The empty restaurant space at 821 Upshur Street NW

The recent article about the closing of Taqueria del Barrio at 821 Upshur Street garnered a lot of readers, and the casual survey we included generated hundreds of submissions.

The owners of the building reached out to say they’ve been meeting with many different restaurateurs who have expressed interest in leasing the space. The restaurant is pretty much turnkey, with a full kitchen, big bar and arguably the largest interior seating space on Upshur. The building owners are working through a list of potential restaurants who have expressed interest in renting the vacant storefront, and they are asking for YOUR thoughts on which cuisine type interests you the most.

“We want to ensure we’re providing the type of restaurant that will succeed in the neighborhood and that the community wants,” said the building owners. “We want to hear local feedback on what people would prefer.”

In the previous casual survey Petworth News conducted in June, almost everyone wanted a “family-friendly” restaurant, no matter the cuisine type. (The area really is a bedroom community — people have always come to Petworth to put down roots and grow with the neighborhood… which explains all the strollers.) The majority of previous survey respondents said they were interested in regional or national cuisines from around the world. Petworth has done a great job of supporting many different cuisine types, and the diversity of flavors means there’s always someplace interesting to go for dinner.

Take a Survey!
Take a survey of potential restaurants to fill the space at 821 Upshur. Be aware that some of these possible restaurants could fall out of consideration because they back out, find a different space or lose their funding. We won’t know the restaurant coming until later… but for now, share you thoughts on what you’d enjoy and visit the most… and maybe your favorite cuisine will be the one that opens! The owners will review your submissions.