Sequoia Is Back in Business, But Without Its Typically Jam-Packed Patio

Tourist-friendly standby Sequoia quietly re-opened its spacious interior on June 11 — but the iconic outdoor patio won’t be ready in time for the annual July 4th fireworks show that lights up the nation’s capital each summer.

“As of now, we do not have a definitive date ... we are shooting for mid-late summer,” Andrew Pascal, special projects coordinator at parent company Ark Restaurants Corp., told Eater in an email.

For now, the heavily redesigned 400-seat interior is open for dinner (see its seafood-heavy menu below). There’s a main bar on the ground level, a buffet-ready space downstairs, and a private event space that can accommodate 180 guests. The outdoor tiered arena will add another 550 seats.

The cavernous 27,000-square-foot restaurant, which landed in Washington nearly three decades ago and recently signed a lease extension carrying it forward another 15 years, closed Jan. 1 for the months-long refresh.