Maketto Residency Ends at Hanoi House, Space to Become “Den of Thieves” at 14th and U St, NW

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by Prince Of Petworth January 14, 2014 at 11:00 am 26 Comments

maketto_den_of_thieves
2005 14th Street, NW

Maketto (eventually landing at 1351 H St, NE) has finished their residency at Hanoi House (2005 14th Street, NW – 14th and U St.) I’ve been told that a new spot is launching in the space this weekend to be called “Den of Thieves”. I have no idea what that is but I’ve been told more info will be released soon – updates when it is. I’m intrigued.

ledroittiger

Sad to hear, as it sounds as if Maketto is nowhere near opening in the Atlas district. Excellent pop up by Bruner-Yang and Co.
- Anonymous
  
  I concur. The food, atmosphere, service and clientele were all great.
- justinbc
  
  +1 I know some didn’t care for some of the more unique dishes, but our meal at the Maketto pop-up there was off the charts good. Such a stark contrast to Hanoi House itself, one of the worst meals I ever had in DC.
Walker, DC Ranger

Den of Thieves is a nod to Thievery Corporation – specifically to their 2003 compilation, Den of Thieves: The Sound of 18th St Lounge: http://www.amazon.com/Den-Thieves-Eighteenth-Street-Lounge/dp/B00008Y14R
- Prince Of Petworth
  
  The coowner is Eric Hilton from Thievery Corporation
- Derek
  
  Whoa good call was just about to mention the ESL compilation of the same name. Saw Thievery at 9:30 a few months ago and it was a great show. To us in our 30s it was a blast back to the late 90s early aughts :).
  - Walker, DC Ranger
    
    They’ve only gotten more popular since then.
    - )'(
      
      Rob Garza also performs at Burning Man (Robot Heart Bus) and is quite popular with that crowd.
    - Anonymous
      
      Their moment in the spotlight is past, true, but they have a very healthy cult following among the 30 to 40-something trustafarian burnout crowd. Kind of like Phish.
      - Walker, DC Ranger
        
        False. Their concerts are split roughly 60-40 folks under 35/over 35. They’re probably zero overlap between the two fanbases. I think you’ve got Thievery confused with Umphree’s MacGee.
      - Anonymous
        
        In other words, they are well liked among a burnout crowd with too much money and sentimentality for their youth. Works for Jimmy Buffet!
      - Anonymous
        
        True. I can totally see them as Generation Y’s Jimmy Buffett!
    - NoKethup
      
      They had a main stage night performance at Lollapolooza 3 years ago so that was very well attended.
    - Anonymous
      
      They continue to sell out their winter shows at the 930 club, so I’d guess they’re doing alright. But yea, they’re definitely past their popularity prime.
    - Anonymous
      
      I feel like Thievery have always been more popular in Europe than the US, like stadium vs club popular. Didn’t know that rob was down with the Robot Heart Bus. Keeping up with the times.
- Anonymous
  
  i listen to them as i go from one floor to another.
- anon
  
  I didn’t get the impression their popularity had waned — they still manage to sell out multiple consecutive shows at the 9:30 Club to play at big venues around the U.S.
jburka

Is this the Hiltons’ doomed location? Blackbyrd, Hanoi House, the long-running pop-up, and now another new concept? Weird.
- Anonymous
  
  Yea, I wonder why they can’t quite get this one right while they seem to be doing just fine elsewhere. (Even that cheap container bar seems to be doing fine so far.) Is it the location? Over-saturation?
AJNE

Wait, so is Hanoi House completely gone? Will karaoke continue there every Saturday night?
- KENW
  
  GOOD QUESTION
- Anonymous
  
  I think they’ve been closed for quite a while now. We called it the Hanoi Hilton.
  - AJNE
    
    But…so…karaoke? Still happening?
  - KENW
    
    But can it be the Karaoke Hilton?
    - AJNE
      
      +1
Carolyn

Good. I went to Hanoi House once and I live within walking distance, in fact I go by that spot all the time and was so dis-interested I didn’t even know it had closed. The food was mediocre and the drinks were weak and over-priced. Basically, my opinion is, business owners think they can move into the U St/14th area and serve sub-par dishes at high prices and people will still come because it’s so popular . . . but it’s not true. Better luck to Den of Thieves. May they serve quality food/drinks at prices reasonable enough that people consider making it a regular hang-out, instead of just a place they try once.

And maybe the place is cursed because they built over the Shepard Fairey HOPE painting? ;-)

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