A Reborn Mussel House With a Huge Heated Patio Opens in Old Town | Eater DC

"Reopening after nearly a year of renovations in a historic 1800s-era building, Augie’s Mussel House and Beer Garden in Old Town presents an Old World look, a 140-seat dining room and a spacious heated patio (said to be the biggest on King Street with room for 75 and three big-screen TVs), plus a signature burger topped with crispy onions. The Belgian-themed restaurant — from Common Plate Hospitality — opens for lunch and dinner in the former Hunting Creek Steakhouse and offers lots of mussel choices (10 types) and beer (35 taps). Chef Alam Mendez Florian (of Urbano 116) and Chad Sparrow collaborated on a menu of bar-friendly appetizers like pretzels and beer cheese, sandwiches and salads, with weekend brunch joining soon; Florian, a Mexico native, also runs an esteemed restaurant in Mexico City. The industrial-styled redesign pays tribute to St. Augustine, the patron saint of brewers, and features reclaimed barn wood, tin, exposed brick, stone fireplaces, fabricated steel, wide plank floors, four huge operable industrial doors that bring in natural light, glowing stained-glass–like panels made from recycled broken beer bottles, and salvaged signs such as a 1940s Alexandria Marine sign." - Tierney Plumb