1789 Restaurant Unveils New Bar and Lounge

Following a 19-month renovation, Clyde’s Restaurant Group has completed an expansion of the iconic 1789 Restaurant (1226 36th Street, NW) in the historic Georgetown neighborhood by adding an upscale bar and lounge, replacing the adjacent F. Scott’s art deco nightclub.

Renovations include a large, mahogany bar with wooden columns. On the drink menu is an expanded liquor selection and a new selection of draft beers. Facing the bar, a dining and lounge area, accented with leather seating and paintings by Garnet Jex of vintage collegiate American football players (a nod to the eatery’s proximity to Georgetown University) — all giving the feel of a 1930s University club.

Stepping below ground level, the lower room offers a more contemporary atmosphere with exposed, painted brick walls, wood flooring, and abstract paintings by David Lazarus of Nantucket. A focal point of the downstairs décor is the hand-crafted framed mirror. A Goldleaf Studios creation, it is notably called a boneyard frame: a frame created from repurposed frames. Gilded and painted, the frame ties the colors of the art to the modern character of the room.

Opened in 1962, the 1789 is one of Washington’s venerable fine-dining spots. Last summer, 1789 closed for several months of renovations, then reopened as a tasting menu-centric restaurant. The bar and lounge area completes that multiphase expansion.