Coming Soon: CommonWealth

Some delicious details have finally emerged about chef Jamie Leeds' next restaurant, CommonWealth, set to open in Columbia Heights in mid-summer.

Leeds and operating partner Sandy Lewis, who also run two popular Hank's Oyster Bars, have dubbed the new venture “the people’s gastropub.”

Located in the Highland Park building at 1400 Irving St. NW, CommonWealth will have a serious case of Anglophilia. Young Brit bands will play on the sound system, and British football will air when available. Checkers, backgammon and chess will be set up in the pub area, which will stay open between lunch and dinner and for late-night snacks.

Each week will end with a traditional British “Sunday Roast” — an afternoon supper, featuring a selection of roasted meats like lamb and rabbit, purchased locally when possible, with accompanying sides served family style.

The regular menu will offer a lighter version of traditional British fare using local ingredients and modern techniques. Yanks may need a translation for dishes like potted shrimp, toad in a hole and pork pastie. Also on the menu: fish and chips, bangers and mash, Welsh rarebit, steak and Guinness pie and sticky toffee pudding.

The extensive beer list will focus on American microbrews and top beers from the UK.

The design, overseen by Eric Gronning of Gronning Architects (Hank's, Cork), will be eco-friendly using reclaimed wood salvaged from barns.

And for the basic stats: CommonWealth will have 150 seats, which includes a private dining room for 30, a pub area seating 40 and an outdoor patio. It will be open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.