A new rooftop bar called Carla is opening Thursday at the corner of 18th Street and Florida Avenue NW, and it's chasing a specific kind of nostalgia: $10 happy hour cocktails, no reservations, and the loose, low-cost energy that once defined Adams Morgan nightlife. The bar comes from Jack Rose Dining Saloon owner Bill Thomas and John Roberts, two men who've spent decades shaping the neighborhood's bar scene and are now betting that D.C. drinkers are ready for something cheaper and looser again.
Carla occupies the former home of The Imperial, the multi-floor raw bar and cocktail spot that PoPville reported was either closed or closing that week in April 2025, after opening in November 2019, according to PoPville. Thomas had built The Imperial himself, and per Axios, he separated from that business nearly two years before Carla opened its doors. PoPville identifies the site at 2001 18th Street NW as the former home of The Imperial.
The bar's opening also follows licensing activity involving D.C.'s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board.
A Nod to Early-2000s Adams Morgan
Per the Axios report, Thomas and Roberts are trying to recapture the low-key, affordable energy of their early D.C. bar days, when a night out in Adams Morgan could run about $40. Thomas has been part of that nightlife scene since the late 1990s, when he opened a lounge called The Blue Room, which he later converted into his first whiskey-focused bar, Bourbon, according to Axios and separately detailed by Ghosts of DC. He went on to open Jack Rose in 2011, building it into a whiskey destination.
Roberts brings his own decades of credibility to the project. Eighteenth Street Lounge opened in Dupont Circle in 1995 with Eric Hilton among its partners and operated for 25 years until it closed in 2020, according to DCist. That legacy shows up directly in Carla's programming, which per Axios includes throwback electronic and drum-and-bass music alongside live tunes, DJs, and old vinyl.
Cheap Drinks, No Reservations
Axios reports Carla is pricing lychee martinis at $13 on the regular menu and $10 during happy hour, with Campari soda running around $8. Thomas told the outlet he's aiming to offer some drinks as low as $5, and the bar pointedly does not serve the $65 plateaus that once defined higher-end Adams Morgan spots. Carla also skips the reservations system entirely, betting on walk-in crowds instead.
The food menu, according to the same report, includes lamb chops, bang bang shrimp bao, berbere chicken skewers, poblano croquetas, and chips and onion dip, alongside spritzes, beer, wine, and nonalcoholic options. Thomas told Axios the bar should serve fewer items well rather than trying to do everything, a philosophy that marks a deliberate step back from The Imperial's more expansive raw bar approach.
Rooftop Cigars and a Members-Only Club to Come
Carla includes two open-air roof decks, one of which lets guests smoke a cigar, per Axios. That's possible because D.C. Department of Health smoke-free workplace rules ban indoor smoking in commercial establishments but still permit cigar and tobacco use on open-air rooftop decks and outdoor summer gardens, according to D.C. Health. The bar also has a lounge area for whiskey, cigars, and watching games, drawing on Thomas's own massive collection of rare spirits, Axios reports.
Looking ahead, Axios reports Carla plans to open a members-only whiskey and spirits club downstairs next year, which would give Thomas a place to use custom barrels. The bar itself is named after a friend from the old scene who, per Axios, loves cocktails and food. Thomas told the outlet that looking back is fun, even if he acknowledges it's something of a Gen-X pipe dream.
A Corridor in Flux
Carla's debut lands amid a broader wave of turnover along 18th Street NW. Hoodline previously reported that longtime West African restaurant Bukom Cafe, a fixture on the strip since 1992, reopened under new ownership this summer. Carla's $10 happy hour pricing and $13 regular menu reinforce its low-cost positioning.
The opening also comes as 18th Street NW continues to change, just as Carla and its neighbors compete for foot traffic.
