Openings: Circa, Izakaya

Circa opened its doors today at 1601 Connecticut Ave., which formerly housed WrapWorks. Stop in for coffee and pastries in the morning, soup and salad for lunch, and small and medium-sized plates and pizza into the evening. Late-night hours run to 2 a.m.

The corner space offers a variety of seating options, including a tall table that runs down the center of the room and stools at the well-stocked bar with a flat-screen TV. And if it ever gets warm, there's also a patio.

The cafe is owned by the same company that operates two area franchises of Greenberry's Coffee and Tea Cos. in McLean and Leesburg. Two more Greenberry's are planned for Rockville and Frederick, along with, according to the company's Web site, an additional twenty stores in the next five to seven years.

Also joining the casual dining scene is the P Street Whole Foods' new Asian diner, Izakaya. The menu includes sushi, dumplings, vegetable tempura, fried rice, salmon teriyaki and rice bowls. Diners order at one corner of the bar and grab a seat wherever. A cook shuttles the food out to you when its ready.

The bar also offers eye-catching flowering teas at $4 a pop. The nifty Bodum mugs keep the tea piping hot but shield your hands from the heat.

The diner takes its name from the Japanese watering holes where businessmen traditionally gather for drinks and a meal. Too bad alcohol isn't part of DC's new Izakaya.

Comments

Michael said…
Amanda ... I looked at the time and I guess it is close to Happy Hour. It's time to look for alcohol.
4/17/2007 4:57 PM
Anonymous said…
Having lived in Japan for 6 years, Izakaya is a pretty dumb name for a place that doesn't serve alcohol. The whole point of an izakaya (it's a generic term) is a place to have drinks and maybe something to snack on.
4/18/2007 1:13 AM
x said…
I think the alcohol issue is related to WF's voluntary agreement with the neighborhood. It is, ultimately, a grocery store -- not a restaurant.

They probably should have come up with a better name.
4/18/2007 9:08 AM
Anonymous said…
I am definitely going to try Circa out, but I have to say I am disappointed with the prices on their menu (most entrees push $20). I was hoping for a more casual 'Busboys and Poets'-type place - which IMO is what this city needs most.
4/20/2007 10:19 AM
Rindonesia said…
there is a Greenberry's in Rosslyn/Courthouse on Wilson - i always wonder why it never gets mentioned.
4/27/2007 9:05 AM
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