Krave Restaurant and Lounge; 1736 Connecticut Ave., NW.
Krave Restaurant and Lounge is Dupont’s newest spot for bottomless mimosa towers and Southern plates. The Black-owned restaurant had its grand opening on May 5 and serves lunch, brunch, and dinner.
The nostalgic space embraces trends from the ’90s. As co-owner Isaiah Walker puts it, “the goal is to spark childhood.” There are Pac-Man and Street Fighter arcade games at the entryway (a great way to kill time if you have to wait for a table), and the walls are lined with posters of Missy Elliot, Biggie, and Dapper Dan. Five TVs play throwback sitcoms and cartoons.
Menu items are inspired by the dishes first-time restaurateurs Walker and his co-owners, Zach Coles and Lloyd Bramble, grew up on in Virginia and Maryland. Chef Barry Scruggs turns out shrimp and grits with andouille sausage and chicken and waffles topped with hot-honey. For dinner, Walker says guests have been gravitating towards the fried-chicken sandwich three-cheese macaroni with lump crab.
On weekends, look for bottomless mimosas (“Because we’re in DC and you have to,” Walker says). Guests can order a sharable classic mimosa tower ($55) or a version spiked with tequila or vodka ($70). One tower has about 12 drinks and can be shared by up to four people. The place hasn’t capped the number of towers guests can order, but so far Walker doesn’t expect anybody to get through more than two.
Keely recently graduated with her master’s in journalism from American University and has reported on local DC, national politics, and business. She has previously written for The Capitol Forum.
