"Voodoo (1334 U Street NW) comes from the team behind Alchemist, the subterranean speakeasy situated in the same brick building. In true French Quarter fashion, booze will start flowing as early as D.C. permits (6 a.m. daily), per a new ABRA filing. The two-story sibling bar with room for 90 — not including a life-sized voodoo doll going in there — will serve communal fishbowl drinks alongside potent New Orleans cocktails like Hurricanes and Sazeracs. “Voodoo promises to bring the spirit of Mardi Gras to the nation’s capital all year long,” says Joshua Valencia, a California native who owns the U Street nightlife cluster with Texas-born business partner Joshua Taylor. Tucked past a bright yellow door framed with a fleur-de-lis will be a first floor dripping in colorful beads, “crazy decor and lighting” and an overall tourist-trap feel, says Valencia, with plans to host trivia, karaoke, and sports-watching parties fit for Saints fans. A blacklight-illuminated second level will turn up the party with music and glowing neon accents, a la NoLa’s Halloween tradition of Voodoo Fest. A TBA food program will kick off next summer." - Tierney Plumb
