Bar Nuestro. 1331 Yards Pl., SE.
Colada Shop owner Daniella Senior wanted to create a restaurant where you could ostensibly feel as comfortable in workout clothes as you would in a ballgown. The food needed to appeal to her meat-and-potatoes dad, but also to a food lover who wanted to try new things. And while there would be some reservations, she wanted people to be able to walk in on a whim. She hopes to bring all that together at Bar Nuestro (translation: “Our Bar”), a Latin- and European-inspired bistro with a retro vibe coming to the Urby apartment building in Navy Yard this summer.
Senior says Bar Nuestro is inspired by her travels to Mexico, Colombia, and Panama, where she’s found restaurants combining local flavors with the comfort of a European bistro. “We don’t want to define ourselves as a Latin restaurant because it will not be a Latin restaurant,” she says. “It’s really a retro European vibe but really incorporating those ingredients and flavors.”
The restaurant joins a new restaurant group from Senior called 5C Hospitality, which includes Colada Shop and the new Latin-inspired cocktail bar Elegancia in Union Market. Culinary Director Claudio Foschi, a longtime alum of José Andrés Group, will oversee Bar Nuestro’s menu.
The menu is still in development, but Senior says they’re playing with dishes such as a burger with a hoja santa bun, plus fries made from different root vegetables. Another dish in the works: large prawns with salsa macha and honey sauce. Also expect simple preparations of meat and fish, salads, and pastas. A cocktail menu will stick to well-made classics with “great ingredients and great ice,” Senior says.
The 80-seat restaurant and bar will combine that “retro European” look with Latin American textiles and vintage posters. Interior designer Shawn Hausman, who worked on Le Diplomate and New York’s Standard hotel, is behind the dining room design. Bar Nuestro will also have a 60-seat courtyard patio in the center of the apartment building with a koi pond.
Senior adds that it’s important to her that the restaurant is accessible to those who just want to pop in without too much scheduling.
“In an industry where we are constantly so challenged and saying people are going out less, well, maybe we made dining a little too complicated for people. It became too much of a planning scenario versus being able to walk in,” Senior says. “I want to be able to bring back being spontaneous and just showing up somewhere.”
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’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.
