Petworth bistro Chez Billy served its last meal on Sunday night. Petworth News first relayed word of the closure, which was contradicted by a manager’s message to Popville inferring the restaurant was taking an August break “for vacation and a decor refresh.” Co-owner Ian Hilton confirms with Washingtonian that the shutter is indeed permanent, and that Chez Billy will be replaced by a new concept in six to eight weeks. Sister location Chez Billy Sud remains open in Georgetown.
Hilton says the goal in Petworth is to create more of a neighborhood hangout than a “special occasion place.” Though the bistro was known for great happy hour deals and their burger royale, the price point for entrees still hovered in what many would consider the date-night category of $24-plus.
The closure is an abrupt one for owners Ian and Eric Hilton, known for a thriving nightlife empire that includes the Brixton and American Ice Co., among many others. The duo opened Chez Billy in 2012 and expanded the concept with executive chef Brendan L’Etoile—the only Hilton concept to garner a direct spinoff thus far. Chez Billy Sud, which has more of a Southern French focus, debuted in 2014, followed this year by neighboring wine spot, Bar à Vin.
This coming year marks another expansion for the Hiltons, L’Etoile, and former Chez Billy chef de cuisine Lawrence DiJoseph, who will open the Crimson Diner and Crimson Room bar inside the Pod D.C. Hotel. The Southern-inspired eatery and cocktail lounge will be their first Chinatown venture.
Stay tuned for more news on the Petworth concept.
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.
