Classic Capitol Hill Bistro Cacao Upgrades From Its Quaint Digs After a Decade

More room for mustard-crusted lamb racks

Bistro Cacao, a mom-and-pop restaurant in Capitol Hill that serves straightforward French fare such as escargot in garlic parsley butter, grilled hanger steak frites with Bernaise sauce, and seafood crepes adorned with fennel cream, is moving out of its cozy original location after more than 10 years of business.

The restaurant announced last week that it’s packing up its chandeliers, Burgundy-colored drapes, and white tablecloths and moving into a bigger building next-door (316 Massachusetts Avenue NE). Bistro Cacao debuted its new space, formerly La Loma, to customers on Friday. An official reopening is set for Friday, January 31.

The move allows owners Yavuz and Hulya Bolukbasi to accommodate more customers and offer more private dining options. Executive chef Guven Dogan is getting a bigger kitchen, working to add more local vendors, and planning to add more global influences to the menu in the form of Indian spices and Spanish olive oil. One example already on the menu is the Petoncles Avec Houmous de Betterave, a grilled scallop dish with red beet hummus, feat cheese, and fennel cream sauce. Dogan was a sous chef under opening chef/partner Kemal Deger, who died in 2017.

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