Himitsu’s Wine Boss Is Opening a Cocktail Bar in Petworth This Spring

Carlie Steiner, the nationally celebrated beverage director and co-owner of Himitsu, is partnering with a neighboring Petworth entrepreneur to open a cocktail bar and wine garden on Upshur Street NW.

Washington City Paper reports that Steiner and Anna Bran-Leis, who owns Taqueria Del Barrio just down the street from Himitsu, are putting a bar called Dos Mami’s inside the former Hank’s Cocktail Bar space by late April.

According to WCP, the bar will have a Latin vibe (Bran-Leis is Guatemalan) but won’t be restricted to any one style. Instead, it will pull from the personal passions of the founders, who are big on local producers and women-owned products. There will be a small food menu to go with the drinks.

Hank’s Cocktail Bar vacated the Dos Mami’s space in December, eventually re-opening in Dupont Circle with the hope of creating a bigger platform for a burgeoning program of savory and sustainable drinks. Petworth also lost a Latin-leaning wine bar when Ruta Del Vino closed in November.

Himitsu, which Steiner co-owns with chef Kevin Tien, has attracted attention in the Northwest neighborhood since opening in late 2016. Eater D.C. named it the city’s Restaurant of the Year in 2017, when Eater national tabbed it one of the 12 best new restaurants in the country. Forbes put Steiner, who has also worked at Barmini by José Andrés, on its 30 under 30 list for food and drink last year.

Bran-Leis also runs the DC Empanadas food truck and expanded the brand with a stall in Union Market.

• Carlie Steiner and Anna Bran-Leis Link Up to Open Dos Mami’s in Petworth [WCP]
• Inside Hank’s Cocktail Bar, Dupont’s New Second-Story Mixology Lab [EDC]
• Ruta del Vino Wine Bar Closes After 2-Year Run in Petworth [EDC]
• How Himitsu’s Founders Keep Challenging the Status Quo [EDC]
• The 12 Best New Restaurants in America (2017) [E]
• 30 Under 30 Food & Drink [Forbes]