By Reed Landry
Four flights of stairs carry you away from the U Street hubbub up to the Hawthorne’s twinkling rooftop terrace. Once here, you can calm your burning quads with the bar’s signature drink, the Hawthorne Smash, which is made with bourbon and two fruit infusions of your choice. Climate-phobes rejoice: The terrace’s retractable glass roof wards off D.C.’s muggy summers and snowy winters.
By Reed Landry
This U Street bar and restaurant makes the “Hawthorne Crush” available at brunch. The drink is straightforward with fresh-squeezed orange, triple sec, Stoli vodka, and a splash of Sprite.
By Reed Landry
Hawthorne’s rooftop is glass-enclosed so it isn’t the most al fresco option to debut this season. But it does have a retractable roof and also offers 360 degree views of the city.
By Reed Landry
This new bistro on U Street houses four floors of bar and restaurants and is capped with a glass-enclosed rooftop bar with retractable roof.
The View: A 360-degree view of the DC skyline, including panoramic shots of the Washington Monument and The Capitol
What to Order: Chesapeake mussels with duck fat fries ($20); lamb sandwich ($14); lobster mac ‘n’ cheese ($18)
Insider Tip: Half-price drinks during happy hour, which runs from 5–7 PM daily; other happy hour deals include $7 BLT pork sliders, $5 craft beer, $6 wine selections and a $7 Hawthorne Smash cocktail
By Reed Landry
5. The Hawthorne — A new U Street staple to add to your list! The Hawthorne is launching a Saturday program on their open-air rooftop with specials starting at noon. The rooftop fun includes rotating craft beers, shot specials and a bottomless mimosa brunch. Enjoy amazing sites and delicious bites every Saturday this summer. 1336 U St. NW, 202.853.9194
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By Reed Landry
The Hawthorne’s retractable glass roof now opens at noon at Saturdays for weekend day-drinking, with happy hour specials offered. During the rest of the week, Hawthorne opens at 5 p.m., and offers impressive views of U Street and the city at sunset.
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By Reed Landry
How Many Seats: 40
What to Order: Garlic shrimp; bacon and beer mussels; lamb sandwich
Good to Know: The glass roof is retractable, and happy hour — offered Tuesday through Sunday from 5–7 PM — includes half-price mussels, $5 craft beers and select wines for $6.
By Hawthorne
Battery anxiety has spawned a micro-industry of pay-by-the-minute cellphone charging lockers. A portable battery — or, even better, free in-bar outlets — are now a basic amenity in restaurants and bars.
“It’s the new coat hook,” said Fritz Brogan, who owns Mission in Dupont Circle and Hawthorne on U Street. He has installed both regular and USB outlets at every seat in the latter.
Brogan used to have a charger locked into a wall at Mission, but, he says, a guest stole it within four hours of installation. He used to let bartenders charge phones behind the bar, but that became too much of a chore. “It was slowing things down,” he said. “Other customers were annoyed that they weren’t getting their drinks fast enough.”
Besides, he didn’t want to be responsible for any mishaps.
“We had an incident where someone had liquor spilled on their phone. The customer wanted us to pay for it,” he said. A few times, phones would mysteriously disappear from behind the bar. “We ended up paying for it,” he said. “That was the last straw.”
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By Hawthorne
A new four-level, 6,500 square foot restaurant with a retractable glass roof is now open for dinner service on U Street. Hawthorne has been open at 1336 U Street NW—the tall and narrow space Tabaq Bistro occupied for several years—since December. Food will be made by Dorothy “Dot” Steck, who previously helmed the kitchen at El Camino in Bloomingdale.
By Hawthorne
This spot opened about a week ago, offering a burger ($14; pictured above) made with an 80/20 blend of Creekstone Farms chuck and brisket ground daily in Baltimore and placed on a brioche roll. It’s topped with your choice of truffled cheddar or Maytag blue cheese, plus lettuce, tomato, onion and garlic aioli, and served with duck fat fries. There’s also a housemade chipotle ketchup, and housemade pickles are coming soon.
