10 DC Area Restaurant Openings We’re Excited About This Month

Dōgon

Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s long-awaited return to DC has arrived in the form of this high-end Salamander hotel eatery, a tribute to astronomer Benjamin Banneker, who is reported to have had roots in the restaurant’s namesake West African tribe. Shared plates such as lobster escovitch and mushroom étouffée draw on Onwuachi’s mastery of Caribbean, African, and Creole cooking traditions.

Arrels

Barcelona-born chef Pepe Moncayo has delved into Japanese and Singaporean cuisines at his other local restaurants, Cranes and the now-closed Jiwa Singapura. His forthcoming restaurant at the Arlo Hotel will be a return to his Catalonian roots—in fact, Arrels means “roots” in Catalan. Expect modern Spanish fare centered on a charcoal grill.

Buffalo & Bergen

New York expats have a kindred spirit in Buffalo & Bergen owner Gina Chersevani, who firmly subscribes to the old belief that New York water makes better bagels. For the breakfast/brunch spot’s third—and largest—location, in Cleveland Park, she’s still importing dough from New York to make bagels, which are joined by pastrami, baked goods, egg creams, and cocktails.

Bouboulina

Cava is one of DC’s most recognizable mass culinary exports, but fewer people know about the pair of Pike & Rose restaurants—Julii and Melina—operated by the same team of Greek American friends who founded the fast-casual chain. Its newest sibling, slated for a late fall opening: Bouboulina, an American steakhouse with Greek influences.

Silver and Sons

Jarrad Silver’s Jewish- and Mediterranean-­inflected smokehouse fare—think cumin-­spiced lamb shoulder, pastrami short ribs, and lemon-schmaltz potatoes—has become an essential part of the DC-area barbecue circuit without ever having a brick-and-mortar home. By early November, Silver finally plans to open one—a takeout counter with limited seating—in Bethesda’s Westbard Square development.

Rosedale

The latest project from prolific restaurateur Ashok Bajaj—who has Rasika, Sababa, and seven other local restaurants to his name—is a Mediterranean-accented bar in quiet Van Ness. The neighborhood spot, slated for a mid-October opening, focuses on cocktails and rotisserie specials that rotate daily.

Alara

This month, seaside Mediterranean vibes take over the cottage-like Georgetown space formerly occupied by Paolo’s. Restaurateur Hakan Ilhan—also behind Ottoman Taverna and Brasserie Liberté—is bringing in Greek, Lebanese, and Turkish taverna fare.

Minetta Tavern

It’s been years since New York restaurateur Keith McNally started teasing the opening of a DC counterpart to his Greenwich Village burger bar and celebrity magnet. It’s finally arriving in the Union Market District, recreating the original with wood paneling, chandeliers, a pressed-tin ceiling, and a semiprivate upstairs bar.

Providencia

The Maketto team pooled their foundational experiences with Taiwanese and Salvadoran cooking for the menu of this new cocktail bar, tucked into an alley off the H Street corridor. Many cocktails are based on less common Latin American spirits, and chef Erik Bruner-Yang, who doesn’t drink, provides plenty of nonalcoholic options and a tight but creative menu of Asian- and Central American–influenced bar food.

La Tingeria

The vibrant red goat and beef birria tacos at David Peña’s halal Mexican mini-chain are photo-ready, but its namesake chicken tinga makes for one of the best tacos in the area. Peña, who has already expanded once from Falls Church to Spotsylvania, opens a third location this month at Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Company.

This article appears in the October 2024 issue of Washingtonian.