Baseball games mean hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, popcorn…and margaritas and tacos?
That’ll be the case this Saturday, when the second location of the Mexican restaurant Mission opens directly across from Nats Park.
Diners familiar with the original Dupont Circle location will find a lot in common, except this location is bigger. Like, a lot bigger. At 12,000 square-feet, it’s nearly double the size of the original outpost. The massive space includes 600 feet of balcony, a patio, and four bars on multiple levels (one of which is 150 feet around, making it the largest in DC, the owners says).
The goal is that hopefully no one will have to wait in the typical pre- and post-game rush for drinks. There are 16 taps, which add up to about a mile of draft lines: 10 for beer, four for margaritas and cocktails, and three for wine and Prosecco.
All in all, the food menu is largely the same. The restaurant poached Roberto Hernandez, the executive chef of The Smith, who’s doing his own take on Tex-Mex.
Yes, there will be Frito pie on the new menu, and Hernandez is revamping some of the tacos, including slow-braised pork shoulder with chimichurri and a mushroom-asparagus combo that’s topped with sprouts and avocado.
Fear not, weekend warriors: This Mission will still be doing brunch when it’s fully up-and-running. The bottomless margaritas and guacamole deal Mission is known for will definitely continue to be a thing.
“We’re almost more excited for Navy Yard than Nats Park,” says restaurateur Fritz Brogan, who owns the restaurant and Hawthorne on U Street with Reed Landry. It doesn’t hurt that the restaurant will have a built-in clientele. On top of baseball game crowd, the 1221 Van Street apartment complex is right above them.
The team has been all-hands on deck to get the spot open in time for the All Star Game week, rushing to complete a project that would normally take 10 months in just six. But they did it, and they’ll be serving a limited food menu but a full drink list starting at noon each day until they fully open July 23.
Mission Navy Yard. 1221 Van St., SE.
Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. Her work has appeared in Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Petworth.
