Chef Michael Rafidi, whose Middle Eastern restaurant Albi earned a one-star Michelin rating this spring and was named one of the 11 Best New Restaurants in America by Eater last year, is opening a second location of its sister restaurant YELLOW in Georgetown this fall.
The original YELLOW, adjacent to Albi in Navy Yard, will bring its Levantine cuisine to 1524 Wisconsin Ave. NW, next to French restaurant Lutece. Its menu includes pastries, wood-fired pitas and some items unique to the Georgetown location, including shawarma-style sandwiches in place of pita pockets, plus retail wine and beer.
The Georgetown menu will also include Steeha lamb meat pie and flatbreads with za’atar, a popular Lebanese street food breakfast. It will serve Turkish coffee and a rotating draft of lattes as well.
The Georgetown location will have all-day hours. The 1,700 square foot cafe’s dining room will seat 30, with an additional 30-seat outdoor patio.
It will be the third solo restaurant for owner Rafidi, who comes from D.C. restaurants such as Arroz and Requin. All three restaurants focus on cuisine from the region that includes Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Palestine, centered on coal-fired cooking.