Several years ago, a concept called “Sin Bin Sports Bar and Restaurant” announced that it would be moving into 1336 H Street and applied for a liquor license. Sin Bin was going to be a sports bar that also had an outdoor space. Construction began on the site but for many months it has been stalled and vacant. Well it now appears that it is back on the leasing market as you can see from the posting here. The real estate posting notes that the building is currently a shell but that the owner may work with the tenant “on some rent abatement.”
Batter Bowl Bakery Rebrands as Uni Bistro
23 NovBatter Bowl Bakery (403 H Street) has recently rebranded as Uni Bistro due to an ownership change. Previously, the restaurant was owned by neighboring Ethiopic that opened it back in 2013. It is now owned by the husband and wife team that has been running the day to day operations. According to the owners, Uni is a play off of nearby Union Station as well as the word unique. The new logo that they will be rolling out soon is based off a thumb print to highlight the restaurant’s unique character.
As we previously reported, they are hoping to attract more customers in the afternoon and evening by serving alcohol and expanding lunch and dinner menu items. As part of its rebranding efforts, the outside of the restaurant has been repainted gold and there is a new sign outside. Expect to see new menu items rolled out soon in a push for later in the day customers.
DC Harvest to Serve Brunch on Black Friday
23 NovDC Harvest (517 H Street) will be serving brunch on Black Friday from 11 am until 2:30 pm. In addition to their usual brunch menu, they will be serving their signature Old Bay fried chicken, $20 bottomless Bloody Marys, and monterey jack doughnuts. The restaurant will be closed for Thanksgiving but will otherwise have normal operating hours during the weekend.
Taqueria Replacing The Spot Deli on H Street
14 NovA taqueria will be replacing The Spot Deli (701 H Street) which closed back in September. The name is somewhat unclear from the signage–either Pronto Taqueria and Rosticeria or Fresca Taqueria and Rosticeria. The location had undergone a renovation prior to opening as The Spot Deli; it had previously been Heaven & H Deli for only a few months and had been Grace Deli prior to that. It is unclear if the location is related to The Spot Deli and its owner Troy Williams who is also opening a restaurant at 1255 H Street (although that construction has been stalled for several years).
DC Harvest Debuts New Bar Manager, Mixes Up Cocktail Menu
14 Oct
We’ve loved DC Harvest’s food for awhile, but recently DC Harvest has changed up its drink menu and now has several new creative cocktails available. Under the leadership of new bar manager Matthew Fisk, DC Harvest’s drink menu has branched out from only having domestic alcohols to instead having a mix of domestic and international. Fisk–a former philosophy and ancient language graduate–comes to DC Harvest by way of New Orleans and Proof, Vinoteca, Ripple, and Daikaya in D.C. In discussing the changes to the cocktail menu, Fisk says “when I came here to DC Harvest, the bar was completely stocked with offerings that only came from the United States…I strongly advocated for a more international presence behind our bar…the cocktail is an American institution, like rock and roll. Its origin is multiple. Mixing together ingredients from different lands is how this country began, and what often makes the U.S. a wonderful place to hail from. We will always feature spirits from our friends and neighbors at home, but we will also not forget that most of us came here from elsewhere.”
A sample of the new drink menu (descriptions and photos courtesy of Fisk and the staff at DC Harvest; links added in by District Cuisine if you would like to learn more about the drinks or alcohols):
- Que hora son?–inspired by a Paloma cocktail, grapefruit juice is turned into grapefruit water through a gel agar clarification process that involves mixing the grapefruit juice into a gelatin that is then run through a small sieve (this process was perfected by Dave Arnold a famous mixologist in New York City). The grapefruit water is mixed with aperol, triple dry, Espolon Blanco tequila, salt, malic acid, honey syrup, and phosphoric acid. It is then put into bottles where it is carbonated prior to being served with lime and pineapple mint.
- Clover Kyu–a combination of Jensen’s dry gin, fresh made black raspberry syrup, egg whites, and Yuzu.
- Sour Cherry Gel Cocktail Shooter—gelatin mixed with Leopolds Bros Maraschino Cherry Liquor is set for several hours. More gelatin is mixed with lemon-infused Ivy City gin, lemon juice, and sugar–this is then poured over the other gel (the cherry one from the fridge) until both set together. The resulting gel cocktail is served with a raspberry on the side.
Driftwood to Celebrate One Year Anniversary on Saturday
8 OctDriftwood Kitchen (400 H Street) is celebrating its one year anniversary this Saturday (October 10th). For brunch, they are inviting guests who wear their pajamas to get a free glass of campaign to celebrate, and they will be offering a special prefix menu (as well as an a la carte menu) and bottomless mimosas and bloody marys for $15. For dinner, every guest will get a complimentary glass of champagne and there will be a prefix menu, free give aways, and half price bottles of select wine.
Vendetta to Make Sunday All Day Brunch
1 OctVendetta (1212 H Street) will be turning its Sunday menu into an all day brunch. From 11 am until 10 pm on Sundays, you can enjoy the entire Vendetta brunch menu, including french toast sticks all day long. Their $15 bottomless mimosa special will run from 11 am until 3 pm on Sundays.
In addition, DC Bocce will be returning to Vendetta on Wednesday nights (you can sign up at DCBocce.com).
Batter Bowl Bakery Hopes to Attract Dinner Crowd With New Options
26 SepBatter Bowl Bakery (403 H Street), our favorite spot to grab a coffee and pastry on H Street, hopes to attract more of a dinner crowd with beer, wine, and expanded food options. Batter Bowl is open from 8 am to 8 pm every day, but as the owners point out, after around 3 pm the crowd dies down. Attempting to change that, Batter Bowl applied for a liquor license several months ago and will now serve a selection of wine and beer in the afternoon and evening. Look for more food options in the afternoon, including a burger and rotating specials. For right now, they will keep their current hours, but if Batter Bowl becomes more of an attraction after 3 pm that could change in the future.
Argonaut Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary This Saturday
23 SepStarting at 2 pm on Saturday (September 26th), the Argonaut (1433 H Street) will be celebrating its 10th anniversary! There will be drink specials, giveaways, and live bluegrass music. They will also be debuting a new house beer, and you can check out their recently renovated patio space.












