Pharmacy Bar to Get New Owners, Plus Coffee

It's been a busy time for restaurant owner Frank Hankins. Not only has he been working hard to get restaurant Brookland's Finest ready to open...it also looks like he'll be one of the new co-owners for Pharmacy Bar, which is changing hands.

"It's been such a whirlwind these past eight weeks, and there's a lot that still needs to unfold," Hankins said. But he and business partner Reggie Elliott are close to inking a deal to purchase the bar (they haven't officially closed yet). Elliott's a veteran of D.C. coffee haunts Murky Coffee and Big Bear, and that means one thing for Pharmacy's future: coffee.

"We want to retain as much as the original character [of Pharmacy Bar], keeping it neighborhood friendly, and 'cool, but not douchey,'" Hankins told Eater. It will take awhile for the changes to happen, but the pair envisions coffee during the day, with more of a bar feel at night (similar to Tryst's concept in Adams Morgan). Hankins would like to see more of a local bent to the beer list as well.

In the meantime, fans of the original Pharmacy Bar can give it a sendoff tomorrow night. That event kicks off at 9 p.m. Hankins says he's already received requests from fans asking to buy the original bar's tables and other interior touches — time will tell what the new owners do with those (the bar will be rebranded in some fashion).
· Pharmacy Bar [Facebook]

Pharmacy Bar [Photo: Facebook]