about
La’ Shukran is a bar, bistro, and rooftop terrace in the Union Market District of Washington, DC. Featuring the cuisine of 2024 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Chef, Michael Rafidi, a high energy cocktail program by Radovan Jankovic, and a progressive, natural-leaning wine program from William Simons.
Beneath an arched, stained glass sign at the rear of a historic building in Union Market, a green door leads to a hallway where Arabic-tinged elevator music drifts down a long flight of tiled stairs leading to La’ Shukran - a modern reimagining of a Left-Bank watering hole, a retro-modern late-night restaurant transported from the liveliest corner of Al-Bireh to Washington, DC.
La' Shukran is "No. Thank you." Or is it "No, thank you"? It's both. Or it's neither. Or it's neither and both at the same time. It's a quick "la', shukran" to a persistent vendor in the Arab Souk, and it's "la' shukran 'ala wajib" (a form of 'you're welcome' meant to convey respect and esteem). It's a dark, neighborhood cocktail joint in Hamra where artists, thinkers, musicians, and creators rub elbows with bankers, gourmands, and rec league sommeliers in keffiyehs. La' Shukran is a gathering place, a decidedly modern and mildly nostalgic space where beverage, talk of art, philosophy, and culture fight for space amidst the jangling guitars and low end theory bass of Arabic rock and hip hop. A place where the sights, sounds, and - importantly - the flavors of Beirut, Jaffa, Barbès, Canal Saint Martin, Wadi Nisnas, and Al-Manara Square share an equal footing. It is the confluence of ideas, cultures, and flavors that lies at the heart of La' Shukran - a celebration of both the harmonies and the tensions found within heritage and cuisine.
Meet the Team
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MICHAEL RAFIDI
Michael Rafidi is of Palestinian-American descent and chef/owner of Michelin-starred Albi located in Washington, D.C’s Navy Yard neighborhood. The menus reflect a creative update to traditional Arabic cuisine, with modern techniques utilizing the best the Mid-Atlantic has to offer. Inspired by his family's roots in Ramallah, Palestine and grandparents' home cooking, Rafidi spent many years in some of the country's best kitchens before he opened Albi in early 2020.
In February 2022, Rafidi was named a James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, and a finalist in the same category in 2023. In May 2022, Albi was first awarded a coveted Michelin Star - a distinction it retained in 2023. In June 2024, Chef Rafidi was named Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation.Before making his mark on D.C.'s restaurant industry, Rafidi worked alongside Michael Mina as Executive Chef of the lauded French restaurant RN74 in San Francisco, and as the Mina Group's Corporate Chef. In this role, he supported the culinary management of the group's multinational properties and was pivotal in opening eight of those concepts. Having grown up in Maryland, Rafidi spent time at other respected East Coast restaurants, including Blue Duck Tavern in D.C. and Talula's Garden in Philadelphia. A stage at Chef René Redzepi's internationally acclaimed Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, fostered his appreciation for foraging and other culinary techniques from around the world.
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Radovan Jankovic
Hailing from Bosnia, Radovan Jankovic came to the United States in 2012 to attend a business management exchange program. Growing up in an entrepreneurial family instilled a drive and sense of purpose in him, and Jankovic was inspired to dream big and pursue his passion for food, which led him to the restaurant industry. He began his career as a food runner at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, where he developed his dedication to quality ingredients and an elevated customer experience, as well as an expanded understanding of food and beverage offerings in hotel settings.
During the early 2010s cocktail renaissance, Jankovic found a love of craft bartending and honed his skills at the former Capella Hotel’s Rye Bar and Jose Andres' destination Barmini, further developing his managerial talent in bar operations. In 2019, Radovan founded Residents, a casual-chic cafe and bar that demonstrated his prowess for design, organization, and operations through exceptional ambiance and customer experience.
Drawing upon his varied experiences, and the lessons learned in branding, social media marketing, and restaurant management, Jankovic transitioned to consulting in 2023, creating UnOrdinary Hospitality. Today, Radovan leads the highly-experienced Mercy Me team in showcasing the diverse splendor of South American culinary histories and futures.
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William Simons
William Simons brings two decades of experience as a wine professional, sommelier, and restaurant veteran in cities along the Eastern Seaboard - Charleston, his native Baltimore, and New York. Part of the opening team at Albi, Simons began as Lead Sommelier before taking the helm as General Manager, and, in time, Director of Operations for Albi and YELLOW.
Simons holds the Advanced Sommelier certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and was awarded both the Walter Clore, and the prestigious Rudd scholarship for taking top marks on his exams. His presence on the service floor, and his approach to hospitality inform the guest experience, beginning the moment they walk through the doors, creating a separation between the world that exists within the restaurants' walls and that which remains outside them.
Simons' wine lists draw from a wide range of sources, regions, and varieties to complement Chef Rafidi's vibrant, intense, and aromatic cuisine. Both irreverent and bookish - with perhaps a smattering of punk - his lists are divided by style, containing verticals of Chåteau Musar, quotes from Freddie Mercury, Emily Dickinson, and Estelle Costanza, grapes familiar and niche, historical asides, anti-sermons on Natural Wine and Dogma, a brief history of Palestinian psychedelia, and a briefer meditation on the Big Bang.
