An aerial view of The Wharf development. (Photo by BrandLinkDC).
The $2 billion District Wharf development is scheduled to debut tomorrow after much anticipation and loads of construction. When it does, many of its flagship restaurants will either be still under construction or operating with temporary or stripped down menus. Foodies might want to hold off at least a week or so before making that inaugural visit.
To be fair, delays are common and often expected when opening restaurants. Permitting and requirements and things like staff training make nailing down an exact date difficult. The Wharf hasn’t been entirely unrealistic and has always planned on ongoing openings between now and next spring. Still, it’s been aggressive about hyping the initial launch, and it’s doing to do so without its most marquee restaurants at full strength. As of publication, The Wharf’s developer has not responded to a request for comment.
Here’s the opening day status of some of The Wharf’s most anticipated restaurants:
Del Mar
(791 Wharf St. SW.)
Michelin-starred chef Fabio Trabocchi’s Spanish foray will serve some food Thursday, but only for private events. It plans to provide limited walk-in catering service (think tapas and cocktails) from sister restaurant Casa Luca beginning Friday afternoon. A spokeswoman from the restaurant was unable to provide an exact opening date.
The Brighton
(949 Wharf St. SW)
This nod to oceanside British pubs from Ian and Eric Hilton (the minds behind D.C. nightlife spots like The Brixton and Marvin) expects to be all systems go come tomorrow. Expect gussied up pub grub from Chez Billy Sud chef Brendan L’Etoile.
Hank’s On The Wharf
(701 Water St. SW)
Hank’s first waterside location won’t be open for regular service Thursday and is instead planning to hand out free bites of food and swag from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Updates will be posted to the restaurant’s social media accounts.
Jenny’s at The Wharf
668 Water St SW
Jenny’s started serving up its Chinese food way back in 1981, so it’s in no danger of missing any deadlines. It’s been through some renovations since and is ready for new life in the neighborhood.
Kirwan’s On The Wharf
(749 Wharf St. SW)
The Irish Pub will open Thursday for the main celebration.
Kith and Kin
(801 Washington Ave. SW)
Diners eager to taste Kwame Onwuachi’s highly-anticipated comeback effort in the wake of the Shaw Bijou will have to wait. The restaurant released a statement this morning noting that it has run into some standard delays. It still has every intention of opening this month.
Requin by Mike Isabella
(100 District Sq. SW. )
A notice from Mike Isabella’s contemporary French restaurant says it will open from October 12 to 15 with a “very limited” menu, with full reservations going live on October 23.
Shake Shack
(975 Wharf Street SW)
Shake Shack is ready to go. It’s opening its newest location at 11 a.m. The first 100 guests in line will receive a free “Super Fry Frickle Burger”—a cheeseburger topped with a cheeseburger topped with crispy shallots, Gordy’s Thai basil pickled jalapenos, and the burger joint’s signature sauce.
In addition to these restaurants, The Wharf is expecting many more to open from now through next spring. Here’s what the tentative schedule shows:
Taylor Gourmet
Opening October 23
Rappahannock Oyster Company
Opening October 2017
Whiskey Charlie
Opening October 2017
Florentijn
Opening October 2017
La Vie
Opening October 2017
Lupo Marino
Opening October 2017
Mi Vida
Opening November 2017
Kaliwa:
Opening Fall 2017
Officina by Nicholas Stefanelli
Opening Spring 2018
Potomac Distilling Company
Opening Spring 2018
This post has been updated with additional information.
