1. Unnamed Downtown DC Food Hall
1850 K St., NW
Details are still hush-hush about this massive, 18-vendor destination near Farragut Square—an overhaul of an older downtown food court and retail complex by developer Tishman-Speyer, which was first reported by Washington Business Journal. Given the big names involved, we’re already excited. In addition to Union Market culinary mastermind Richie Brandenburg, sources confirm to Washingtonian that longtime ThinkFoodGroup creative director and former Minibar chef Ruben Garcia is also involved. Look for it in 2022.
2. Love, Makoto
200 Massachusetts Ave., NW
This Japanese food hall in the Capitol Crossing development from global chef Makoto Okuwa and Unconventional Diner co-owner Eric Eden will have three sit-down concepts: a wallet-friendly omakase, Japanese barbecue, and an izakaya. The project also includes a bakery, small retail market, and vendor hall with fried chicken, udon noodles, mochi, and more. It will debut late this year or in early 2022.
3. Epiq
14067 Noblewood Plaza, Woodbridge
This huge two-level emporium in Prince William County, which opened in June, serves up 14 different cuisines. Among the many options: fish and chips, jerk chicken and oxtail stew, Cajun-style seafood buckets, and kikiyaki waffles filled with soft-serve including soul food. There’s a rotating weekly lineup of live music, weekly trivia and bingo, and karaoke.
A version of this article appears in the July 2021 issue of Washingtonian.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
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.
