KitchenCray Chef James Robinson is cooking his signature catfish and grits topped with jumbo lump crabmeat in the District once again.

Capitol Square Bar & Grill, which opened last year, invited Robinson to be a partial owner and executive chef after learning he closed his H Street restaurant following neighborhood pushback against the Black-owned business.

Robinson gladly accepted the opportunity at the restaurant on East Capitol Street NE, a mile south of his now shuttered restaurant. In fact, he just started the job and is already helming the kitchen.

“It’s going to be an excellent partnership,” he tells DCist/WAMU.

Capitol Square Bar & Grill co-owner Clayton Rosenberg says he asked Robinson to join the restaurant because the chef’s story resonated with him. “It’s showing our people that we have to stick together,” Rosenberg tells DCist/WAMU of the partnership between he and Robinson. “We have to support each other.”

Rosenberg, who is also Black, says he faced similar issues with the neighborhood. He initially bumped heads with his Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, including 7D and 6B, over noise complaints. But he’s since found common ground. The restaurant will continue to host DJs inside, as it has an entertainment endorsement, but be cognizant that noise doesn’t carry to outside, says Rosenberg.

Brian Alcorn, vice chair of ANC 7D, confirmed to DCist/WAMU that last spring, he heard from several neighbors who were concerned after seeing the restaurant’s french doors open as a DJ played inside. Alcorn says he observed that as well. He says the neighborhood was supportive of the opening, agreeing to indoor entertainment and a sidewalk cafe in its settlement agreement, but not outdoor music. The restaurant is tucked in a residential neighborhood, with a charter school across the street. Alcorn says he hasn’t fielded complaints since June.

A spokesperson with the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration says the D.C. agency received three complaints in May, June, and September regarding noise and settlement agreement violations. ABCA investigators visited the restaurant following each complaint, but found no violations, the spokesperson says.

Robinson is not fazed by Capitol Square’s past problems with the neighborhood. He says they come with being a Black restaurant owner, particularly in a gentrified neighborhood. A DCist/WAMU investigation found Black-owned businesses on H Street NE faced disproportionate protests against their liquor licenses from the ANC or neighbors compared to other businesses.

Robinson wishes the District would address this hardship Black bar and restaurant owners face. But he’s not waiting for that to happen before heading back to a D.C. kitchen. However, Robinson is no longer looking to open a KitchenCray in the city, saying he wants to go “where people appreciate us.” KitchenCray currently has locations in Lanham and Alexandria.

Robinson says he also decided to join Capitol Square because of the owners’ work in the community. Rosenberg, a D.C. native, is a member of the violence interruption group, Alliance of Concerned Men. (Rosenberg is also an elected commissioner for his southeast neighborhood.) The other owners, Dr. Ogay Irono and Emmanuel Irono, run Tis Foundation, a nonprofit that supports high-poverty communities.

At Capitol Square, the chef plans to add Caribbean soul food, such as chicken and fresh toast and jerk chicken, to a menu that has already been specializing in African cuisine. He plans to tighten the existing menu, but will keep crowd pleasers like puff puff, which is deep fried dough served in a number of African countries.

Robinson has a lot of event ideas too. The chef says he wants to bring his party brunches to Capitol Square, as well as invite chefs from around the world to take over his kitchen for their own tasting menu. Rosenberg welcomes the changes, adding he wants to keep the restaurant’s neighborhood, family-friendly charm.

Robinson hopes neighbors are welcoming of his ideas at Capitol Square, even if some of his previous neighbors weren’t.

“I’d like people to come in and enjoy our culture. I just hope that they can support that and understand what we’re doing,” Robinson says.

Capitol Square is located at 1500 East Capitol St NE and open every day from noon to 10 p.m. on Monday to Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday. 

This post has been updated to include comment from the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration.