New Gay Bar Orchid Is Here

New gay bar Orchid arrives Friday, May 18 on Barracks Row, complete with a weekend disco brunch, a 40-foot-long marble bar, and roaring 1920s vibe.

The new entrant (520 Eighth Street SE) replaces now-defunct Senart’s Oyster and Grille Room.

Its glam theme pays homage to the heyday of the Prohibition era, sporting mahogany-lined interiors and vintage pink and purple glass lamps. Orchid comes from Hill Restaurant Group, which runs other neighborhood watering holes including Finn McCool’s and Hawk ‘n’ Dove. Event planner Timur Tugberk and fashion blogger Diego Gonzalez-Zuniga are also partners on the project.

Seasonal fare out of the gate ($8-$19) includes shrimp cocktail, grilled lamb chops, avocado gazpacho, cheese plates, crab cakes, and seared sea scallops. Cocktails ($10) include a Blue Orchid featuring Jameson whiskey and blueberry syrup, while beers ($5-$6) include Pacifico and DC Brau. There’s also a handful of wines for $5 each.

A “post brunch” from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday — envisioned as a disco dance party of sorts — will include lots of oysters, a 1.5-liter magnum of rose for $35, and six “baby bottle” buckets of bubbles for $50.

Orchid is projected to stay open until 2 a.m. on weekdays, and 3 a.m. on the weekends.

Status: Certified open. 520 Eighth Street SE; website.

—Additional reporting by Evan Caplan