Photo by NCinDC.
Every February, GM conducts a census, of sorts, of all the stores in Georgetown. He gathers the information and tabulates out various facets of the data to produce his annual State of Georgetown articles.
This is not that. (GM hasn’t had the time yet to do his census, but it should be within the next week or so).
But what GM can already tell before walking the streets is that 2012 was rough on Georgetown restaurants.
By GM’s count there were 15 restaurants (or other food shops) that closed between February 2012 and February 2013. That compares with just 11 closures in 2011 (which itself was a tough year). In 2010 only 5 restaurants closed.
Here’s the list:
- Homemade Pizza Co.
- Book Hill Bistro (GM assumes it’s closed, it hasn’t been open since December)
- Papa Razzi
- Crepe Amour/Georgetown Wing Co.
- Pizzeria Uno
- Mie N Yu
- Fino Italian
- La Madeleine
- Guards
- Cafe Europe (Mall)
- K’s Deli (Mall)
- Leonidas
- Georgetown Candy Bar
A lot of the spaces are either still vacant or are already claimed for non-restaurant uses. The only one that will definitely become a restaurant again is the Crepe Amour space, which will become a Good Stuff Eatery.
By the way, the old Garrett’s space looks like it will soon host a restaurant called i-Thai. Ehh…
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
Book Hill Bistro is closed and the property (along with the business) were for sale but it looks like it may have sold or been taken off the market.
If you’re including la Madeleine, shouldn’t Citronelle also be on the list? Or has there been definite news about one’s prospects for reopening, but not the other?
Also, it seems like more restaurants/food shops closed than opened, but do you have the corresponding list of restaurants that opened in 2012? I can think of a few:
– Stachowski’s Market
– Farmers Fishers Bakers
– Unum
– Bandolero
– Cafe Tu o Tu Express
– Pie Sisters
– Tony & Joe’s (though the patio remained open through the renovations)
– Nick’s Riverside Grill (same)
Georgetown just doesn’t have the excitement as other parts of the city are enjoying in new and unique culinary delights. I actually leave Georgetown to go to other parts of the city/suburbs to eat (Chinatown, H Street NE, Clarendon) All of the above mentioned new openings for 2012 are mediocre at best.
Cannot tell you how much Furin’s is missed . . .
Should you count the cafe in the sorely missed Barnes and Noble?