Downtown D.C.’s restaurant scene is still recovering from a mass exodus of office workers, but nearly year-old Barbouzard is rejuvenating the neighborhood as a glitzy destination for locals and tourists alike. Celebrated French American chef Cedric Maupillier is serving classic French fare alongside Mediterranean-style dishes that traverse borders.
The high-end interior is filled with hand-blown glass chandeliers and gilded accents, but there’s also a playful energy with a large lounge and live classical music performances that turn into bouncing DJ sets after 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Despite the drop in downtown office workers, this is one of the best happy hours in town, with plenty of great deals to build into an affordable meal at the bar from 2:30 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Among them: $10-14 plates of raw seafood and a $12 wagyu cheeseburger with fries.
Barbouzard – which means “secret agent” in French – brings a lauded chef’s longstanding recipes, bespoke music, and late-night aspirations to the busy corner of 17th and K Street NW on Tuesday, July 29. French American chef and partner Cedric Maupillier showcases his South of France education and upbringing across Barbouzard’s plates, highlighting the elegance of the Riviera and the rest of the vast Mediterranean coast. The menu features grilled fish and seafood, plenty of vegetable dishes, seafood towers, and caviar (martinis), along with a short list of meats, steak frites, and pasta. The 6,493-square-foot restaurant also houses a central DJ booth and stage for live piano, sax, guitar, and violin performances. Weekend hours extend until 1 a.m. 1700 K Street NW
Dining and Cooking