A Conversation with David Batista, Owner of ‘All Souls’ Neighborhood Bar Coming to Shaw

Back in late Oct. we learned that a new neighborhood bar called All Souls was coming to 725 T St, NW in Shaw. Earlier this week I was able to sit down with owner David Batista to talk more about his plans and vision for All Souls.

David has years of experience in DC’s restaurant and bar scene most notably as a manager at Jose Andres’ Jaleo and Zaytinya. I always ask folks who are opening up new spots – whether or not they see their place as a restaurant that also serves drinks or a bar that also serves food. All Souls falls into the later category – mostly due to the size. Though I was assured the quality and style will match those of an Andres restaurant. My impression is that this is def. gonna be more of a welcoming watering hole rather than a fancy restaurant.

As you can see from the photo above, it is a rather small space measuring about 775 square feet. Inside there will probably be seats for 40 or so. So you can imagine there isn’t a ton of room for a kitchen. I imagine it’ll be more like the kitchen from Red Derby and (in size comparison only) the kitchen at Room 11. And actually let me take the opportunity to share another similarity with those two spots – anyone who has met the owners of Red Derby and the owners of Room 11 say the same thing to me all the time – they are the nicest people. And while I def. echo that sentiment – I’d like to add David to the list. When you meet him you’ll see what I mean – he just happens to be a really nice guy.

Ok, back to the space itself. They also hope to feature a patio on the side that should fit around 20 or so. The description of the idea reminded me of how the patio at Dodge City looks (though with more chairs.)

While the space has some great details that will be kept like original tin ceilings, it will still require an extensive redesign. If all goes well they hope to start construction around the March time frame. The design is being done by The General Design Company – the same folks who designed Graffiato, Rogue 24, the former Commonwealth, and the new Sticky Fingers redesign.

All Souls will feature a variety of craft beers and mainstream beers. But it’s also gonna be a spot to pick up a glass of wine. Even a glass of sparkling rose (see below.) While there will be no live music or djs, David is confident that the Jukebox will be among the best in town.

Batista is a pretty eclectic guy – while he has tattoo sleeves on his arms he also talks about his love for sparkling rose wines. I imagine that this combination will be reflected in All Souls. He emphasized over and over again how this is going to be a neighborhood spot with a comfortable ambiance where everyone feels welcome. And I have no doubt, that is exactly what we’ll see.

If you live in the neighborhood and have any questions or concerns you can contact David directly via email at dtb1514(at)Yahoo(dot)com and if you’d like to support the plans be sure to let your ANC reps know.