About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Kata. 600 F St., NW.
A new clubstaurant has arrived in Penn Quarter: Kata, an Asian-fusion restaurant and cocktail bar that aims to double as a “sensory escape” from Washingtonians’ busy lives.
The vibey spot, which opens Friday, May 2, is located on the ground floor of HQ House, a members-only social club started in Kenya. While the other floors include a luxe invite-only club called the Penthouse and cocktail lounge the Nohmad, Kata serves artful sushi plates and large-format seafood dishes under LED lights, alongside smoky cocktails and DJ sets until the early morning.
“As soon as you enter the door, you’re like, ‘Where did I just go? Am I in Washington, DC?’ There’s so many different people here from different places. At Kata, there are elements that might make you feel like you’re in Miami, Dubai, or Europe,” says co-founder Mike Burns. He and his brother and business partner John Burns own a collective of hospitality, marketing, and consulting brands across North America and Africa.
The name Kata is a nod to both HQ House’s terracotta ceilings and a technical term in Japanese martial arts. Given Kata’s location on the edge of Chinatown in what was formerly known as the Oriental Building Association, John says they wanted to nod to the Asian roots of the property and neighborhood.
The food menu at Kata is spearheaded by Tim Ma, the chef behind Navy Yard cafe Any Day Now and Arlington’s Chinese-American Lucky Danger (soon to open a full-service location with a mahjong bar nearby in Penn Quarter). Offerings include pesto risotto with Thai basil, rosettes of thick-cut salmon sashimi, a “Kata Pearl” roll stuffed with raw scallops and topped with gold foil, and sea bass marinated in garlic and miso.
In the main dining room, you’ll be able to watch chefs prepare these dishes through one-way glass. Guests can also expect surprise tableside preparations for select tapas.
The restaurant’s cocktail menu is similarly extravagant, featuring the vodka-and-Champagne based “Kata Royale” with citrus extract, the “Mount Yuzu” margarita with yuzu juice, and chef Ma’s signature “Last Dragon” with clamato juice, soy sauce, wasabi, and a cucumber and shrimp skewer.
DJ sets and live music will be a cornerstone of the venue, but you might also catch a fire-breathing act at the bar—plus other surprises.
“There’s a lot we’re not sharing,” Mike says. “We want that ‘wow’ factor, and for people to be surprised. It really adds to the experience.”
