Six months ago, UrbanTurf reported that the Anacostia Busboys and Poets would likely open at the end of this year or early next. However, that estimate was based on build-out of the restaurant beginning around September — and it has yet to begin.
Landlord and nonprofit partner the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative is still at work preparing the building at 2004-2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE (map) for tenancy, and owner-restaurateur Andy Shallal has informed UrbanTurf that he’s still waiting for an update on when he’ll be able to begin building out the restaurant.
With the build-out process taking roughly 4-5 months, the first Busboys and Poets restaurant east of the Anacostia River may not open until some time in the spring. Meanwhile, the swelling development pipeline in the neighborhood means the restaurant will likely be serving a larger population than expected when it was first announced.
As featured in Urban Turf