About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Barrel House. 1341 14th St., NW.
The iconic whiskey barrel facade in Logan Circle dates back to the 1940s when the storefront was home to Sammy’s Barrel House liquor store. The booze business moved next door in 2015, and in more recent years, the space was converted into an (ill-fated) Foxtrot market.
All along, it seemed like a missed opportunity for a bar. Now, though, the owners of Wunder Garten in NoMa are turning it into a cafe and bar with a cocktail garden out back. In the meantime, they’re hosting a series of pop-ups over the next few months—including the elaborate Shamrock Shack leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.
Owners Christopher Lynch, who also previously owned L’Enfant Cafe in Adams Morgan, and Biva Ranjeet say their end vision is a European-style cafe, where you can come for coffee and pastries in the morning and cocktails and light bistro fare in the evenings.
“It’s one of these hubs of a community where you just go in, you can buy just a cappuccino—in a real cup‚” Lynch says. “Or you can go in and get buffalo mozzarella and olives or something like that and share a bottle of wine with a friend.”
The owners recently converted the back parking lot into a 4,000-square-foot drinking garden with faux-grass, a pergola, and trees. But the bar will undergo more extensive internal renovations in July and August. When it has its grand debut this fall, the indoor space will feature a loft in the back where bands, DJs, and vocalists can perform. Lynch says they won’t regularly charge a cover; rather, there will be some kind of entertainment every time you come in. “I envision a house band, kind of like the Roots on Jimmy Fallon. A guitar and a drum and guitar, and they’re always playing in the evening,” he says.
There’a also an enclosed patio, where they will be building out a full bar in the coming months with expanded beer and wine offerings in addition to cocktails. They’ll also be building out the kitchen, which will serve simple dishes like a half chicken, nicoise salad, or cheeseburger with fries.
Barrel House actually opened in December with a holiday-themed pop-up. The latest Shamrock Shack pop-up—which runs through March 19—is decked with a green throne where you can pose with a gnome, plus umbrellas all over the ceiling, and a “pot of gold” ball pit for adults at the end of the rainbow. Among the drinks: green beer, an Irish Cream espresso martini decorated with a shamrock, and the “Shamrock Shake,” a frozen mix with pistachio and Skrewball peanut butter whiskey. Little Miner Taco is supplying the food.
The bar will transition to an “edgy” Japanese pop culture pop-up from March 20 through April 20 for cherry blossom season. That will be followed by a Pride-themed “Pixie Hollow” pop-up, which will channel a fairy garden, though you’ll have to stay tuned for details.
“It’s a gay- and woman-owned business, so we can just hang a lot of Pride flags up,” Lynch says. “But we don’t like to do something that’s ordinary.”
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.
