The Latest Dish
By • January 13, 2026 0 398
When ala, a Levantine restaurant at 1320 19th St. NW, near Dupont Circle, reopens in mid-February, the $1.5-million renovation will reveal a spectacular new front-of-the-house design and a new kitchen. The restaurant will continue to seat 150 indoors and 91 outdoors, without the second-floor mezzanine, and continue to bring flavors of the Levant region to the area, including dishes from Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Turkey.
Canton Disco, fusing Cantonese food with funky disco in the evenings, is slated to open in February at 1025 First St. SE in Navy Yard, where Pho Junkies used to be. The daytime café becomes a full-service restaurant and bar at night. Partners are Brian Schram of Side Door Pizza in Navy Yard, chef Timothy Yu of Hollywood East Cafe in Wheaton, Maryland, and sommelier and mixologist Brent Kroll of Trouble Bird, Pop Fizz Bar and Maxwell Park in Shaw.
ala Seeded Falafel. Photo by Nina Palazzolo.
Ashok Bajaj of Knightsbridge Restaurant Group (Rasika, Rasika West End, Bombay Club, Sababa, Bindaas) will replace Rosedale, located at 4465 Connecticut Ave. NW in Forest Hills, with Malabar, a new Indian seafood concept. Bajaj and executive chef Vikram Sunderam created a menu that reflects the multiple cuisines for which southwestern India’s Malabar Coast is known. It’s slated to open in the first quarter of this year.
After his position as corporate executive chef for the Canadian-based chain, Brandon Thordarson became a franchisee, opening D.C.’s first Moxies at 1111 20th St. NW, with 270 seats in the 8,000-square-foot space. Moxies now has 58 locations across North America.
Jamie Branda, owner of Dupont’s Floriana, has teamed up with Dino Tapper, son of the restaurant’s founder, Floriana Nestore, to open a second location at 277 S. Washington St. in Old Town Alexandria. In the Atrium Building, where Virginia’s Darling and Mae’s Market used to be, the restaurant, with 140 to 160 seats, will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. An opening late in the second quarter is targeted. This new location will have outdoor patio space and atrium seating.
ala DC mezze. Photo by Nina Palazzolo.
Anani Hospitality Group plans to open Ayat DC, a Palestinian bistro, at 2112 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in Foggy Bottom, where Flower Child used to be. An early second-quarter opening is planned. It will feature authentic Palestinian recipes and, as with the New York locations, aims to be a gathering spot for Jews and Palestinians alike.
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.
