A Japanese fusion restaurant and “listening bar” is preparing to open next year in Clarendon.
Oasis: The Listening Bar is a concept based on “HiFi bars” popular in Japan — spaces known for their high-quality record players, loudspeakers and amplifiers, where customers focus on the music while enjoying a meal together.
Co-founder Tammie Disayawathana said the incoming restaurant at 2940 Clarendon Blvd — formerly home to Cava Mezze — aims to be a family-friendly place with a Japanese fusion menu and an espresso machine.
“I think it just suits the people around that area, because they’re young — a new generation, you know — and then at the same time, you can get nice food in a nice place with music that’s going on,” she said.
Disayawathana and her husband, Jaturon Srirote, brought on a sushi chef and an executive chef with Michelin-starred experience to bring the project together. The couple also runs the D.C.-area restaurant chain Sisters Thai, with locations in Fairfax and the Mosaic District, and — as of later today — a new 8,300-square-foot flagship location in Tysons.
“This is very exciting, because, you know, it’s always my dream,” Disayawathana said. “Me, my husband, besides Sisters Thai, we want to do something different, to let people know that we are something that’s different, more than what people think.”
The 4,000-square-foot space has room for 120 people, in addition to a large patio with room for 50 more outside. If all goes well, the restaurant could open as soon as February, Disayawathana said.
Cava Mezze was previously in business at the address for 12 years before it closed last November.
