Business: Coming in 2024
By January 8, 2024 0 4835
•Restaurants and retail shops set to open in Georgetown in 2024 are giving the town a happy new year — things are looking up.
Barnes & Noble
Gone from Georgetown since 2011, the United States’s largest national bookstore chain will return to its original location at 3040 M St. NW, having signed a 33,754-square-foot lease for the same three floors. As expected, it will sell books, newspapers, magazines, music and gifts — and contain a café.
Reverie
Chef Johnny Spero’s Reverie will return to service in February, he says. An August 2022 fire shut down the Michelin-starred and intimate restaurant at 3201 Cherry Hill Lane NW.
Osteria Mozza
Restaurateur Stephen Starr is partnering with Michelin-star chef Nancy Silverton to bring an Italian restaurant to the former Dean & Deluca space at 3276 M St. NW and added, “I am confident that what we create together will knock the socks off of D.C.” Osteria Mozza will include an Italian market, mozzarella bar and restaurant within more than 20,000 square feet in the historic Georgetown Market building.
Alara
The long-shuttered Paolo’s Ristorante space at 1303 Wisconsin Ave. NW, most recently High Street Grill, will become Alara, a Turkish restaurant by Hakan Ilhan. It will focus on Mediterranean cuisine.
La Bonne Vache
La Bonne Vache, “The Good Cow,” will open at the corner that held the beloved Booeymonger for 50 years. As Georgetowner food writer Olga Boikess writes, “Vibrant restaurant pros Claire and Ari Wilder (Chaplin’s, Kappo DC) are transforming the former Booeymonger space at 3265 Prospect St. NW, into an imaginative, French-accented wine bar/bistro, with a menu highlighting burgers dressed up with a Gallic touch.”
Greco
An authentic Greek fast casual restaurant is ready to open at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Dumbarton Street — 1335 Wisconsin Ave. NW — in the building which previously housed &pizza, a 5 Guys burger joint and, before that, Au Pied de Cochon.
Afghania
Taking over the former space of Don Lobo’s Mexican Grill which closed May 31, 2020, after 16 years in business, Afghania will be another restaurant by Omar Masroor at 2811 M St. NW. His Bistro Aracosia on MacArthur Boulevard gets high marks for serving the likes of sabzi turnovers, lamb chops and beef tenderloin, qabuli palou and veal ryehaan. The new restaurant is situated between Taj of India Cuisine and La Chaumière. Masroor’s other spots are in McLean and Springfield.
Filomena Expands
With the departure of Ching Ching Cha Tea Room at 1063 Wisconsin Ave. NW, next door Filomena Ristorante is taking over the space with its new Filomena’s Georgetown Emporium, offering pick-up and catering and pastas and sauces for sale — along with an elevator to the dining room at the lower level.
Jinya Ramen
Sam Shoja will open a seventh location in the Washington area when he brings Jinya Ramen to 1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW, formerly the space for Via Umbria, the Italian restaurant, market and event space.
Tatte Bakery
Tatte Bakery will take over the former Capital One Bank building at Wisconsin Avenue and Q Street. Empty since May 2022, the property at 1545 Wisconsin Ave. NW was purchased for $3.15 million by Roadside Development and Waterview Capital Management.
Sports & Social
The former Ri Ra space at 3125 M St. NW is expected to become a Sports & Social, a sports restaurant that’s into wide-screen TVs, burgers, tacos, salads — and betting.
Skims
Founded in 2019 by Kim Kardashian, shapewear brand Skims is looking to open a store at 3300 M St. NW. Skims — which sells loungewear, undergarments and other clothes — is a brand valued at $4 billion.
M.M. LaFleur
Getting ready to open at 1344 Wisconsin Ave. NW at the corner that once held Doc Dalinsky’s legendary Georgetown Pharmacy is the women’s clothing store, M.M. LaFleur.
Brompton Bikes
Brompton bikes will open a shop at 1214 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The three-part-fold, lightweight bikes were introduced in 1975 by London engineer Andrew Ritchie.
New Balance
A New Balance footwear store will open at 3139 M St. NW, the former space of America Eats Tavern — and Old Glory for 26 years before that.
Outerknown
Another cool, sustainable clothing store is coming to 1240 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
Citibank Center
Citibank Center will open at 1258 Wisconsin Ave. NW, the former Gap space, next to Martin’s Tavern. The historic building will contain, among other amenities, a Citigold lounge. The top floor will reportedly be residences.
Pure Sweat + Float Studio
Pure Sweat + Float Studio, “a community-focused retreat for health, healing and connection within,” will open its first studio in Georgetown at 3345 Prospect St. NW, formerly a corner dry cleaners.
Gold’s Gym
Gold’s Gym — with 700 fitness studios worldwide — is coming to Georgetown. The 24,000-square-foot facility will be in Georgetown Park, located at 3222 M St. NW.
EagleBank, Eatery
The shuttered Eagle Bank at 3143 N St. NW will become a fast-casual eatery, according to business insiders.