José Andrés Is Opening a New Restaurant That Took 30 Years of Planning
The Bazaar by José Andrés is moving into one of D.C.'s most iconic buildings.
Washington, D.C.'s iconic Old Post Office building has recently reopened as a luxurious Waldorf Astoria hotel. However, it's not the only new occupant to join the space. Celeb chef and humanitarian José Andrés announced plans to open a new location of his restaurant, The Bazaar.
The D.C.-based outpost, which joins previously opened sites in Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York, has been a longtime dream for the World Central Kitchen founder.
"Today, after a longtime dream of 30 years, I am announcing we will be opening in the Old Post Office, bringing my beloved @bazaarbyjose to D.C.!" Andrés wrote on social media. "Building longer tables right on Pennsylvania Avenue, in the heart of our nation's capital, welcoming people from across the city and the world."
According to Travel + Leisure, Andrés's first attempt to open a restaurant project in the Old Post Office was in 2015, shortly after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump purchased the building with plans to renovate the space into his next Trump International Hotel. However, once Andrés caught wind of the comments made by Trump describing Mexican immigrants, he dropped out.
"Donald Trump's recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward," Andrés said at the time, according to the DCist. "More than half of my team is Hispanic, as are many of our guests. And, as a proud Spanish immigrant and recently naturalized American citizen myself, I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status."
The Trump Organization and Andrés filed lawsuits against the other before settling in 2017. Then, just earlier this year, Trump sold the lease to a Miami-based investment firm, which has partnered with Hilton to open the Waldorf Astoria and help Andrés realize his 30-year dream.
The Bazaar's menu includes "a carefully curated theater of shared plates" with "ingeniously innovative cuisine" and "thoughtfully created cocktails," the website reports. Andrés did not reveal an opening date but promised via Instagram to "share more" soon.