On Monday, H Street restaurant Irregardless (502 H St. NE) announced a name change via Instagram. Owner Phil Coppage rechristianed it Cynthia Bar & Bistro, after his mother.
“My mother’s warm, inviting and hospitable spirit embodies what this restaurant has become to our guests and neighbors”, Coppage said. “The restaurant has changed gradually in the past year from its original concept and the name and logo are just now finally catching up.”
Coppage has been a longtime resident of the Capitol Hill and H Street neighborhoods. He tended bar at The Duck & The Peach (300 C St. SE) before ing the opening staff of Irregardless in September 2022.
A year later, Coppage purchased Irregardless from the original owners, Ian and Mika Carlin, spending the next year working with neighbors and clients to refine the concept. He said Cynthia Bar and Bistro strives to create a warm and inviting space for neighbors and visitors alike, through hospitality, food, and drink.
The kitchen is helmed by Chef Chris Randriarimanana, who has been the head chef of Irregardless since the spring of 2023. Formerly a prix fixe menu, Cynthia will serve an à la carte menu featuring house-made pastas, burgers and seasonal soups and salads. The current menu offers a miso pumpkin sage soup, an Atlas burger with spiced tomato jam and a pappardelle bolognese pasta. The bar shakes up both classic and original cocktails, with the hibiscus-infused gin cocktail called “Domesticated” squaring off against the “Why Not Now,” featuring tequila, mezcal, coconut rum, ube, lime, pineapple and mint.
There’s also wines by the glass and by the bottle, a handful of canned and bottled beers, and mocktails. Happy hour is offered at the bar from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday; specials include select wine and cocktails for $10, as well as discounts on select dishes.
The restaurant officially opens as Cynthia Bar & Bistro on Wednesday, Nov. 20 with a ribbon-cutting with the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) at 6 p.m., followed by a reception for neighbors.
Reservations are now available via OpenTable for seatings beginning Thursday, Nov. 21.
As part of the name-change celebrations, guests at Cynthia aged 21 and older who are named Cynthia or Cindy will be treated to a complimentary “Cynthia Sour” cocktail (bourbon, egg, lemon, honey, ginger, cloves) or glass of prosecco. The Cynthia celebration continues from Thursday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 24.
Learn more about Cynthia Bar & Bistro and see full Happy Hour, Dinner and Drinks menus here.
