Where did Georgetown's fall restaurants open? Look at the addresses. Alfie's and Flora Pizzeria share 1228½ 31st St. NW. Flavor Hive took 3287½ M St. NW. Café Tulúm went to a collective on Grace Street, a block below M. Bizzeria, the next arrival, has announced itself as "coming to an alley in Georgetown."
The biggest new storefront on M Street this fall is a 22,618-square-foot Uniqlo. Georgetown's restaurant map is moving off the main streets and into the blocks behind them. The developers behind those back spaces planned it that way, and it explains where you'll find a new table this November.
Four openings at side-street and half addresses
The clearest example is the alley section of Hamilton Collective, along Congress Court off 31st Street. Chefs Alex McCoy and Justin Ahn opened Alfie's there on Sept. 2. It's a northern Thai restaurant and natural-wine bar, and The Georgetowner's opening note warns that it is spicy. Flora Pizzeria opened next door on Sept. 14 with naturally leavened dough and sea salt from Sicily.
McCoy told Washingtonian, as The Georgetowner reported, that the space "wasn't a restaurant before." He said the team "worked really hard to make this place feel like it had been here for 40 or 50 years," with the feel of a European hole-in-the-wall wine bar and a Thai shophouse.
Café Tulúm opened Sept. 4 at 3210 Grace St. NW, part of Grace Street Collective, serving tacos, tostadas, oysters and ceviche. Flavor Hive opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in August, in the former Harmony Cafe space at 3287½ M St. NW, according to The Georgetowner.
Bizzeria comes next. It's from Michael Rafidi, who also runs Albi and Yellow, and PoPville's June report describes it as "wood-fired sourdough bizza & natural wine." Its liquor-license application lists 45 indoor seats and a 35-seat summer garden. The entrance is in an alley reached from Potomac Street. The only timing announced so far is fall 2026.
The back blocks were chosen on purpose
Two of these addresses share a pattern because they come from the same team. Jessica and Ezra Glass own Atelier Verre, a design-build firm. Through Thyme Holdings, they are also behind Grace Street Collective. With partners David and Marc Duber, they created Hamilton Collective, the renamed Hamilton Court compound at 1232 31st St. NW.
In a 2025 profile, The Georgetowner reported that the couple focused on side streets and underused spaces. In their view, those spaces offered vintage charm and "more affordable rents than the neighborhood's famed main streets." Jessica Glass described the aim in the same piece:
"We wanted to go in a different direction, curating local businesses for local residents, whose needs and lifestyle we felt had been overlooked."
The tenant list follows that idea closely. Hamilton Collective's current and coming roster includes Ultraviolet florist, Two Nine sushi, Flor coffee and books, Beso Besu, RM Wellness, Georgetown Pilates, Georgetown Preschool, Hamilton Health Club, Georgetown Auto Spa, Alfie's and Flora Pizzeria. In a June Georgetowner piece, Glass called it "necessary retail." She put it this way: "Your kids have to go to school. You have to work out. You have to get a cup of coffee in the morning."
Grace Street Collective works the same way at a smaller scale. Its most recent addition before Café Tulúm was Ox & Olive steakhouse. Green Almond Pantry is at 3210 Grace St. NW. My Little Chamomile sits on Cherry Hill Lane, in the same tucked-away alley as Reverie, the restaurant with one Michelin star.
What the big storefronts are getting instead
The scale shows what the front blocks are built for. David Duber described Hamilton Collective as "55,000 square feet of very cool places," and that figure covers the whole compound: florist, sushi bar, preschool, gym, pizzeria and more. Uniqlo's single store at 3262 M St. NW is about 40 percent of that.
The Georgetowner's Business Ins & Outs columns from August, October 1 and October 26 track what has moved onto, or been announced for, the main streets since August:
| Address | Tenant | Status this fall |
|---|---|---|
| 3262 M St. NW | Uniqlo | Opened Aug. 28, 22,618 sq. ft. |
| 3295 M St. NW | Garage | Opened Oct. 3, first D.C. location |
| 3221 M St. NW | Pop Mart | Open by Oct. 1 |
| 3034 M St. NW | Rag & Bone | Reopened Oct. 2, combining two shops |
| 3040 M St. NW | Kith | Planned, next to Barnes & Noble |
| 3135 M St. NW | Edikted | Planned, 3,890 sq. ft. |
| 3307 M St. NW | 260 Sample Sale | Pop-up targeting mid-November |
| 1400 Wisconsin Ave. NW | Bombas | Opened Aug. 14, first D.C. store |
Turnover in these spaces can be fast. IKEA's plan-and-order pop-up at 3307 M St. NW closed Oct. 18, less than a year after it opened. A New York sample-sale operator has already leased the space for a limited run, with markdowns of 70 to 90 percent, according to the Washington Business Journal as quoted in The Georgetowner.
M Street has also lost a long-standing dining room. Pizzeria Paradiso closed at 3282 M St. NW on July 26 after 24 years. In The Georgetowner's report, the restaurant cited a lease disagreement and the investment the space needed.
Wisconsin Avenue holds the smaller shops in between
Lower Wisconsin Avenue is filling with small specialty shops, sitting between the alley restaurants and the M Street flagships in size:
- Dutch Darlings Stroopwafels & Sweets opened Oct. 2 at 1003 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
- Delhi Belly opened in August at 1560 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
- Olli recently opened at 1624 Wisconsin Ave. NW, serving house-made frozen Greek yogurt.
- Spicewalla opens Friday, Nov. 6, at 1317 Wisconsin Ave. NW, next door to East Fork, another Asheville brand. It's the spice company's second brick-and-mortar store, and it will also carry pantry goods from Washington-area makers.
- Dolcezza Gelato is slated to return at 1300 Wisconsin Ave. NW in late fall or early winter.
Two back-street spaces are still on hold
The back-block pattern also applies to the places that are paused. La Bonne Vache at 3265 Prospect St. NW, a block off M Street, closed temporarily after a fire on Oct. 18. The Georgetowner reported that its owners intend to rebuild and reopen once repairs are done.
The biggest pause runs along the C&O Canal, one block below M Street. The canal has been drained since the 2023 season for lock and wall repairs. The National Park Service says part of the Level 1 north wall collapsed in late February 2026, pushing the work into fall 2026, weather permitting. The towpath detour between Mile 1 and Mile 0.4 remains. Georgetown Heritage now expects to relaunch its canal boat in spring 2027. Canal Day, set for Oct. 11, was canceled because of forecast heavy rain.
The next firm dates are close. Spicewalla opens on Wisconsin Avenue on Friday, Nov. 6. The 260 Sample Sale aims to hold its first sale at 3307 M St. NW in mid-November. On Nov. 19, the ice rink at Washington Harbour, 3000 to 3050 K St. NW, opens for a season that runs through Feb. 28, 2027, weather permitting. Bizzeria's alley off Potomac Street has no opening date yet, beyond fall.
Whether you're hosting family for the holidays or planning your first winter in a new address, DMV Living Group keeps close track of the blocks behind the main streets, where Georgetown's daily rhythm is changing. Schedule your complimentary concierge consultation.
