Washington, D.C
Cherry blossom-themed high tea, cocktails and other treats in the DC area – WTOP News
Here are some of the delightful and crave-worthy cherry blossom foods you can find in restaurants in the D.C. area.
Cherry blossoms are a big deal in the D.C. area. Every year, there is a flurry of excitement over when to expect peak bloom and what to expect during this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Some notable past stories from WTOP include exploring the little-known history behind D.C.’s oldest, original cherry blossoms, diving into the citywide tradition of decorating front porches with cherry blossom decorations and featuring the lasting legacy of one of the Tidal Basin’s most beloved trees.
WTOP staff have even taste-tested local, cherry blossom-inspired treats and found out how you can tell the difference between various types of cherry blossom trees.
For those who are in need of delicious treats to celebrate the season, WTOP has you covered once again. From high tea to desserts and beyond, here are some of the delightful and crave-worthy cherry blossom foods you can find in the D.C. area.
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Where to find boozy cherry blossom-themed high tea in DC
Cherry blossom-themed high tea
If you like to live the high life with high tea, here are a few hotels and other businesses offering themed options during the cherry blossom season.
- Moonraker at Pendry Hotel (D.C.): High tea with a cherry blossom-inspired twist and “Sakura specials” on the menu, priced at $80 per person. Also available is an interactive “Cherry Blossom Paint & Sip Experience,” priced at $75 per person.
- Park Hyatt (D.C.): Tableside tea service offered in the Tea Cellar on Saturdays and Sundays, priced at $110 per person.
- Willard InterContinental (D.C.): Afternoon tea is available in the “Peacock Alley” space on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, priced at $90 per adult or $105 with a glass of Champagne and $65 per child.
- Quadrant Bar & Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton (D.C.): “Cherry Blossom Tea Time” is available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, priced at $88 per person.
- CUT at Rosewood Hotel (D.C.): Starting March 15, Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant is debuting the “Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea” menu, offered on Saturdays and Sundays. The experience is priced at $85 per person or $105 per person with a glass of Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne, French 75 or Hugo Spritz.
Cherry blossom-themed cocktails and mocktails
For a list of both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages to consider in the D.C. area, hit up the following D.C.-area restaurants and bars. Please note that these offerings are temporary, may vary and may not be the only cherry blossom specials available at these locations.
- Ciel Social Club at AC Hotel (D.C.): This rooftop bar is decked out from head to toe in cherry blossom decor and is serving a wide selection of seasonal cocktails and food specials. Some worth looking forward to include the “Lychee Martini” with Skyy Vodka, sake, lychee juice, yuzu and orgeat, the “Yuzu Aperol Spritz” with Aperol, cava and yuzu, and the “Japanese Black Manhattan” with High West Bourbon, Averna Amaro, Japanese sweet vermouth and umami and angostura bitters.
- ilili (D.C.): For those craving a nonalcoholic option, ilili has a zero-proof mocktail, bottled in-house and made with a hibiscus and rosehips cordial, rose water and lime juice.
- SABABA (D.C.): “Tokyo Red” with Suntory whiskey, Luxardo, cherry hibiscus syrup and yuzu juice, and the “Melon Spring Elixir” with Barr Hill gin, Midori, lemon juice and mint syrup.
- China Chilcano (D.C.): “Hanami Ember” with Suntori Toki Whiskey, Mancino Sakura Vermouth and Aperol, “Kyoto Bloom” with Roku Gin, Mancino Sakura Vermouth, Green Chartreuse and a Campari wash of the glass and “Sakura Drift” with Kiyomi Rum, raspberry and lime.
- Chang Chang (D.C.) and NiHao (Arlington, Virginia.): Both restaurants will serve a sakura blossom sochu-based cocktail with Sloe Gin, Tutti Frutti, plum cordial, Peychaud’s and lemon.
- Bresca (D.C.): “Just a Whisper” with sakura syrup, yellow chartreuse, Roku Gin, dragon god, soda and a strawberry Calpico foam.
- Ambar (various locations): “Cherried & Spiced” with gin, pear rakia, cherry-cardamom syrup and lime juice.
- Royal Restaurant (Alexandria, Va.): “Cherry Blossom Sangria” with brut rosé, Lustau blanc vermouth, cherry juice and orange flower water.
- The Majestic (Alexandria, Va.): “Cherry Blossom Sangria” with sweet vermouth, tart cherry juice, sparkling wine and simple syrup, topped with a twist of orange peel.
Cherry blossom-inspired mains, desserts and other sweet and savory treats
For those with a seasonal sweet tooth, check out the following restaurants and shops for their treats. Please note that these offerings are temporary, may vary and may not be the only cherry blossom specials available at these locations.
- SABABA (D.C.): “Cherry Blossom Sundae” with cherry blossom ice cream topped with candied almond and white sesame.
- a.kitchen+bar (D.C.): The various specials include a raw scallop dish with rhubarb, tarragon and sakura shuyo, with mains such as a lamb shoulder with fregola sardo, hakerie turnips and watercress. Two desserts to expect include a hibiscus panna cotta and a chocolate tahini sorbet.
- Bar Japonais (D.C.): Masaaki “Uchi” Uchino, the executive chef and Sushi Nakazawa alum, launched his inaugural omakase menu. Expect 15 courses of specials, which include a cherry blossom-steamed sushi, firefly squid and cherry salmon. These specials are also be available à la carte.
- Zaytinya (D.C.): “Manour Cream with Cherries” with sweetened tart cherries, Greek balsamic pickled dry cherries, candied almonds and tarragon, and “Ekmek Kadayif” with kataifi, chocolate mousse, cherry compote, toasted pistachio, chocolate crumble and milk sorbet.
