Caribbean vibes are coming to Clarendon with the opening of Coco B’s, part restaurant, part live-entertainment venue and part rooftop bar.
A sister establishment to the B Live dining and live music spot that opened last year where Whitlow’s on Wilson was, Coco B’s will take up the remaining space at 2854 Wilson Blvd. when it opens Aug. 18.
It’s the latest concept from B Social Hospitality owners and Clarendon residents Christal and Mike Bramson. The husband-and-wife team have also opened Clarendon Ballroom, The Lot, Pamplona and “secret social club” Alias on 14th in D.C. since forming their restaurant group in 2021.
“We live here. This is our community, this is our neighborhood, so we are building concepts that that we love [and] we think that other people will love as well,” Mike says.
He and Christal divvied the space into three bays. One is a dining room on the main floor, outfitted with velvet banquets and pink-plumed chandeliers. Another is home to the Bubble Bar, a champagne-focused bar with a beachy color scheme and custom flamingo-flecked wall covering. The third bay is for private events.
But the most-awaited aspect of Coco B’s is the 2,350-square-foot rooftop bar — at least by customers, Mike says. “What we’re really excited about is the downstairs portion,” he adds. “That’s actually 4,000 square feet, so the same size as B Live.”
The menu, curated by chef Juan Olivera, is a nod to Christal’s Caribbean heritage; she’s half Jamaican. “One of my favorites is the Jamaican oxtail patties,” she says. “In Jamaica, they would normally have beef filling, but we decided to do a braised oxtail, which I think really works well. The crust is a family recipe. My dad owns a Jamaican bakery in Florida, and I tapped him for the recipe.”
Other small plates include ceviche served in a coconut shell, a tuna bowl with mango and dragon fruit, and island kebabs with beef tenderloin, baby plantains and veggies. Coco B’s will also serve two larger dishes: jerk chicken with yuca fries and grilled whole fish.
The restaurant’s signature cocktail is the Dac-Dac-Doc. Served in half coconut shells, it’s made with Caribbean rum, lemon, passion dragon fruit syrup and coconut foam with lime zest. Also available are Jump in the Line, with mezcal, Kalamansi Tiki Blend, bitters and cacao, and the Flaming Lola, with tequila, Blossom Grapefruit Cordial, soda and Himalayan pineapple salt.
Mick Perrigo, who opened D.C.’s Left Door, oversees Coco B’s beverages and has plans for Instagram-worthy cocktails served in fun vessels like flamingos and glass pineapples, Christal says.
“We’re just really passionate about our concepts,” Mike says. “We feel that our design is really unique in general. Pamplona was our first restaurant in in Arlington, and it was actually based on the running of the bulls [in Spain]. We love the city and the concept, and even the wallpaper there is collages that we saw in bars in Pamplona. We spend a lot of time working with our designers…putting together a design that we think will keep people [saying] ‘Wow,’ and every time they come into space, they see something different that they didn’t realize was there before.”
To celebrate Coco B’s opening, B Live is turning into a beach bar pop-up called Beach Bar Live with live music and DJs. The idea is that it will be the “divey sister bar” next door to the tropical Miami chic of Coco B’s, Mike says. “Our goal is that people go to Coco B’s, have dinner, check out the rooftop and then go next door to Beach Bar Live,” he says.
Coco B’s will be open evenings Wednesday through Sunday initially, later expanding to seven days a week, plus brunch on the weekends.