La Shukran

417 Morse St NE, Washington, DC 20002

Late Night Bites, Levantine Funk, Transportive Cocktails

La’ Shukran is a bar, bistro, and rooftop terrace in the Union Market District of Washington, DC. Featuring the cuisine of 2024 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Chef, Michael Rafidi, a high energy cocktail program by Radovan Jankovic, and a progressive, natural-leaning wine program from William Simons. Beneath an arched, stained glass sign at the rear of a historic building in Union Market, a green door leads to a hallway where Arabic-tinged elevator music drifts down a long flight of tiled stairs leading to La’ Shukran – a modern reimagining of a Left-Bank watering hole, a retro-modern late-night restaurant transported from the liveliest corner of Al-Bireh to Washington, DC. La’ Shukran is “No. Thank you.” Or is it “No, thank you”? It’s both. Or it’s neither. Or it’s neither and both at the same time. It’s a quick “la’, shukran” to a persistent vendor in the Arab Souk, and it’s “la’ shukran ‘ala wajib” (a form of ‘you’re welcome’ meant to convey respect and esteem). It’s a dark, neighborhood cocktail joint in Hamra where artists, thinkers, musicians, and creators rub elbows with bankers, gourmands, and rec league sommeliers in keffiyehs. La’ Shukran is a gathering place, a decidedly modern and mildly nostalgic space where beverage, talk of art, philosophy, and culture fight for space amidst the jangling guitars and low end theory bass of Arabic rock and hip hop. A place where the sights, sounds, and – importantly – the flavors of Beirut, Jaffa, Barbès, Canal Saint Martin, Wadi Nisnas, and Al-Manara Square share an equal footing. It is the confluence of ideas, cultures, and flavors that lies at the heart of La’ Shukran – a celebration of both the harmonies and the tensions found within heritage and cuisine.