The saga of the would-be Spanish restaurant inside the historic Old Post Office finally comes to a conclusion with José Andrés as the victor.

Andrés and his restaurant group are set to open The Bazaar Wednesday in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel — formerly the Trump International Hotel — in downtown D.C. The restaurant has been a longtime aspiration for the Spanish-born chef — one that went unrealized for years amid Andrés’ legal fight with the hotel’s former owner.

The restaurant will open starting with breakfast service Wednesday, and reservations are expected to go online at that time.

Though its situated on Pennsylvania Avenue between seats of federal power, the restaurant aims to serve everyone, says José Andrés Group President Sam Bakhshandehpour.

“All walks of life are welcome. Come sit around the table,” Bakhshandehpour tells DCist/WAMU. “What excited us was really the spirit of José Andrés Group and the man himself as a unifier, someone who brings people together around an incredible meal. And if you and I sit there and have discourse and disagree on every topic, but as long as we have this incredible meal, we walk away being like, ‘decent person, incredible meal. I really enjoyed it.'”

The restaurant has approximately 240 seats spread out on two levels. Its design, by Spanish firm Lázaro Rosa-Violán, aims to show off the building’s grandiose architecture. Near the main lobby entrance, a six-seat green aqua quartzite bar greets guests with a variety of finishes, including textured glass, handcrafted tiles, and fabrics embellished with fringe.

Upstairs, there are emerald velvet banquettes, black marble tables and hammered brass lighting fixtures, along with floral accent fabrics that were custom-designed and inspired by the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, according to an opening press release.

Andrés has several Bazaar restaurants and spinoffs since the first one in Beverly Hills, California opened in 2008, and the D.C. location will similarly pay homage to Andrés’ Spanish roots with tapas-style dishes. It can also be pricey, with small plates ranging from about $10 to $20, and larger ones going for as much as $68 — that would be the Japanese Wagyu.

The menu touches on both Spanish and American classics. Some dishes give nods to U.S. history — something the chef has shown his penchant for in the past. There’s an “Eisenhower Stew,” made with potatoes, carrots, demi-sec tomatoes, and braised beef cheeks, a twist on his well-known dish that alludes to the former president. There’s also the “Crab Louie” cone, served with Marie Rose sauce, avocado, garden pickles; a Lobster “Newberg,” which is seared Norwegian lobster in brioche; and “Philly Cheesesteak” a delicate air bread stuffed with cheddar and topped with Wagyu beef — all American classics with a bit of flair.

Longtime Andrés enthusiasts will find the menu familiar if they look hard. Cotton Candy Foie Gras, which dates back to the earliest days of minibar, makes an appearance, as do conch fritters that formerly graced the menu at the chef’s now-shuttered Latin American restaurant Café Atlántico.

Other factors unique to the D.C. location is it’ll be open for breakfast and have a jamón bar. The menu serves jamón “hand-cut from the famous acorn-fed, black-footed Spanish pig” for $40 for a 1-oz portion — classic Catalan tomato bread on the side will run you an additional $13. The jamón bar can also recommend wine or cocktail pairings for the meat.

About 75% of the menu will be available when Bazaar opens, per Bakhshandehpour. The restaurant will spotlight local ingredients, particularly seafood, such as Rappahannock oysters and other Chesapeake Bay offerings. A breakfast dish that Bakhshandehpour is excited about is The Bazaar’s take on the eggs benedict, which features Maryland blue crab.

“One of the beauties of Bazaar is you can go and be a pescatarian, you can go in and be a carnivore who wants to eat meat, or you can be a vegetarian, and walk away with your mind blown as to how incredible the journey was,” he says. “The dishes are truly art.”

As many hotel restaurants are, Bazaar is open all day for breakfast, lunch, dinner. To ensure different dining experiences, breakfast and lunch will be served at the lower level and dinner on the upper mezzanine level. The bar is also open all day; will Bazaar become a more central option for local politico deal making? Only time will tell.)

The Old Post Office Pavilion’s storied history appealed to Andrés. The building used to be the city’s post office, which was built in the late 19th century and became an iconic superstructure for many a reason. The Old Post Office Pavilion stands out, being the city’s second-tallest structure, after the Washington Monument, and a significant work of Romanesque Revival, another renowned example of the architecture style is the Smithsonian Castle.

“It has been 30 years since I first came to D.C., and to have The Bazaar open in this beautiful, historic building that has always held a special place for me, is an American dream come true,” Andrés said in a statement.

Andrés told the Washington Post that he became interested in opening a restaurant inside the Old Post Office Pavilion thanks to former New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. The Democratic senator dined at Jaleo, the downtown restaurant that jump-started Andrés’ culinary career, and the two became friends. “He said, ‘José, maybe someday you will open your own place there,’” Andrés recalled. (The Bazaar’s menu commemorates the interaction, naming a butifarra, sausage and white bean stew, after the senator.)

And that “someday” seemed about to happen in 2014, when Andrés signed on to open a restaurant in the Trump International Hotel set to occupy the building. But Andrés later pulled out of the deal after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump made racist remarks about Mexicans. Local activists who had called on the chef to not move forward with the new restaurant rejoiced in the decision. Then a bitter battle unfolded: Trump threatened to sue over 10 years of allegedly agreed-to rent, then he actually moved forward with a lawsuit, and Andrés countersued for an initial breach of contract. Eventually, the parties settled for terms, that were largely undisclosed.

The story could have easily ended there. Instead, last year, the Trump family sold the lease of the 263-room luxury hotel, after the pandemic exacerbated an already tenuous financial situation. The purchaser was global investment firm CGI Merchant Group — of which Andrés is a shareholder. The firm lined up Waldorf Astoria, a luxury hotel and resort brand from Hilton Worldwide, to operate the space.

Waldorf Astoria successfully moved in and opened within weeks of the deal closing — right around the time they announced that Andrés would after all open a flagship restaurant in the hotel.

POV: Trump sues you for $10 million for backing out of a business deal and 8 years later you open a restaurant in his former hotel pic.twitter.com/pDyUwXvpyj

— Jessica Sidman (@jsidman) February 6, 2023

Cue Andrés’ triumphant return. The restaurant takes the place of BLT Prime, the only local restaurant Trump ever went to in his four years in D.C. Bakhshandehpour didn’t sound interested in rehashing the fight between Andrés and Trump. The deal made sense, he said, because the José Andrés Group and Hilton have partnered on other projects, and both are headquartered in the D.C. area.

The Bazaar also increases Andrés’ footprint in the District, which includes Michelin-starred Minibar, along with Zaytinya, China Chilcano, Oyamel, Spanish Diner, and his first restaurant in the city, Jaleo.

“It has nothing to do with looking backwards and everything to do with looking forwards,” says Bakhshandehpour. “To deliver The Bazaar experience in our hometown and then create this oasis where people can come together and really enjoy life and have discourse and experience.”

The Bazaar DC is located at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW and open daily for breakfast from 6:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and afternoon snacks from 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Dinner is served Sunday – Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. The bar is open 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

This story has been updated to correct the number of seats.