Sections
  • News & Politics
  • Food
  • Things to Do
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Home & Style
  • Editors’ Picks
  • Events Calendar
  • Health
  • Longreads
  • Parenting
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Travel
  • Weddings
Reader Favorites
  • Subscribe
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
Washington’s Best
  • Apartment Rentals
  • DC Travel Guide
  • Dentists
  • Doctors
  • Financial Advisers
  • Health Experts
  • Home Improvement Experts
  • Industry Leaders
  • Lawyers
  • Mortgage Professionals
  • Pet Care
  • Private Schools
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Restaurants
  • Retirement Communities
  • Wedding Vendors
More
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
© 2022 Washingtonian Media Inc.
Privacy Policy
All Rights Reserved
 Rss
Skip to content
Washingtonian.com
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • Menu
  • News & Politics
  • Things to Do
  • Food
  • Health
  • Shopping
  • Home & Style
  • Real Estate
  • Weddings
  • Travel

  • Subscribe
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Trending Now in Food
  • steak
  • Dissent Gin
  • Albi
  • Food Festivals
  • Le Diplomate
Food

An Early Look at NoPa Kitchen + Bar (Pictures and Menu)

Inside Ashok Bajaj’s first brasserie.

Written by Anna Spiegel
| Published on April 29, 2013
Tweet Share
Bajaj’s brasserie mixes tradition—burgundy booths, steak frites—with seasonal American and Asian-influenced dishes. Photograph by Andrew Propp.

On May 6, Ashok Bajaj’s rapidly expanding empire—which includes Ardeo + Bardeo, 701, the Oval Room, and Bombay Club—welcomes a new eatery to the fold. NoPa, Bajaj’s first brasserie, will be his third Penn Quarter spot. (Rasika and Bibiana are the first two.)

Unlike new restaurants such as Le Diplomate and upcoming B Too, neither the space nor the menu are meant to evoke a European eatery. NoPa is a brasserie in terms of atmosphere and style—a large, bright space with floor-to-ceiling windows, primed for a bustling crowd and geared toward an eclectic, all-day menu that allows for splurges or a modest meal at any hour. Designer Martin Vahtra, who also created the interior at Rasika West End, combined rustic and industrial aesthetics—think wood walls and deep burgundy booths juxtaposed with metal lamps and beams.

You might start out at the 26-seat lounge, outfitted with a mix of leather banquettes, tables, and high-top chairs. Happy hour from 4 to 6:30 brings 20 percent off anything behind the bar, including top-shelf sips like Johnny Walker. High rollers can purchase a bottle to store in one of the 18 “lockers” above the bar—the spirits will be incorporated into special cocktails that rotate each month, and patrons can gift friends drinks made with hooch from their private stash.

In the kitchen is chef Greg McCarty, an alumnus of both Jean-Georges and Nobu restaurants, alongside Bibiana pastry chef Jemil Gadea. You can start on the savory side with snacky bites like twice-fried chicken and blue cheese fondue, or opt for heartier appetizers such as Parisian gnocchi with glazed mushrooms and crispy soft-shell crabs with avocado-basil purée. The biggest splurge is the shareable $120 shellfish tower layered with freshly shucked oysters, clams, shrimp, mussels, and lobster, but you could just as easily drop in solo for a $14 porchetta sandwich with rosemary mustard or slow-cooked short-rib French dip. Steak frites options also range from a moderately priced hanger to premium dry-aged New York strip. Whichever you choose, save room for Gadea’s twists on throwback desserts such as warm strawberry hand pies with house-made fromage blanc gelato or a frozen “chocolate bar” with roasted almond toffee.

NoPa starts with an all-day menu for lunch and dinner, and will eventually roll out brunch once things are up and running.

NoPa. 800 F St., NW; 202-347-4667. Open Monday through Wednesday 11:30 to 10:30, Thursday and Friday 11:30 to 11, Saturday 11 to 11, and Sunday 11 to 9:30.

More: Best BitesFood & Restaurant NewsMenusNew Restaurants
Join the conversation!
Share Tweet
Anna Spiegel
Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

Most Popular in Food

1

Donald Trump and Ketchup: A History

2

DC Distillery Releases Dissent Gin in Support of Abortion Rights

3

These Are the Top 25 New Restaurants Around DC

4

14 Fun Food Festivals Around DC This Summer

5

12 Great Restaurant Patios for Weekday Lunch Around DC

Washingtonian Magazine

July 2022: Summer Music Guide

July 2022: Summer Music Guide

View Issue
Subscribe

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Related

9 New (and Newly Reopened) Bars and Restaurants Around DC

100 Reasons to Love Our Fierce Food Scene

These Are the Top 25 New Restaurants Around DC

10 Hot New Restaurants to Try Around DC This Winter

More from Food

This Friday: Chat With Food Critic Ann Limpert

Donald Trump and Ketchup: A History

DC Distillery Releases Dissent Gin in Support of Abortion Rights

14 Fun Food Festivals Around DC This Summer

Today at 11: Chat With Food Critic Ann Limpert

12 Great Restaurant Patios for Weekday Lunch Around DC

10 Fun Food Events Around DC This Week

Burmese Mainstay Mandalay Will Make a Comeback in Silver Spring

© 2022 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Washingtonian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy Policy and Opt-Out
 Rss
Get the best news, delivered weekly.
By signing up, you agree to our terms.
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs