Here's a look at new Washington eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces available for events this fall. The new and renovated Washington venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
Washington's professional soccer team D.C. United has a new home at Audi Field. The new stadium at Buzzard Point in Southwest D.C. opened in July. With room for 20,000 fans, Audi Field offers views of the Anacostia River and the U.S. Capitol. The stadium includes 31 luxury suites. The East Sideline Suites offer indoor/outdoor viewing, with 12 leather seats located directly outside the suite and four standing room-only passes. The East Sideline Party Suites are outfitted with 16 leather seats located directly outside the suite and 16 standing room-only passes. Food and beverage for the suites is catered by chef José Andrés and Levy. The EagleBank Club lounge is designed for groups of 10 or more with unlimited access to food and drink and seating located just above pitch level. The Heineken Rooftop Club holds 150 people with spectacular views of the action on the field and the D.C. skyline.
Now open is Eaton DC, a downtown hotel that caters to creative types with its own co-working space and holistic wellness center—along with a restaurant, cafe, cocktail bar, and rooftop bar. Eaton DC celebrated its grand opening at the end of September. The minimalist, clean-lined 209-room hotel includes more than 15,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. Meeting spaces are equipped with high-tech built-in audiovisual for live broadcasts, and the second floor meeting rooms boast 13-foot ceilings and plenty of natural light. The Beverly Snow Room accommodates 400 for receptions or 240 for banquets. The Crystal Room holds 200 for receptions or 100 for banquet. The Sidney holds 40 for receptions, The Barnett-Aden accommodates 80 for receptions or 70 for banquets, and the Salon can accommodate 75 for receptions or 40 for banquets. The hotel's rooftop is set up for 110 standing guests indoors and 98 standing guests outdoors, for a total rooftop occupancy of 208.
Chef Tim Ma heads up the hotel’s dining with his Asian-inspired take on American fare at the 151-seat American Son. There's also the serene 54-seat Kintsugi cafe and the 36-seat Allegory bar. In the Eaton House co-working space, there is a 440-square-foot Creators Room with a cyclorama, flexible studio, and gallery space; equipment and lighting is available for rent. There's also Eaton Cinema, which seats 50 people and is equipped with Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) technology.
City Winery opened this spring in Washington's Ivy City neighborhood. The combination winery, restaurant, and music venue offers many spaces to host private events. There are nine fully private rooms and four semi-private rooms in the sprawling venue (formerly the home of nightclub Love). The entire venue can accommodate 1,230 guests for receptions or 1,000 for banquets. The first floor holds 300 for receptions or 165 for banquets, while the second floor can accommodate 500 for receptions or 350 for banquets. On the third floor, there’s space for 500 guests for receptions or 300 for banquets. The fourth floor can hold receptions for 200 guests.
In September, D.C. creative agency Design Army unveiled a new 10,000-square-foot event space in Hyattsville. Dubbed At Yolk, the stylish, warehouse-like space from the mind of founder Pum Lefebure is designed to appeal to artists and creatives. There's a photo studio and space to host art exhibitions, runway shows, dance performances, test kitchen dinners, and more. The venue can accommodate a mix of 150 sitting and standing guests.
The St. Gregory Hotel in Dupont Circle hosts its grand re-opening in early October, unveiling newly-remodeled guest rooms and suites. The hotel's sophisticated new look matches its restaurant Tredici Enoteca, which opened last year. The St. Gregory Ballroom is outfitted with gray wainscoting and high ceilings and features city views. The full ballroom can accommodate 200 for seated dinners, 150 for theater-style events, or 110 for banquets; it can also be divided into three spaces. A seasonal patio accommodates 30 for seated dinners or standing receptions.
Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj opened Sababa in Cleveland Park in February, in the space that once housed his Ardeo & Bardeo restaurant. Sababa serves modern Israeli cuisine, with interior design from Martin Vahtra of Projects Design Associates of New York. The 12-seat bar incorporates graphic floor tiles, while white canvas hangs from the ceiling of the 86-seat main dining room. A private dining room with an adjoining rooftop terrace holds 60 guests for a cocktail party or 40 guests for a seated dinner. There's also a semi-private space that can accommodate 50 people for a seated dinner or 80 people for a cocktail party.
Mexican restaurant Buena Vida from restaurateur Ivan Iricanin opened in Silver Spring in May, along with an adjoining taco shop called Tacos Tortas & Tequila. Buena Vida offers an all-you-can-eat menu with some 40 dishes to choose from like shrimp and crab tostadas and sweet corn empanadas. The light-filled 3,700-square-foot restaurant spotlights tropical greenery and natural wood tones. There's seating for 150 in the dining room, which includes a 50-seat private dining area and an additional 10 seats at the bar.
A historic canal warehouse in Georgetown is now the home of seafood restaurant Dyllan's Raw Bar Grill, which opened in August. The restaurant is outfitted with a 40-foot marble raw bar and nautical design touches. The Hollerith Private Dining Room is clad in wood and shiny tile, with room for 120 for seated dinners or 150 for cocktail receptions. The restaurant, which also includes a patio overlooking the canal, is available for full buyouts for as many as 420 guests.
For a corporate retreat or nearby conference destination, the newly-renovated DoubleTree by Hilton Ocean City Oceanfront debuted in June just five blocks near the beach town's boardwalk. The multimillion-dollar renovation included updated guest rooms, a makeover to the hotel's lobby, new dining options, and eco-friendly and technological enhancements. Meeting spaces at the hotel include a 5,300-square-foot, five-bedroom penthouse with 4,800 square feet of outdoor space. The penthouse can accommodate more than 175 guests for theater-style events, 165 for receptions, 100 for classroom-style events, or 52 for conference-style events. A 3,400 square-foot four-bedroom penthouse seats 62 for theater-style events, 36 for classroom-style events, 20 for conference-style events, or holds about 60 guests for receptions. There's also the 400-square-foot Compass Boardroom with room for 15 seated guests. The Marlin Moon Restaurant and Bar serves locally-sourced seafood with dishes like tuna nachos and cream of crab soup.
Italian restaurant Lupo Verde Osteria opened in D.C.'s Palisades neighborhood this spring. The 95-seat restaurant from owner Med Lahlou is a spin-off of popular Lupo Verde on 14th Street. The new venue spans three levels, with an Italian market on the first floor and a 20-seat private dining room with a fireplace and television on the third floor.
