Travelers visiting Capital One Arena will soon have many new and exciting dining options to choose from in Washington DC’s Chinatown neighborhood.
The headliner is a new Raising Cane’s, which is being built just steps from the Gallery Place/Chinatown subway stop and one block from the arena.
“Raising Cane’s is bringing our ONE LOVE® – delicious chicken finger meals – to downtown DC at 722 7th St NW in fall 2025,” a Raising Cane’s representative told RMNB.
The planned opening in fall 2025 would coincide with the start of the 2025–26 seasons of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards.
Raising Cane’s menu is simple, offering guests four box combo options and a kids’ menu to choose from. The restaurant serves fried chicken fingers, Texas toast, crispy crinkle-cut fries and coleslaw. The Louisiana-based restaurant has also come up with its own special cane sauce.
The popular fast-food chain – which musician Post Malone also loves – is expanding rapidly in the United States. 90 restaurants are scheduled to open in 2024 alone. The Chinatown location appears to be the company’s third planned chicken tenders restaurant in DC.
The only Raising Cane’s currently open in DC is located in Union Station. This location celebrated its grand opening on January 9th, and the unique restaurant features a colonial-style cane, the brand’s inspiration and mascot, as well as 12 illustrations of Union Station by renowned architectural artist Carlos Diniz.
Following the success there, WUSA9 reported that another Raising Cane’s is set to open soon on M Street in Georgetown. So far, the closest locations outside the borough have been in Falls Church, Forestville, Bowie, Gambrills, Waldorf, Columbia, Sterling and Manassas. According to UMD’s student newspaper, The Diamondback, another Raising Cane’s is planned in College Park.
Fuddruckers is also set to return to Chinatown after seven years, but in a slightly different location. It’s moving from its current location across the street to 781 7th St NW. The burger joint officially announced its return near Capital One Arena with a social media post on Monday, and revealed it will also open a location in Silver Spring, MD.
“Fuddruckers is excited to offer our bigger, bolder, meatier burgers at not one, but TWO new locations this fall!” the restaurant wrote on X. “Come for the burgers and stay for the experience.”
🎉 Get ready, burger lovers! 🍔 Fuddruckers is excited to bring our bigger, bolder, meatier burgers to not one, but TWO new locations this fall! 🍂🌟 Welcome Fuddruckers Washington, DC in Chinatown and Silver Spring, MD! 🙌 Come for the burgers and stay for the experience. 😋🍟 pic.twitter.com/1A0RGEnmKN
— Fuddruckers (@fuddruckers) 19 August 2024
According to the announcement, a new Taco Bell Cantina will soon open at 808 7th Street NW.
According to excellent reporting by Eat DCDos Toros, Chick-fil-A, 90 Second Pizza, HipCityVeg, Chipotle, Chopt, Raising Cane’s and Fuddruckers will all be on the same block, while Smashburger, Potbelly, &pizza and Taco Bell Cantina plan to open just one block away.
The investments and changes near Capital One Arena come after Ted Leonsis’ Monumental Sports & Entertainment signed a deal with DC in March that allows its teams to stay in the city through 2050. MSE received $515 million from the DC government to renovate and improve the venue.
“We will have a state-of-the-art urban arena in Downtown DC and that is a great deal for DC, for the teams and for the fans,” Mayor Bowser said earlier this year. “This is a catalytic investment in Downtown DC. We are excited to have Monumental as a partner in DC’s comeback and look forward to working together to help DC succeed.”
