"It's hard to find well-designed, appropriately sized spaces in DC," Jonathan Askarinam told Axios in September, explaining why he and his partners want to put a second Nesso Plaza in a former bank on Wisconsin Avenue. "So if we're able to create spaces that are small but workable, it can give independent operators a chance to really succeed."
He was talking about a building that won't open until 2028. A version of the idea has already been tried on the same avenue, at 4700 Wisconsin, since June. Three restaurants opened under one roof in the space Steak 'n Egg held for more than three decades. By the end of September, one of them had a "closed until further notice" sign on the door. The other two are still serving. That is how a shared roof is supposed to handle a loss, and the next project down the street is built on the same idea.
A Corner That Ran One Kitchen at a Time for Ninety-Five Years
The diner history at this corner goes back to 1931, when it opened as a Toddle House, a breakfast chain that no longer exists. A Steak 'n Egg Kitchen franchise took over decades later. Then in 1993 a locally owned Steak 'n Egg moved in and stayed. Eater's July 2025 report described its customers as American University students after last call, neighborhood regulars, politicians, and the occasional Hollywood celebrity.
By then the diner had changed. It had been open 24 hours, and by 2025 it closed at 8:45 p.m. It had added a 50-seat patio next to 92 seats inside, plus a robot that carried dishes. In July 2025 the 2,340-square-foot space was listed for lease. Developer Constandinos Economides told Eater the reasons were labor costs tied to Initiative 82, the law phasing in higher pay for tipped workers, and taxes. He also said the diner was "continuing to operate" with no set closing date.
For almost a century, the corner worked the same way. One operator ran one kitchen and carried the whole lease. When that operator's costs stopped working, the whole room was at risk.
Three Counters, One Lease
What replaced it was built differently. Bistro Metzger showed up first: PoPville reported it open for dinner at 4700 Wisconsin in May 2026, before the full changeover. Then on June 24, Tenley Provisions formally opened with three concepts in the room, each covering a different part of the day.
- Sofie's, a fast-casual café with crêpes, hash brown bowls, pancakes, and breakfast burritos, open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Bistro Metzger, chef Colin Graham's dinner concept, open Tuesday through Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Graham trained under Wolfgang Puck, and the menu ran from fish and chips and bánh mì to French onion soup and chicken in a pho-inspired broth.
- El Jefe Woodfired Pizza, open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with dough made in-house. El Jefe started as a farmers market stand and grew through catering in Montgomery County and DC.
The opening announcement made the model explicit. Tenley Provisions was "built to support local culinary talent," giving independent chefs and operators a place to cook "without the barriers typically associated with opening a standalone restaurant." It also listed a dog-friendly patio and a location steps from the Tenleytown-AU Metro station.
Under that setup, an operator's risk is limited to its own counter. A dinner concept can open without carrying the morning, and a pizzeria can grow out of catering without signing a lease for a whole 2,340-square-foot room.
What's Open at 4700 Wisconsin This Week
On September 30, PoPville posted a photo of the sign: Bistro Metzger "closed until further notice," with El Jefe open and now advertising pizza and pasta. Eater's October 1 closings roundup said Metzger "appears to have closed in September" and that El Jefe and Sofie's are still open. No reason for the closure has been published, and no news about Graham's next step has come out yet.
The remaining counters still cover the hours, according to their current ordering listings:
| Counter | What it serves | Current hours | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sofie's | Crêpes, all-day breakfast | 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. | Daily |
| El Jefe Pizza & Pasta | Wood-fired pizza, now pasta | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday |
| Bistro Metzger | Chef-driven dinner | Closed until further notice | None |
Six days a week, the room serves from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., which matches Metzger's old closing time. El Jefe already shared the evening hours with Metzger, so losing the dinner concept left a menu gap but no gap in the schedule. On Mondays, only Sofie's is open.
A few practical notes. The Tenley Provisions website still lists Bistro Metzger's hours, so it is behind the news. Sofie's ordering page says online ordering isn't available and asks customers to call. The pasta El Jefe promised as "soon" at the June opening now appears on its menu.
PoPville's last word on the space was "Stay tuned." No new tenant for the dinner slot has been announced.
The Same Bet Is Going Through Zoning Down the Street
Askarinam's comments to Axios were about 4249 Wisconsin Avenue NW, a former PNC Bank he called "a dead zone." The developers behind the Nesso Plaza "urban mall" on H Street Northeast want to make this their second location. The idea matches the logic at 4700 Wisconsin, on a bigger scale. One building would be split into small, workable spaces so independent operators can open without taking on a full storefront alone.
Axios reported these plans:
- A rooftop restaurant, bar, and event space.
- A redone backlot for outdoor dining and gatherings.
- Tenants focused on local food and drink, wellness, retail, and kids' businesses. None have been named.
- Possibly a sauna, a bathhouse, or a golf simulator in the old bank's basement.
The rooftop is the piece that has to clear zoning first. A DC Board of Zoning Adjustment notice lists Application No. 21532 from Nesso Plaza Tenleytown, LLC. It asks for special exceptions to add a new penthouse with a roof deck and an eating and drinking establishment on top of the existing two-story-plus-cellar commercial building, which sits in an MU-3A zone. The site falls under both ANC 3A and ANC 3E.
Here is the schedule as it stands. Every date is a plan, not a finished step.
- December 16, 2026: the Board of Zoning Adjustment public hearing on the penthouse application.
- 2027: construction expected to start, according to Askarinam. That same year, the H Street Nesso Plaza is expected to open with Bread Par Avion and Qualia Coffee among its lined-up tenants.
- Spring 2028: target opening for the Tenleytown location.
H Street opening first matters for Tenleytown. It means the format will have a full year of operating history before construction on Wisconsin Avenue gets far.
Smaller Footprints Are Filling In Around It
The two multi-vendor buildings stand out because they are new formats. Other recent openings on the strip are also small operators moving into spaces sized for them.
Marv's Dogs opened May 13, 2026 at 4936 Wisconsin. It sells Chicago-, Detroit-, and New York-style hot dogs and soft serve, with a patio and an arcade downstairs. It is still taking orders this fall. In June 2025, 2D Noodles soft-opened at 4513 Wisconsin in a former Starbucks. Near the 4200 block, Cava took over the next-door former &Pizza unit at 4237 Wisconsin. At its April 9 meeting, ANC 3E voted 7–0 to support extending Cava's sidewalk café into that frontage.
On Saturdays, the strip connects to New Morning Farm's market at Sheridan School, 4400 36th Street NW. The District's 2026 market guide lists it from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., June through March, so it runs well into winter. The guide notes that schedules can change, so check before you go.
As of this week, the corner that once served Steak 'n Egg around the clock serves crêpes from 8 a.m., pizza and pasta until 9 p.m., and has one dinner counter waiting for a new operator.
Lauren Pillsbury follows Tenleytown's stretch of Wisconsin Avenue at the level of individual storefronts and zoning hearings, because those changes shape daily life around American University Park well before they show up anywhere else. To talk through what the Nesso Plaza timeline and the changes at 4700 Wisconsin mean for your own plans, schedule a consultation with Lauren Pillsbury.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
