Things moved slowly for the bar, but Rí Rá Irish Pub has opened in Georgetown at 3125 M St. NW.
The team from Rí Rá signed a lease early this year and originally planned to build out the two-storefront restaurant and add a roof deck. The Old Georgetown Board nixed the roof deck, however, and construction began in October.
The latest location for the Irish pub chain trends toward the upscale, with finishings from a defunct theater in Dublin and a St. Patrick statue that comes from Ireland. Rí Rá also has a location in Clarendon and recently closed its bar in Bethesda; there are nine other locations in other cities around the U.S.
The restaurant, which has revamped the former Mie ‘n’ Yu space, will serve lunch, dinner and late-night drinks daily. A second-floor whiskey room is still under construction.
Rí Rá claims to have the largest selection of Irish whiskey in Washington. The menu pulls from traditional Irish favorites such as Guinness stew and boxty — potato and scallion pancakes filled with various stuffings — as well as American bar food: Think chicken wings, roast chicken and burgers.
