The famous chili cheese half-smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl. | Rey Lopez/Eater DC This is Eater’s guide to all the new restaurants, bars, and cafes that have opened in April. If there’s an opening in your neighborhood that we’ve missed, let us know at [email protected]. Spotlight opening U S treet: Ben’s Chili Bowl — the birthplace of D.C.’s iconic half-smoke covered in chili and cheese, arguably the city’s most recognizable dish that’s steeped in history — reopened its original location on Friday, May 1, after a nearly year-long hiatus. The U Street storefront closed last summer for the first time in six decades in order to perform much-needed repair work to its building, which dates back to 1910. Back-end upgrades included new stoves, grills, air conditioning, wiring, and plumbing. Ben’s will soon replace the current mural on its brick facade for the first time in nearly 10 years, taking a call for featured suggestions — activists, historical figures, celebrities, D.C. legends, or athletes — now through May 10. The restaurant held a grand reopening party on Friday afternoon, complete with a street closure, a go-go music performance, a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by its 92-year-old founder, Virginia Ali, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and filmmaker Spike Lee, with extended hours until 4 a.m. on Saturday. Ben’s also maintains an outpost on H Street NE, stands in Nationals Park, Northwest Stadium, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, airport presence at IAD and DCA, and in Giant grocery stores. Ben’s Chili Bowl heads to Rockefeller Center’s haute NYC hot dog shop 5 Acres this month for a one-day pop-up on Tuesday, May 14, pairing its half-smokes with chef Greg Baxtrom’s spiced fries. 1208 U Street NW And the others… Adams Morgan: Jon Sybert and Jill Tyler, the fine dining vets behind Adams Morgan’s Michelin-starred favorite Tail Up Goat (which closed in December after a decade), turned the same tucked-away real estate into a counter-service spot on Thursday, April 2. Named for the couple’s two adopted dogs, Rye Bunny highlights Sybert’s calling cards (produce-heavy, seasonal, mid-Atlantic) in a more casual format. Opening options include half-fried bobo chicken and Sunday ragu, plus a wine list from beverage director Audrey Dowling (with a $35 corkage fee for dine-in guests, too). Tail Up Goat’s stark canvas underwent a full-blown transformation by Edit at Streetsense, complete with folk-art influences, stained-glass partitions, antique wooden chairs, and punches of color in plum, mustard, and maroon. 1827 Adams Mill Road NW Arlington: D.C. mini-chain Spot of Tea makes its Virginia debut in National Landing’s all-outdoor Water Park on Friday, April 24. Founded by friends and college classmates Dillon Chai, Glenn Baginski, and David Cooper, Spot of Tea specializes in playful bubble teas and flavor combos like strawberry-matcha and hibiscus-mango. During the stall’s opening weekend, all drinks are half off, and customers have a chance to win a matcha prize pack. Other locations sit in Dupont and Union Market. 1601 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia Arlington: Co-founder Scott Parker’s taco-and-tequila spot Westover Taco reopened this month under new female ownership and goals, now billing itself as Arlington’s only bar dedicated to women’s sports. Sarah White, who previously worked at Lost Dog Cafe and helped open Westover in 2023, took over and kept the name the same and Mexican food menu (with some newly added touches). Westover Taco now shows support for both professional (Washington Spirit) and up-and-coming D.C. teams, like the women’s football league D.C. Divas. 5849 Washington Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia Bethesda: One of the many roving Silver Sons food trucks has found a new short-term residency in front of the Bethesda Community Store. The Jewish-Mediterranean barbecue spot has a full storefront in the Westwood neighborhood, but decided to relocate one of its trailers from Rocklands Farm Winery (where they plan to still pop up sometimes) to just outside the shuttered community store, which is currently undergoing a renovation. Bethesda Today reports that the trailer, open since Sunday, April 12, is serving the smoked meats that Silver Sons is famous for, alongside breakfast sandwiches and pastries. 88804 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda: Breads Unlimited, a Bethesda bakery known for its challah bread, hamantaschen cookies, and cronuts, is merging with its sister pizza spot in a new Kensington shop. Breads Unlimited and Pizza opened in Kensington on Saturday, April 11, serving the thin-crust pizza that owner Jose Molina is known for at Edith’s Pizza alongside bakery favorites. 10303 Kensington Parkway, Kensington, Maryland Capitol Hill: Long-awaited French bakery Boulangerie Saint Georges arrived on Saturday, April 11, bringing the neighborhood an assortment of laminated pastries, breads, sandwiches, seasonal offerings, and a full espresso program spotlighting cappuccinos. Parisian treats made on-site include meringue, croissants, and fruit tarts, which can be enjoyed on its adorable patio. 303 7th Street SE Chevy Chase: Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream Treats continues its Montgomery County expansion, with a fourth small-batch scoop shop opening on Saturday, April 4. Each Maryland locale specializes in 40 flavors made on-site, including nostalgic classics, seasonal varieties, and even doggie ice cream. 