Casual Neighborhood Bistro Little Beast Plans to Expand to Penn Quarter

Restaurateur Aaron Gordon hopes to open a Penn Quarter location of Little Beast, the family-centric restaurant that serves pasta, pizza, and braised short ribs in Chevy Chase, by late spring.

Gordon says he’s in the process of finalizing a lease for a 3,000-square-foot space on Seventh Street NW. Little Beast Penn Quarter will have a 100-seat setup that includes a counter-service component. Brunch will run daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. with dishes that have become weekend staples in Chevy Chase: huevos rancheros, ricotta pancakes, and an egg sandwich built out of croissants baked on-site.

The original Little Beast opened in October 2018, granting a sleepy strip of Connecticut Avenue NW a playful place lined with monster murals created by a Berlin-based graffiti artist. Gordon says he wants to add at least one colorful creature inside the incoming restaurant, but it won’t be quite as “whimsical” or kid-friendly as the branch in upper Northwest.

From 4 p.m. to close the space will flip into a sit-down destination for Little Beast’s salads, pizzas, pastas, and entrees. Along with a 12-seat patio, Little Beast will feature a “nice neighborhood bar” that Gordon thinks Penn Quarter is missing.

“There’s lots of bars, but many are upscale and expensive,” he says.

Rey Lopez/Eater DC

Back in Chevy Chase, Little Beast is bringing back a cafe component starting on Friday, January 10. The restaurant will open daily at 7 a.m. and serve coffee and pastries until 3 p.m. Little Beast’s dinnertime hours will still kick off at 5 p.m., and brunch will still be reserved for weekends.

Gordon is shaking up other parts of his portfolio, too, closing Roman pizza experiment Vivi just a few months after putting it inside Bakers & Baristas. Gordon plans to shutter the location, which includes adjoining Red Velvet Cupcakery, at 501 Seventh Street NW on Friday, January 3.

He says he’s close to finalizing a lease for a new site to relocate the cafe and cupcake shop nearby. The space is a little smaller — 1,300 vs. 2,000 square feet now — so there won’t be room to make pizza. Gordon wouldn’t give a specific address because the deal hasn’t closed, but he says it will be near Zaytinya.

The decision to move came after an “outrageous” rent spike; Gordon says his rent more than doubled when he renewed his 10-year lease in January.

The hope is to open by Valentine’s Day — Red Velvet’s biggest business day of the year. He says rent at the new 20-seat space will be a whopping 80-percent cheaper. The space is pretty much turnkey ready for his cupcakes, coffee, and pastry shop to slide in, but he says he’ll oversee a “heavy makeover.”

• A Roman Pizza Shop Will Soon Replace Penn Quarter’s Bakers & Baristas [EDC]
• A Berlin Muralist Puts His Mark on Chevy Chase’s New Little Beast [EDC]
• Why Chevy Chase’s Little Beast Closed Its Daytime Cafe After a Month [EDC]