🌸 DC Restaurants Are Down 40%—The Real Story

Good morning, DC. WMATA is overhauling 50 bus routes on Sunday, so if your Monday commute feels wrong, now you know why. Hanukkah begins at the Ellipse, Howard and Hampton settle the "Real HU" debate on the hardcourt, and we've got two new bars worth your attention—one with $13 martinis and a kitchen open until 2 AM. Your weekend, sorted.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

If your Metrobus route feels different starting Monday, it's not you—WMATA is implementing its largest bus overhaul of the year on Sunday, December 14, changing 50 routes across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. The biggest addition: a new A29 line connecting Metro Center directly to Alexandria's West Transit Center, with buses running every 24 minutes during rush hour—no transfers required. Route A25 doubles its frequency to every 15 minutes. Route C63 now extends to Georgia Avenue-Petworth Station for better Green Line connections. The C25/C26/C27 routes stop detouring to Congress Heights in favor of more direct service. If you've survived one of these overhauls before, you know the first week is chaos—check your route before Sunday or risk showing up to a stop that no longer serves your line.

While President Trump recently declared DC restaurants are "booming," the people actually running them tell Washingtonian a different story. Business is down 30-40% at many establishments due to a convergence of factors: immigration enforcement has terrified workers, tariffs have increased costs, and federal job cuts have reduced the customer base. One fine-dining manager described seeing "ghost town" crowds on nights that used to be packed. The piece highlights restaurants like Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe, Green Zone, Cork Wine Bar, and Menomale as spots navigating the downturn. Meanwhile, Butterworth's on Capitol Hill has become the de facto MAGA dining headquarters, doing well while others struggle. For DC's dining scene—a source of genuine civic pride—the outlook is grim. Multiple restaurateurs predict things won't improve for at least three years. Context for why your favorite spot might be struggling, and a reminder that "support local" isn't just a slogan right now.

Emily Brown grew up watching her dad bartend at the Bottom Line in New York and treating Old Ebbitt Grill like a birthday destination. She spent years studying what makes a corner bar work—JG Melon, Corner Bistro, the places where the burger's better than it needs to be and the martini costs less than you'd expect. Eebee's Corner Bar opened November 1 at 1840 6th Street NW in Shaw (the former Bistro Bohem space), and it's exactly that: Miller High Life on tap, martinis starting at $13, and a cheeseburger that belongs in the conversation. The turkey club took a year to perfect. The crab dip arrives hot. One bathroom is dedicated entirely to Orioles memorabilia. Two bar areas offer different vibes—walnut in front, copper-top in back—and the kitchen stays open until 2 AM. If you've been waiting for Shaw to get a proper late-night spot with no pretense and no reservation required, it's here.

The Popal Group (Lutèce, Lapis, LaPop) spent two and a half years restoring a 19th-century Adams Morgan brownstone at 1834 Columbia Rd NW—the former Habana Village space—into Maison Bar à Vins, which opened in September and has since become one of the year's most buzzed-about destinations. Executive Chef Matt Conroy, a 2025 James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic semifinalist, leads the kitchen. Advanced Sommelier Chris Ray curates a cellar of over 1,000 bottles. The building features three wood-burning fireplaces, a 12-seat art deco bar, a second-floor lounge for live music, and private dining on the top floor. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, with late-night menus on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight. For a neighborhood that doesn't lack for bars, this one found its own lane—romantic without being precious, ambitious without losing the wine-bar warmth.

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Here’s what’s going on around DC this weekend:

Capital One Arena | Wizards vs. Cavaliers | Affordable NBA tickets for a Friday night downtown—watch young talent develop while the tickets are cheap | 7 PM

Signature Theatre | In Clay | U.S. debut of a new musical about Marie-Berthe Cazin, a French potter whose ambitions collided with 1930s constraints | 8 PM

Capital One Arena | WWE Saturday Night's Main Event | John Cena's final match after 26 years—plus a free fan festival outside with food trucks and photo ops even if you don't have tickets | 8 PM

CareFirst Arena | Battle for the Real HU: Howard vs. Hampton | Historic HBCU rivalry doubleheader—women's game at noon, men's at 3 PM, one ticket covers both | 12 PM

Dupont Circle | DC Holiday Market | 30+ small businesses selling artisanal goods on the 1500 block of 19th Street NW (free, family-friendly) | 10 AM

Lincoln Theatre | Gay Men's Chorus Holiday Show | 200 vocalists, tap-dancing elves, actual snow, and songs ranging from "O Holy Night" to "Santa Daddy" | 8 PM

Strathmore & Kennedy Center | The Washington Chorus: A Candlelit Christmas | Atmospheric holiday choral music by candlelight—Saturday at Strathmore (4 PM, 7:30 PM), Sunday at Kennedy Center (2 PM, 5 PM)

The Ellipse | National Menorah Lighting | First night of Hanukkah celebrated with the world's largest menorah, US Navy Band, hot latkes, and dreidels—advance tickets required (family-friendly) | 3:30 PM

The Anthem | Cash Money Millionaires 30th Anniversary | Birdman, Juvenile, B.G., Turk, and Mannie Fresh reunite for the label that gave us "Back That Azz Up" | 7:30 PM

Capital One Arena | Andrea Bocelli | The Italian tenor brings classical crossover to DC—ideal for parents visiting or a date night that says "I thought about this" | 8 PM

Lincoln Theatre | Gay Men's Chorus Holiday Show | Second weekend performance—same snow, same elves, same joy | 3 PM

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Friday

38 🌡 27 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 6 mph

Saturday

44 🌡 30 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 4 mph

Sunday

31 🌡 19 | 🌧️ 65% | 💨 16 mph

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The Fillmore Silver Spring | Darkest Hour with Bleeding Through | 6:30 PM (local metal heroes return home)

The Anthem | Trisha Paytas | 7:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Bob Schneider | 7:30 PM

The Atlantis | Algernon Cadwallader with Gladie | 7:30 PM (emo revival for the millennials)

The Theater at MGM National Harbor | Earth, Wind & Fire | 8 PM

Soundcheck | Noizu | 10 PM

The Atlantis | Harf with Habe | 7:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Pieces Of A Dream | 7:30 PM

Union Stage | The Dream Syndicate | 8 PM (Paisley Underground legends)

The Theater at MGM National Harbor | Earth, Wind & Fire | 8 PM

The Atlantis | Moon Hooch | 6:30 PM (brass house chaos—bring earplugs)

9:30 Club | All Them Witches with King Buffalo | 7 PM

Music Center at Strathmore | Bela Fleck & The Flecktones | 7:30 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Don McLean | 7:30 PM (yes, that "American Pie")

EagleBank Arena | Xavi | 8 PM

Eight straight losses for the Commanders. Seven straight for the Giants. Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium (1 PM) is less a rivalry and more a support group for fans who watched both franchises crater simultaneously. Jayden Daniels is out with his elbow injury, leaving Marcus Mariota to start in a game where both teams are already eliminated and jockeying for draft position—a sentence no one expected to write after Washington's NFC Championship run last year.

Elsewhere: The Wizards host Cleveland Friday night at Capital One Arena—the Cavs are 19-3 and look like the East's best team, but young talent development is worth watching at these prices. The Capitals are idle this weekend, probably resting up after climbing to first place in the Metropolitan Division.

Till next time,