Chinatown Tapas Bar La Tasca Closes in a Rush Without Warning Employees

Adios, gambas al ajillo

La Tasca, the long-running Spanish tapas and pintxos bar located in the heart of Chinatown, shut down yesterday and left its staff out of work with no advance notice. Washington City Paper reports that employees received an email yesterday informing them that the restaurant was closing that day.

The owners tell the alt-weekly that workers at the Chinatown location have the option of transferring to sibling La Tasca restaurants in Rockville or Alexandria, which could create a logistical nightmare for people who have planned their schedules around commuting to D.C.

According to the restaurant’s owners, the closure was so rushed because “we decided with our landlord late last week not to renew our lease.” That might have been a good time to tell the staff. A statement on La Tasca’s website says the restaurant served Chinatown and Penn Quarter customers for more than 15 years.

La Tasca vacates a desirable location (722 Seventh Street NW) in a chain-heavy strip across the street from Capitol One Arena, one of best blocks for foot traffic in town. Fans of Spanish small plates aren’t hurting for options in the neighborhood. They can simply walk a few more blocks to Jaleo or the new Boqueria in Penn Quarter.

And in other news

• ABC Pony, Erik Bruner-Yang’s Italian-Asian cafe, reveals its menu with plans to open by next week [WCP]
• A list of all the bars that have applied for a special 4 a.m. closing time on Thanksgiving eve [Washingtonian]
• Seafood spot and nightclub District Anchor in Dupont is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization but plans to remain open [WBJ]
• A Lebanese fusion restaurant called Arqa has closed in Dupont about seven months after opening [Popville]
• Korean fried chicken chain Bonchon is reopening its Leesburg outpost after mysteriously closing in August 2018 [The Burn]