8551 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland Downtown: Chef Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino is back with his own sushi counter dishing out mouth-watering lunch and dinner omakase, this time in his own standalone space. The Sushi Nakazawa alum’s new 16-seat counter is called Kiyomi, the same name he had used at the Square food hall, where his express lunch omakase became a downtown hit. The new space still offers the lunchtime staple, now with a nine-piece nigiri and a hand roll or a set of six hand rolls ($40), according to Washingtonian. The first dinner service is Friday, May 1, and will stay a Friday thing to start. “After deep consideration, I will open one night a week to maintain my body and health,” he tells Eater. The 7 p.m. seating for 10 people tops is $135 per person with 15 selections, plus miso soup and a dessert. Uchino is sticking to walk-in lunchtime service for now, before rolling out a 15- to 16-course dinner option ($120) when he gets his liquor license. He plans to also keep up an extensive sake collection, offering 50 sakes by the glass. Up on 14th Street, he’s still in charge of the sushi-heavy menu at Katsumi. 1895 L Street NW Downtown: D.C. hospitality vet Ashok Bajaj transformed the downtown corner that formerly housed Modena into the Italian restaurant of his dreams with help from a chef with Michelin-starred credentials. Rosselli opened Monday, April 6, with an all-new look resembling a luxe Italian apartment, including a gorgeous U-shaped bar made of marble upon entry, more counter seating, and striking artwork. Carlos Cardona, who most recently cooked at Noi in Hong Kong, prepares risotto arancini, confit pear alongside burrata flown in frequently from Puglia, rotating crudos, linguine and clams, pappardelle with braised beef and pork ragu, osso buco, and branzino al forno. Rosselli (which translates to “rose”) opened in early April for dinner to start, with lunch coming soon. 1100 New York Avenue NW Foggy Bottom: Just Salad, the fast-casual lunch chain with locations from Boston to Miami, opened its third D.C. location on Tuesday, April 21, with salads, wraps, warm bowls, and market plates. 1919 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Georgetown: PopUp Bagels, the NYC bagel sensation backed by celebrities like Paul Rudd and Michael Phelps, made its anticipated D.C. debut on Friday, April 10, with lines down the block. PopUp Bagels stands apart with its “rip-and-dip” menu mantra — where you rip off chunks of a hot bagel to dip into an open container of cream cheese. A Bethesda location is on the way, with ambitious plans to have 20 stores scattered around the DMV. 1078 Wisconsin Avenue NW Herndon: Kyuramen, one of the nation’s biggest ramen chains known for its “wishing tree” filled with hand-written notes from customers, opened its newest outpost in Northern Virginia on Wednesday, April 15, with its familiar lineup of tonkotsu shoyu ramen bowls and Japanese comfort foods like omurice, takoyaki octopus balls, dumplings, and steamed bao buns. This one’s different from any of the 70 other locations, however: It’s called Super Kyuramen, has an incoming izakaya menu component, a patio bar serving nine cocktails only found here, and a T-Bar with bubble tea, milk foam drinks, smoothies, fresh teas, and lemonades. 2330 Silver Arrow Way, Herndon, Virginia H Street: Paste Rind, the neighborhood’s cute cheese counter that closed in December after three years, made a surprise comeback on the same Northeast strip on Friday, April 17. This time around, Paste Rind operates as the in-residence cheese and wine program at Henceforth, H Street’s polished new brewery that was looking for a partner. Paste Rind brings back its dearly missed monthly cheese subscription club on May 1. 1335 H Street NE Old Town: Vola’s Dockside Grill’s Hi-Tide Lounge is transforming into a new tiki bar for the warmer months ahead, featuring tropical cocktails like riffs on a mai tai, frozen rum drinks, and punch bowls until August 31. Hi-Tide Tiki Pop-Up Bar opens Thursday, April 23, inside Vola’s Dockside Grill, and plans to serve specialties like coconut shrimp, pineapple barbecue spare ribs, and a chargeable pupu platter. 101 N Union Street, Alexandria, Virginia Old Town: The Majestic entered a new era this spring. Chef Santiago Lopez bought the standby from its longtime owner, Alexandria Restaurant Partners, and implemented a modern American menu with Mediterranean influences starting Friday, April 10. The new menu includes duck and pancetta dumplings with a butternut squash crema, lobster pot pie, and roasted lamb shank, alongside a few staples that stayed intact: the Majestic burger and steak frites. 911 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia Union Market: Peruvian Brothers’ first standalone D.C. location recently opened its doors near Union Station, serving up all-day fare and a full bar menu from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays in a nearly 3,000-square-foot retail unit. The local Peruvian spot will start the day with breakfast options like ham and cheese croissants before transitioning to salted pork tenderloin sandwiches and classic orders of rotisserie chicken with sides for the lunchtime rush. At 4 p.m., they’ll shift to full-service dinner and an all-night happy hour at the 10-seat bar that will include frozen pisco sours and a passionfruit pisco sour slushy. Be on the lookout for seasonal specials coming out of the largest kitchen on the Lanzone brothers Giuseppe and Mario’s roster, plus a space reserved for events on the weekend. 660 North Capitol Street NW Union Market: La Cosecha’s tiny Panamanian cafe Unido expanded big time inside its Union Market food hall on Friday, April 17, reopening at the anchor space (where Destino formerly sat) with an all-day lineup of breakfast sandwiches and bowls, plus nighttime tapas and a full bar slinging wines and cocktails. Brand new cocktail highlights include an Old Fashioned made with unrefined cane sugar and a classic carajillo with cacao. 1280 4th Street NE ...read more read less