NoMa Notes 1/22: Indoor Dining Returns for DC Restaurants

Beginning Friday, January 22, restaurants in NoMa and across DC can return to offering customers the option of dining indoors. Mayor Bowser has eased restrictions allowing indoor dining at 25% capacity or no more than 250 people, whichever is fewer.

So now, in addition to the many outdoor heated and/or covered patio dining options offered by restaurants throughout NoMa, including CR NoMa, Indigo NoMa, King Street Oyster Bar, Laos in Town, Lily & the Cactus, Red Bear Brewing Co., Streets Market and Wunder Garten, other eating establishments are returning to offering indoor, limited-seating.

Please continue to support our local restaurants and small businesses, which haven’t stopped innovating, adapting and adjusting as the situation demands.

We’ve all been cooped up a lot these past 10 months, but one positive thing to come from all this at-home time is the chance to discover new hobbies! Now it’s time to hear from the experts about one of the most popular new pasttimes that’s been brewing during the pandemic … the art and craft of Home Brewing.

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for the first Nerds in NoMa event on Tuesday, Feb. 9 when we go live on Instagram to learn from top DC brewmasters, 3 Stars Brewing Company and NoMa’s own Red Bear Brewing Co. and Wunder Garten. Each Tuesday night through early March, we’ll bring you tips and hints to help you craft the perfect brews.

Not a beer drinker? No worries, as we’ll also be sharing the secrets of brewing the perfect coffee and tea from one of NoMa’s favorite boutique coffeehouses, Sweet Science. The series concludes with a virtual hoppy hour when we’ll taste test together our favorite brews and say “Cheers” COVID-style.

Keep checking our Eventbrite page for when registration goes live, and if you’re a NoMa resident, be among the first 40 people to sign up to receive one of the free brew kits we’re offering on a first-come, first served basis (proof of NoMa residency required at pick-up).

Just as Washington and our nation welcomed a new President this week, NoMa prepares to say hello in 2021 to a host of new businesses, new buildings and new neighbors. There’s been great progress made over the past several months on projects throughout the neighborhood. Here’s a quick rundown of the new retail establishments, restaurants, residences, businesses and hotels coming to NoMa in 2021:

• The Duncan Dog Hotel & Day Spa  
• Bright Start Early Care & Preschool
• Brooklyn Boulders
• citizenM Hotel 
• F45 Training
• Hickok Cole
• Lexicon
• Meininger Hotel
• One501
• Press House
• Scissors & Scotch
• Tribeca
• Union Kitchen
• 1625 Eckington

Along with ushering in a new year, the NoMa BID has added a new benefit for its hourly workers, the NoMa BID Ambassadors.

At the urging of outgoing NoMa BID President Robin-Eve Jasper, the NoMa BID Board of Directors enthusiastically adopted a plan to provide a 100% tuition reimbursement program for our 10-member Ambassador team who keep our neighborhood streets clean and welcoming and help make sure NoMa’s public space infrastructure is safe. This new employee benefit, available only to our Ambassadors, provides full funding for an associate degree or an equivalent vocational certificate. The goal of the program is to increase access to higher education and prepare our team members for higher paying jobs and future career opportunities. And as Robin-Eve wrote to the Washington Post, “It’s also one way we can help address structural racism and unequal opportunity. Our hope is that other small businesses will follow our lead and consider the steps that they can take.”

NUBOXX HIIT Conditioning – Tuesday, January 26 at 6:30 PM

Yoga NoMa Pilates – Wednesday, January 27 at 7:30 PM

NUBOXX Strength Training – Thursday, January 28 at 6:30 PM

Yoga NoMa HITT Cardio – Thursday, January 28 at 7:30 PM