Chef Pepe Moncayo’s New Spanish Restaurant
Hours
Breakfast
Mon-Fri: 7am-11am
Sat & Sun: 8am-11am
Dinner
Tues-Sat: 5pm-9:30pm
Sun: 5pm-9:30pm
Bar
Happy Hour: 4pm-7pm
Fresh takes on Spanish classics. A celebrated chef returning to his roots. The debut of Arlo Washington DC’s new signature restaurant Arrels showcases the culinary excellence of Chef Pepe Moncayo, the force behind Michelin-starred DC restaurant Cranes.
At Arrels—“roots” in Catalan—Moncayo calls on his background in Barcelona and experience in kitchens around the world to create modern dishes that combine local ingredients, traditional techniques, and surprising, creative flourishes.
The Arrels dining room and courtyard feature a chic but comfortable Spanish farmhouse aesthetic, perfect for dinner dates, business meetings, and sprawling communal meals that linger into the night. In the kitchen, the charcoal grill and oven set the stage for Moncayo’s menu of mouth-watering grilled meats and charred vegetables, while rice and paella dishes bring the irresistible flavor of Barcelona to the heart of Capitol Hill.
Arrels will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a sophisticated beverage menu featuring sangria and crisp gin and tonics. Chef Moncayo and his team will also helm the menus for Arlo DC’s rooftop bar, ART Washington DC, and Bodega, the hotel’s grab-and-go lobby cafe.
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Barcelona-born chef Pepe Moncayo has delved into Japanese and Singaporean cuisines at his other local restaurants, Cranes and the now-closed Jiwa Singapura. His forthcoming restaurant at the Arlo Hotel will be a return to his Catalonian roots—in fact, Arrels means “roots” in Catalan. Expect modern Spanish fare centered on a charcoal grill.
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Look for modern takes on classic dishes from Barcelona, Andalucia, and beyond, with charred vegetables and tapas brought to life via a state-of-the-art Spanish oven and grill. Moncayo is best known for his work at Penn Quarter’s Japanese-Spanish mainstay Cranes.
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“What I want to do is to visit those early days of my career,” says Moncayo, who worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain before opening restaurants in Singapore and then DC. “I’m a modern chef, and it’s not my intention to do very rustic, old-school menus, rather something modern but backing from tradition.”