Acacia Food & Wine is closing at the end of June after 13 years in Van Ness. And directly across Yuma Street, Flavor Garden Restaurant & Bar has just opened for business.
Acacia
Acacia Bistro owner Uzay Turker (right) and guests in 2018.
Acacia Food & Wine was Acacia Bistro when Uzay Turker opened the restaurant at 4340 Connecticut Avenue in 2009. On Thursday, June 23rd, he wrote in an email to customers:
It is with deep regret that I have to inform all of you that Acacia will be closing at the end of this month. I have put my heart and soul into this restaurant and tried my absolute best to keep Acacia running for all of you to enjoy. However, my landlord UDC, has made this impossible due to their insistence more than doubling the rent! I tried to negotiate with them for several months and they were completely non-negotiable. This is occurring post Covid when many restaurants like ours are just trying to survive. I will miss all of you dearly, as many of you have become my dear friends, and I sincerely enjoyed seeing my valued customers daily. I will be keeping my acaciabistro@yahoo.com email if you would like to keep in touch. As for my next endeavour, I will be in Real Estate in Florida and D.C. If you have any real estate needs, please get in contact with me.
We asked UDC for its side of the story. “We believe the owner of Acacia was treated more than fairly,” UDC President Ronald Mason Jr. said in a statement. “However, after lengthy good faith negotiations we were unable to come to terms on a new lease. Our commitment to the Van Ness community remains firm, and we will work with our neighbors to locate a suitable tenant for the space.”
Flavor Garden
Deirdre Holliday-Williams, the owner of Flavor Garden.
The owner of Flavor Garden Restaurant & Bar, at 4400 Connecticut, is Deirdre Holliday-Williams, who introduced herself to the community at the April ANC 3F meeting. She has been welcoming neighbors for the cafe’s soft opening since Wednesday, June 22nd, and is planning to hold the grand opening sometime after July 4th.
Dine in, or call 202-248-1858 to place a carryout order. Flavor Garden is open for lunch, dinner, and funnel cakes and milkshakes from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
A staffer told us that beginning today, the bar would be serving happy hour specials weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m. (boozy milkshakes are part of the plan), but keep in mind that anytime a new restaurant opens, everything is in flux for a bit. That goes doubly so now, as even established restaurants struggle with staffing, supply issues and inflation.
George Hofmann says
Town and Gown, with a vengeance ….
Paul says
And what does President Mason intend to do with that space once Acacia is thrown out? With so much vacant space along that side of Connecticut Avenue one wonders why an accommodation for a small business owner was impossible. Evicting the tenant does not seem “more than fair”.
Charlie says
UDC has no credibility in my book. They’ve thrown out the local food bank from the former Walgreen’s building, and now they’re forcing Acacia to close. All of this would make sense if UDC needed to fill these buildings with classes full of students, but the sad truth is that they’re not doing that. They’re not growing the academic mission of the university. They’re just focusing on making money from the commercial real estate that they operate.
mariah says
I agree with both statements above. I live in the area and there are so many vacant retail spaces here. This area is sleepy enough and now we have to be subject to another vacant spot, and my beloved Acacia is gone for good. I am very unhappy about UDC’s decision, they need to focus on education not retail businesses. If a new entity occupies Acacias space I am sure it will be like a revolving door of places coming and going like it was previously for years. Acacia was there for 13 years through ups and downs and UDC should have had the latitude to work with them so they could stay. I think UDC will regret their decision to kick Acacia out and all of us will continue to mourn our beloved restaurant.
Mariah