The Night Is Young. Apparently, So Is Dinner

Washington has no shortage of places to start the night. The harder question is where to go when it’s late, you’re still hungry, and nobody is quite ready to call it.

Enter Moxies.

The Canadian-born restaurant brand quietly opened its first Washington location in May at 1111 20th St. NW in the Golden Triangle, bringing a polished-but-not-precious dining room to one of downtown’s most central corners. Its most useful feature, however, may have less to do with lunch meetings or after-work cocktails and more to do with what happens after all of that.

The full menu runs until 1 am.

That makes Moxies an intriguing candidate for a new after-hours habit: somewhere to grab a proper meal after a late night out, linger over cocktails after dinner elsewhere, or settle into a booth when the city’s usual dinner options have already called it a night.

And the location helps. Tucked into the Golden Triangle, Moxies sits within easy reach of downtown offices, Dupont Circle, and the bars and restaurants that fill the surrounding streets. It’s central enough to work as a convenient rendezvous point without requiring a cross-town expedition.

The restaurant itself is designed for that kind of flexibility. Lunch can slide into happy hour; happy hour can become dinner; dinner can become cocktails; and, apparently, dinner can start when other kitchens are already winding down. The menu leans globally inspired, with everything from substantial entrées to shareable dishes, alongside cocktails, wine, beer and spirit-free options.

In other words: come for the occasion you planned… or the one that accidentally developed.

There’s an interesting local story behind the new outpost, too. Moxies DC is led by Brandon Thordarson, who spent more than a decade with the brand as Executive Chef and Director of Culinary before becoming its Washington franchisee. That kitchen-to-ownership trajectory gives the restaurant a little more personal investment than your typical new-market opening.

With 10 locations across the US, Moxies isn’t exactly the new kid on the restaurant block. But Washington has a particular talent for turning convenient restaurants into institutions of routine: the place for the Tuesday lunch, the Friday happy hour, the dinner before a show, the drink after work, and eventually — the “where can we still get food?” text at 12:15 am.

You’re welcome.