Draft:Butterworth's
Butterworth's is a restaurant and bar in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located on Pennsylvania Avenue SE.[1][2] [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
It is in walking distance of "Patriot's Row", a series of buildings purchased by the Conservative Partnership Institute, which has been described as the "nerve center" of the Make America Great Again movement.[7]
History
[edit]Butterworth's opened in October 2024, shortly before the 2024 United States presidential election.[1] It is named after Alex Butterworth, an Australian-born[2] senior counsel for Uber and a principal investor in the restaurant alongside Raheem Kassam, a former editor of the far-right Breitbart News and adviser to Nigel Farage.[1] Butterworth previously worked for the Liberal Party in Australia, where he was also president of the WA Young Liberals, and as a lawyer in D.C.[3] He attributes his journey into hospitality with an autism diagnosis he received the year before opening the restaurant, describing it as his special interest, along with politics.[3] Butterworth identifies as non-binary.[9] Butterworth owns two-thirds of the restaurant, while Hutchins is also a part owner.[3]
Bart Hutchins, a former employee of nearby Beuchert's Saloon who also co-founded Le Mont Royal, serves as chef and restaurant manager, he is also partner.[1][4] Hutchins met Kassam and Butterworth through his wife, who worked at The Daily Caller.[7] Joseph Nardo, previously of The Dabney, The French Laundry and The Inn at Stonecliffe was hired by Hutchins as chef.[6] Restaurants like Spago in Los Angels and Dudleys in New York City, which are known for their influential clientele, served as inspiration.[1][2] Hutchins contrasted Butterworth's with another French D.C. restaurant, Le Diplomate, comparing it to Chuck E. Cheese.[2] He hopes to become a D.C. establishment akin to The Monocle or Old Ebbitt Grill.[4] St. John in London and The River Café in New York are cited as culinary inspirations with a similar style of unpretentious but high quality cuisine.[6]
The interior is described as Victorian,[4] "grandma-chic"[1] or shabby chic[2] and evoking a sense of nostalgia that seems to resonate with MAGA populism.[1] A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, given to Butterworth by a British Member of Parliament, hangs on the walls.[2] Its has been compared to Les Deux Magots and other European coffeehouses of the early 20th century,[2] while Steve Bannon compared it to Mayfair, an upscale London neighborhood he frequents.[3] Hutchins compared the mismatched style to Wes Anderson.[6]
The restaurant serves nouveau french cuisine,[6] with a noted focus on offal such as foie gras and beef tallow french fries,[4] that echo recent food trends within right-wing circles.[1][2] Natural wine, bone marrow[3] and suckling pig[4] are served as well. According to Hutchins "Before, the audience for offal was Berkley hippie types who knew who Alice Waters was. Now it's right-wing staffers showing up and asking for the same stuff."[1] Raw milk is often requested but not served for legal reasons.[1] The restaurant also serves a growing assortment of vegetarian options along its frequently changing menu.[4] Guinness is served on tap but there is no Budweiser (compare Bud Light boycott).[7]
According to Alex Butterworth, the restaurant welcomes customers regardless of their political affiliation.[1][3] Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post notes that on normal days Butterworth's doesn't seem like an obvious 'MAGA hangout'.[4]
Political relevance
[edit]
Sometimes nicknamed "Steve Bannon's restaurant",[1] both because of the number of events he has hosted at the venue[i] and his affiliation with co-founder Kassam, Butterworth's has attracted a strong following of Trump supporters and right-wing figures in the second Trump administration.[2][3][7][9] Some Trump staffers have turned the locale into a de facto office.[2]
Amazon hosted a 2024 holiday party of an LGBTQ affiliate group at Butterworth's.[7][1]
The restaurant rapidly gained prominence with members of the second Trump administration and MAGA influencers after the inauguration,[1] partially attributed to co-founder Kassam.[2][3] Since inauguration weekend, Elon Musk[1], Grimes[1], FBI Director Kash Patel[1], Curtis Yarvin[1], George Santos,[1] Scott Presler[2], Jack Posobiec[12], yet-to-be-confirmed Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent[2], January 6 rally fundraiser Caroline Wren,[2] War Room co-host Natalie Winters,[2] journalist Tara Palmeri,[2] Representative Anna Paulina Luna,[7] then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz[3] and Speaker Mike Johnson[3] were noted as guests, with cocktails named "Im-PEACH This", "American Carnage" and "Covfefe" being served.[1][2]
Australian politicians like Simon Kennedy and Advance Australia director Matthew Sheahan have also been spotted,[3] as have former Trump official Tom Dans and Greenlandic Trump supporters.[7] Nigel Farage also visited.[9]
During the 2025 White House Correspondents' dinner, Posobiec and Kassam held a party called "The Uninvited" at Butterworth's, attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kari Lake, among others.[5]
Chef Bart Hutchins notes "There're nights when it's just another neighborhood restaurant. And then there's a random Wednesday when everyone in here has half a million Twitter followers."[1] Within months opening and weeks into the administration, Butterworth's had already established itself in right-wing circles due to of the number of events held at the venue.[2][4]
While during the first Trump administration McDonalds, Fireball and well-done steaks were popular,[1] and Proud Boys frequented D.C. burger joints like Harry's Bar,[13][2] Butterworth's has been noted as a more mature establishment attracting a more elite crowd.[2][3][7] Compared to once popular Morton's Steakhouse or the former Trump International Hotel in D.C., Butterworth's popularity reflects a trend among Trumps followers, though not himself, towards preferring natural food over burgers and steak with ketchup.[7][9] According to Hutchins, people that during the first Trump administration would have drunk beer from plastic cups in a corner bar are now interested in red wine and Martinis.[8]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Spiegel, Anna (2025-02-27). "Behind the scenes at Butterworth's: MAGA's haute new hangout". Axios. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Voght, Kara; Judkis, Maura; Rodríguez, Jesús; Nover, Scott; Roberts, Roxanne (2025-01-31). "Butterworth's, MAGA's new hangout, is for the 'weirdos and freaks'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Inside the Australian-owned MAGA mecca in Washington". Australian Financial Review. 2025-02-21. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sietsema, Tom (2025-05-01). "At Butterworth's, the food knows no party affiliation". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ a b Judkis, Maura; Rodríguez, Jesús; Voght, Kara; Nover, Scott; Andrews-Dyer, Helena; Solano, Sophia (2025-04-27). "It was Washington's biggest party weekend. So where were all the stars?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
- ^ a b c d e "Welcome to Butterworth's, Where Fine Dining Gets De-Snobbified". InsideHook. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Severns, Maggie (2025-01-23). "The Trendy French Bistro in D.C. That's the Go-To Haunt for Trump World". WSJ. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ a b "Im "Butterworths" in Washington D.C. hat sich nach Donald Trumps Wahlsieg eine neue republikanische Institution etabliert, in der Politiker*innen und Aktivist*innen ein- und ausgehen". www.instagram.com (in German). ZDF heute. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ a b c d e Chávez, Steff (2025-04-28). "Donald Trump remakes Washington with budget cuts and culture clashes". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ Lorenz, Taylor (2025-04-28). "White House Correspondents Dinner Weekend Was the Death Knell for Traditional D.C. Media". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ "Where will Trump and his circle hang out?". 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ Voght, Kara; Judkis, Maura; Rodríguez, Jesús; Nover, Scott; Roberts, Roxanne (2025-01-31). "Butterworth's, MAGA's new hangout, is for the 'weirdos and freaks'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ^ Ward, Ian (2020-12-14). "How a D.C. Bar Became the 'Haven' for the Proud Boys". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-05-02.