About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Chicatana. 3901 14th St., NW.
Chicatana has been serving some of the city’s best tacos and fine-dining level Mexican plates from a cramped, unassuming space on 14th Street since it opened in 2021. Now, the owners are upgrading their dining room by moving to a much larger corner location down the block. The restaurant opens today with an expanded seafood-heavy menu. The old space will turn into a Spanish and Mexican tapas bar called La Plaza later this fall.
Chef Marcelino Zamudio, an alum of Oyamel and Boqueria, was recently joined by a new co-chef: José Luis Coronel, who previously worked for Fiola Mare and Unconventional Diner. The duo, who went to school in Mexico together, both worked their way up in DC’s dining scene from dishwashers to chefs and restaurant owners. They are part of a group of owners who mostly hail from the Pacific coast Mexican state of Guerrero.
The new menu will carry over old favorites, including a spicy passionfruit ceviche, gorditas de chicharrón served in a decorative wooden box, and tacos al pastor. They’ll also introduce 15 new dishes highlighting more seafood and flavors from their native Guerrero.
To start, look for octopus sopes and scallop ceviche with coconut leche de tigre, pomegranate, and passionfruit. Salads include summer watermelon with chamoy, chickpea puree, and grilled peaches. Among the new main dishes: Cornish hen with mole, green chilaquiles, and a boneless short rib with birria salsa. The restaurant will continue to serve its namesake chicatana—popcorn-like ants that show up in tacos, but also in sugar-dusted fritters with dulce de leche.
Co-owner Hector Flora is behind an expanded menu of mezcals, tequilas, and cocktails centered around the agave spirits. The lineup includes several margarita variations including hibiscus, prickly pear, mango, or a new al pastor-inspired pineapple option with guajillo chile.
The colorful new space is about double the size of the old one, with nearly 100 seats inside (including a 10-seat bar) plus a covered patio with space for an additional 50 or so. The restaurant will be open seven days a week for dinner, with weekend brunch potentially coming down the line.
The previous location of Chicatana at 3917 14th Street, Northwest has now closed, and will reopen as La Plaza in September or October. There, expect Spanish classics like tortilla Española, jamón Serrano, grilled octopus, and garlicky shrimp, but also ceviche, sopes, and tuna tostadas. The drink menu will focus on wines, red and white sangria, and other cocktails still in the works.
Colonel says they wanted to focus more on Spanish food given the large concentration of Mexican restaurants already on that stretch of 14th Street: “We would like to bring something different to our neighborhood, so that way the neighborhood can pick where they want to be.”
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.
