Popular New York burger joint Shake Shack opened its third D.C. location Monday, taking the place of the former Spy City Cafe next to the International Spy Museum at 800 F St. NW.
Shake Shack, part of Union Square Hospitality Group LLC, opened its first local restaurant in Dupont Circle in May 2011 and then added a Shake Shack at Nationals Park that same summer.
The Penn Quarter location’s menu includes the burgers, fries and shakes that Shake Shack is known for, as well as some D.C.-specific items, including the Beltway Blonde “concrete,” a mixture of vanilla custard, cheesecake blondie, caramel sauce and bananas, and Doughnuts are Forever, which mixes custard, a coconut doughnut from nearby Astro Doughnuts, strawberry jam and rainbow sprinkles.
Shake Shack is the second new opening at 800 F St. NW in recent weeks; nopa bar and kitchen opened in the former Zola restaurant space earlier this year.
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Shake Shack won’t be the last opening in Penn Quarter this summer. FroZenYo frozen yogurt shop plans to open July 3 at 712 Seventh St. NW, in part of the former Ruby Tuesday restaurant space. FroZenYo’s self-serve model has made it overwhelmingly popular in the D.C. region. The chain now has 17 locations in the this region and Boston. It plans to open five more in the next two months.
Later this summer, Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is expected to open on the heavily trafficked stretch of Seventh Street NW across from Verizon Center. The fast-casual Mexican chain, owned by Ruby Tuesday Inc., plans an Aug. 21 opening at 726 Seventh St.
Also opening in the next couple of weeks will be the latest venture from “Top Chef” alumnus Mike Isabella. Kapnos, a Greek restaurant, is scheduled to open at 2201 14th St. NW on July 5. Kapnos, which means “smoke” in Greek, will have a menu that includes meat from spit-roasted whole animals, shared mezze plates and other Northern Greek specialties.
Isabella expects to open a sister restaurant in the same location, an Italian eatery called G, a few weeks after Kapnos opens. G will serve Italian sandwiches — some of them using the spit-roasted meats from Kapnos – during the day and a four-course, price-fixed menu at night.
And continuing our tour of openings on 14th Street NW, Italian restaurant Bar di Bari opened June 23, making it restaurateur Aaron Gordon’s second restaurant on the strip. Gordon has said he wants Bar di Bari to be a casual, neighborhood spot that operates like a European café.
