Eaton DC’s New Cafe Opens Saturday With Vegan Pastries

All-day coffee shop Kintsugi is the first of many dining options arriving inside Eaton DC, the multi-functional culture hub coming together at 12th and K Streets NW.

The 209-room hotel’s inaugural guests and D.C.’s health-conscious set can head to the new lobby-level cafe starting Saturday, September 8 for a first taste of its baked goods ($3 to $5), many of which are gluten-free and vegan. Staying a while? Diners can sit and sample free cookies alongside their java orders.

Kintsugi, which refers to the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, plays up Eaton’s wellness ethos throughout its opening menu. There’s fair trade coffee from Floyd, Va.’s Red Rooster Coffee, as well as Native American-inspired organic teas from Neakita, juices from Misfit Juicery, and daily doughnuts and muffins from James Beard-nominated pastry chef David Collier.

The 1789 alum plans to pack up to 60 percent of the menu with vegan and gluten-free items, reserving the balance for smaller-sized croissants and other indulgences integrating butter and flour. Chocolate is an easy ingredient for building gluten-free pastries, explains Collier, as it’s “moist to begin with — you don’t have to add a lot to it.” Here’s a full look at the menu. Kintsugi is scheduled to operate daily starting at 6:30 a.m. and until 8 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends.

Eaton comes from humanitarian Katherine Lo, whose father runs luxury hotel operation the Langham Hospitality Group. When complete, the Eaton DC property will house chef Tim Ma’s lobby-level restaurant American Son; a rooftop bar called Wild Days serving tequila and tacos; and a dimly-lit lobby bar accessed through a wall of books, called Allegory. Other amenities include a radio station; wellness center with yoga, meditation, and alternative treatment rooms; a 20,000-square-foot co-working club dubbed Eaton House; lots of private event space; and a plush movie theater. More on all those moving pieces next week.

Status: Kintsugi is scheduled to open on Saturday, September 8 at 6:30 a.m. 1201 K St NW; website.

James Jackson/Eaton DC

James Jackson/Eaton DC

James Jackson/Eaton DC

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