About DC Restaurant Openings
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Urban Garden Brewhouse, 624 T St, NW., Shaw
Steps away from the historic Howard Theatre, DC’s 116-year-old “theater of the people,” Eamoni Collier is opening a new space for culture, community and craft brews. Open Tuesday through Saturday, Urban Garden Brewhouse is meant to be a place where the neighborhood comes for quality beers and stays for the chill vibes.
“When you come inside you feel welcome to stay,” Collier says. “We really want people to feel like a second home, you know, like auntie’s house.”
DC native Collier brings 13 years of service experience to her new brewery. After years of hosting her own pop-ups in partnership with local businesses, she says owning her own brick and mortar brewery—one of the few Black-owned breweries in DC and the first one owned by a Black woman—has been a dream come true.
“It was really magical,” Collier says. “As a startup and especially as a minority-owned business, getting access to capital and even grant money was so hard. So it kind of just felt like we were given an opportunity to actually have a chance.”
After a soft launch in May, Urban Garden Brewhouse will host its grand opening June 19th, commemorating the Juneteenth holiday. Celebrations and libations will be open to the public, starting around 1 PM, and will feature a ribbon cutting and live go-go music. Some locals have already scoped out the location—formerly occupied by Right Proper Brewing Company, where Collier previously worked—because of the vibrant mural outside. Inside, guests can taste an array of specialty craft beers, bites, and mocktails. Collier says the floral theme was inspired by ancient Egyptian brewing practices that feature flowers, herbs and spices.
The food menu will include something for everyone, Collier says, including a smash burger, wings sold by-the-pound, and house potato wedges. The brewery also serves a house-made funnel cake with strawberry compote for those craving something sweet.
The light and floral Chamolite Garden Ale, with its chamomile and honey notes, is designed as an accessible “everyday” beer. The “Roses Aren’t Dead” brew utilizes rose tips and petals to produce a silky, fruity, and bouquet-like flavor. And Collier’s latest release, “Lotus Flower Bomb,” is an inventive IPA brewed with lavender and rose petals, offering a fragrant, floral aroma and a comforting finish to appeal to those with IPA-averse tastebuds.
For non-beer drinkers, the brewery offers a selection of specialty mocktails and non-alcoholic options. The bar will serve a house-made lemonade, featuring colorful ingredients like butterfly pea, rose syrup, and hibiscus syrup. Starting later this month, the program will expand to include drinks with “functional adaptogenic,” properties—ingredients such as ashwagandha, maca root, and lion’s mane—to provide a relaxing, alcohol-free experience.
Collier says she hopes the new location will become a third space that welcomes everyone who walks through the doors.
“We’re really doing this for the community and the culture,” Collier says. “We wanna make it inclusive for everyone.”
Jenae Barnes previously reported and fact-checked for Capital B Gary in Indiana, 5280 Magazine in Denver, Forbes in New York and ABC News in Washington, D.C. She is a 2024 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow. As a DC-area native, she received her Bachelor’s from George Mason University and Master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School.
