Lydia On H 1427 H Street Northeast

Malawian chef and mixologist Victor Chizinga brings a taste of his native African country to H Street NE in the two-level space that formerly housed Halftime Sports Bar. Lydia on H pays homage to his late mother, and her recipes for curry chicken and cabbage are early best sellers. Cherished vacations in the Caribbean, namely Jamaica, also inspire a menu filled with riffs on rum punch, jerk chicken wings and sandwiches, salmon fritters, and four-hour braised oxtail with jollof rice. A second-level lounge with live jazz will soon be joined by a speakeasy and tropical patio out back in the spring.