4 days ago
A Downtown Newcomer Is the Sparkly French Soiree D.C. Needs Right Now
D.C.'s newest French-grounded destination with a c'est la vie mentality and knack for nightlife opens its swanky doors on Tuesday, July 29. Barbouzard – which means 'secret agent' in French – unites a lauded chef's longstanding recipes, bespoke music, and late-night aspirations at the prominent downtown corner of 17th and K Street NW.
In short, the restaurant is 'rooted in the elegance of the Riviera' and rounded out by the rest of the vast Mediterranean coast, says co-owner Nasr El Hage. Also informing the menu: celebrated French American chef and partner Cedric Maupillier, who shuttered his award-winning Shaw staple Convivial last December. Hage, a local real estate exec with Lebanese roots, teamed up with fellow investor Nellie Elana Gebrail and Dany Abi-Najm (whose family is of Lebanese Taverna fame) on the anticipated project (1700 K Street NW).
Caviar service at Barbouzard. Scott Suchman
As luck would have it, El Hage and Maupillier met exactly one year prior to Barbouzard's friends-and-family preview party on Bastille Day 2025 this month. Hitting it off immediately, El Hage realized that Maupillier was the Gallic missing piece to his restaurant-in-planning.
'Nasr came to see me at Convivial while I was looking for new opportunities,' Maupillier recalls. 'I was about to go on vacation back home to France when he started talking about the Riviera, where I was born.'
As El Hage described his vision, Maupillier was entranced, and signed on soon after. Barbouzard features not only fine French dining, which D.C. now has in droves, but also strives to overcome the challenges of uniting food, ambiance, and socialization all in one space.
'I wanted a place that closes late on weekends, so that the good time continues after dinner, to dress up and go out, but not quite nightlife,' says El Hage. 'You can have a great time at 8 p.m. or 12 a.m.'
Barbouzard's mod design features glassy walls of wine. Scott Suchman
Maupillier showcases his South of France education and upbringing across Barbouzard's plates. The menu 'draws from the Riviera but also every nice place in the Mediterranean that has sun, olive trees, thyme, rosemary, and lavender,' he added, even 'where you can hear the cicadas chirp.'
The menu features grilled fish and seafood, plenty of vegetable dishes, and regional specialties, along with a short list of meats, steak-frites, and pasta. Highlights include the heady broth-based Bouillabaisse Marseillaise, a dover sole served Riviera style, a vegan Bolognese, and Maupillier's own must-have favorite: escargot.
'I tried frogs; that didn't work well – but Americans love escargot,' he says.
Escargot is served in its shell at Barbouzard. Scott Suchman
Drawing from other Mediterranean landscapes, the moules gratinee gets heat from 'nduja spice and Calabrian sausage from Italy; a roasted cauliflower receives a shower of Middle Eastern za'atar on a tahini sauce bath.
El Nasr ensured that the menu also included some items for a touch of luxe. See: foie gras 'opera'; caviar service; and a pair of baller shellfish towers. Le Petit is $110 and Le Grand goes for $240, with oysters, littleneck clams, mussels, lobster, shrimp, Tahitian tuna, and hamachi crudo.
The bar highlights French spirits, aperitifs, and house infusions, with fancy drinks like, yes, the Caviar Martini, plus a Provence Negroni for a lighter take on the classic. The bottled list includes a lengthy count of Champagnes and (400-plus) wines focused on French coastal regions that 'tell the story of the sea and French country,' says El Hage. Cocktails and wines can be ordered in the restaurant or the semi-private bubbly lounge.
The opulent seafood tower at Barbouzard. Scott Suchman
Mediterranean fish at Barbouzard. Scott Suchman
Barbouzard completely reimagines the 6,493-square-foot space that formerly housed Kellari Taverna, D.C.'s Greek restaurant that rose to popularity in the early aughts (and closed last year). The look is meant to capture France's posh seaside spirit, with light oak, marble, hand-blown glass chandeliers, and gilded accents. The various booths, alcoves, bar spaces, and leafy veranda seats offer areas for lively postprandial conversation.
The restaurant is equipped with a Funktion-One sound system, a professional-grade audio setup that's a rare get for even a hot-ticketed club. In the very center of the restaurant sits a DJ booth and stage, as Barbouzard will host entertainment throughout the week, including live piano, sax, guitar, and violin performances for 'sexy, elevated' sounds, says El Hage. DJs come in on Thursdays to Saturdays.
'We want guests to feel things,' says El Hage. The goal of the restaurant, adds Maupillier, is 'l'art de vivre [the art of living], served daily.'
A stylish dining nook speaks to the Riviera's Golden Age. Scott Suchman
The open space sports crimson-colored booths and plenty of marble. Scott Suchman
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