D.C.’s Hill Country Barbecue Is Closing in Penn Quarter | Eater DC

"A Penn Quarter rustic-chic barbecue stalwart occupying a two-story, wood-framed space at 410 7th Street NW will close for good on Friday, March 28. Popville is reporting it’s NYC-based Pubkey Bar and Media House — a high-tech "bitcoin community" of sorts with a menu full of waffle fries, Chicago dogs, smash burgers, and one wild logo of a scared sausage next to a wolf stabbed with a butcher knife. The 14-year-old offshoot of the New York original was known for Central Texas–style barbecue, Shiner Bock beers, live music and a devoted GOP fan base (let’s never forget the infamous visit from embattled NY Rep. George Santos in 2023); House campaign funds were also used to wine and dine donors here over the years. It was the official venue for the rowdy line-dancing party “Firehouse Fridays.” The restaurant operated on a month-to-month lease as the space was shopped around over the past year; in January, a rep for the restaurant told Eater it was “in the process of negotiating a long-term lease extension.” Leasing rep KLNB and landlord Marx Realty initially declined to disclose the incoming tenant, and Marx exercised its 30-day option to terminate the lease — a move the founder Marc Glosserman called “not the outcome we had hoped for,” adding, “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by this unexpected development.” Nationwide barbecue chain Virgil’s eyed the space at one point, its CEO Jeff Bank told Eater in January, but the price wasn’t right; its massive Italian-American sibling Carmine’s sits directly across the street. The spot sat just south of Capital One Arena along 7th Street NW, part of José Andrés’ pioneering “restaurant row” (Jaleo, Oyamel, China Chilcano), and while prices aimed at tourist-heavy Penn Quarter and lapses in consistency sometimes made it feel like a Disneyland version of Texas barbecue, traditional touches — sausages shipped in from Kreuz Market in Lockhart, sides of baked beans with burnt ends and a sweet potato bourbon mash drawn from family recipes — remained. Its dry-rubbed brisket smoked over post-oak wood from Texas helped put early-day pitmaster Rob Sonderman on the map; Sonderman went on to open DCity Smokehouse and Federalist Pig, where he works today. (Article updated March 21, 2025 to include information on the incoming tenant and a statement from the owner.)" - Tierney Plumb