2013: The Year Ahead for H Street’s Dining Scene

2012 was a very exciting year for H Street that witnessed a ton of new restaurants and bars opening.  2013 promises to be another exciting year for the neighborhood with many more openings on tap.  Here’s our rundown of places slated to open in the new year and some of the important questions for the H Street region as we enter 2013.  Thanks to our friends at Frozen Tropics and H Street Great Street who broke much of the news on the future openings earlier in the year.  Did we miss a planned opening?  Please let us know in the comment section.

Likely Openings in the New Year (listed in order of going west-east down H Street)

• Batter Bowl Bakery (401 H Street)–bakery from the owners of Ethiopic, featuring breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as baked goods, likely opening in January (h/t Frozen Tropics)
• Hikari Sushi and Sake (644 H Street)–sushi restaurant from the owners of Matsutake Sushi restaurants in Northern Virginia, we’ve heard that it could open in the next few weeks
• PoBoy Jim’s (709 H Street)–poboys and other cajun food with bar and patio in the back, owners have experienced a few construction surprises but should be opening early in the new year (see our preview here)
• Ben’s Chili Bowl (10th and H Street)–restaurant from the popular U Street restaurant, will be two levels and feature a bar as well
• Mythology (1005 H Street)–steak and seafood as well as brunch from current general manager of the popular Atlas Room, will also have extensive craft beer and wine selections (h/t H Street Great Street)
• Newsom (1110 H Street)–will feature global cuisine and have two stories complete with bars and a karaoke booth, while the restaurant served food at H Street Festival in the fall and appears ready to open, we haven’t seen activity recently (see our preview here)
• Sol Mexican Grill (1251 H Street)–Sol currently operates two food trucks serving burritos and tacos throughout D.C., it plans on opening a new two story restaurant and bar with a patio next to Smith Commons on H Street, we were told that they hoped to open this December but construction does not currently seem to be progressing at the location (see our preview here)
• The Spot (1255 H Street)–this space is currently undergoing a complete renovation and redesign, the new restaurant will feature Latin American cuisine (h/t Frozen Tropics and H Street Great Street)
• Chicken Tortilla (1324 H Street)–restaurant currently has a location in the southernmost part of Barracks Row, this location will serve Peruvian food and have a bar as well (h/t Frozen Tropics and H Street Great Street)
• Maketto (1351 H Street)–Maketto will likely be a mix between Eastern Market and Union Market (although in a smaller location) by being part restaurant, part market.   It is being developed by Toki Underground founder Erik Bruner-Yang, Will Sharp of Durkl, and Popularize (a developer that seeks input from the community via online voting before deciding what to build at a specific location) (see more details from D.C. Eater and The Washington Post)
• Tacos Impala (1358 H Street)–Tacos Impala initially opened as a popup restaurant on H Street and was extremely popular, its permanent location will open as a full service restaurant and bar in a completely renovated space, we talked to one of the owners during H Street Festival in the fall and were told that it would open in “several months”
• RedRocks (1348 H Street)–the local pizza/Italian restaurant will open a three story restaurant that has a rooftop (h/t Prince of Petworth)
• Manny and Olga’s (1409 H Street)–D.C. pizza chain will also offer delivery

Openings Near H Street

• Thaaja Indian Food Bar (NoMa region, 1335 2nd Street, NE)–actually located in nearby NoMa, Thaaja will feature customizable Indian food in a dine in or takeout setting (will also feature delivery), customers will design their own meals in a format similar to Chipotle, restaurant planned to open in December but experienced some minor delays and we’re told plans to open in early 2013 now (see our preview here)
• Bardo (1200 Bladensburg Road, NE)–brewpub that used to be located in Arlington until it closed, will have a very large space (enough room for over 300 people) and an outdoor patio, will likely not have major food options (see more details from The Washington Post)

Important Questions for the New Year

• Will the streetcar begin service?  The most recent update from the District Department of Transportation has testing of the streetcars and training of streetcar conductors beginning in fall 2013, but the DC streetcar has a history of delays (see our post here on why the streetcar is so important for the H Street dining scene).
• What happens to Souk (1208 H Street)?  Souk is currently closed for renovations but plans to reopen in 2013.  Will it reopen as a simply renovated version of its previous restaurant or as an entirely new restaurant? (see our post here)
• What happens with the Red Palace (1210 H Street) space?  The Red Palace will close on New Years for good and change ownership, but there is apparently already a new place in the works.
• How many (if any) of the large apartment construction projects planned for the middle section of H Street (two on opposite sites of the 600 block of H Street and one that will replace the strip mall in the 800 block of H Street) will break ground?  These future projects occupy a significant chunk of real estate in the middle of H Street, the largely underdeveloped part of H Street that divides the restaurants on the west end from the east end of H Street.  The construction of these buildings will be very important for connecting the two ends of H Street that are currently somewhat isolated from each other.

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