks runs nearly half of the length of the rectangular room, serving up cocktails to go with dinner or to dance with as the space turns into a high-energy dance lounge later in the night. 1355 U Street NW

September 5

DUPONT CIRCLE — After a delayed opening, SOL Mexican Grill debuted one of its largest locations earlier this month. The shop offers authentic tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and bowls filled with Mexican rice, beans, meats, roasted vegetables, and other toppings. 1200 19th Street NW