9 Restaurant Openings in DC to Get Excited About in 2022
A highly anticipated fried chicken shack, new eateries from local favorites, and more restaurants to look forward to visiting in the new year.
Plenty of changes come along with a new year, but the most exciting among them has to be new restaurants. In 2022, the District will have plenty more to dish up with several brand new spots expanding our palates and local favorites spreading their reach across the city with new outposts and entirely new concepts.
From more Peruvian cuisine options to a long-awaited fried chicken shack and a further expansion of our favorite bagel shop, DC’s opening blitz isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. So here are all the restaurant openings we’re most excited to see in 2022.
Address: 1776 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia
Opening Date: January
Japanese-Peruvian style cuisine, known as Nikkei, is on full display at this Arlington eatery coming in early January. This is the second location for Inca Social in Northern Virginia (the other is located in Vienna), and it’s a colorful space featuring local art, plus a raw bar with ceviche and sushi. Whether you’re posting up inside or at the outdoor heated bar for happy hour, you’ll find several variations of Pisco Sours, plus live music and $2 Margaritas every Thursday evening.
Address: 4201 Georgia Avenue NW, Petworth
Opening Date: January
Once this restaurant swings its doors open on January 12, Honeymoon Chicken will deliver buckets of crispy fried chicken and buttery biscuits that will no doubt break your New Year’s diet. Chef Rob Sonderman (formerly of Federalist Pig) has reimagined the former home of Slim’s Diner at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street, NW, and his concept channels the vibes of “where funky meets fancy.” Honeymoon Chicken takes the art of fried chicken to a new level of sophistication and creativity, offering a simple, yet intricate secret blend of the highest-quality seasonings.
Address: 1819 14th Street NW
Opening date: January/February
Salazar is a new Tex-Mex and tequila concept opening at the former El Centro space on 14th Street, NW. This bar and restaurant is sure to attract a certain crew of 20-somethings—those who frequent Mission and The Admiral, Salazar’s sister restaurants. The 8,000-square-foot space will have four bars across three levels including a rooftop. There will be an emphasis on an extensive tequila list, plus a large outdoor roof deck (heated in the winter) for hosting large scale events and parties.
Address: 1100 15th Street NW, Downtown
Opening date: January/February
Chef Nicholas Stefanelli, who is behind the trattoria, cafe, and market at The Wharf dubbed Officina and the Michelin-starred tasting room experience at Masseria, will present a new restaurant concept centered around Greek cuisine. The much-anticipated restaurant will open at the Midtown Center complex—a mixed-use office and retail environment popular with the 9-to-5 crowd that also includes hit New Orleans-style restaurant, Dauphine’s, and will welcome others later this year. The restaurant will import specialty cheeses, wild herbs, and olive oil, plus highlighted food and wines representing Greek regions from Thessaloniki to the island of Crete.
Address: 1143 New Hampshire Avenue NW, West End
Opening Date: January/February
Hotel breakfast can get a bad rep thanks to crappy continental setups, but not at Yours Truly. This West End boutique hotel will soon offer Call Your Mother bagels, plus a roster of creative sandwiches and nostalgic pastries from the shop in the lobby. The bagel bar will open by the end of January and features a signature sandwich—the Latin Pastrami with herb mayo, veggie slaw, and jalapeños on rye bread. For sweet options, pick from a wide selection of pastries including Chocolate Babka Muffins and yeasted doughnuts.
Address: 327 7th Street, SE, Capitol Hill
Opening date: January/February
On Capitol Hill, the former Montmartre restaurant space is slated to be a homecoming of sorts for chef Andrew Markert, who currently runs Beuchert’s Saloon, located about a block away on Pennsylvania Avenue. Newland will be his marquee restaurant, and it’s named for the street in Baltimore where Markert grew up. Guests will experience a taste of his mother and father's cooking—being a Marylander that means crab, but also rockfish and other Mid-Atlantic seafood, with cooking techniques that will lean on Markert’s expertise in classic French and Italian techniques. Mackenzie Conway (also from Beuchert’s) will curate a wine-focused beverage program that highlights underrepresented wines, as well as classic styles from lesser-known producers.
Address: 2017 14th Street NW, U Street
Opening date: Late Spring/Summer
Chef Peter Prime and co-owner Jeanine Prime will soon open St. James, a modern Caribbean restaurant, as a follow-up to their runaway hit restaurant, Cane, that opened in 2019. Dishes are reflective of the region’s melting pot of cultures with elevated and creative menu items celebrating the diversity of Pan-Caribbean cuisine. Plans for brunch and dinner service are in the works, and St. James will have a patio with a dozen seats and accommodations for some standing-room-only service. The restaurant is named after the St. James district in Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain—the cultural center of the island, representing a confluence of the country’s many influences from East Indian and Chinese descendants, as well as food traditions of Black Trinidadians.
Petite Cerise
Address: 1027 7th Street, NW, Shaw
Opening date: Late Spring/Summer
From the Michelin-starred team at The Dabney, Petite Cerise will be Jeremiah Langhorne and Alex Zink’s take on an all-day, French-inspired restaurant. As self-proclaimed Francophiles, Langhorne and Zink have always toyed with the idea of opening a French restaurant, but Petite Cerise, which means “little cherry,” is far from your run-of-the-mill bistro. The menu promises fresh market cooking, well-executed simple plates, and lesser-known regional French specialties. The very best in local ingredients, much like those found at The Dabney, will be available alongside a unique selection of authentic French imports. Additionally, the team has made it their mission to have the best croissant and baguette in town. All will be complemented by a completely French wine list and a seasonal cocktail menu.
Ellie Bird
Address: 110 Founders Avenue, Falls Church, VA
Opening date: Fall/Winter
Rooster & Owl’s Michelin-starred couple Carey and Yuan Tang will take flight later this year with a second restaurant called Ellie Bird. It is slated to open by the end of 2022 in a mixed-use development in Falls Church called Founder’s Row. Rather than falling in line with another tasting menu concept, the Tangs will serve contemporary, casual, and a-la-carte options like pork chops and fried chicken served with pineapple buns. This “little sister” (or should we say “little bird”) concept is a departure from the more elaborate, fine-dining approaches of their U Street eatery, but it will no doubt deliver on the same service and hospitality experience.