The Square
Food court · Downtown ·
Global cuisine food hall with sushi, Spanish eats, and more
Global cuisine food hall with sushi, Spanish eats, and more
"The latest addition to DC's seemingly unstoppable fast-casual lunch bowl scene is Nuli, a Nigerian chain with a focus on healthy ingredients. Located Downtown at the Square food hall, Nuli serves proteins like lamb meatballs and spicy prawns over bases like couscous, fonio, and rice. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Omnia Saed
"The Lagos-based, fast-casual chain is opening its first U.S. location this August at The Square food hall (1850 K Street NW) in downtown Washington, bringing a health-food approach that emphasizes nutrient-rich African ingredients locally sourced from the DMV and culinary traditions drawn from across the continent’s 54 countries, including Mediterranean and Indian influences. “We need to tell these stories of how, at the end of the day, we are one people,” says founder Ada Osakwe, who operates six locations across Lagos, adding, “Broader than Africa, just we are one, and we need to break down those barriers for building this community.” The menu presents African flavors in familiar fast-casual formats—warm bowls, toasted wraps, and smoothies—and features freshly baked naan surrounding the toasted wraps as a nod to the Indian diaspora on the African continent; best sellers include the Naanini and Naan Pepper wraps. Osakwe added couscous as a base option because of her four years living in Tunisia: “When I lived in Tunisia, that was an eye opener for me,” Osakwe tells Eater. “That for me was the foundation in terms of realizing that we had such diverse cultures on the continent. North Africans were quite different from us.” West African influences appear in a smoky jollof warm bowl and in the use of fonio, couscous, and rice that “offer the red pepper flavorful spice that jollof is famous for,” while fonio super bowls pair the ancient, protein-packed grain with fresh vegetables as either a cold salad or warm stir-fried bowl. Proteins include tandoori chicken, spicy prawns, and lamb meatballs alongside vegan options such as avocado or veggie meat chunks; Osakwe highly recommends ordering sweet plantain fries as a side. Salad dressings and Tahini-like creamy spreads are designed around egusi, a West African melon seed that’s “rich in essential minerals and a valuable source of creamy plant protein,” and the D.C. menu adds items unique to that location: steamed bean cakes known as moin-moin, moringa smoothies and parfaits (moringa, the so-called “miracle tree”), and gluten-free cassava-flour naan that isn’t available at the Lagos sites; in keeping with African culinary practices, staff will make menu items from scratch each day. Osakwe founded the brand in 2016 to pair exercise with healthy, affordable, convenient food and to build a homegrown African brand that could translate globally; she notes both a mission and an economic imperative: “I was tired of the Burger Kings or the Pizza Huts coming into our countries and people paying huge franchise fees for those, and yet, we weren’t developing and backing our own people,” and she adds, “So yeah, this is like a dream come true.” The brand also channels broader impact goals—part of sales support female-led farmer cooperatives in Africa—and has done bulk corporate business in Lagos (previous partners include Google and McKinsey & Company), while Osakwe aims for aggressive U.S. expansion over the next decade, even likening the goal to established fast-casual trajectories: “What Chipotle is for Mexican-inspired food, what Cava is for Mediterranean-inspired food, [the brand] is that for African-inspired food,” she says. The company name derives from the female name “Anwuli,” unique to the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria, meaning happiness or joy; “Taste Joy” serves as the brand’s tagline and ethos." - Lenore Adkins
"The downtown food hall at 1850 K Street NW is hosting a welcoming sober party on Thursday, January 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., put on with partners Zero Proof Nation and Booze Free in DC; the event is open to anyone looking for mocktails, spirit-free brand samples, live music and nearby dinner options (tickets $15 on Eventbrite). The same venue’s market has been keeping stock of booze-free drinks and will be curating gift bags of goodies, its wine director Sarah Vanags is showcasing nonalcoholic drinks during free Tuesday tastings (final 0%-ABV tastings on January 21 and 28 from 5 to 7 p.m.), and the building also features Brindle Boxer Kombucha with “revolving kombucha flavors” that can be sipped in the atrium or taken home in reusable glass bottles." - Emily Venezky
"After a challenging first year I consider the project a success: the innovative food hall occupies almost an entire block in the Farragut North atrium of Tishman Speyer’s International Square building and was conceived to host 16 vendors sharing a commissary kitchen, though COVID-driven changes and skyrocketing construction costs forced us to downsize to nine vendors. The shared commissary kitchen remains the heart of the business — everyone is using it and event bookings are starting to help pay for it — and while we aren’t profitable yet we’re getting there. Foot traffic has been lower than pre-COVID expectations because many people aren’t back in offices, but we’re still actively pursuing two additional build-outs, curating tenants (including an akombucha bar, Kiyomi Sushi, Nativo coffee bar, Junge’s churro and Jamon Jamon) and programming to keep the hall part of the community: live music, dancing, retail pop-ups, a break-dancing competition and wine tastings. My approach is to stay present, engage people and give them what they didn’t know they wanted, because we’re selling experience as much as food." - Claudia Rosenbaum
"On Saturday, June 8 at 8 p.m., in conjunction with Capital Pride, The Square will host REWIND, a retro-themed party celebrating the strides of the LGBTQ+ community throughout the decades. The party features multiple DJs, live singers, and roaming entertainers. Expect a dazzling scene of balloons, lights, lasers, and vintage video games projected for all to see. Plus, The Square’s many food stalls will also be open. Tickets here." - Evan Caplan