Travelers to Capital One Arena will soon have many new and exciting dining options to choose from in Washington DC’s Chinatown area.
The headliner will be a new Raising Cane’s being built steps from the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop and a block away from the arena.
“Raising Cane’s is bringing our ONE LOVE® – craveable Chicken Finger meals – to downtown D.C. at 722 7th St NW. fall 2025,” a Raising Cane’s representative told RMNB.
The targeted fall 2025 opening would coincide with the start of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards’ 2025-26 seasons.
Raising Cane’s menu is simple, featuring four box combo options and a kid’s meal for a patron to choose from. The restaurant serves fried chicken fingers, Texas toast, crispy crinkle-cut fries, and coleslaw. The Louisiana-based eatery also came up with its own special Cane’s sauce.
The popular fast-food chain — beloved by musician Post Malone — is rapidly expanding across the United States with 90 restaurants expected to be opened in 2024 alone. The Chinatown location appears to be the company’s third planned chicken tender joint in DC.
The only Raising Cane’s currently open in DC is at Union Station. That location held its grand opening on January 9 and the one-of-a-kind restaurant features a colonial-themed Cane, the brand’s inspiration and mascot, and 12 Union Station illustrations by renowned architectural artist Carlos Diniz.
After seeing success there, WUSA9 reported that another Raising Cane’s is set to open on M Street in Georgetown soon. Previously, the closest locations were outside the District in Falls Church, Forestville, Bowie, Gambrills, Waldorf, Columbia, Sterling, and Manassas. Another Raising Cane’s is planned in College Park, per UMD’s student newspaper, The Diamondback.
Fuddruckers is also set to return to Chinatown after seven years away, but in a slightly different spot, moving across the street from its previous location to 781 7th St NW. The burger joint officially announced its return back near Capital One Arena with a social media post on Monday, revealing they’ll also be opening up a location in Silver Spring, MD.
“Fuddruckers is thrilled to bring our Bigger, Bolder, Beefier burgers to not one but TWO new locations this fall!” the restaurant wrote on X. “Come for the burgers, stay for the experience.”
🎉 Get ready, burger lovers! 🍔 Fuddruckers is thrilled to bring our Bigger, Bolder, Beefier burgers to not one but TWO new locations this fall! 🍂🌟 Say hello to Fuddruckers Washington, DC in Chinatown and Silver Spring, MD! 🙌 Come for the burgers, stay for the experience. 😋🍟 pic.twitter.com/1A0RGEnmKN
— Fuddruckers (@fuddruckers) August 19, 2024
A new Taco Bell Cantina at 808 7th Street NW is advertised as coming soon.
According to excellent reporting from Eat DC, Dos Toros, Chick-fil-A, 90 Second Pizza, HipCityVeg, Chipotle, Chopt, Raising Cane’s, and Fuddruckers will all have locations on the same block, while Smashburger, Potbelly, &pizza, and Taco Bell Cantina are planning to set up shop just a block away.
The investments and changes near Capital One Arena come after Ted Leonsis’s Monumental Sports & Entertainment signed a deal with DC in March to keep its teams in the city through 2050. MSE received $515 million from the DC government to renovate and improve the venue.
“We are going to have a state-of-the-art urban arena in Downtown DC and that’s a great deal for DC, for the teams, and for the fans,” Mayor Bowser said earlier in the year. “This is a catalytic investment in Downtown DC. We are excited to have Monumental as our partners in DC’s Comeback and we look forward to working together to win for DC.”
