Food

A Breezy Waterfront Wine Bar and Rosé Garden Opens at the Wharf

Easy Company debuts today with daily happy hour and an all-seasons patio.

Bellinis in the waterfront wine garden at Easy Company. Photography by Daniel Swartz

It’s tempting to see the world through rose-colored glasses at Easy Company, a new wine bar and pink-hued rosé garden opening at the Wharf on Thursday, January 26. The bar and bistro aims to be a relaxed spot with a big patio, approachable wines, easy eats, and wallet-friendly—for the Wharf—drinks priced at $10 during daily happy hour. 

“I was inspired by the hospitality venues in small villages in Italy or Southern France, they’re comfortable and at a reasonable price point,” says Ryan Seelbach, whose Better Hospitality Group is behind nearby Boardwalk Bar & Arcade as well as Takoda in Navy Yard and Shaw. “It’s the opposite of the traditional American version of a wine bar—dark, formal, and expensive.”

Diners can snack on flatbreads with their wine at Easy Company. Photograph by Daniel Swartz
Diners can snack on flatbreads with their wine at Easy Company. Photograph by Daniel Swartz

Though DC is home to plenty of new-wave wine bars that eschew the stuffy model, Easy Company embraces a European feel with carafes of wine—a bit more than a half bottle—starting at $13. Ten wines and cocktails are available for $10 at daily happy hour (between 4 and 6 PM). Unlike at your average French boite, drinkers will find concoctions like Campari-and-Fernet shooters and cardamom-spiked espresso martinis. Patrons can linger outdoors year-round thanks to an enclosed, heated patio—among the largest at the Wharf with 74 seats—that’s fashioned with retractable glass sides and covering, which can be removed in warmer months.

Creamy burratacCaprese with basil and balsamic, and other shareable salads. Photograph by Daniel Swartz
Sharable salads include burrata Caprese with basil and balsamic. Photograph by Daniel Swartz

For the table: bistro-style fare including salads and panini, flatbreads, and larger plates such as steamed mussels or roasted chicken with salsa verde and parmesan potatoes. Diners can also graze on cheese and charcuterie boards and dip samplers. The space will open for evening service first, with brunch starting the weekend of February 4. 

A burger with goat cheese, arugula, and roasted garlic aioli. Photograph by Daniel Swartz
A burger with goat cheese, arugula, and roasted garlic aioli. Photograph by Daniel Swartz

Easy Company. 98 Blair Alley, SW.

Check out the opening menus here:

Food Editor

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.