ANXO Cidery & Pintxos Bar Closing
We’re heartbroken to reveal that a 15-month struggle to find common ground with our landlord will end with us closing our flagship restaurant at 300 Florida Ave NW on Sunday, July 18th, which is the week of our five year anniversary. While this has been a difficult decision we’re confident that it’s the best long-term decision for our business and our family of team members. Please come visit us in Truxton Circle before we close and stay tuned for anniversary celebration events during our final week of service.
While this closure represents the end of a chapter, the ANXO story will continue with the evolution of our Brightwood Park location at 711 Kennedy St NW. Brightwood Park will remain open and hopefully be a natural transition for the countless guests that felt at home in our Truxton Circle location. Work is underway to build a full kitchen and enhance the space to accommodate up to 80 guests. These enhancements will be completed by the end of this year. During the Summer and through the year expect to see cocktail and culinary popups and unique and engaging events. You’ll still be able to purchase your favorite ANXO Ciders, beer, wine, cocktails, and provisions. We’re so excited to continue growing in the Brightwood Park community and to continue the ANXO story with all our guests and partners.
Our Made-in-DC brand, ANXO Cider continues to grow with distribution in 20+ states (and growing) along with international distribution in Nova Scotia and the UK. Our focus on apple driven beverages won’t stop with cider as we’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be producing apple brandy at Brightwood Park. Over the past five years we’ve come to know our local apples and we’re confident we can make exceptional brandy from them. Our first spirits will be ready in early 2022, with the finest taking three years to age. ANXO Mixologist Jade Aldrighette will host a Summer Cocktail pop-up as a preview to “Brightwood Brandy,” our new line of apple spirits. Her cocktails will be available at the tasting bar, our various outdoor spaces, and to take home!
Today’s news is bittersweet. We poured our hearts into our Florida Avenue location and will leave behind an epic rebuild of a historic and long-vacant building, which we’ll miss terribly. We are emerging from the pandemic a different business than how we entered it, but our love for Kennedy Street has only grown. We are committed and excited to focus our energy on this amazing neighborhood and can’t wait to share more plans for this over the coming weeks and months.
For press inquiries please contact Michael Katigbak at Michael@anxocider.com
Brightwood Brandy
Our new line of apple spirits will start as apple juice fermented into cider at 711 Kennedy as we always have, but will then be distilled by friends at a DC distillery. The resulting clear spirit (Eau de Vie) is amazing for cocktails, and aged three years in barrel we hope it will rival the finest brandys and whiskeys. We will focus on single apple varietal brandys to learn more about our specific local apples.
2% For Brightwood
ANXO will donate back to the Brightwood Park community 2% of sales on alcohol it produces and sells at 711 Kennedy. The funds will be raised quarterly and administered by ANXO Co-Founder and Director of Human Resources Rachel Topelius. We aim to raise at least $10,000 in our first year.
Why are you closing the Florida Avenue location?
Over the past 15 months we averaged 50% of our usual sales while our costs remained the same. We received some relief from various programs but in the end it was not enough to cover our sizable lease obligation. Our landlord was not willing to offer relief unless we vacated the property. We fought as hard as we could, but leaving our beloved Florida Ave location has become our only option to stay solvent.
What does this mean for ANXO Cider?
The Made-in-DC brand ANXO Cider is not affected by this closing, other than being extremely sad! ANXO Cider is growing well with wholesale partners in 20 US states, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Please ask your local shop to pick us up!
Will you build a restaurant at your Brightwood Park location?
Yes and no! We’re building a full kitchen at 711 Kennedy St NW and hope to have that operational before the end of the year. Our Chef and partner Alex Vallcorba retired during the pandemic and we’re taking time to consider our culinary program. We’ll have space for 80 diners with a to-go friendly menu so there will be a lot of food. Stay tuned for developments.
What will happen to your staff?
All of our staff will be offered positions at ANXO Brightwood. From there, we will grow the business together. Our employees are the heart of ANXO, and we are committed to keeping our team employed through this challenging time. We are energized to develop ANXO Brightwood to create a true community place where everyone is, and feels, welcomed. We are a better business for having diverse interests, experiences and personalities in all facets of the business.
How can I support ANXO over this transition?
- Florida Avenue patio and bar are open through July 18th. Please come see us! Reservations Here
- Join us from July 14 – 18th to celebrate our five year anniversary
- Kennedy Street is open! The food menu will grow as our kitchen facilities come online.
- Sign-up for a Farmshare Box or get other provisions and drinks delivered in DC!
- Join our mailing list so you’re the first to know about our future plans.
For press inquiries please contact Michael Katigbak at Michael@anxocider.com