Maketto chef Erik Bruner-Yang’s forthcoming Navy Yard restaurant now has a name, theme, opening timeline—and a whole bunch of talent on board.
ABC Pony, which will open in late September/early October in the luxe Novel South Capitol apartment building, is meant to be a “fun, all-day restaurant experience that explores new American cuisine through its connections between Italian and Asian flavors,” says Bruner-Yang via email. “I wanted to continue to tell the story that we do at Brothers and Sisters [his restaurant in the Line DC] about what is considered American cooking, what it used to mean, and what it means now.”
Chef Paolo Dungca, who cooked at Bad Saint and just left a head chef post at Thai/Korean/Filipino spot Kaliwa, is teaming up in the kitchen with former Elle sous chef Chris Yates. Also on board: nightlife entrepreneurs and restaurateurs Eric and Ian Hilton (The Brixton, Chez Billy Sud etc.) and Folklor, the design agency behind the restaurant’s ’80s and ’90s pop-inspired decor.
The 99-seat concept will include a coffee bar, all-day restaurant, co-working space, and bar—designed to be both an amenity for luxury condo dwellers and a destination for the general public. Hours will start early at 7 AM for coffee and breakfast items, while the bar will serve late-night until 2 and 3 AM. As for the unusual name: it’s a nod to a toy pony Bruner-Yang’s two young children liked riding that sang the ABCs.
ABC Pony will have a pop-up preview at The Kennedy Center from September 7 through September 22 to celebrate the grand opening of their newest space, The Reach.
ABC Pony. 2 Eye St., SE
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
