Urban Roast, a local family-owned Mediterranean-style cafe and cocktail bar, located across from Capital One Arena, will officially be featured in this year’s Dine All Night from Sept. 21 through Oct. 1.
The Dine All Night experience provides an opportunity for District foodies to explore and tap into a variety of the local restaurant scene’s offerings. Participating restaurants have been encouraged to come up with unique twists on each of their special limited-time menus, allowing attendees the taste bud experience of a lifetime.
“[Dine All Night] is giving us the opportunity to really showcase ourselves to the local community,” said Kamal Azzouz, owner of Urban Roast in Northwest, D.C.
The Mediterranean restaurant opened during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, June 1, 2020.
“It gave us the opportunity to figure out who we wanted to become,” Azzouz shared, adding that although it was a struggle, he got a lot of support from the community.
Dine All Night was born after the trials of the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept was created to generate more opportunities for restaurants to enhance revenue post-pandemic and to bring them new customers.
Grateful for the opportunity to participate, Azzouz shared that he looks forward to sharing all that his restaurant has to offer. He welcomes District residents and out-of-towners to try a new, different and vibrant city taste.
As a Palestinian American, he wants to share many of the Mediterranean dishes sacred to his heart.
“We are going to have a few different three-course menus that you can choose from,” Azzouz shared with The Informer. “For example, one of the options is a wood-grilled chicken dish, served with our red velvet cake, and our crab and artichoke dip.”
As a winner of the best brunch award at the RAMMYs, Azzouz is no stranger to the reward of serving diverse and enjoyable food and an alternative dining experience. This, he shared, is something that he promises to include in his participation in Dine All Night.
The restaurateur told The Informer he hopes to showcase “[his] place as a whole” and encourages visitors to “check out what we have to offer and naturally choose what they like.”
Azzouz also emphasized he is thankful for the support he’s received in the past three years of being in business.
“Having that support and belief from the community is what’s kept us around,” he said, adding he is excited to participate in Dine All Night, in order to continue building connections with the local community.
Source: Washington Informer
