The Reef, a popular if sometimes dodgy tavern in Adams Morgan, is closing for good, its management announced today. The decision to shut the bar’s doors forever comes a bit more than two weeks after a patron was stabbed in an altercation there.
“As many of you know, the last few weeks have been very challenging for the Reef,” the bar said in a message distributed by email and Facebook. “After much effort, and cooperation between the ownership, our amazing staff and community, and the ABRA, we were able to regain our license and reopened our doors. However, as a result of the recent events we can no longer operate.”
DC police shuttered The Reef for 96 hours and suspended its liquor license after the Aug. 10 stabbing, using a common procedure that follows violent crimes at bars and restaurants. The Reef did reach an agreement with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to re-open a few days later, but it appears that was not enough.
The Reef opened at 2446 18th St., NW in 2001, and while it stuck out in an Adams Morgan that features an increasing number of remodeled and improved restaurants and bars, it was one of the first haunts along the busy corridor to focus on craft beer rather than the mass-market swill of so many blackout nights. It also saw its share of unfortunate scenes, well before this month’s stabbing, such as a night last year in which a man attempted to leap from its roof to that of a neighboring bar after his girlfriend chucked his sunglasses.
“To everyone we say, ‘Cheers Bro’, and Thank You,” The Reef’s message concludes.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Up to 83% off!
Adams Morgan’s The Reef Closes for Good After Stabbing Incident
The Reef, a popular if sometimes dodgy tavern in Adams Morgan, is closing for good, its management announced today. The decision to shut the bar’s doors forever comes a bit more than two weeks after a patron was stabbed in an altercation there.
“As many of you know, the last few weeks have been very challenging for the Reef,” the bar said in a message distributed by email and Facebook. “After much effort, and cooperation between the ownership, our amazing staff and community, and the ABRA, we were able to regain our license and reopened our doors. However, as a result of the recent events we can no longer operate.”
DC police shuttered The Reef for 96 hours and suspended its liquor license after the Aug. 10 stabbing, using a common procedure that follows violent crimes at bars and restaurants. The Reef did reach an agreement with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to re-open a few days later, but it appears that was not enough.
The Reef opened at 2446 18th St., NW in 2001, and while it stuck out in an Adams Morgan that features an increasing number of remodeled and improved restaurants and bars, it was one of the first haunts along the busy corridor to focus on craft beer rather than the mass-market swill of so many blackout nights. It also saw its share of unfortunate scenes, well before this month’s stabbing, such as a night last year in which a man attempted to leap from its roof to that of a neighboring bar after his girlfriend chucked his sunglasses.
“To everyone we say, ‘Cheers Bro’, and Thank You,” The Reef’s message concludes.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Editors' Picks
Best of Washington 2018
The Runner’s Guide to Washington
Where to Watch Your Team in the 2018 World Cup
The Terrifying Story of the Congressional Baseball Shooting
Most Popular
The 100 Very Best Restaurants in Washington
How 3 Washingtonians Lost Those Stubborn 10 Pounds — And Seriously Toned Up
Rockville’s Asian-Fusion Food Hall Is Open With Taiwanese Fried Chicken, Hong Kong Bubble Waffles
The New Mexican Restaurant Across From Nationals Park Has Four Bars and a Mile of Draft Lines
7 Bottomless Brunches That Are Totally Worth the Splurge
July 2018: Our Great Big Beach Guide
Subscribe
Related Posts
The Definitive Oral History of the Bobbitt Case, 25 Years Later
Brightest Young Things Will Create a True Crime Festival
The Complicated “Heroism” of a Man Accused of Smashing DC Traffic Cameras
What We Lost When We Lost Hank Dietle’s
More from News
The Splendid Misadventure of a 92-Year-Old, Salty-Mouthed, Tough-as-Tacks Hunter Who Got Lost in the Woods and Was Found by a Drone
A DC Film Professional Explains Why She Quit the “Roe v. Wade” Movie
Look at the Empty Bottled-Water Shelves at DC Grocery Stores
The Animals at the National Zoo Will Be Fine During the DC Water Emergency