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DC natives turned a dead rooftop pool into Shaw's most interesting bar

Evens Charles and chef Keem Hughley built Realm Rooftop on a Petworth upbringing, an Afrofuturist vision, and a menu that pulls from the Indian Ocean.

DC natives turned a dead rooftop pool into Shaw's most interesting bar

The pool had been sitting empty for years. Not drained and forgotten in some obvious way, just unused, taking up the top floor of what is now the Hyatt House Hotel on O Street NW. When Evens Charles looked at it, he did not see a liability. He saw a kingdom.

That word is his. Charles described the space as one where guests feel as if they're in a "kingdom." It is a useful frame for understanding Realm Rooftop Bar & Lounge, which opened in October 2025 at 899 O Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, and is already the kind of place people describe to friends with slightly too much enthusiasm.

Charles is not a newcomer to the city or to the hospitality business. He is the founder and CEO of Frontier Development & Hospitality Group. Realm is the first hotel property in his hospitality group to open in DC, and it is a full-circle moment for Charles, who grew up in Northwest's Petworth neighborhood. Shaw, with its specific mix of legacy residents and recent arrivals, felt right. As a native Washingtonian, Charles found Shaw's character to be representative of the DC he knew growing up.

The rooftop itself is not a single room. The location was transformed from an empty and unused swimming pool into a modern rooftop separated into three parts, yet open to encourage community for DC residents and visitors. A moveable door separates the main dining room from another area called "Haven," which features its own bar and a DJ booth. An expansive patio features fire pits and modern lounge seating. On a clear night, the views include a clear sight of the Capitol Dome, creating a striking backdrop.

Charles toured other DC rooftops before building his own, and what he kept noticing was volume. Too loud to talk. Too dark to see what you ordered. Realm is deliberately different. You won't find diners dancing on the tables. The music is always "at a certain decibel that's more there for the vibe," Charles noted. The result is a rooftop where a real conversation can happen, which sounds like a low bar but actually is not.

Chef Keem Hughley and the Indian Ocean

The food is where Realm earns the most attention. Behind the menu is DC native and James Beard Foundation award semifinalist for Best Mid-Atlantic Chef Keem Hughley, who, after years of collaboration with Chef Erik Bruner-Yang's Foreign National restaurant group, set out to create his own concept at Realm.

Hughley is not starting from scratch philosophically. Before Realm, he built Bronze, an Afrofuturist restaurant on H Street NE, around a fictional 14th-century African traveler named Alonzo Bronze. During the pandemic, Hughley began dreaming of this character, a globe-trotter who sought out new spices and cooking techniques to bring back to a mythical people who eventually settled on a fictional island in the Caribbean. Realm carries that sensibility into a different register: less lore-heavy, more approachable, but with the same instinct to go somewhere unexpected on the map.

The culinary program at Realm infuses French technique with Seychellois Creole influences, delivering a globally inspired yet approachable menu that complements an inventive cocktail program. The Seychelles, a small archipelago in the Indian Ocean with roots in African, French, and South Asian culture, is not a cuisine DC has seen much of. The menu created by Hughley blends Indian Ocean flavors, particularly those rooted in Seychellois Creole cuisine.

On the plate: small plates like oysters with coconut-lime mignonette and tamarind-glazed lamb. Other menu items include island oysters, spiced popcorn, and coconut crab. The tamarind-glazed lamb lollipops are already the dish people talk about. Each dish is designed to be shared, which encourages connection among guests.

The cocktail list is just as considered. The 10 signature cocktails include Port Victoria, with mango, chili, citrus, and tajin, and Moon of Mahé, featuring a toasted coconut and tamarind sour with lime. The drink program also includes an extensive wine list and several non-alcoholic options. The names are not accidental: Port Victoria is the capital of the Seychelles; Mahé is the archipelago's largest island. The geography is in the glass.

Keeping it local, literally

The management layer of Realm is worth noting. General Manager Donte Johnson grew up in the Shaw neighborhood, and his extensive background in the hospitality industry has placed him in various roles leading to his current position managing the rooftop. When a neighborhood institution opens with a GM who actually grew up on those streets, it reads differently than the standard press release claim of community commitment.

The space is transformable, GM Sonat Ozkaynak noted, with the benefit of blending and separating different areas of the lounge depending on the wishes of guests. It also allows the rooftop to host private events, something Charles hopes the space will become known for. The lounge has been well received since its October opening, and the future could include live music, spoken word, or comedy shows in addition to their DJs.

"Our goal is to create a space where people just come join us," Charles said. The pricing lands at $31 to $50, which for a skyline rooftop with that kind of menu is not a shock. Realm is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5pm to midnight, and Friday through Saturday from 5pm to 2am. Reservations are on OpenTable.

Eleven years from now, when someone asks who was doing something genuinely original on the DC rooftop scene in 2025, the answer will include a Petworth kid who looked at an empty pool and saw a kingdom, and a chef who pulled a small Indian Ocean archipelago into the middle of Shaw.

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