Navy Yard Watering Hole Justin’s Cafe Has Closed

After nearly a decade of boozing up baseball fans in Navy Yard, Justin’s Cafe has poured its last beer.

The Southeast bar’s team posted a statement on Facebook confirming the shutter on Wednesday, October 24:

“It’s been a great eight years. Thank you all for the fun times and memories. We couldn’t have asked for a better run,” reads the post.

It seems the closure is an abrupt one, with Justin’s encouraging the local hospitality industry to pick up newly laid off employees: “If y’all have any opportunities open up, these people are pure gold,” adds the statement.

The sports bar (1025 1st Street SE), commonly packed before and after Washington Nationals games, drew a steady stream of regulars for its pizzas, sandwiches, and summertime frose. Justin’s also hosted a gamut of costume parties over the years, and a Halloween party was scheduled for Saturday, October 27. Eater reached out to management for comment about the reasoning behind the closure.

Twitter user @jakesauser, a self-described “rabid” Nationals fan, Tweeted a photo of a sign posted on the door on Wednesday spelling out its demise:

Navy Yard has seen a surge of new bars come online over the past year, including the arrival of cavernous Mexican-themed drinking den Mission.

• Navy Yard’s New Mexican Bar Gets Its Own DC Brau Beer [EDC]