A new bar and pool hall called The Porch & Pebbles is headed for the corner of 11th and Park Road NW in Columbia Heights, filling a space that has sat through several failed concepts since the neighborhood's original craft-beer pioneer closed its doors. The project comes from Geoff Dawson, an owner with ties to Nanny O'Brien's, Atomic Billiards and Franklin Hall, and it's aiming to open within the next three months, potentially by the end of winter.
The news was first reported by PoPville, which detailed plans for a two-level concept pairing an upstairs restaurant and patio, called The Porch, with a downstairs game room dubbed Pebbles. The Porch will serve a full menu upstairs and down, along with carryout and a full bar, while Pebbles will house four to five pool tables and dart boards. Both levels will draw from the same kitchen and share one menu and one culinary team, according to the outlet's report.
Dawson will operate the venue alongside Rob Hess, Amy David and Arturo Magana, per the same PoPville account. The operators describe the goal as a neighborhood hangout built around approachable food, good beer, board games and trivia nights — in short, giving the block another reason for people to stick around rather than just pass through.
A Corner With a Craft-Beer Legacy
The 6,000-square-foot building at 3400 11th St NW isn't new to the neighborhood-bar business. The property was constructed between 2009 and 2010 by 3DG Development after the demolition of the old Bi-Rite Super Market, with the project presented to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A before steel framing began, according to DCmud. It was purpose-built for ground-floor and basement dining beneath office space above.
That design became the backdrop for Meridian Pint, which opened in 2010 as one of D.C.'s first craft-beer gastropubs. Its lower-level lounge, once nicknamed The Joint Chiefs, introduced self-service table taps operated by swiping a card — a novelty for the city at the time, as PoPville reported back in 2010. Owner John Andrade closed the Columbia Heights location in April 2019 and relocated the concept to Arlington, citing an oversaturated restaurant scene and high rent for the space, per Washingtonian.
A Rocky Stretch for the Corner Space
What followed was a tougher chapter for 3400 11th St NW. Malaysian restaurant Makan and sports bar Thirsty Crow took over the space before permanently closing in February 2025. Chef-owner James Wozniuk cited neighborhood crime concerns and declining foot traffic, telling WUSA9 that burglaries and a bullet striking a window factored into the decision to shut down.
The closure fit a broader pattern along the strip. The 11th Street NW corridor has seen significant turnover in recent years, including the losses of acclaimed restaurant Bad Saint and neighborhood wine bar Room 11, several of which closed during and after the pandemic, according to discussion on DonRockwell. Those pressures prompted Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A to pass resolutions in September 2025 targeting small business protection, transportation planning and public safety along the corridor.
Joining a Resilient Dining Strip
Not everything on the block has struggled. Hong Kong-style cafe Queen's English opened just two doors down at 3410 11th St NW in 2019 and remains a neighborhood fixture. Per the PoPville report, The Porch & Pebbles is expected to complement other surviving 11th Street venues, including The Coupe, Wonderland and Buddy's.
Dawson's resume suggests the new venue will lean on a formula he's refined for more than three decades. He opened Bedrock Billiards in an Adams Morgan basement in 1992, pairing pool, darts and craft beer in a neighborhood setting that became a template for later spots like Atomic Billiards and Rocket Bar. He later teamed with Peter Bayne to open Franklin Hall in June 2017 inside Shaw's historic 1877 Manhattan Laundry building, a 6,000-square-foot beer hall built around fast-casual, self-service ordering.
Per the PoPville report, The Porch is planned to include a large patio, trivia nights and family meals at comfortable prices, while Pebbles downstairs will focus on pool and games fed by the same upstairs kitchen. With the space's large existing kitchen already in place, the team is targeting an opening within three months of the October 5 announcement — and no later than the end of winter.
