As the summer comes to a close, spice up your lunch hour at the new foodie-focused marketplace coming to International Square. The Square (1850 K St. NW) is a collaborative food hall that will feature 15 of the District’s best restaurants and bars in the heart of downtown.
The collection of eateries will officially open to the public on Tuesday Sept. 5. The spacious, open-concept design features ample seating and a variety of different food and drink options. The first phase of the opening showcases flavors from around the world from restaurants: Cashion’s Rendezvous, Jamón Jamón, Brasa, Taqueria Xochi, Yaocho, Junge’s and Atrium Bar.
Creator of Union Market, Richie Brandenburg, former Creative Director of the José Andrés Group, Rubén García, and Tishman Speyer collaborated to create this diverse marketplace. While the food hall contains several separate stalls from which restaurants can operate, the “backbone” of the concept is collaborative. The space will include a commissary kitchen featuring a communal bakery, butchery, several prep kitchens, a central ordering system and liquor purchasing power.
“Our goal was two-fold: to create a best-in-class hospitality offering with delicious foods for our guests, and behind the scenes, create the strong, complex infrastructure needed to nurture both young chefs and seasoned professionals, startups, and innovation within our industry,” Brandenburg said.
When completed, the project will cover more than 25,000 square feet of space inside International Square. Neighborhood residents, tourists and working professionals are all sure to find an appealing spot in the vast food hall.
The Square restaurant stalls will be open for lunch Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Atrium Bar will be open Tuesday through Thursday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with plans to expand service to evenings and weekends in the near future. Visit dcthesquare.com for more information.
Sarah Payne is a reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@hillrag.com.
