Many More Restaurants Coming to Wharf

The recent opening of Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips, The Pendry hotel, and The Tides apartments has injected a bit of new energy into the Wharf experience especially in the Phase 2 area. More is coming…a lot more.

Little Chicken and &Pizza will open on the Maine Ave. side of Phase 1 in 2023, and LiveK Karaoke is set to open December 16. An additional 11 Phase 2 restaurants previously announced, ready to open in the coming months, including, Blank Street Coffee, Bartaco, Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, Kilwins Chocolates and Ice Cream, Lucky Buns, Mason’s Lobster Rolls, Philippe Chow Chinese, Kinfolk Southern Kitchen, Lumani, Slice of Matchbox, and Milk & Honey Cafe.

Word is also spreading that Ryan Ratino, who already has two Michelin-starred restaurants in DC (Bresca and Jônt) is making plans to open a small European style restaurant at the Wharf with a small cocktail bar. 

Five of the new restaurants coming to Phase 2 are local DC area businesses, including Matchbox, Milk & Honey, Bartaco, Lucky Buns, and Kinfolk Southern Kitchen. 

By the numbers: once all Wharf restaurants are up and running next year, visitors and residents will have a lot of choices from seafood to burgers to pizza. Here are some interesting numbers: 

• 9 seafood restaurants: Hanks Oyster Bar, Rappahannock Oyster Bar, Jessie Taylor Seafood, Del Mar, Fat Fish, Limani, NaRa-Ya, Mason’s Lobster Rolls, and Gordon Ramsay’s Fish & Chips. 

• 5 breakfast locations: Toastique, Chopsmith, Colada Shop, Bistro du Jour, Milk & Honey. 

• 4 pizza purveyors: Union Pie, Lupo Marino, Matchbox, and &Pizza. 

• 4 coffee shops: Bistro du Jour (via Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery/La Colombe), Colada Shop, Starbucks, and Blank Street. 

• 3 ice cream shops: SW Soda Shop; Ben & Jerry’s; Kilwins Fudge and Ice Cream.

Here’s a rundown of what to expect with restaurants announced so far: 

&Pizza – local DC favorite pizza joint serving up an assortment of pies and knots. It will be located across from Fat Fish on Maine Ave. 

Bartaco – Arlington, Va based company serving tacos, rice bowls and margaritas. Bartaco operates in 12 states plus DC. The Wharf location will be 645 Wharf Street near Pendry and The Tides apartment building. 

Blank Street Coffee – this Brooklyn based coffee shop serves coffee hot, iced, and seasonal in addition to baked goods and breakfast tacos. 

Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen – the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, expands his Las Vegas based signature restaurant to WB2 at 652 Wharf Street this year. The menu includes seared foie gras, heirloom tomato burrata salad, to beef Wellington. 

Kilwins Chocolates & Ice Cream – will be providing hot and cold confections at the Wharf.  Kilwins, based in Michigan is a national chain with two locations in DC and one in Alexandria. Kilwins Wharf will be located at 663 Water Street in the breezeway near Riley Street.

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen – will specialize in southern cuisine offering biscuits/gravy, chicken & waffles, and barbeque. The location will be owned and operated by the owners of LaVie and Nara-ya.

Limani – a Mediterranean seafood restaurant that will focus on Greek cuisine is slated to go into WB1. The limited chain is based in NYC and has an outpost in Roslyn, Va. The menu is focused on seafood and includes shellfish, whole fish, and traditional non-seafood options.

Little Chicken – from the owner of Grazie Grazie, this fried chicken joint serves up chicken by the box, tenders, and sandwiches at reasonable prices. A full bar will be available with fun cocktails, wines, and buckets of PBR. Little Chicken will be located across Pearl Street from Colada Shop. 

Lucky Buns – local DC sloppy burger joint with daily cocktail specials. The company uses hand formed burgers from Creekstone Beef, makes their pickles, sauces, and spreads in house, and gets fresh baked buns from DC bakery Pop’s Buns. It will be located at 675 Wharf Street. 

Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls – this Annapolis based fast casual restaurant will be located at 681 Water Street near the “oculus.” As the name suggests, Mason’s will serve several variations of lobster rolls. 

Slice of Matchbox – this DC area institution is coming to the Wharf with its brick oven pizzas menu. Matchbox offers 10” and 14” pizzas including a spicy fire & smoke, chicken pesto, and fig & prosciutto. Matchbox will likely be located on Maine Ave. 

Milk & Honey Cafe – this sister company to Matchbox (both owned by Thompson Hospitality Corp.) serves New Orleans themed Southern brunch all day. The menu features shrimp and grits, sweet potato waffle with pecan caramel, deep fried salmon hash, and cocktails. This location is expected to be located on Maine Ave. 

Philippe by Philippe Chow – this high-end Chinese restaurant will be located on the ground floor of Amaris (635 Wharf Street). The Wharf location represents Philippe’s first expansion out of NYC. The menu includes traditional Chinese fare served family style.