PROJECTED OPENING: Summer 2024 1452 4th Street NE M. Frances, a non-profit fine dining restaurant from The Lee Initiative, will be opening in DC's Union Market neighborhood this Summer. M. Frances's mission will be to serve as a think-tank project, implementing real time research and solutions for independent restaurants to be more sustainable, innovative, and fair. With the help of university partners, mentor chefs, and an in-house research team, M. Frances will tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the restaurant industry and publish the findings in an open-source method. M. Frances will be the first of its kind in America. The restaurant will offer a hyper-local and seasonal seven-course tasting menu which will be created by a collective of chefs rather than the traditional Executive Chef method. The all-female culinary team will consist of: Chef Amy Brandwein, Chef Lisa Donovan, Chef Liliana Myers, Chef AuCo Lai, Chef Taylor Davis, and Lindsay Ofcacek. For more information, visit The LEE Initiative's website here. 

PROJECTED OPENING: Fall 2024 10128 River Road, Potomac, MD Duke's Grocery will be expanding and opening a location this Fall in Potomac, Maryland's Potomac Village Shopping Center. Guests at this new Potomac location can anticipate the menu to include Duke Grocery's staples such as Massive Sarnies, Seasonal Bevvies, Hearty Salads, Local Beers, and more. Duke's Grocery Potomac will feature a 32-seat dining room, a 14-seat bear area, a 10-seat high top seating area, a 16-seat banquette seating area, and a 24-seat outdoor dining area. For more information, visit their website here.

PROJECTED OPENING: May 2024 8200 Dixon Avenue, Silver Spring, MD Silver Spring's new culinary collective, Solaire Social, will be opening this May from Chef/Restauranteur Akhtar Nawab of Hospitality HQ. This new 13,000 square-foot dining destination and bar will feature a collection of artisan concepts that will provide a stage for chef-driven culinary concepts to showcase a curated experience enriched by diverse food and entertainment. In addition to the 40-seat bar and entertainment stage, the food vendors, chosen by Chef Akhtar, are a mix of people that make up the fabric of Silver Spring from Fried Chicken to Sushi, Thai, Indian, and Brazilian, to a Butcher and Deli, and African inspired ice cream. The current list includes: Just Chicken, Kabab 2 Go, Kati Roll Wala, Pau & Sophia's Thai Kitchen, Shuga x Ice, SOKO, Fire Pit Brazilian Cuisine & Barbecue, and Manna Sushi. For more information, visit their website here.

PROJECTED OPENING: Spring 2024 699 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA A new hotel, Hotel Heron, will open in the heart of Alexandria this Spring. Originally opened in 1926 as the George Mason Hotel, Hotel Heron will combine the iconic inn with a new building that houses a modern event space and elevated guest rooms. This new 134 room boutique hotel will have a ground floor restaurant serving hearth inspired Mid-Atlantic cuisine, a cozy craft cocktail bar in the heart of the hotel, and an open-air seasonal rooftop bar with views of the Potomac. Some amenities include a state-of-the-art fitness center and meeting spaces. For more information, click here.

PROJECTED OPENING: Summer 2024 1321 Linden Court NE Chef Erik Bruner-Yang, Pedro Tobar, and Daniel Gonzalez will be opening a new neighborhood cocktail bar, Providencia, this Summer. The dinner and drinks menu will highlight the ingredients from their home countries (Taiwan, Mexico, and El Salvador). The two-story space will feature a large bar with 15 seats and an intimate lounge with 8 - 12 seats. 

PROJECTED OPENING: May 15th, 2024 200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Sixty Vines will be opening its first DC location this May in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Sixty Vines is known for its revolutionary wine on-tap program and vineyard inspired cuisine. Guests can get excited to sip 60 different wines on tap from wine regions across the world. The menu will feature dishes inspired by seasons and made with fresh and local ingredients. The space will span across 11,000 square-feet and will have a indoor seating, outdoor patio seating, a full bar, and a greenhouse for private events. Sixty Vines Foggy Bottom will be open for brunch, lunch, and dinner service. Guests can get excited for menu options such as Wood Grilled Bavette Steak, Atlantic Salmon, Grilled Halibut, and more. For more information, visit their website here. 

PROJECTED OPENING: Spring 2024 3501 Connecticut Avenue NW Gina Chersevani will be opening Buffalo & Bergen's third location in DC's Cleveland Park neighborhood this Spring. The menu at this new Cleveland Park location will be expanded from its Union Market and Capitol Hill predecessor. Some new offerings include Danishes in the morning and a “Carb Bar” available later in the day. Other highlights include “Hot Pockets”, Pizzas, and other dishes that will reflect Chersevani's Italian heritage. Not only will dishes include regional and seasonal ingredients, Buffalo & Bergen also imports dough from A&S Bagels in New York. The coffee service will feature beans from Ceremony Coffee and the beverage program is centered around a vintage soda machine. For more information, visit their website here.

PROJECTED OPENING: May 2024 1506 19th Street NW Will Patton and Devin Kennedy will be opening a new record bar and cocktail lounge in Dupont Circle this May. Press Club will offer two experiences that are inspired by the A & B sides of a record. For those who want the comfort of classics, they can enjoy the a la carte “Track List” menu (8 - 12 cocktails; rotates bi-annually). For those who are looking for a more deep-cut and curated experience, they can enjoy the “Play List” menu (4 cocktail flights; rotates bi-monthly). The cocktails will be inspired y songs Patton and Kennedy love and arranged to resemble the flow of a record. For more information, visit their website here.

PROJECTED OPENING: June 2024 9811 Washingtonian Center Drive, Gaithersburg, MD Chris Zhu will be opening his latest restaurant venture, Han Spot, in the space formerly home to Union Jack in Gaithersburg's Rio Center this Summer. The menu at Han Spot will feature Cantonese Dim Sum, Peking Duck, and other popular dishes from Zhu's Han Palace & China Garden. The space will provide guests with a garden setting, that will be surrounded by faux trees and flowers. The Dim Sum at Han Spot will be offered all day and customers can choose from an a la carte menu or unlimited menu tasting, making it the first unlimited menu tasting in Maryland. For more information, click here.

PROJECTED OPENING: April 2024 1550 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA Peter Chang and his daughter Lydia Chang will be opening their latest venture together, NiHao, in the National Landing neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia this April. NiHao will be an all-day modern Chinese concept that will highlight Sichuan cuisine through shareable plates that leads into Chang's signature use of peppers and spice. There will be a focus on dim sum at this new Arlington location, that is different from its Baltimore predecessor. Erik Bruner-Yang is also a partner in this new project. Some highlights guests can look forward to enjoying at NiHao include Clay Pot Noodle Soup, Braised Eggplant and Tofu, Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles, and more. For more information, visit their website here.