A new Mediterranean restaurant, Alara, will replace open in early 2024, replacing Paolo’s Ristorante, an Italian restaurant that ran for three decades.
Alara is one of restaurateur Hakan Ilhan’s latest concepts that will adopt similar components found in his Turkish restaurant in Mt. Vernon Triangle, Ottoman Taverna, according to Eater Washington DC.
The new Mediterranean restaurant will be located at 1303 Wisconsin Ave NW and it is expected to feature a modern look with a “small, cozy European feel,” Ilhan told Eater. Alara will seat up to 120 guests across its bar and dining area.
Alara’s menu will include a selection of meze, hot and cold dips, a lamb dish, Greek-style cooked seafood, and possibly a Moroccan tagine. The restaurant will also serve a breakfast menu with options ranging from egg Benedicts to lamb sausage.
“I’ve always enjoyed Mediterranean food. It’s lighter and healthier and I think there’s a good market for it,” Ilhan told Eater, adding that residents and visitors in the area, where Alara will be located, are “well-traveled and have to been to at least one of these countries.”
