Aging Mediterranean Restaurant Pinea Is Closing

Pinea, the nearly four-year-old Italian restaurant tucked inside the W Hotel, is getting replaced by a more exciting wood-fired venture in the coming months.

The lobby restaurant and companion Root Cellar bar, which are both currently overseen by DGS alum Barry Koslow, will be wiped away as part of a $50 million renovation the hotel plans to complete by next spring. Washington Business Journal reports that both the lobby bar on the ground floor and POV, the rooftop drinking spot with a spectacular view of the National Mall, will also be upgraded during the months-long overhaul.

Staff at the W was uncertain when Pinea, its outdoor bocce bar, or the Root Cellar would close or begin to transition. “I don’t have a specific timetable for that,” was all hotel personnel would say about the sweeping changes. Eater reached out to management for comment about the new hospitality offerings but has not heard back. Work on POV is not projected to start until this fall.

According to WBJ, Koslow is expected to remain in charge of the food moving forward. The gourmet pastas and sausage-stuffed squid currently served at Pinea will give way to dishes cooked over a wood-fired grill. Meanwhile, the basement whiskey bar is being transformed into a pizza and beer bar that sounds very much like it may have taken a page from local chain Pizzeria Paradiso.

• W Hotel plans $50 million renovation [WBJ]
• Opening Day at Pinea, in Photos [EDC]
• Pinea Is Barry Koslow’s Project at the W [EDC]