CityCenterDC has its first casualty: Mango Tree. The Thai restaurant closed after Saturday night, manager Thomas Hanson confirmed.
“To keep it simple, we just weren’t able to keep going due to the financial strain for this particular store,” Hanson says.
The restaurant was founded in Bangkok and has locations in London, Tokyo, and beyond. Founder and CEO Pitaya Phanphensophon opened the DC outpost nearly two years ago as a partnership with his “culinary soulmate,” restaurateur Richard Sandoval, who also operates El Centro D.F., Toro Toro, and Masa 14. But several months after the opening, Sandoval split with the restaurant.
Whatever ailed Mango Tree, it doesn’t appear to be plaguing other eateries at CityCenter, the ritzy downtown development that boasts restaurants from New York celebrity chefs Daniel Boulud (DBGB Kitchen and Bar) and David Chang (Momofuku). While Mango Tree went dark, Fig & Olive—a restaurant that sickened dozens of people with salmonella last year and got caught up in controversy for pre-preparing many of its ingredients in a Long Island City commissary—appeared to still be going strong. It was packed at the bar last night.
UPDATE: CityCenterDC General Manager Timothy Lowery emailed a statement: “While Mango Tree closed as of December 18th, there are many other popular dining options at CityCenterDC and are all performing above expectations. We look forward to announcing a new upscale dining concept in the near future.”
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
