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An Artsy Restaurant in Union Market Flops Just Shy of a Year - Eater DC

Published 3 months ago3 minute read

This is a curated list of D.C. area’s most notable and permanent restaurant and bar closures, with new updates published every month. See a closing we missed? Drop us a line.


A big dining room with art on the walls
ARP transformed a former poultry factory near Union Market’s food hall into an industrial-styled restaurant with a rotating art gallery and full bar.
Scott Suchman

Northeast: Palette 22, Union Market district’s creative dining experiment since March 2024, didn’t pan out. Drawing upon its success in Shirlington, Palette 22’s second location continued to showcase for-sale artwork and global plates under the same roof. Palette 22 marked the first foray into D.C. proper for prolific hospitality group Alexandria Restaurant Partners (ARP). Turns out they’re holding on to the space and tapped an outside operator to open something new. “Over the past year, we’ve gained valuable insights” into the Northeast neighborhood, per a statement from ARP, and found “a new concept that fills a key void in the marketplace.” The original Palette 22 in Shirlington, around since 2017, remains open as usual. Alexandria, Virginia-based ARP also operates Vola’s Dockside Grill, Mia’s Italian Kitchen, Mediterranean-themed Barca Wine Bar & Pier, wood-fired restaurant Ada’s on the River, and The Majestic, among others. 400 Morse Street NE

Columbia Heights: Columbia Heights’ Malaysian sensation Makan and its subterranean sports bar, Thirsty Crow, both closed on Sunday. Chef and owner James Wozniuk cited a slowdown in customers, as well as an uptick in crime in the neighborhood, as the cause. Despite the bad timing of opening his restaurant during the dawn of the pandemic in March 2020, Wozniuk, who formerly worked at Spoken English and Maketto, garnered praise and a loyal following for his deeply flavorful dishes and bright ingredients at his Eater 38-designated neighborhood restaurant and its graffiti-wrapped bar below known for its bright blue pool tables, tons of TVs, board games, and Tuesday trivia nights. 3400 11th Street NW

Bethesda: José Andrés’ all-day comfort foods spot Spanish Diner closed after nearly four years in downtown Bethesda, which is also where the celebrity chef resides. José Andrés Group tells Eater it “concluded its lease” at Federal Realty’s Bethesda Row. The space temporarily transformed into a World Central Kitchen drop-off point during the pandemic, and Andrés swapped in Spanish Diner for his tapas spot Jaleo in May 2021. Spanish Diner’s hearty menu full of eggs, stews, and breakfast sandwiches built with Manchego and ham paid homage to the foods he grew up eating in northwestern Spain. The NYC original, which debuted in NYC’s Hudson Yards in 2019, will be replaced by an offshoot of Penn Quarter’s popular Mexican eatery Oyamel some time this spring. 7271 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland

Multiple locations: That’s a wrap for Eat Brgz, the Capitol Hill-born counter for experimental mix-in burgers since 2019 that counted Michelle Obama as an early fan. The West End location closed in early February and the space will be replaced by a debut D.C. location of NY’s fast-growing food hall Wonder. Eat Brgz’s original location in Eastern Market closed Friday, January 31. “We evolved so much from COVID as more than just a fast-casual,” founder Brandon Alexander told Eater. West End introduced a full bar, breakfast, Aperol spritz “trees,” and fried chicken tender towers that went viral online. 250 7th Street SE; 1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Eat Brgz sold 1 million burgers over its run, which included many orders of the popular Mexico City (Logan’s chorizo, bell peppers, Oaxaca cheese, and taco seasoning).
Rey Lopez/Eater DC
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