CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the number of staff members at Makers Union’s Cathedral Commons location.
A fourth Makers Union restaurant location is now open in the Cathedral Commons neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
One of the brands under the Thompson Restaurant Group, the restaurant is in a prime residential/retail neighborhood north of the Washington National Cathedral.
Upon arrival, the bright exterior dining arrangement is where patrons will want to be as the weather continues to warm up. Inside, that environment is spacious and bright. The décor gives a feeling of year-round springtime for family dining.
“As the weather warms up, the wall of windows will collapse for an indoor/outside experience,” said Adrian Cane, general manager of Makers Union at Cathedral Commons. “We look forward to bringing in live music.”
Let’s Eat!
My guest and I arrived at the restaurant on a weekday afternoon. We ordered from the dinner menu with so many choices that anyone’s palate would be satisfied.
We started with the chargrilled Lemon Garlic Parm Wings, a nice unique option to enjoy a classic starter. Makers Union serves their wings two ways with a choice of four types of seasoning. In addition to what we ordered, the wings are available seasoned as Old Bay, Buffalo, or Phoenix Rub.
We then tried the Crispy Brussels Sprouts prepared with Fresno chilis, hot honey, ginger, mint, cilantro, and roasted peanuts. Even though this appetizer is a bit spicy, my guest and I felt we could have had several bowls. I love oven-roasted Brussels Sprouts drizzled with olive oil and spices. These crispy sprouts were over the top.
The “Main Event” section on the menu includes entrees. I had Branzino fish with grilled broccolini, forest mushrooms, leek lemon butter and fine herbs. My guest had the Hickory House Smoked Salmon with creamy mushroom quinoa, green beans, and mustard vinaigrette. The seafood was cooked to perfection.
Dessert for each of us was the Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding with strawberry garnish. The serving of bread pudding would be enough to feed more than one person.
Executive Chef Dan Logan oversees the food creations at the Cathedral Commons Makers Union.
“Menus are slightly modified for each location,” said Cane. “We look at the neighborhood to assess what potential diners might like.
Opening the Doors in Cathedral Commons
Before Makers Union opened this new location, it was Matchbox, another restaurant under the Thompson brand. Ramping up to the opening of Makers Union, Cane worked with the landlord to distribute flyers to the condos attached to the restaurant.
“Every day, I expanded my radius a bit further,” said Cane. “I also distributed complimentary cocktail cards to local businesses, and we’ve had some social media influencers come in.”
Hiring staff was about finding the “best of the best” to be on the team. Cane said they went through 800 applicants to build the current staff of 40 people.
Makers Union at Cathedral Commons, 3701 Newark Street NW, is open seven days per week. The total seating capacity is 200.
Brunch is available on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday there is a “People’s Hour” from 3 to 6 p.m. that is this restaurant’s version of a happy hour. In addition to alcoholic beverages, there is a nice variety of mocktails.
Two hours of free validated parking are across the street under the Giant Food store.
For more information, call 202-661-0161 or go to makersunionpub.com.