LeDroit Park’s The Royal Reopens Wednesday With a Refreshed Look

The Royal is ready to start caffeinating LeDroit Park again following a week of construction work.

The all-day cafe and bar (501 Florida Avenue NW) is projected to reopen at noon for lunch on Wednesday, August 15 with brand new flooring, artwork, and an extended tiled kitchen island. The temporary closure stemmed from an issue this winter, when a pipe burst in an apartment above and flooded and damaged Royal’s loft floors and ceiling. The landlord was finally able to repair everything this week, according to The Royal’s team.

Here’s a rundown of spots that have recently reopened or remain closed, either due to unexpected disasters or pre-planned construction work, menu overhauls, or retreats:

• Cafe Milano: The longstanding Italian restaurant in Georgetown has been on a summer hiatus since Monday, July 23 and is expected to reboot service on Sunday, August 19. It’s taking a month to renovate some areas of the 30-year-old space, as well as work “on new menu ideas” using “exclusive products and ingredients,” according to a sign currently posted on its door. Meanwhile, its neighbor Morton’s the Steakhouse just closed for a complete overhaul and will reemerge as French restaurant Brasserie Liberté next year.
• SER: The Spanish restaurant in Clarendon reopened doors this week after nearly three weeks of being dark. Its ceiling collapsed due to a pipe that burst in the building, which caused considerable damage and happened right as owners Christiana and Javier Candon (also behind Capitol Hill’s Joselito Casa de Comidas) were traveling on vacation to Spain.
• Thip Khao: Laotian sister restaurants Thip Khao in Columbia Heights and Padaek in Falls Church took a break from Monday, August 6 to Tuesday, August 14 for an annual summer retreat.
• 2 Amys: In one of the most unanticipated closures of the summer, the cult pizza parlor shuttered on Tuesday July 10 due to “catastrophic” water damage. The Cathedral Heights eatery remains closed “for the foreseeable future,” though it vows to be back. (Its Yelp page cites a reopening date of Sunday, August 26; Eater has reached out for comment to confirm the comeback date.) In the mean time, owner and chef Peter Pastan is keeping busy with guest chef gigs at places like Tail Up Goat.
• Mega-Restaurateur Hakan Ilhan Is Adding Yet Another Restaurant to His Roster [EDC]
• SER Reopens After a Ceiling Collapse [EDC]
• Pizza Temple 2 Amys Is Closed ‘for the Foreseeable Future’ [EDC]