Northside Social by Steak and Legs

I finally got the chance to sit down and enjoy Murky Coffee's replacement on Sunday and enjoyed the place. Northside Social was quite loud and packed inside, but the sunny outdoor tables was relaxing.

I was going to write a full review, but local blogging couple Steak and Legs beat me to it. And did a better job of it too. Bastards.

Seriously, they have a great write up of Northside Social's food, wine and coffee selection with very high quality photos. Check out their blog for the details.

Looking forward to more local reviews from Steak and Legs!

Love at Northside Social

Local realtor and resident Laura Rubinchuk claims to be in love with the new coffee shop Northside Social, and I can see why. The swanky venue that replaced Murky Coffee is now open and has rebuilt been to make a great use of interior space.

I don't think its fair to try to compare this new shop, founded by the same owners as Liberty Tavern, to its previous tenet Murky Coffee which closed a year ago. Northside Social has a very different feel and style, and is still a great alternative to the ubiquitous Starbucks.

This coffee shop on the very western edge of Clarendon would make for a perfect first date location. I'm sure its ample outdoor seating will be in demand when this summer warms up!

New Restaurants Coming Soon to Clarendon

It seems that everyone is talking about the updates of the new restaurants set to open soon in the ever growing Clarendon neighborhood. This Washingtonian article details how the owners of Liberty Tavern are increasing their ownership in local territory, with Lyon Hall and Northside Social coming soon.

Northside Social is the replacement for the closed Murky Coffee on the same spot behind St. Charles Church. It will also serve coffee like Murky, but will also offer wine and I imagine a more sophisticated/less hipster atmosphere.

Lyon Hall will be a "European-style brasserie", and have what appears to be a operational basement. Given they have applied for a live music license from the County until 1am, I'm wondering if they plan on hosting live bands in the basement similar to the DJ's at Eleventh's basement. It will be located at 3100 Washington Blvd, marked on the map above.

Thanks to all those who sent me tips on this article via email and twitter! I have been lagging on updating this blog lately, hope to get back in the swing of things soon.

Goodbye Murky Coffee

Murky Coffee on Wilson and Washington Boulevards closed its doors for good today. Its no surprise as owner Nick Cho gave us all a month's warning that the quirky shop would be shutting down soon.

The owners of Liberty Tavern are posed to open a new coffee shop in the space vacated by Murky.

I think Murky will be missed. It was nice that Clarendon had its own unique little anti-Starbucks store.

Murky Coffee to Close?

Murky Coffee is closing!

They claim they can't afford the rent anymore. And there might be tax issues. Very sad, as it was a nice yuppie hangout and good anti-establishment alternative to Starbucks.

Murky will be reincarnated as Wrecking Ball Coffee at 5th & H Streets NW, two blocks east of the Chinatown Gate.

Thanks to Miles Grant for the info.

Drama at Murky Coffee

The Washington Post ran an article yesterday about Clarendon's hipster anti-Starbucks coffee joint, Murky Coffee. The story is about a customer from New York demanding a beverage that was not offered by Murky, actually the beverage was "against company policy" and the barista said preparing a drink that way would ruin the integrity of the coffee.

I'm going to be loyal and side with owner Nicholas Cho, especially since Murky's response seemed the most mature:

"The customer in question, when told that it's our policy NOT to offer "espresso over ice," got angry right away. Regardless of how you feel about the merits of our policy, the fact that he got angry (in my opinion) is the crux of the matter. There are things in life to get angry about. There are matters that demand an elevated heart rate. This is not one of them."

Apparently all this coffee drama has taken the Arlington blogosphere by storm, so of course I had to jump on it too =)