Genika Cafe Opens
Genika Cafe celebrated its long-awaited opening with a ceremonial ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Owner Gennet Tebebu was joined by Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto and other members of the Shaw community for the opening.
Located on the northwest corner of O and Ninth streets, the cafe is named for the Amharic word for a single-origin Arabica coffee grown in Ethiopia. The cafe is open for extended hours, bringing together two experiences in one place – a refined coffee house and a welcoming neighborhood tavern. It offers a relaxed space where guests can enjoy exceptional coffee, fresh food and evening drinks.
During the day, Genika Cafe serves its own brand of specialty coffees sourced from respected growing regions around the world, served as a drip, pour over, French press or espresso. The roasted beans of the Genika brand are also available to take home. The coffee service is complemented by an offering of fresh baked pastries and craft sandwiches. In the evening, the atmosphere shifts into a relaxed tavern experience with beer, wine and classic cocktails.
The opening completes the revitalization of one of Shaw’s worst blights. The building at 1400 Ninth St. NW, formerly a Chinese takeout restaurant, had been vacant and dilapidated for more than two decades due to an owner that had unreasonable sales price expectations. At long last, Shaw’s own United Investments bought the building and renovated and expanded it while preserving the historic facade. Together with the seven residential units above it, the former ugly duckling is now a shining star.
Shaw Spots Get Recognition
Amid the summer doldrums, Shaw businesses have received quite a few accolades.
Washingtonian magazine’s list of the Best of Washington mentioned a number of neighborhood establishments. Shaw’s Laotian restaurant Baan Mae (1604 Seventh St. NW) got the award for Best Fast Food Riff for its elevated Filao-o-fish. Unconventional Diner (1207 Ninth St. NW) won Best Chocolate Cake for its Steffie Kay’s Chocolate Cake. Business phenomenon Eebee’s Corner Bar (1840 Sixth St. NW) was designated the Best Reason to Believe the Hype about it. (Eebee’s got a similar nod from the Washington City Paper as Best Hyped-Up Place Worth the Hype.) RPM Italian (650 K St. NW) has the Best Bread in town. The magazine declared that the Best Cannabis Trend nowadays is exemplified by lounges, with Don Fuego (1126-B Ninth St. NW) among the best. The Pups and Pilates workout at Dog Daze Social Club (1100 Rhode Island Ave. NW) made the best list this year. Washingtonian beauty awards include Gloss Bar (1340 Eighth St. NW) for its scalp treatments and GLO30 (1924 Eighth St. NW) for its use of AI to optimize facials.
Finally, at the celebration of this year’s Best of Washington Awards, there was a competition between local restaurants, with over 80 different small bite samples offered to the attendees. The Critics’ Choice Winner was the summer squash sauce with turmeric and nasturtium created by Timothy Buell, chef de cuisine at The Dabney (122 Blagden Alley NW).
A number of Shaw establishments also got a shout out in Washingtonian’s list of Best Cheap Eats, consisting of their 60 favorite places to find a great meal for less than $25 dollars. Habesha Market (1919 Ninth St. NW), “DC’s most spartan, rough and ready Ethiopian restaurant,” was also “one of its best.” Melange Foods (2108 Eighth St. NW) was noted for chef Elias Taddesse’s weaving of Ethiopian spices into fried chicken dishes. Saints Paradise Cafeteria (601 M St. NW), at the headquarters church of the United House of Prayer for All Peoples, was praised as a dependable DC institution. Taqueria Xochi (924 U St. NW) was “One of DC’s go-to Mexican spots.” Andy’s Pizza (808 V St. NW) was also on the list of best cheap pizza places.
But wait, there’s more. Maxwell Park (1336 Ninth St. NW) made Wine Spectator’s 2026 worldwide restaurant awards list, achieving Best of Award of Excellence. And Brittany Carlson, co-owner of Shaw’s Lulu’s Winegarden, was chosen by the Washingtonian as one of Washington’s Most Stylish People of 2026.
Alley Fest 2026
Alley Living Together, the neighborhood association of the residents of Blagden Alley and Naylor Court, held its annual Alley Fest the evening of Aug. 26. Subtitled the Homecoming Edition, the night saw the community share hot dogs, drinks and memories about the revitalization of the alleys over the years. Former alley resident John Fishell serenaded the crowd with acoustic versions of 90s grunge classics. Videographer Todd Clark reported on his progress producing a documentary on the history of the alleys.
Shaw National Night Out 2026
Shaw held this year’s National Night Out, its celebration of public safety in the neighborhood, on the evening of Aug. 4 at the Kennedy Recreation Center. There were free food and beverages for everyone and a distribution of backpacks for neighborhood students. Attendees included Jeffrey Caroll, the interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, and members of the Third Police District as well as representatives of District agencies and services. The US Secret Service was there, and the US Park Police brought one of its horses to the event.
Coco Delivery Service in Shaw
Carts from the autonomous food delivery service Coco Robotics have been seen in front of prominent Shaw restaurants lately. The autonomous carts are delivering restaurant meals in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and San Jose and are expected to reduce food delivery costs by 20%. Coco intends to “help local businesses grow, make delivery more affordable, reduce unnecessary car trips and build technology that fits naturally into the communities it serves.” The District Department of Transportation has given permits to Coco Robotics and other personal delivery device (PDD) services to operate in a one-mile service area with up to 25 devices for now.
Immaculate Conception Pet Blessing Oct. 4
Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church will hold a blessing of pets on Sunday, Oct. 4, the feast day of Saint Francis. The blessing will start at 12:45 p.m. outside the church. Refreshments will be provided. The event is sponsored by the Ladies Sodality.
