The Latest Dish: More Japanese, Peruvian, Filipino and Chinese Eateries
By • March 11, 2025 0 156
Bar Japonais owners Dean Mosones and Mark Minicucci welcomed Michelin-starred chef Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino as the restaurant’s new executive chef. Previously executive chef at Sushi Nakazawa and at his own venture, Kiyomi Sushi, at The Square Food Hall on K Street NW, Uchi unveiled a 15-course omakase experience featuring a rotating selection of delicacies that pays tribute to spring and cherry blossom season. The French-Japanese fusion restaurant opened last year in Logan Circle at 1520 14th St. NW.
Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar, from Miami-based Centurion Restaurant Group, will open in Maryland by the end of the first quarter at 2 Bethesda Metro, where Cesco Osteria used to be. Offering classic Peruvian cuisine with a modern twist — with an al fresco dining experience on the outdoor patio — it will be Pisco y Nazca’s third location in the DMV.
Ch-Ch-Changes: The Game Sports Pub at 2411 18th St. NW in Adams Morgan will transform into an extension of Tiki On 18th, its sibling bar at street level, according to Jo-Jo Valenzuela and business partner Oscar Guardado. The Game replaced their Ventnor Sports Café in 2019. Filipino pub fare will continue to be featured. A second-quarter relaunch is targeted.
Burns Brothers (Mike and John) of HQ House, Tim Ma of Lucky Danger and Any Day Now, and commercial real estate broker LaMean Koroma are opening Kata, a supper club, at 600 F Street NW where Fuel Pizza used to be. Brian Dunbar, formerly of Ram’s Head Tavern in Savage, Maryland, helms the kitchen. The club atmosphere is fueled by DJ music on weekends, and bartop fire dancers. Kata’s upstairs lounge goes by “Nomad at Sunset” in the evenings, and “Nomad at Sunrise” serving coffee and teas during mornings.
From Dante Datta and Suresh Sundas — the folks who brought you Daru and Eater 38 — comes Tapori (“vagabond” in Hindi), a Nepalese and Indian restaurant featuring Mumbai street food and tropical cocktails, at 600 H St. NE, where Fancy Radish used to be.
Alvand, an Iranian restaurant named after a peak in the Zagros Mountains, is slated to open in the second quarter at 5009 Langston Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia, according to owners Ebrahim and Mohammad Esfahani. The Esfahani brothers were originally going to open an All About Burger there; they currently own and operate three in the DMV.
The Stratford Motor Lodge at 300 Broad St. in Falls Church, Virginia, is being converted by local beer and wine shop owner Arash Tafakor into Stratford Garden, a restaurant and beer garden slated to open in the fourth quarter, with seating for 200 inside and 100 outside.
Linda Roth is the founder and CEO of Linda Roth Associates, a D.C.-based public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the food service and hospitality industries. Follow her at: @LindaRothPR, #LindaRothPR or lindarothpr.com.
