In preparation for tomorrow’s grand opening of the H Street Whole Foods, District Cuisine wanted to provide a video throwback to the demolition of the old H Street Self Storage (best part is at the end of the roughly minute long video). Before Whole Foods and the Apollo building were construction at 6th and H Streets, NE a combination of Murray’s (a grocery store), Good Danny’s, and H Street Self Storage occupied the block.
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Preview of H Street Whole Foods
13 Mar
After several years of construction and anticipation, H Street’s Whole Foods will be opening this Wednesday (pending the snow) at 6th and H Streets, NE in the Apollo Building. The store will open with a bread breaking ceremony at 8:45 in the morning. District Cuisine took a sneak peak of the store over the weekend. The entire building was previously a combination of Murray’s (grocery store), Good Danny’s (Chinese food), and H Street Self Storage.
In addition to the usual Whole Foods offerings, the store will have quite a few locally sourced products ranging from beer to gelato to snacks to pastries. The prepared foods area will also feature a new Chinese diner concept by Maketto owner Eric Bruner-Yang. The second floor of the store will have a bar and will offer beer and wine that can be purchased and then consumed throughout the store or even on the patio outside. For the first week, the store will have several doorbuster deals on products throughout the store.
Citi Pizza Now Open on H Street
27 FebNew Paint Job for Citi Pizza on H Street
After several months of renovations, Citi Pizza (504 H Street, NE) has reopened. We had spoken with them back in November and had been told that they would be reopening in a couple of days. After that, they appear to have hit several construction delays, but they are now up and running. The new design is much more open and inviting than the previous design because of the new windows installed in the front of the restaurant. Citi Pizza has undergone several iterations over the past couple of years, including a brief stint of calling itself New Citi Pizza.
Two Boots Appears Out on H Street
16 FebDesign for Outside of Two Boots on H Street
As first reported by the Washington Business Journal, it appears that Two Boots has pulled out of its planned H Street location (1025 H Street, NE). As work had not commenced and as no permits had been filed the past couple of months, District Cuisine had tried unsuccessfully to contact the company. The property is now being advertised for lease. You can check out District Cuisine’s previous coverage of Two Boots here.
Two H Street Restaurants Opening This Weekend!
16 FebBalcony Overlooking H Street at Sospeso
Big news for the H Street Corridor this weekend. First, tomorrow (Friday) Sospeso will be opening its doors for the first time at 1344 H Street, NE. You can check out our preview of the restaurant here.
Second, on Saturday Turning Natural, a local juice bar, will be opening at 1380 H Street, NE. You can check out our initial preview of Turning Natural here.
DC Harvest Offering Several Specials for Valentine’s Day
13 Feb
DC Harvest (517 H Street, NE) will be offering several specials for couples looking to celebrate Valentine’s Day tomorrow. In addition to their current menu, there will be two appetizer specials (a Hawaiian kampachi crudo and white stone oysters with a pickled ramp crema), two entree specials (pan roasted veal strip steak with a brandy green peppercorn cream and quinoa encrusted scallops), and a dessert special for two (warm dark chocolate brioche bread pudding with a raspberry puree, salted caramel, and whipped cream). Reservations are suggested!
Early Taste of Sospeso, Opening Soon on H Street (Menu Included)
24 JanRas el Hanout Soup at Sospeso
Yesterday, District Cuisine previewed the interior and design of Sospeso (1344 H Street, NE), which will be opening in February. We also sampled some of Sospeso’s food and got a sneak peak of the opening menu. Sospeso’s opening menu is now online, and you can view it here.
Salty Fritters at Sospeso
We were impressed by all of the dishes that we have sampled so far at Sospeso. Our tastes started with a Ras el Hanout soup that is a spicy vegetarian (in this case) soup with cauliflower, tomato, onion, and potato in it. The soup was great for a cold and dreary winter day and was not overpowering despite the complex spice blend. Next we tried the freshly made pita that was flaky and warm out of the oven. It will be served with hummus, and guests can add either olive tapenade or roasted lamb to it as well.
Pita at Sospeso
We also sampled the Za’atar roasted chicken (entree), Mercimekli Kofte (lentil and bulgur fingerling snacks), and the salty fritters (dough stuffed with anchovy, potatoes, and capers). The owners hope to not only have great food but also to serve dishes that have stories attached to them and that provide guests with a unique dining experience. They hope to have dishes that you may never have tried before as well as drinks, such as Serbian wines, that may be new as well. The grilled octopus, the whole fish, and the porchetta sandwich are several of the dishes that we look forward to exploring once Sospeso opens.
You can learn more about Sospeso, including the restaurant’s contact information by going to the website here.
Sneak Peak Inside Sospeso, Opening Soon on H Street
23 JanUpstairs at Sospeso
Last week District Cuisine sat down with Sospeso co-owners Michael and Hatice Rosato to preview the new restaurant coming soon to 1344 H Street, NE. Michael has extensive experience from around the District’s restaurant scene ranging from Zaytinya to Palena to Granville Moore’s to Toki Underground and most recently Ghibellina and Sotto on 14th Street. Hatice runs a women’s clothing import business and designed the interior of the restaurant. When we spoke, they hoped to open the restaurant in late January but have now moved the opening back to late February (likely by the end of February). As we mentioned in our earlier preview piece, Sospeso will be Mediterranean inspired and will be open for dine in and takeout for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night.
Balcony Overlooking H Street at Sospeso
The interior of the restaurant–previously a real estate office–has been completely redone and looks beautiful. The Rosatos, who live within walking distance of the restaurant, are hoping that neighbors will view the restaurant as a cool place to hang out and to do work in during the day.
Tiling Around the Bar at Sospeso
The first floor will be a bar in the front (coffee and alcohol) and tables in the back that are slightly elevated above the bar area. The first floor has extensive and intricate tiling all along the bar area.
Future 3rd Floor Wine Cellar at Sospeso
Upstairs will feature additional dine in seating as well as a balcony that overlooks H Street. The upstairs has a nice mix of two and four top tables as well as a table that can accommodate bigger parties. Above the second floor is a loft-style floor that will be a wine cellar for the restaurant. There will be wifi available in the restaurant, enabling patrons to work during the day.
Sospeso will initially open for breakfast/lunch and then will open for dinner after a few days of service. In the near future, they will be launching a brunch menu as well as happy hour (both drinks and food). We’ll be previewing a sample of their opening menu in a post tomorrow.
Sospeso to Open in Late January
12 JanFront Windows of Future Sospeso on H Street (1344 H Street)
Sospeso, a Mediterranean restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner at 1344 H Street, NE will open in late January, District Cuisine has learned. According to the owners, the interior renovation is all done, and they are waiting on final inspection from the District government. If everything goes according to plan, they should be open before the end of January. District Cuisine previewed Sospeso, including a sample menu, several months ago (check out our post here).
H Street Popeyes to be Renovated
27 Dec
Several weeks ago, the H Street Popeyes (1226 H Street, NE) closed down for “renovations” leading to speculation about whether it would ever reopen. District Cuisine can confirm via permits filed with the DC government that the Popeyes will in fact renovate and reopen in the future. The permit application was filed back in the summer but was finally approved in December, hence the December closure. While there will be some differences, the renovation will probably make the H Street Popeyes look similar to the recently rebuilt 14th Street Popeyes (pictures from Popville here).
District Cuisine 