New Matchbox Opens on 8th Street SE
Capitol Hill’s 8th Street SE will add its newest hangout tonight with the opening of pizza bistro Matchbox’s new Capitol Hill location. The restaurant and bar will open its doors at 5 p.m., and will likely host crowds nearing Chinatown-level proportions, if the attendance at this past Wednesday’s soft opening are any indication. This weekend, the restaurant will be open daily for dinner and on Sunday for brunch. Saturday brunch begins next weekend, and weekday lunch may come at a later date.
Matchbox owners Perry Smith, Drew Kim and Mark and Ty Neal have kept the same vibe in the new restaurant as its predecessor. A stone pizza oven doubles as a design element on the ground floor of the restaurant, and decor is heavy on the exposed brick and custom metal work that is omnipresent throughout the Chinatown location—inspired originally by the unique brick building that houses the first restaurant. The owners have also created an open, multi-level dining room in the new location, mimicking the multi-floor layout of Matchbox in Chinatown but creating a much less congested feel with the high ceilings and wider walkways. That openness does have one down side—the noise—but fans of the Chinatown spot won’t be surprised, or if history is to repeat itself, deterred, by the decibel level.
The menu too looks to be largely similar to the other location, although via the Washington Business Journal, newly hired chef for the Capitol Hill restaurant Shannon Troncoso may have a chance to tinker a bit with its pizzas, salads and burgers. A visit during the soft opening revealed that the kitchen—and staff—are ready for tonight’s opening: sliders were cooked perfectly to order and came out piping hot with the tower of frizzled onions, and the Q special pizza we ordered was perfect, with the sweet yet spicy tomato sauce balanced well with the chicken, red peppers and portabellas. Waitstaff was on point and knowledgeable, and handled what turned out to be a packed event with ease.
Still, the far smaller amount of foot traffic along 8th Street SE as opposed to H St NW could mean that Matchbox in Capitol Hill becomes more of a neighborhood spot, rather than the mecca that it is in tourist-clogged Chinatown. The Capitol Hill location is significantly smaller than the Chinatown restaurant since its expansion, but has a bar of roughly the same size. The bar will be offering Matchbox’s signature “Quittin' Time Cocktails” tonight from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and every week from Monday to Friday, so head over there on the early side tonight if you want to catch a first glimpse.
Matchbox
821 8th Street SE
Opens tonight at 5 p.m.
Click here for more details on initial hours