Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s star power has only multiplied since he left his Afro-Caribbean restaurant Kith and Kin at the Wharf in the summer of 2020. His first cookbook debuted, a movie based on his memoir is under way, and he even got his own nail polish line. Biggest of all: his new Lincoln Center spot Tatiana was named the No. 1 restaurant in New York City by the New York Times this year. Now, Onwuachi is planning his DC return: He’ll open a restaurant inside the Salamander luxury hotel in Southwest later this year.
So far, details on the project are scarce, including the menu and the name. Onwuachi is already partners with Sheila Johnson, owner of the Salamander Collection, for a multi-day festival at her Middleburg property called the Family Reunion, celebrating Black and Brown culinary talent. This year’s event, in August, is already sold out.
“The time is right to return to DC, and I can’t think of a more appropriate location to open a new restaurant that speaks to the character and lineage of DC than at this storied Salamander property,” Onwuachi said in a press release statement. “As a child, I spent summers in DC with my grandfather, a professor of Pan African studies at Howard University, who shared his passion for the city with me. I fell in love and can’t wait to return.”
We’ll update this story as we have more details.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
