A Sports Bar With $5 ‘Wiz Wings’ Just Moved In to Circa Chinatown

With the Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup title raising excitement for D.C. sports, recently-opened Circa Chinatown just redesigned its first-floor bar to bring in fans on a budget.

The cavernous two-story Circa (781 Seventh Street NW) slid into the space formerly occupied by Zengo in February. The company announced this week that it has opened Dragon Bar to draw fans of the Washington Wizards and the Caps, who both play next door at Capital One Arena.

Dragon Bar features $5 bites, $5 draft beers ($1.50 extra for 20-ounce pours), $7 glasses of wine, and $8 featured cocktails daily from 4 p.m. to close. The upstairs space will still function as its casual Circa bistro.

The sports-themed renovation included adding 15 hand-painted portraits, including depictions of Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal.

The $5 dishes include “Big Boy Sliders” in burger or fried chicken varieties; “ALL CAPS BBQ Nachos” with house-made cheese sauce, pico de gallo, jalapeño, sour cream, and cilantro; and “Wiz Wings” with sweet chile, barbecue, or hot dragon sauce.

Chinatown will soon lose a fast-casual option across the street, leaving a hole for another restaurant to potentially slide in. Philly stir fry chain Honeygrow just announced plans to close its 2-year-old location this month, citing “crazy” rents reportedly around $200 a square foot.

Circa shut down the flagship location in Dupont Circle at the end of last year but still maintains Foggy Bottom and Clarendon, Virginia locations. A new Circa will open in Navy Yard by next spring. Parent company Metropolitan Hospitality Group, founded in 2005, is also behind Él Bebe, Open Road, and Trio Grill.

• Largest Circa to Date Debuts in Chinatown on February 21 [EDC]
• Honeygrow Is Leaving Chinatown Because of ‘Crazy’ High Rent [EDC]