Always-Packed Bad Saint Is Working on Outdoor Seating

So long as city officials agree, critically acclaimed Bad Saint may soon have nearly 50 percent more seating available at a new sidewalk cafe.

Kent Boese, the chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A who is currently running for a seat on the D.C. City Council, alerted Popville that the popular Columbia Heights restaurant is interested in adding a 10-seat cafe to its existing establishment. The 24-seat eatery continues to draw lines out the door, as diners excited to taste chef Tom Cunanan’s take on Filipino cooking show their devotion by waiting for hours to slide onto a stool inside.

Bad Saint co-owner Genevieve Villamora confirmed that an application had been filed for the proposed expansion, but tells Eater there is no finite timetable for completion.

“Just waiting patiently for the application to make its way through the system,” she says. According to Villamora, there’s been no final decision on whether the sidewalk cafe will share the same menu with Bad Saint or feature separate offerings.

• A Guide to D.C.’s Thriving Filipino Restaurant Scene [EDC]
• Bad Saint Is One of the 38 Essential Restaurants in America [E]