Lapop is one of Adams Morgan’s most inconspicuous cafes. Tucked beneath sister restaurant Lapis, the low-key cafe opened last year and was originally known as Sweet Science, serving as a gathering spot for coffee, yoga, and fellowship. Starting this week, that identity has been boosted with an all-new evening cocktail program and a menu of Afghan-inspired small bites.
“It had long been a goal of ours to transition Lapop into a sophisticated evening destination,” says co-owner Omar Popal, who with the Popal group owns Lapis along with The Berliner and Cafe Bonaparte in Georgetown.
At about 2,200 square feet, the revamped Lapop includes a long bar with ten or so stools, and a lounge of couches, tables, and chairs. The decor echoes the bohemian vibes of 19th-century Paris and Vienna coffee houses and features unique drinks developed by head of mixology Gordon Nester. He says he hopes to serve fun cocktails that avoid getting boxed in to any one style.
“I’m a creative by nature, so I like to mess around with flavors and presentations,” says Nester, who previously spent time behind the bar at Bloomingdale’s Truxton Inn.
When developing the menu for Lapop, he recalls searching through recipe books from the late 1800’s and 1900’s for drinks he could augment with ingredients like fruit and produce to make them more dynamic. His first ten recipes all share literary titles in honor of Lapop’s large selection of books (more on that later).
The mezcal-based None of us Cared for Kate is one drink that Gordon says has been especially popular during the opening. The agave spirit is livened up with orange and lime topped with housemade kiwi-ginger-habanero soda.
“You get some smoke, some heat and a lot of citrus,” he says. “I like to up the ante as far as spice goes.”
On the whole, the beverage menu is peppered with eccentric and unexpected elements. It’s designed to appeal to cocktail enthusiasts, but remains approachable to those who normally prefer beer, wine, or mixed drinks. Take the Stone Virgin, a nutty bourbon and sherry sipper balanced with lemon and a homemade apricot and blackberry vinegar shrub. It’s got boozy notes for sure, but without the alcohol burn a bourbon can often bring.
“I try best to take out any sort of pretentiousness that might come along with it,” Nester says. “I wanted it to be a place that I would go as a patron, not just somewhere where I worked.”
Indeed, the team wants Lapop to be engaged with its community. The bar plans to host music and art events and is also partnered with Georgetown bookshop The Lantern—which raises scholarship funds for Bryn Mawr College—to sell used books. Customers can browse books from Lapop’s many shelves, and proceeds will go to The Lantern and to a charity that funds women’s education in Popal’s native Afghanistan.
Lapop also serves a selection of Afghan-inspired small bites, and Nester’s cocktails pair up well with casual snacks. Options include sauteed turmeric-ginger shrimp, feta with black bean salad, and lamb meatballs with yogurt and mint.
And Lapop’s easy and approachable vibes don’t signal a lack of ambition. The bar hopes to introduce one-night-only drink specials that may be overly ambitious for repeated services. On one recent evening, Nester and his staff were riffing on carrot juice cocktails, tweaking the recipe multiple times during service. Other possible ideas involve building a savory cocktail with cheese or incorporating chickpea water (aquafaba) as a vegan egg white substitute.
“I want to use this opportunity to do some weird stuff,” Nester says.
Lapop is located at 1847 Columbia Ave. NW (separate entrance from Lapis). Cocktail hours are Wednesday- Sunday 6 p.m. to close. Lunch is available weekdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lapop Menu February 2019 by on Scribd
