Gone are the chichi cream lounge chairs, slick black tables, and flowing curtains of 901 Restaurant & Bar. Replacing them, City Tap House has invoked all the latest rustic-chic trends du jour: wood and stone walls, a copper bar top, and Prohibition-era black and white photos.
The Philly-based restaurant is set to open the second week of December. The group behind City Tap House also operates Public House and Harrington’s Pub and Kitchen in National Harbor.
With 40 taps plus bottles, beer is one of the main attractions, and a large glass window lets you peek into the keg cooler. Beer Steward Andy Farrell says he plans to bring in a lot of local beers, although there will be a mix of national and international brews, broken down on the menu by style. About 20 of the drafts will be mainstays, and the other 20 will change seasonally. “Maybe there’s a hot brewer that just came into the market, we’ll try to feature that kind of stuff,” Farrell says. “We’re going to try to source some stuff that doesn’t get to D.C.”
About 60 to 70 percent of the beer-centric food menu overlaps with the Philadelphia location, including mussels, brick oven pizzas, and flatbreads. “Craftwiches”—all served with duck fat fries or a salad—range from $12 for a grilled chicken BLT or roasted pork sandwich to $26 for a lobster roll. Entrees ($22 to $32) include Duroc pork collar with cheddar grits and collard greens; rabbit bolognese; and monkfish osso buco. Appetizers unique to the D.C. outpost include foie gras French toast and sweet corn and crab hushpuppies.
Eventually, City Tap House will add happy hour, lunch, and brunch. And Philly better watch out: “What I want,” says general manager and partner Jonathan Ball, “is for this [location] to be the premiere one, the flagship one.”
City Tap House, 901 9th St. NW; (202) 733-5333; citytaphousedc.com
Photos by Jessica Sidman