Caribbean Business
in the DMV

A new Haitian restaurant and bar is opening at 7912 Georgia Ave — the very same space as Port-au-Prince Haitian Cuisine. Named to honor the foundational women of its community, Chez Aviole promises “the ultimate Caribbean experience” with Haitian dishes and cocktails in a cultural hub setting. Its liquor license was approved by Montgomery County in October 2025.

Washingtonian featured Punta Cana in their July 2025 issue, calling it “transportive” — a standout new Dominican restaurant in the DMV. Founded by Maryland native Margarita Rodriguez at 9324 Georgia Ave. The menu stars mofongo, mofonguitos, maduros, chicharrón and classic rice-and-beans bowls.

La Casa del Mofongo at 9441 Georgia Ave has built one of the largest Yelp followings of any Dominican restaurant in Maryland — over 1,400 reviews. Serving Caribbean and Latin cuisine with mofongo as the centerpiece, alongside oxtail, camarones, empanadas and a full bar. Open daily from 11am.

Gisele’s Creole Cuisine at 2407 Price Ave has been serving the Silver Spring Haitian community since 2017, named after the owner’s mother who studied French/Creole culinary arts at Madame Marcorel Haute Couture in Haiti. Serving diri djon djon, stewed oxtail, fried cabrit, acras and rum punch. Live jazz every Saturday 6–10pm and Sunday 1–6pm.

Founded in 1976 by Hugo and Rebecca Read Medrano, GALA Hispanic Theatre — Washington DC’s national center for Latino performing arts — is marking its 50th anniversary with a season titled The Golden Season. Artistic Director Gustavo Ott framed the milestone around resilience and hope, with a season that weaves together new commissions and classic works. Highlights include a revival of Kiss of the Spider Woman (which earned co-founder Hugo Medrano a Helen Hayes Award in 1994), a world premiere Caribbean musical Aguardiente: Soul of the Caribbean by Puerto Rican artist Luis Salgado, and an expanded XXI Flamenco Festival. GALA is located at 3333 14th St NW in the historic Tivoli Theatre in Columbia Heights.

After TikTok food critic Keith Lee called Jerk@Nite “the best Caribbean food I have ever had,” the brand is now franchising nationally. Founded by Howard University graduate Denville Myrie Jr. in 2012, Jerk@Nite now operates three DC restaurants, a downtown Baltimore location at 21 N. Eutaw St. across from the Hippodrome Theatre, and a Detroit outpost.

Elegancia opened at La Cosecha at Union Market in February 2026, co-founded by actor Wilmer Valderrama and Daniella Senior of Colada Shop. Rooted in Caribbean cocktail heritage, the bar serves mojitos, rum-forward drinks, ceviches and tequenos in a space steeped in Latin American cultural symbolism.

The University of Maryland Global Campus Arts Program is hosting “Before the Americas,” a compelling exhibition featuring nearly 40 works by Caribbean, African, Latino, Afro-Latino and African American artists from the greater Washington, DC metro area. Curated by artist and historian Cheryl Edwards, the exhibition explores ancestral memory, migration, invisibility and interconnectivity. On view at the UMGC Arts Program Gallery at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 3501 University Blvd E, Hyattsville, MD 20783.

Café Unido — the only Panamanian specialty coffee roaster in the US, sourcing beans from 50+ farms including the legendary Geisha variety — opens its third DC location at The Stacks SW, Spring 2026. Donisima Donuts, Latin-inspired artisanal donuts by Michelin-starred chef Miguel Guerra, moves permanently into Unido’s original La Cosecha space.

Taíno Foods in Lorton, Virginia is a women-owned restaurant and catering business whose very name reclaims indigenous Caribbean heritage — honoring the Arawak people who were the original inhabitants of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas. Serving mofongo, pastelillos, arroz con gandules and full catering across the DMV.

As its Brookland teahouse location closes, Calabash Tea & Tonic has grown into a thriving national brand shipping award-winning blends across the country. Founded by Dr. Sunyatta Amen, a 5th-generation Jamaican Maroon and Cuban master herbalist, Calabash has been Yelp’s Most Loved for 15+ years.

Darden Restaurants is eliminating the entire Bahama Breeze brand nationally — 14 locations closing, 14 converting — laying off 62 employees at the Potomac Mills Woodbridge location alone. The Caribbean-inspired chain opened in 1997.

El Sapo was opened in 2018 by chef Raynold Mendizábal, who fled Cuba by raft in 1994 after a year in a Guantánamo Bay refugee camp — six years of ropa vieja, puerco asado and mojito happy hours in Silver Spring. The space is converting to a Baltimore brunch chain, spring 2026.

The Brookland location at 2701 12th St NE — DC’s first Black-owned teahouse and Yelp’s Most Loved for 15+ consecutive years — has closed its physical doors. Founded by Dr. Sunyatta Amen, a 5th-generation Jamaican Maroon and Cuban master herbalist. The brand’s online store remains fully active at calabashtea.com.

Port-au-Prince Authentic Haitian Cuisine at 7912 Georgia Ave — a Silver Spring Caribbean community gathering place since 2018 — has closed. The good news: Chez Aviole, a new Haitian restaurant and bar, has already signed a lease for the very same space and is preparing to open in 2026.

Kith/Kin at The Wharf was founded by James Beard Rising Star Award winner Chef Kwame Onwuachi, celebrated for dishes rooted in Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole heritage — and is confirmed permanently closed. Its space is now Moon Rabbit.

The College Park location of Jerk@Nite at 7313 Baltimore Ave has closed as the brand consolidates its Maryland presence into its newer downtown Baltimore location. The DC locations and the new Baltimore location at 21 N. Eutaw St. across from the Hippodrome remain open.