We stopped by Bardo (1200 Bladensburg Road, NE) on Tuesday to check out their second night of being open. While the bar was sparsely attending during the traditional happy hour timeframe, it does have great potential to become a nice neighborhood spot in the months ahead. Bardo eventually will be a large outdoor brewpub that will brew several of its own beers onsite and will have many more on tap. They already have picnic tables and cornhole and plan on showing outdoor movies and serving food in the future. A concept similar to Bardo was previously operated in Arlington by the same owners. Check out The Washington City Paper’s excellent profile of Bardo from several months ago to learn more about its background.
Main Bar at Bardo
Bardo is a definite work in progress as one of the owners explained to us they simply wanted to get open as quickly as possible. The District government would only issue them one permit at a time, so for right now they have not built their onsite brewery and are only serving a few beers on tap. The next immediate step for Bardo is installing a canopy-like roof that will drape over the area in front of the bar to protect customers when it rains. The owners anticipate this canopy being up in the coming days (currently there is no cover if it rains). The owners already have much of the brewing equipment on site and plan on applying for the brewery building permit as soon as possible. One of the owners said that they planned to have the brewery part of Bardo open in three months.
Spot for Future Brewery at Bardo (area behind steel boxes)
The brewery will go behind the steel container boxes that are stacked to the leftside of the bar when you walk in (see picture above). The beer will then be pumped from the brew tanks to the taps at the bar for delivery to customers. These steel container boxes will be retrofitted with two bathrooms in the coming months (likely after the brewery is complete). On the outside of the steel boxes, there is already a projector screen that has been hung for outdoor movies.
Steel Container Boxes that will House Bathrooms Inside. Note the Large Projector Screens for Outdoor Movies
On the righthand side of Bardo there is a large grassy area that features cornhole sets and additional tables. There is also an existing building on the righthand side of Bardo that will be renovated so that it can be used as a small indoor area in the future. This renovation will likely be the last part of Bardo’s construction after the brewery and bathrooms are complete.
Existing Building (brick one) that will be Renovated for Additional Indoor Space
Righthand Side of Bardo with Cornhole and Tables
View at Bardo from the Main Bar Looking Towards the Entrance
Bardo is definitely still a work in process, but even as they complete their construction in the coming weeks and months, it is worth checking out as it is already a fun space.
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