Barred in DC

After over 4 decades, Zorba Cafe (20th and Q NW) still is a great reliable spot for a quick meal and solid Greek food. $14 gyro or souvlaki (we ordered fries as well)

Definitely (maybe?) better than nothing (particularly since it goes til 7p) but lol’d at seeing $15 cocktails at Denson being a happy hour special. Most of their cocktail list is $17 so not really a great deal probably better to advertise $2 off

Raven Grill is slammed rn and I'm reminded of a @barredindc.bsky.social story where someone said he better not ruin this place by promotimg it - if you don't want your favorite bar to succeed, you're the one who doesn't belong here not the other way around.

Wow. Atlas has brewed their beer for a while now, but they opened in downtown DC in 1992 and brewed on site. The first. RIP.

First Nationals game of the season, great weather.

Nats Jr club for $20 (kids 4-12), pretty cool stuff, some other perks.

Seems like almost all the parents in the playground with a beer are drinking a 25 ounce Kona Big Wave

Capitol City Brewing closing Thurs Aug 28th after 33 years at 11th and H NW (plus a couple other locations over the years). Was the first brewery in DC in 36 years when it opened in 1992

www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...

And that's all she wrote. RFK bill passes on its first vote 9-3. (It still needs to pass at the leg meeting coming up immediately afterward, but that's a formality.)

The Council now gets a break until Sept. 17 (and so do us reporters!) Second and final vote is set for then.

What Happens With Restaurant Service Fees Now? The DC Council gutted Initiative 82, but what does it mean for dining out?

What happens with service fees now?

What changes to Initiative 82 and the DC tipped wage—and also "no tax on tips"—might mean for dining out:

www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/01/w...

New hotel rooftop to open next Friday at the SIXTY DC hotel few steps southeast of Dupont Circle itself - Rooftop at Casamara. 3000 SF space open at 5p except closed Mondays.

Retractable roof

Sunday DJs partnered with Echostage and Glow to come.

(Photo credit: Birch Thomas)

Good news! Just heard over my neighborhood listserv that the DC administrator has re-signed the Throne contract and the loos should be operating again in the next few days.

@washprobs.bsky.social @popville.bsky.social

The bill includes a timeline by which the Commanders will have to develop the non-stadium parcels of land, which will be used for retail and housing. Some 6,000 homes could be built, roughly one-third affordable. And D.C. won't provide any more subsidies for the housing.

Chani Pani (originally from Asheville) opens at end of August in Union Market area (in Gables apt building just north of market itself). Will take reservations for first time

www.axios.com/local/washin...

Longer projects get most of the attention but kudos to DDOT’s bicycle lane planners for the protected bike lane extensions on 1st NE and Florida Ave NE shown here in red

I had thought of them as lanes to nowhere but they really connect Eckington and allow bypass MBT congestion

The Italian hoagie from Bub and Pop’s ($17) is, in my opinion, DC’s highest quality sandwich, and it remains that way at the interesting new digs in the former Eleanor (still signage)in NoMa by the NY/Florida intersection.

Touch screen ordering for now. Booze coming any day

Pretty sure my first time at happy hour at Lost and Found ($5 select drafts, select wine, and rails til 6p)

Terrible photos but great place for HH (order from bar, bar height seating including great circular table upfront, BYOB food and in general good vibes)

D.C. wants 200 events a year at its new stadium. Should bar mitzvahs count? wapo.st/4m9oftH

NEWS: The D.C. Council voted 7-5 to partially repeal Initiative 82, the voter-approved measure which phases out the tipped minimum wage in D.C. Here are the details of the repeal proposal, sponsored by @cmcharlesallen.bsky.social and @cmchenderson.bsky.social. The details: bsky.app/profile/maus...

One male protester yells at Henderson, "Christina, grow a spine!"

"I have one," she responds.

The protesters are still yelling outside the chamber, more about funding concerns over social programs than Initiative 82.

As the council moves to a vote, Mendelson clears the chamber because of repeated outbreaks from protesters. "Blood is on your hands," they chant.

The Henderson-Allen compromise on I-82 (which would gradually raise the tipped wage, but not to match the full minimum someday) passes 7-5.

The no's are: Nadeau, Lewis George, White, Frumin, and Parker. This only came after a big crowd of protesters delayed proceedings.

Key discussion here from the Allen/Henderson proposal to freeze/delay/partially implement I-82

Allen and Henderson propose keeping the current base wage for tipped workers at $10 until July 2026. After that, it would go up slightly as a percentage of the regular minimum wage. The full description is below.

Nice profile in Post by Claire Healy (now of Miami Herald) of the remaining wholesalers in Union Market area. Of note A. Litteri hired extra staff due to social media

wapo.st/4lR6Pll

Bub and Pop’s will start offering booze at their new NoMa location any day now

@thehillishome.com

Looks like a Streets Market is planning on opening a new store in Hill East at 15th and Penn SE, probably in the old paint store location

NEWS: @chmnmendelson.bsky.social says he has negotiated a number of changes to the Commanders stadium deal that would benefit D.C. to the tune of $779 million over 30 years. First council vote would come on Aug. 1.

Suzie Q’s, which opened in May across the south side of Nats Park, is a cozy neighborhood bar that features solid bbq (brisket + cornbread were highlights) and a ton of beer-and-shot combos.

Co-owners Elliot and Tony come from spots like Tallboy, Breadsoda, Clubhouse. #compd

I Street NW is the busiest bus corridor in District - 58 buses an hour during peak times. DDOT proposing extending bus lane a block and making more changes ddotwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/...

“Smitty’s on Georgia Ave closed” - PoPville 3549 Georgia Ave, NW "Dear PoPville, Drove by Smitty’s (Thursday night, 8pm) and was surprised to see it looked closed. Looked it up on Google Maps and it now reads “Smitty’s (CLOSED)”. Looked but did...

“Smitty’s on Georgia Ave closed” - Again: www.popville.com/2025/07/smit...