DOORDASH IS DOING A ‘SPEAKEASY’ IN ADAMS MORGAN

SPop-ups and events are in full swing around D.C., and this selective guide includes everything longer-term pop-ups and one-off events.

DoorDash x Code Red

The Deal: DoorDash debuts a two-night “speakeasy” in two of its top alcohol delivery markets: D.C. and Chicago. The on-demand app picked Adams Morgan’s Prohibition-styled bar Code Red for its D.C. pop-up location. A DoorDash-branded red bar stocked with fake spirits will be set up right out front, acting as the ruse to lure passers-by over. Members of its $9.99-per-month Dashpass subscription service can enter Code Red through the dummy refrigerator door and get a cocktail on the delivery platform’s tab. The doorman will ask for their drink of choice, which will already be in the works before they sit at the bar. (The promotional point is to show that DoorDash delivers booze from local merchants in 40 minutes or less.) Code Red plans to showcase a mezcal Old Fashioned during the pop-up, and all guests with or without Dashpass will get a complimentary cocktail-making kit and a promo code to order alcohol at home. The “speakeasy” shows up in Chicago first — at Grapes & Grain bar this weekend — before heading to D.C. at the end of the month. Wavemaker

Where: Code Red DC, 2440 18th Street NW

Dates: Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Bodega Express in Camp Springs

The Deal: DMV residents get a first-ever taste of Atlanta’s cult chopped cheese sandwiches starting today. The new Bodega Express ghost kitchen in Camp Springs, Maryland comes from restaurateur Monique Rose (Milk and Honey, La’ Caj Seafood, The Bodega, and Milk n’ Cookies). The Bodega’s Georgia flagship blew up last fall after mega-food influencer Keith Lee signed off on the overstuffed, gooey sandwiches in a viral TikTok video generating 2 million views. The Bodega’s best-selling chopped cheese on buttery, toasted coco bread piles on chopped ground beef or chicken, caramelized onions, cheddar and white American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and its proprietary Bodega sauce. There’s also a chopped turkey hoagie, chopped cheese nachos, homemade truffle parmesan chips, and “Extreme” milkshakes.

Where: The Bodega Express ghost kitchen operates out of La’ Caj (4531 Telfair Boulevard, Suite #110, Camp Springs, Maryland). Place orders at its in-store kiosk, its website, or get DMV-wide delivery via Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub.

Dates: Debuting Thursday May 16, with a varying menu and hours announced daily on Bodega’s social media handles.

Ampersandwich

The Deal: Two years after its debut, chef Reid Shilling brought back his popular sandwich pop-up in April at Shilling Canning Company. Previously only served at the bar during happy hour, the extended menu will now be available for delivery, takeout, and catering starting this month. Options include a Baltimore Pit Beef, drawing from Shilling’s Maryland heritage with seven ounces of pit beef and creamy horseradish sauce on a griddled benne bun; the McReid (St. Louis style ribs and pork shoulder on a benne bun with sour dills and red onion); a braised pork belly breakfast burrito; and veggie Reuben on sourdough. There’s also sides like fries, homemade chips and cookies, or fried apple pie, with “Amp It Up” meal deal combo options and over-21 beverages like Natty Bo’s, Dale’s Pale Ale, or High Noons. View the full Ampersandwich menu here.

Where: Shilling Canning Company; 350 Water Street SE

Dates: Takeout, delivery, and catering starting Wednesday, May 22; running Wednesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost: Sandwiches start at $12.99; order via delivery apps (UberEats, GrubHub, Doordash), Shilling’s website on Tock, or put in catering inquiries here.

Shababi Chicken x JoAnn Hill

The Deal: Please Bring Chips hosts a communal-style dinner party to celebrate the release of local author JoAnn Hill’s newest book Unique Eats and Eateries of Washington, DC. Palestinian American chef Marcelle Afram of Shababi Chicken will prepare a family-style tasting menu.

Where: Please Bring Chips (1320 H Street NE)

Dates: Friday, May 31 starting at 7 p.m.

Cost: Tickets ($135 per person) include a welcome beverage, three-course dinner, and a copy of the book

Lost Island Vibes at the Square

The Deal: Owen Thompson, who ran U Street’s tiki standard-bearer Archipelago until its closure last year, is now running the bar at downtown’s food hall the Square. Every Saturday, he revives his tropical talents with a Lost Island Vibes pop-up full of pina coladas and mai tais. And the Square’s next monthly retail pop-up packed with local artisans is May 18.

Where: The Square; 1850 K Street NW

Dates: Saturdays from 4 p.m. to close

Brunch on the Go at The Yards

The Deal: The annual brunch-and-bubbly run series is back at The Yards for the first three Saturdays in May. Each session starts with a stretch led by Mayweather Boxing followed by a guided 2-mile walk (or 3-mile run) with Pacers Running. After the workout, enjoy a brunch box curated by a neighboring Southeast restaurant, rounding out with Southern staple Due South (May 18). Each brunch box includes brunch for two, a bottle of bubbly, and two champagne flutes.

Where: Pacers Running at The Yards; 300 Tingey Street SE

Cost: Tickets are $65 and cover a brunch box for two runners alongside a bottle of bubbly and two champagne flutes; 21-and-up registration is required on Eventbrite.

Monstera Burrito

The Deal: Chef Alex McCoy (Lucky Buns, Bar Boheme) slings West Coast-styled breakfast burritos that frequently sell out inside Georgetown’s historic Saras Market. Beef barbacoa braised for hours with chilis, lemongrass, and aromatics joins egg, poblanos, onions, fried potatoes, cheese, guajillo crema, chilis, and homemade salsas inside a flour tortilla. Other offerings at the new weekend-only venture include aguas frescas like hibiscus juice and ginger-lemongrass lemonade, coffee, and eggy tortas built on freshly baked bread with chorizo or bacon. Monstera’s morning menu goal is to offer “vibrant, loaded breakfast plates that will get you going regardless if you don’t plan on hitting the beach for a wave or two,” says McCoy. The storied Georgetown bodega, around since 1919, changed ownership this past year and “we are excited to be part of the rebirth of this neighborhood institution,” he says.

Dates: Every other weekend from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a weekly location coming in June

Where: Inside Saras Market; 3008 Q Street NW

Cost: Burritos start at $15

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