Cafe Bonaparte was our first restaurant that we opened in July 2003 serving crepes and good coffee in Georgetown, bringing European café culture to DC. Bonaparte found its home in a quaint 19th century building, and our family comprised most of the staff. Over the years, we welcomed many VIPS like Robert Duvall, Jane Seymour, Rachel MacAdams, Hellen Mirren, and others through our doors.

In the fall of 2011, Omar discovered an abandoned gym housed inside a historic former ice warehouse along Georgetown’s Water Street. The 4,200 square foot space with three imposing garage door openings was the perfect venue for Malmaison, our family’s next French-inspired café, bistro, and event space.

After a five-year run, Malmaison closed its doors in 2018 and made room for The Berliner, our bohemian German beerhall concept. The Berliner was our homage to our extended family’s immigrant story in Germany where most of our relatives settled since the 1960s after fleeing Afghanistan’s instability. During warm summer days, the large garage doors opened with views of the Potomac as guests made pitstops for authentic German beers and homemade sausages. The Berliner closed in 2022 and is set to reopen Summer 2026 at a new location.

We finalized the conversion of Café Bonaparte into Lutèce, becoming the first to bring the neo-bistro trend from Paris to Georgetown that offers modern, fresh French food in a paired-down environment. After a brief closure during the pandemic, we resumed operations with a talented new chef from MICHELIN-starred restaurants in New York, Matt Conroy, who took the helm and crafted a menu that has since won national and local accolades, among them the New York Times top 50 Restaurants in America. Chef Isabel Coss, Matt’s equally acclaimed wife, helped craft Lutece’s initial dessert menu which ultimately landed her on Food & Wine’s ‘23 of the Best New Chefs in America. Lutece’s seasonal menu based on relationships with local farmers and purveyors, artisanal desserts from our talented pastry team, natural and biodynamic wines, and elevated service standards have made it a long-standing success as one of the city’s best French restaurants.

Our latest addition is Maison Bar à Vins, a European-style French wine bar and restaurant housed in a 19th century rowhouse in Adams Morgan. Maison, which translates to “home,” is the wine bar complement to Lutèce that’s led by Chef Matt Conroy and Advanced Sommelier Chris Ray. Omar discovered and designed the space, which features restorations that preserve the home’s original footprint and identity, including several historic fireplaces. Maison’s culinary program is unlike other wine bars in that it’s not an afterthought. As a result, Maison has landed on the dining scene with great fanfare–securing a 2.5 star (the highest to date) Washington Post food critic rating in 2026 and a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant in America. The three-story concept will eventually house a wine-based cocktail bar and lounge on the second floor, plus a private dining room on the third for chef dinners and events.