Punky Go-To Bar Satellite Room Is Closing at the End of the Year

Satellite Room, the retro bar at one time known for serving burgers, boozy milkshakes, and tater tots next-door to the 9:30 Club, will close on New Year’s Eve after a 7-year run because it’s lease has run out. Popville broke news of the closure today, and an Instagram post from the bar confirmed it.

Covered in black with cheeky art referencing the Misfits and John Waters, the bar had a fun, punk vibe that fit its status as a gathering place to bookend shows at the neighboring venue.

When it opened in 2012, Satellite Room assumed the identity of a bar mixed with a ‘60s diner, offering options for meatloaf, huevos rancheros, and Reubens. A couple of years ago, the kitchen ditched that menu in favor of a pizza-centric plan. More recently, all vestiges of the old Satellite Room menu have been ditched in favor of testing a lineup from Andy’s Pizza that will be featured at a new bar, Echo Park, that will open across the street on Jan. 2.

Owners Ian and Eric Hilton have established a stronghold of bars in the neighborhood claiming pieces of Shaw and the U Street NW corridor. In addition to Echo Park and Satellite Room, they own American Ice Co., the Brixton, and El Rey.

• Satellite Room Opens Tonight [EDC]
• Shaw’s Satellite Room Drops Burgers for Pizza [EDC]
• A New Shop for Late-Night NY Pizza Opens Off U Street Right After New Year’s [EDC]