Murphy’s Law recently opened up at 4624 Wisconsin Ave. NW near one of my favorite breakfast spots (Morty’s formerly Krupin’s). Has anyone checked them out yet? How do they rank in terms of Irish Bars in the city? We talked about some of the best Irish bars in the city here.
Wow, this is very sad news. Polly’s was located at 1342 U Street, NW and was one of the first “new” cafes/restaurants to go into U Street. Just in from a reader:
“Tried to go to Polly’s this weekend — turns out they have closed! Tragedy! Do you have any information on this terrible, terrible occurrence?”
And it is confirmed on their Web site:
“Polly’s has closed.
We miss you already.
Check back here soon for a personal note…”
This is really shocking news.
1238 H Street, NE
As always, on a scuttlebutt post it is not confirmed but I believe this news has a high likelihood to be accurate. In other words I didn’t just hear this from a random lady at the grocery store… One more caveat is that I’m not exactly sure that this is the correct building. It could be another one from the 1200 block of H Street, NE. So here’s exactly what I heard – the owner of the bar Wisdom (which incidentally we just checked out a couple of weeks ago) has purchased a property next to Granville Moore’s located at 1238 H Street, NE. I hear that he is going to lease out the lower level to Granville Moore’s and the top level will host a bar, presumably similar to the style of Wisdom.
Again I’m not sure if this means The Martini Lounge will no longer exist or if it is a different building. I promise to update with more info as it becomes available. But this is the fun of running a blog – I can share with you interesting rumors as I hear them. I do believe this rumor will turn out to be true but like all scuttlebutt you have to take it with a grain of salt.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Jess J
I know the above photo is not a bloody mary but I love that shot. Anyway, the post asking about Wonderland’s free waffles got me thinking. This is a question I often ask my friends but have never posed to PoPville in general. Where are the best Bloody Mary’s in town? I’ve heard many folks mention The Heights?
The old Pap & Petey’s located at 421 H Street NE is becoming Toyland. For those that live in the neighborhood they’re having a sneak preview this evening.
Here’s what it looks like through the window:
And in other H Street news it looks like the Rock and Roll Hotel has applied to open up a rooftop deck.
When the Passenger opened up at 1021 7th St. NW, near the Convention Center, it instantly improved that stretch of 7th Street. I was excited to see coming soon signs for the nearby Bar 7 to be located at 1015 7th Street, NW. I seem to recall an alcohol application license a while ago but it seems they are a lot closer to opening now. If they are half as good as the Passenger it’ll be great news.
I finally had the opportunity to visit the great bar Wisdom located at 1432 Pennsylvania Ave. SE on Friday night. I was happily surprised to see that the place had a very chill atmosphere and most importantly the drinks were terrific. I feared that it was going to be a bit pretentious but fortunately I couldn’t have been more wrong. It just feels like a regular neighborhood bar along the lines of a slightly upper scale Red Derby. For those who want to check them out they’re having an absinthe tasting on Tuesday.
I’m also told that the nearby Trustys is a terrific bar. Anybody ever check either of these spots out before?
Bloomingdale has been teased with the arrival of a neighborhood bar for years. Many thought that Baraki to be located at 1st and T Streets, NW would be the answer. Baraki’s opening has been delayed for months and there is no indication that it will open any time soon. On Twitter, there is some talk that Big Bear Cafe (1st and R) has applied or will apply for a liquor license though I didn’t see an application in the window when I walked by last weekend. But what I did learn was even more exciting. I ran into the owner of the soon to be Rustik Neighborhood Tavern to be located at 1832 1st Street, NW.
The owner, Diton Pashaj, told me that there are still a few hurdles to clear and some construction to be completed but his description sounds like just what many residents of Bloomingdale are craving. He hopes the space will be ready to open in May. He are some details:
“Yes, we will have food
Yes, we will do brunch
Happy hour…check
Yes we will have outdoor seating
Jukebox…no problem
Yes, it will be a cozy, neighborhood bar
Yes, we will have many delicious kinds of draft beer, and a wine or two for you wine lovers
Yes, we will be active participants in the Bloomingdale community”
It was back in April 2009 that we first learned about Iron Horse Tavern coming to Penn Quarter. I’m happy to report that they’ll be opening up at 507 7th Street, NW Thursday evening. There was still some construction going on when I stopped by but when they finish up on Thurs. they’ll be open. After Thursday regular hours will start at 4pm. There will be 20 beers on draft and no bottles or cans. This is strictly a tavern and no food will be served though they do have an agreement where food can be brought in by customers or ordered from nearby Austin Grill or DC Chophouse.
It is a two level bar with the upstairs being more like an “upscale neighborhood hangout” according to GM Daniel Williams. The downstairs, with a capacity of 177, is filled with games and two connected bars. One will be open right away and will feature skeeball, shuffleboard, jukebox, and big buck hunter. The adjoining smaller bar is tentatively titled the “Story Bar” which will not open for another week or so and will feature photographs from a bicycle trip taken by City Bikes owner, Charlie McCormick. Owner Geoff Dawson envisions that the space will include photographs and postcards from others who take trips around the world. Mr. Dawson is also the president of Bedrock Companies which includes Aroma, Atomic Billiards, Bedrock Billiards, Buffalo Billiards, CarPool, Continental, and Mackey’s.
You can call 202-347-7665 to confirm what time they open tomorrow.
While it wasn’t completely finished when I stopped by, this certainly looks like it will be a nice addition to the Chinatown/Penn Quarter neighborhood. Photos after the jump. (more…)
Someone in the comments yesterday asked for an update on the Sports Bar coming to 3632 Georgia Ave. I emailed the project manager and he told me that they expect all permits to be in order in around 3 weeks at which time construction will get underway. I’m also told they are finalizing their menu which I will post when it is completed. It sadly does not look like they’ll be open in time for the Super Bowl but hopefully shortly thereafter.
For those that haven’t heard of this development, you can read an interview I did with the owner and project manger of the Green Room Sports Bar here.