A coming soon banner has gone up at the corner of Sherman and Harvard Avenues NW, confirming that New York-based Holy Burger is bringing its halal-certified menu to Columbia Heights. The chain is set to take over the former De Rhum Spot space at 2827 Sherman Ave NW, a corner storefront that has been the subject of neighborhood speculation for months.
As reported by PoPville, Holy Burger has been passing around menus in the neighborhood ahead of its opening, and the chain plans to bring its New York roots to Washington, D.C. with a small, focused lineup rather than a sprawling menu. The outlet first flagged the restaurant's interest in the Sherman Avenue corner back in June, well before the formal banner appeared this week, and neighbors reported noticing interior work at the building over the summer.
What's on the Menu at the New Columbia Heights Spot
Per Holy Burger, the menu centers on The Holy Burger, The Holy Chicken, The Classic, and a plant-based burger, alongside fries and soft-serve milkshakes. The chain says it offers classic, vegan, and gluten-free burgers, plus vegetarian options, aiming to cover a wide range of dietary needs without overcomplicating the kitchen. Holy Burger also says it uses premium beef cut by hand and serves its burgers on hand-rolled buns, with ethically sourced ingredients throughout.
The beef itself comes from Hal&Al Meats, according to Holy Burger, with cattle the chain says are sourced in the Northwest and raised on a balanced grass-corn diet. Hal&Al Meats and Provisions, established in 2018, supplies USDA-inspected, Zabiha hand-slaughtered, hormone-free meats to food service providers across the country, according to Hal&Al Meats and Provisions. Holy Burger's meat products are 100% Zabiha halal certified by Halal Monitoring Services, a national non-profit halal auditing and certification group that requires full access to slaughterhouse records and processing facilities, per Halal Monitoring Services.
A Century-Old Corner Building Gets a New Tenant
The property at 2827 Sherman Ave NW sits at the corner of Harvard Avenue and was most recently home to De Rhum Spot, a full-service Caribbean restaurant and rum bar that opened around 2020 and offered island cuisine, rum cocktails, and outdoor seating, according to the restaurant's Facebook page. The building itself dates back to 1908 and underwent a full renovation in 2018 to accommodate modern food and bar operations, per property records reviewed by LoopNet. Commercial listings describe a 3,200-square-foot, three-story building on a 1,067-square-foot lot that was offered for sale at $1.95 million in 2026, complete with turnkey kitchen infrastructure including a 10-foot commercial exhaust hood and dual deep fryers, according to ONE Street Commercial Properties.
The site carries an MU-4 mixed-use zoning classification, which permits moderate-density commercial operations including ground-floor restaurants, bars, and outdoor patio seating, according to a listing on Crexi. That flexibility leaves open the question of whether Holy Burger might pursue an alcohol license given the corner's history as a bar, though nothing has been confirmed publicly about the chain's plans on that front.
Why Columbia Heights Fits Holy Burger's Growth Playbook
The location sits amid a dense, youthful population, with 6,450 residents living within a quarter mile of the property and an average age of 30.4 years, according to demographic data cited by ONE Street Commercial Properties. That population swells to more than 91,000 residents within a one-mile radius of the intersection, near the Howard University corridor, making it a natural fit for a late-night, fast-casual concept built around halal, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Holy Burger now operates or has announced more than 20 locations across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, and Indiana as of August 2026, according to the chain's Facebook page. The Sherman Avenue opening follows a similar expansion move this month in Indiana, where Hoodline previously reported that the chain took over a former Taco Bell building in Jeffersonville, part of its broader pattern of moving into existing restaurant footprints to speed up openings.
