All-day restaurant Ama opened in early-June in Washington, D.C., near the border of the Navy Yard and Capitol Hill. The restaurant serves coffee and pastries in the morning, moving into focaccia and sandwiches during the day, and then transforming into an aperitivo bar and dinner spot in the evening.
Ama is led by hospitality veterans and married coupleJohanna Hellrigl — formerly of Doi Moi, Proof, and Mercy Me — and Micah Wilder, whose resume includes Chaplin’s, Zeppelin, and L’Ardente. Hellrigl is the chef, while Wilder runs the beverage program.
The duo is joined by partner Andrew Limberg, who formerly served as general manager at Rose’s Luxury and the two Michelin-starred Pineapple & Pearls.
The indoor-outdoor restaurant is inspired by Hellrigl’s Northern Italian heritage. She grew up in the business, and her late father owned a restaurant in Manhattan and a restaurant and hotel in Merano, Italy.
Hellrigl said that they made the decision to operate an all-day concept based on prior experiences and lessons learned from working in the industry. The founders previously worked in restaurants that wanted to have an all-day component but were not designed efficiently to do so, which led to logistical issues. So, they built Ama to accommodate a café, full-service restaurant, and bar.
The bar enlist an Italian seltz gun for its carbonated cocktails. Photo Credit: Giada Paolini
“We wanted to learn from these experiences and think about how you could take advantage of the space that you have in front of you to make it the most efficient and effective for your guests and your team,” Hellrigl said. “It was clear to me that there is an advantage to maximizing the use of a space.”
Ama’s owners also recognized a void in the area, noting that the community desired more daytime options, so they wanted to meet the needs of their neighbors. And they were inspired by the inclusive, all-day dining destinations in Italy, where a guest can get a morning coffee and then come back for a spritz after work.
Ama’s menu embraces the seasons: during spring and summer, it leans toward Ligurian seafood and coastal flavors, while the fall and winter will see dishes transition to heartier comforts found in the Alto Adige region.
The current menu features fresh focaccia alongside antipasti like anchovies on sourdough and wild salmon tartare with sun dried tomatoes and eggplant.
Primi courses include traditional Ligurian ravioli filled with foraged greens and ricotta, and spaghetti al pomodoro. Secondi plates include braised rabbit stew with fennel, tomato and olives, a whole Mediterranean sea bream, and a roasted half chicken.
Inside Ama’s dining room. Photo Credit: Giada Paolini
Wilder’s bar program channels an old-world, Italian apothecary approach, featuring housemade digestive bitters and cordials and an inventive cocktail menu.
The menu opens with a Negroni family tree that displays the original cocktail alongside modern interpretations. From there, guests can choose from several spritzes and seltzer cocktails, plus carboned frozen drinks and riffs on select classics.
Wilder is the proud owner of a seltzer gun, which he sourced from Campari’s Camparino in Galleria in Milan and said is the only one in the United States. He uses it to create fine bubbles for carbonated cocktails, like Ama’s Gin & Tonico, which is made with gin, lemon balm tonic, fresh grapefruit, and fennel; and the Ama Americano, which features passion fruit seltzer, red bitters, and sweet vermouth.
The Ama team believes that a bar program is imperative to a successful business model, and they aim to hit similar numbers across food and beverage.
“Perhaps it’s being a husband-and-wife duo, where one handles the beverage and the other handles the culinary program, but we believe that the marriage between the two programs is what defines the restaurant’s guest experience, fluidity and success,” Hellrigl said. “We wanted a restaurant with a large bar, so guests could feel just as comfortable eating at the bar as they would at a dinner table. We wanted to make sure that people felt they could stop by for a drink one day and come by for a full dinner the next. We believe in the customer’s lifetime value and that means having an opportunity for them to come to Ama for any occasion.”
The Ama team also believes in showing valuing their employees and adds a 3.85% “health and wellness charge” to each check, which is used to pay for the staff’s medical, dental, vision, and mental wellness benefits. The charge is clearly stated on the website and the “our mission” section of the menu, which also details the restaurant’s dedication to sustainable sourcing and planet-friendly practices, like reducing the kitchen’s water usage and eschewing single-use plastics.
