City Tap House plans to breathe new life into the “cursed” restaurant space at 1250 Connecticut Avenue, Northwest. The 9,300 square-foot building on a prominent Dupont Circle corner has changed hands fairly frequently in the past few years, occupied by the “female-friendly” STK steakhouse, Casa Nonna from the BLT group, and the California Pizza Kitchen chain.
Brand director Andy Farrell knows the space’s reputation, but says the Philadelphia-based beer joint’s “neighborhood pub vibe…speaks to what the people here [in Dupont] need and want” (i.e. a ton of beer, crowd-pleasing food, and extensive happy hour deals). He says he’s particularly excited about this location because the Dupont area has a “residential cache” lacking in Penn Quarter, where the chain made its DC debut in 2013.
![Elote Street Corn Dip - Washingtonian](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Elote-Street-Corn-Dip.jpg)
The Dupont location opens Monday, October 9th with 40 draft lines. Just like at Penn Quarter, the beer menu stars DC-area breweries like DC Brau alongside regional producers such as Victory Brewing Company and Allagash.
Besides beer, drinkers can pick from a list of mostly-American wines and cocktails. Look for fun seasonal drinks, like a vanilla-pumpkin cocktail for fall, and a cranberry Tom Collins around Thanksgiving. Also available: a 50-deep list of bourbons and whiskeys. During happy hour, which runs weekdays from 4 to 7 PM, canned beers will be available for $4, draft beers go for $5, and house wines and well cocktails are $6. In keeping with the extensive drinks menu, the space is centered around a huge island bar.
Much of the food carries over from the Penn Quarter menu, including bar snacks like Korean short rib tacos and corn-and-crab hushpuppies, as well as large, beer-friendly plates (i.e. maple-brined pork chops). New additions for fall include baked cambozola cheese, pumpkin-and-burrata bruschetta, apple-gouda salad, and a must for DC: crab cakes.
![TH_All_Bruschetta1_17 - Washingtonian](https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/TH_All_Bruschetta1_17.jpg)
Once the beer spot is up and running, they’ll start weekend brunch on October 14th with a build-your-own bloody Mary bar ($18), and hearty dishes like chicken and waffles. Beginning the week after, weekday lunch will begin. The pub will also kick off regular events like a fall “pumpkin smash,” featuring several pumpkin beers, and a “Friends-giving” dinner in November.
City Tap House Dupont. 1250 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-878-8235. Open Sundays through Wednesdays 5 PM to midnight (kitchen open until 10 PM); Thursdays 5 PM to 1:30 AM (kitchen open until 11 PM); and Fridays and Saturdays 5 PM to 2:30 AM (kitchen open until 11 PM). Brunch (beginning Oct. 14) available Saturdays and Sundays starting at 11 AM. (Weekday lunch hours TBD)
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