At Long Last, the Original Duke’s Grocery Returns to Dupont | Eater DC

"Reopening in its original Dupont digs at 1513 17th Street NW on Thursday, July 11 at 4 p.m., the decade-old Duke’s Grocery returns after a 16-month closure to perform major structural work on its 120-year-old brick row house — the team even dug 12 feet down to install the building’s first-ever foundation and replaced failing floor joints (which were upcycled as yellow pine trim). While the brick exterior and two-story layout look familiar, everything behind the scenes is new: wood-and-steel support beams, HVAC, all-new hardwood floors, a bigger kitchen and the long-awaited fryer (so Dupont can finally bring back its popular fish and chips), and a new draft system pouring six local and U.K. brews across two bars. Duke’s familiar calling cards remain — an epic seven-hour happy hour, free-flowing Pimm’s cups and English breakfasts at brunch, shiny copper bar tops, cheeky decor (including a framed Ted Lasso print and bathroom collages made from British tabloid clippings), and a lengthy new mural by Alia Akhtar — while menu revisions under chef Greg Heitzig include the Dupont debut of chicken liver mousse with Yorkshire pudding and piccalilli vegetables. Lunch service resumes July 18 along with weekday noon–7 p.m. discounts on beers, wines, and cocktails ($5–$9). The spot’s signature double-patty “essential” burger (made with patties from Creekstone Farms) helped put the brand on the D.C. map — Kramer estimates selling close to 750,000 of them over the group’s nearly 11-year lifespan — and the reopening is framed as a continuation of relationships with purveyors, neighbors, artists, and guests who started the place." - Tierney Plumb