Cava Coming to Atlas, No Boots for H Street and More

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523 H St NE - Future home to Cava.
A lot has happened since my last string of posts in February. I transitioned into a new job and I'm trying to figure out how to balance out-of-work time so I can post more often. Otherwise I'm still sharing neighborhood news, observances, and other thoughts on Twitter at @TheX2BusDC, so follow along there for real time updates and photos.

OK, lots of updates!

Cava
Washington City Paper is reporting that Cava, the Mediterranean fast-casual style restaurant, is coming to 523 H Street. I love this place. They are vegan friendly, the staff is A+, and the meals are consistently high quality. They typically feature alternating seasonal vegetables as a main ingredient, which is a definite plus. The location at the corner of 6th and H puts it right across the street from...


Whole Foods on H Street
Whole Foods opened a store at 600 H Street NE. It's gotten busier each week since the March 15 debut, but I have to say it isn't as "mobbed" as I expected. The highlights for me are that they offer good vegan prepared food to go (usually including vegan pizza by the slice), a full bar with 16 taps, and a checkout line for 12-ish items that is ultra fast. They know how to get you in and out (hello, Safeway). The coffee bar is OK, but with Wydown located next door in the same building, just go there. Anyway, it's nice to have this store nearby. 600  H St NE.

Aldi Freshens Up
With the opening of Whole Foods, Aldi decided to upgrade its store a bit. I mean, I have no idea if Whole Foods opening is the real reason; impeccable time is all. The new refresh at Aldi brings a bit more produce, better organized aisles, updated interior signage, and no more having to check your backpack at the front door, a practice which I loathed. I liked Aldi well enough before the refresh, but the shopping experience is now just that much more pleasant. Safeway, you're on notice. Again. Aldi is located at 901 17th St NE.

No Boots for Now
It looks like my vegan pizza fix will have to rely on Whole Foods for the time being. Two Boots, the New York based, Italy-and-Louisiana inspired pizza restaurant will not open at the corner of 11th and H NE anytime soon. We got excited last September for an imminent opening, but by this February, the company posted an update confirming that the DC store is off for a while while they complete several large projects in New York. 

I also noticed a court summons for Pump Me Up LLC (an NYC company related to Two Boots) to reestablish occupancy of the building at 1025 H St NE for the landlord/owners. So, that's not good. I hope this is all worked out and we see Two Boots sooner than later.


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