Cranes
Restaurant · Downtown
724 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69168645/untitled_5288.0.jpg "Cranes by Rey Lopez/Eater DC")
Highlights
Spanish-Japanese fusion tapas, tasting menus, and sake list
Spanish-Japanese fusion tapas, tasting menus, and sake list
"Penn Quarter’s ambitious Spanish-Japanese restaurant with a Michelin star offers a little something for everyone, from Spanish gin and tonics and fancy bento boxes for lunch to a strong sake selection behind a buzzy bar to an eight-course omakase for $128. They also do unlimited tapas on Wednesdays for $46 per person. Chef Pepe Moncayo, a Spaniard who spent a large chunk of his career cooking in Singapore, sends out an ever-changing list of tapas like patatas bravas, duck rillete gyozas, and a la carte large plates of steamed mussels in sake or paella studded with smoked eel." - Missy Frederick
"Cranes is the only restaurant in D.C. currently exploring the intersection between Spanish and Japanese cuisine, courtesy of chef Pepe Moncayo. That means combinations like patatas bravas with yuzu kosho ketchup, and an unagi paella accented with white ponzu, smoked eel, snap peas, and jalapeno aioli." - Tierney Plumb
"Introducing all these specialty Spanish dishes while also balancing an upcoming breakfast menu and shared kitchen with the Bodega by Arrels, on the other side of the lobby, is also a challenge. The market serves quick, under-$25 lunches made in 10 minutes that “cross-utilizes ingredients” from the larger restaurant. Paella rice will be cooked up in advance and quickly fried up into a “paella fried rice” for 9-to-5 workers on the go and a Spanish twist on the classic American breakfast combines the main menu’s patatas bravas with butifarra (simple Catalan sausage also served as hot dogs at the bar), bacon, and eggs. Even the high-end tinned seafood and chips, which Moncayo painstakingly sourced from four different distributors to bring in from Spain, will be on sale at the bodega and also served at Arrel’s chill bar area. A chargrilled medium rare tuna belly with olive sauce at Arrels will be repurposed in a confit topping off a salad at the bodega. Later, that same tuna will be found in hand rolls at a rooftop bar, called ART, that’s coming in December. The small kitchen space upstairs will mostly serve up raw fish in hand rolls and other Japanese dishes that Moncayo has become known for at Cranes for the last four years. Beverage director Ferit Ozergul, who’s manned the bar at Cranes for almost three years, will be making cocktails that mix in Japanese flavors at the rooftop bar, while classic gin and tonics, plus sherry and vermouth-forward drinks to pair with the Spanish food downstairs." - Emily Venezky
"Enjoy a festive feast without the fuss this holiday season with Cranes’ delicious takeout menu. From November 25 all the way to January 1, chef Pepe Moncayo prepares curated holiday menus for pickup. Choose between two options: a braised veal shank for four ($225) or crispy roasted suckling pig for two ($150) with sides, plus desserts like a decadent Spanish custard or burnt pumpkin cheesecake. Accents include double-buttered mashed potatoes, roasted apple with fennel and pear puree, organic mushroom rice, and more. Pickup from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Place orders within 24 hours notice." - Vinciane Ngomsi
"Get into the Olympic spirit at Cranes with its exclusive bar specials. From July 26 to August 11, enjoy happy hour from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day. There’s a featured cocktail called the “Golden Dream” that blends seasonal yuzu, vodka, and apricot liqueur." - Vinciane Ngomsi
