Here's a look at the best new Washington restaurants, hotels, party rooms, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open this spring. These new and renovated Washington venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, meetings, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
New to mixed-use development Rhode Island Row is the Carolina Kitchen, the third Southern comfort food restaurant from owner and chef Lance London. The 152-seat eatery’s design fuses city and country, with decor accents such as wood paneling, vintage whiskey bottles, a classic model car collection, and an illuminated city skyline. The Carolina Kitchen’s second floor mezzanine holds 40 guests for private events.
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises opened an outpost of Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab downtown in January. Located in a former bank and designed by Gensler, the 20,000-square-foot restaurant holds intimate gatherings or parties for as many as 150 guests. The restaurant’s mezzanine level includes four private dining rooms: the Gigi Room, which seats 112 guests or holds 150 for receptions and can be partitioned; Jo Ann’s Room, which seats 14 and has full audiovisual capabilities; Grace’s Room, which includes a boardroom table with 18 seats and audiovisual capabilities; and the South Beach Room, which seats 30, has audiovisual capabilities, and overlooks the grand bar on the lower level. On the first level, Jesse’s Room is decorated with restored floor-to-ceiling vintage millwork and seats eight.
Chef and restaurateur Richard Sandoval’s newest project in Washington, contemporary pan-Latin steak house Toro Toro, opened at the end of March. Designed by LW Design Group of Dubai, the 12,400-square-foot restaurant includes an open main dining room with Japanese and Latin elements such as cowhide accents, marble floors, silk cushions, and a sculptural metal cage staircase. Events for as many as 50 guests can be arranged upstairs, and the downstairs holds 200 for receptions. The entire restaurant is available for buyouts of 600.
Earlier this year, Kimpton announced the completion of a $5 million renovation of Capitol Hill property Hotel George. The 139 guest rooms and suites, hallway corridors, and elevator banks were updated to match the recently refreshed living room, gallery, and meeting spaces. Designed by Boston-based firm CBT, the redesign incorporates warm blue, brown, and beige hues. In the guest rooms, presidential design nods include parchment and ink graphic wallpaper depicting George Washington's handwritten inaugural address and custom artwork featuring Mount Vernon.
In April, Convene opened a Tysons Corner location, Convene at Tysons II, its first location outside New York City. The business conference and corporate event center features flexible, state-of-the-art meeting rooms designed for a variety of functions from one-on-one meetings to 200. Designed by Fox Architects, the facility has dramatic 20-foot floor-to-ceiling glass walls and offers integrated audiovisual resources and in-house catering with fresh, seasonal meals.
At Adams Morgan’s new Roofers Union, chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley serves house-made sausages, classic sandwiches, and elevated bar snacks. Designed by Betsy Marmet, Roofers Union's expansive windows overlooking 18th Street are complemented by rich colors and industrial touches. The restaurant spans three floors, each of which is available for private events. The first floor has its own entrance and bar and seats 38 or holds 50 guests for receptions. The second-floor dining room seats 92 or holds 150 for receptions, and the rooftop seats 50 guests or holds 70 for receptions.
Georgetown is now home to a bowling alley and other amusements at Pinstripes. The D.C. location of the Midwestern chain opened at the Shops at Georgetown Park in February, serving Italian-American classic comfort food. The 34,000-square-foot venue spans two levels, with 14 bowling lanes, boccie courts, an outdoor fire pit with a patio, and a wine cellar. Pinstripes holds 600 for private events.
Frederik De Pue’s new restaurant concept Menu MBK in Penn Quarter spans three levels: the ground-floor Market, which offers local produce and goods as well as coffee and premade meals; BistroBar, which serves beer, wine and cocktails, and small plates; and Kitchen, a top-floor restaurant serving European country cuisine. Kitchen seats 36 guests or is available for receptions, and the BistroBar area seats 29 guests.
Chef John Mooney’s Bidwell, the first full-service restaurant at Union Market, opened in January. This spring, the Southern-influenced restaurant will begin growing much of its produce in an aeroponic garden on the roof of the market. Designed by New York firm Grade, the 120-seat restaurant is available for buyouts. Decor elements include marble countertops, reclaimed wood, and retro lighting fixtures.
In February, Heavy Seas Alehouse opened in Rosslyn, bringing craft microbrews from the Baltimore-based brewery to the Washington area. The 170-seat restaurant includes a private dining room with a garage door that can be lowered. The space seats 65 with the door up, and with the garage door down, the space is divided into two separate rooms that seats 25 and 35 guests, respectively.
