Wow… this is going to bring back lots of high school memories! Initially, Buddha Bar was a Parisian hot-spot known more for its chill oriental vibe, giant Buddha and successful music compilations than for the food it served. The original Buddha Bar opened in the late 90s and is located right around the corner from the US Embassy in Paris and behind l’Hotel le Crillon on rue Boissy-d’Anglas. Following its success, George V Entertainment has expanded the franchise in some of the trendiest cities around the globe: New York, London, Sao Paulo, Beirut or Dubai. Soon, D.C. will be able to add its name to this list as a Buddha Bar is slated to open at 455 Massachusetts Avenue NW at the end of the year.
To date, there is only one full scale Buddha Bar in the US (in New York’s meatpacking district… Las Vegas’s Little Buddha Cafe is a scaled down version) so D.C. should feel pretty hip! I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of D.C.’s very own giant gold Buddha in the 2-story, 9,400 square feet space. Mount vernon Triangle, a few blocks above D.C.’s Chinatown can certainly do with more upscale dining offerings and it’s also sure to bring some fun high school memories for me, right in my neighbourhood!
[Update from 2013: either DC was the wrong market, or Chinatown was the wrong location… the Buddha Bar closed its door.]
If you are ever in amsterdam come over and check me as resident dj of the little buddha bar amsterdam!