Here's a look at new Washington eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces to open for events this winter. The new and renovated venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
Restaurant and candy shop Sugar Factory American Brasserie opened its Pentagon City outpost in May, its first location in Northern Virginia. The 5,500-square-foot Sugar Factory is located at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City Mall. Besides the grab-and-go bulk candy store, an ice cream and coffee shop, and outdoor sidewalk seating, there’s room for 200 diners at the black and white brasserie-style dining room. Menu items include shakes, candy-inspired martinis, ice cream sundaes, and savory dishes like burgers and red velvet pancakes.
D.C.’s new mile-long, mixed-use waterfront neighborhood the Wharf opened on October 12, and its luxury hotel anchor is InterContinental Washington D.C.—The Wharf. The LEED Silver-certified hotel boasts a glass-enclosed lobby, a rooftop pool and restaurant, a 4,250-square-foot spa, and Kith and Kin, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant from D.C. chef Kwame Onwauchi. The 278-room hotel also offers 33 suites, including the Constellation, a two-story Presidential Suite with panoramic views of the river. The hotel includes 17,000 square feet of event space spanning 11 meeting rooms. The 5,304-square-foot Waterside room holds as many as 700 guests for theater-style events, and can be divisible into three spaces. Cocktail receptions for as many as 270 can meet in the 1,988-square-foot Seaport room (convertible into two spaces), and theater-style events for as many as 280 people are suited for the 2,255-square-foot Algonquian room. For smaller events, meeting rooms include the Slip conference room with seating for 24, or the 15-seat Haven room.
District Winery, Washington, D.C.'s only operational commercial winery, opened in August in Navy Yard. The winery and full-service restaurant is from co-founders Brian Leventhal and John Stires, who opened Brooklyn Winery in that the borough’s trendy Williamsburg neighborhood. The new location in the Yards neighborhood includes a second-floor event space with waterfront views of the Anacostia River. The event space spans 7,500 square feet and also expands into a wraparound outdoor terrace complete with a green roof and canopy. The airy, light-filled private event space can accommodate parties with a wide range of guest counts, from seated dinners for 200 guests to cocktail parties for as many as 450 guests. Ana, the full-service restaurant from executive chef Michael Gordon and chef de cuisine Ben Lambert, includes a 42-seat bar and a 56-seat dining room, along with a patio.
After nearly 30 years, Sequoia just revealed a renovation that includes a multimillion-dollar art installation. The Georgetown restaurant on the waterfront unveiled its new design in October, and is meant to evoke an art gallery. The restaurant seats 400 inside and 460 on its outdoor terrace. Inside, the main dining room now features Japanese artist Hitoshi Kuriyama's neon and glass vacuum tube light installation. Artist David Higginbotham designed hand-applied graphite finishes on the walls, and the restaurant's custom carpet is inspired by New York artist Jacob Hashimoto. The terrace now includes a new bar and new furniture, along with a large-scale sculpture by Belgian artist Arne Quinze.
Bowlero celebrated its grand opening at the Village at Leesburg in September. The new Northern Virginia bowling alley from Bowlmor AMF boasts 18 blacklight bowling lanes, including six private lanes that can be rented for private events. Other activities include arcade games, billiards, corn hole, beer pong, and more. The venue’s decor is retro-inspired, with vintage light fixtures and on-school graphics along with a cocktail bar and massive video wall. The center is 52,000 square feet and can accommodate as many as 380 standing guests.
Dupont Circle club and event space Saint Yves opened in May on Connecticut Avenue. The club features dramatic decor by design firm Swatchroom, including a tulle ceiling installation, grand chandeliers, tufted booths, custom artwork, and a color scheme of gold and navy. The 5,000-square-foot space can accommodate a total of 336 guests: 279 standing and 56 seated.
What once was the stately home of the Equitable Bank in Penn Quarter is now Succotash, a new Southern restaurant from star chef Edward Lee and Knead Hospitality & Design founders Jason Berry and Michael Reginbogin. Architecture firm 3877 worked with the D.C. Preservation League and used the building’s original blueprints from the Library of Congress to bring the space back to its former glory. Decor accents include mahogany trim and mosaic tile floors. The most popular private dining options include full buyouts for 300 seated or 400 standing guests, or buyouts of the full mezzanine for 140 seated or 170 standing guests. The mezzanine can also be divided. The rear mezzanine bar and lounge can hold anywhere from 16 seated in a semiprivate dining nook to 45 seated or 60 standing for the full area. The private dining room seats 35 guests or holds 40 for receptions.
In College Park, the Hotel at the University of Maryland offers 18 separate event spaces, including a 10th-story penthouse event space with views of the college campus. Opened in September, the hotel features several spaces for meetings and events. The lobby level includes the divisible Terrapin Ballroom, with room for as many as 300 guests for standing receptions or 312 for theater-style events, as well as the Diamondback Boardroom which seats 24 for classroom-style events or 50 for theater-style events. At the Conference level, 1,568 guests can attend standing receptions at the divisible 14,486-square-foot Calvert and Crossland Ballroom. There are six more meeting rooms on that level, ranging from the 12-seat Wright Brothers Boardroom to the Jim Henson Meeting Room, which can accommodate as many as 100 guests for receptions or 88 guests for theater-style events. At the Penthouse Level, the Top of the 7’s Ballroom can host about 390 guests for receptions and 352 guests for theater-style events, along with space for about 390 guests on the Rooftop Terrace. The hotel also houses four restaurants, including chef Mike Isabella’s coastal Greek restaurant Kapnos Taverna.
Restaurateur Jeff Black's new restaurant Addie's is new to Potomac Park, Maryland, but it's not new to Washingtonians. The original Addie's in Rockville Pike outgrew its original space after 18 years in business and closed in 2013. In August, the farm-to-table restaurant reopened in a new space that's designed to feel like a home, with a 50-seat courtyard out front and accordion floor-to-ceiling windows that open to the sidewalk. Inside, a family room includes a view of the kitchen through glass windows with antique panes, while the bookshelf-lined den is outfitted with a 20-seat bar with charging stations. The 45-seat private dining room at Addie's is a formal dining space, with white tablecloths, cushioned chairs, and plush carpets. Besides views of the kitchen, the space can be made completely private.
L.A.-based ramen chain Jinya opened a spacious D.C. location on 14th Street in September. The 120-seat space incorporates exposed brick and industrial accents. The second floor is available for private events with two different options. The entire upstairs including full bar and patio can be bought out for events, with seating for 70 guests or a mix of 100 standing and seated guests. Planners can book the upstairs back room only, which seats 28 or a mix of 40 seated and standing guests.
