Shaw’s Hot New Lao Bar Is Temporarily Moving to 14th Street

Facing “maintenance issues” that have forced it to temporarily close, Lao bar Hanumanh will decamp its digs on Ninth Street NW tomorrow and take up residence on 14th Street NW for an open-ended stay inside Destination Wedding, the rotating pop-up bar underneath Southeast Asian spot Doi Moi.

Since opening in Shaw in May, Hanumanh has frequently fiddled with a menu full of spicy and sour bar snacks from chefs Seng Luangrath and Bobby Pradachith, the mother-and-son team behind renowned Thip Khao in Columbia Heights, Padaek in Falls Church, and the recently opened Sen Khao in Tysons Galleria. Barmini alum Al Thompson oversees craft cocktails that integrate banana-infused Lao whiskey and Thai tea-infused vermouth.

At Destination Wedding, they’ll collaborate with Doi Moi chef Johanna Hellrigl, who’s gaining notice around town for her own deft hand with a wide range of specialities from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Timor-Leste.

Like at Hanumanh, tables will be available for walk-ins only. The Hanumanh takeover will open at 5 p.m. six days per week (every day but Tuesday). A short menu includes dishes like like gaeng phet red curry and vermicelli noodles with fermented fish-pork sauce and pickled squash. Here’s a look at the “Destination Laos” menu:

• Inside Hanumanh, Shaw’s New Lao Bar From the Thip Khao Team [EDC]
• Doi Moi’s Renovated Menu Goes Island-Hopping Across Southeast Asia [EDC]