Sugar, a new Foggy Bottom restaurant and bar, hopes to serve government employees at lunchtime and host “noche de sexo” parties at night.
Located at 2121 K St., Sugar is just a block away from owner Saad Jallad’s other venture, Crepeaway, a staple of the Foggy Bottom community and a favorite for GW students. While walking his dog Simba back in January, Jallad stumbled upon on the empty spot available for lease and thought it would be a good location for a bar.
For the past three weeks, Sugar has been up and running, complete with cream- and pink-colored chairs and a massive poster of Mary Poppins with her spoon full of sugar hanging over the long, white bar, which serves happy hour daily from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Through November, each night from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., women get complimentary Prosecco, Jallad said.
“Crepeaway can be too busy, but here we can provide fundraisers with a 7:30 to 8:30 time slot,” Jallad said.
Aside from its fundraising platforms, Sugar will also host weekly events like Wednesday night karaoke, “noche de sexo” (Latin music dance parties) on Thursdays and “It’s Raining Men” parties on Sundays to welcome Foggy Bottom’s gay community.
Jallad said his childhood in Athens inspired him to open Sugar because he and his sister grew up watching Mary Poppins “every day again and again.”
“She has been the inspiration for this place. She was big on dessert – you know how she likes her spoonful of sugar. So we have a lot of desserts,” he said.
Sugar’s sweet treats include Nutella-covered strawberries, chocolate mousse cake, New York-style cheesecake and carrot cake.
Sugar also offers a selection of five sandwiches, three salads and four desserts, all for about $12. Food options are light and Italian, such as caprese salads and prosciutto sandwiches. Although the menu is on the smaller side, the meats and cheeses are imported from Italy and Greece and Jallad said “what you are getting here is really high-end.”
Because of its proximity to the IMF and the World Bank, Jallad said he hopes that people who work at those agencies will head to the eatery for a new lunch spot as well as for a happy hour after work.
He added that while his new restaurant and bar offers a different menu and definitely a different style, Crepeaway fans can still find something to like at Sugar.
“We have the same friendly vibe,” he said. “The playlists are the same and we want to bring that fun energy to Sugar.”