- Jaleo (D.C.): “Gazpacho de cerezas con queso de cabra,” which is a chilled Spanish soup with cherries and goat cheese, “Panceta con cerezas y pure de patata,” which is a confit pork belly with cherries, a cherry demi-glace and potato puree, and “Sherry Blossom Parfait” with cherry marmalade, vanilla yogurt mouse, cherry granita, olive oil, pistachios and cherries.
- China Chilcano (D.C.): “Cherry Blossom Panna Cotta” with Sichuan cherry compote, yuzu and almonds. Other seasonal treats include a crab rangoon and a “Sakura Crystal Dumpling.”
- CUT at Rosewood Hotel (D.C.): The “Cherry Blossom Tasting Menu” encompasses three cherry blossom-inspired courses with dishes that include skull island prawn with sunflower seed and a cherry gremolata as an appetizer, a cherry wood-smoked short rib as a main and, for dessert, a strawberry and cherry blossom caramelized shortcake with basil stracciatella gelato. The experience is priced at $85 per person with wine pairings available for an additional fee.
- Ambar (various locations): “Hot Chocolate Brownie” with red tart cherry compote, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and hazelnuts.
- Immigrant Food (various locations): “Cherry Blossom Tres Leches” with freeze-dried strawberries and three types of milk.
- NiHao (Arlington, Va.): “Sakura Cherry Swiss Roll” with a traditional Swiss roll with cherry jam and sakura powder.
Other cherry blossom offerings worth exploring
Once again, the immersive digital art gallery, known as ARTECHOUSE, has brought back a cherry blossom-inspired exhibition. This year, the exhibition, called “Blooming Wonders: A Best-of-Spring Exhibition,” combines larger-than-life floral landscapes with interactive, themed installations. The exhibition runs through the end of April.
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© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
One family, four generations with DC Metro
As Metro celebrates 50 years of service, one D.C. family is marking the milestone with a legacy of their own — four generations who have all worked on the system, helping keep the region moving for decades.
WASHINGTON – D.C. residents got on their first Metro train 50 years ago on March 27, 1976. Here’s a look back at the beginning.
Connecticut Avenue; NW; looking south. evening traffic-jams are aggravated by metro subway construction in Washington D.C. ca. 1973 (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
View of the Metro Center subway station (at 13th and G Streets NW) during its construction, Washington DC, November 16, 1973. (Photo by Warren K Leffler/PhotoQuest/Getty Images)
Standing in the cavernous tunnel, planners wearing hard hats discuss the construction progress of the Metro Center subway station at the intersection of 13th and G Streets in Washington, DC, November 16, 1973. (Photo by Leffler/Library of Congress/In
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 07: FILE, Metro construction miners and blasters on a jumbo drill outside the hole they are working on at Rock Creek Parkway and Cathedral Ave NW in Washington, DC on November 7, 1973. (Photo by James K.W Atherton/The Washin
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 4: FILE, View of the Post Office at North Capital and Mass Avenue NE, and 1st NE where subway tunnels were being constructed in Washington, DC on March 4, 1974. (Photo by Joe Heiberger/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 29: FILE, Workers rig a pipe at the entrance to the Rosslyn Metro Station in Washington DC on August 29, 1974 (Photo by Larry Morris/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 27: FILE, The crowd at Rhode Island Station on opening day of the Washington Metro on March 27, 1976. (Photo by James A. Parcell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 28: FILE, Reverend Leslie E. Smith of the Episcopal Church, right, and George Docherty of New York Avenue Presbyterian church hold a joint service at the new Metro Center station in Washington, DC on March 28, 1976. (Photo by D
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 1: FILE, An aerial view of metro construction where it crosses the Washington Channel. The Potomac River, the Pentagon and Northern Virginia can be seen in the distance. (Photo by Ken Feil/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 27: FILE, A packed train of commuters on the Silver Spring metro on the Red Line on January 27, 1987. (Photo by Dudley M. Brooks/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 4: FILE, Thousands of people press their way into the Smithsonian Subway station after the Independence Day fireworks in Washington, DC on July 4, 1979. (Photo by Lucian Perkins/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Among the liquor store, barber shop and dry cleaners at the Watergate Complex’s retail plaza, there is a new pop-up museum dedicated to the scene of the crime that toppled Richard Nixon’s presidency.
Among the liquor store, barber shop and dry cleaners at the Watergate Complex’s retail plaza, there is a new pop-up museum dedicated to the scene of the crime that toppled Richard Nixon’s presidency.
The temporary exhibit features the work of artist Laurie Munn — portraits of members of the Nixon administration and those connected to the Watergate break-in. The exhibit features members of Congress, the media and some who were on Nixon’s enemies list.
Keith Krom, chair of the Board of Directors of the Watergate Museum, told WTOP the exhibit was first featured in the gallery in 2012 for the 40th anniversary of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee.
“When she (Munn) learned about our museum effort, she offered to reassemble them as a way for us to expand awareness of the museum,” Krom said.
Krom, who lives in the Watergate, said his favorite portrait is of one of the special prosecutors, whose firing sparked the “Saturday Night Massacre” in 1973.
“I had the pleasure of being a student of Archibald Cox,” Krom said. “He served as my mentor for my third-year writing project.”
Krom said during this time, at the Boston University School of Law, he spent a great deal of time with him.
“I didn’t realize how much he must have gone through. Here he was, this one man, who was challenging the president of the United States over something pretty serious,” Krom said.
The pop-up opened in October and was recently extended to stay open until April 25. Krom said the hope is to find it a permanent location within the Watergate Complex, where they can “present the history of Watergate, but with two perspectives.”
The first would be on the building’s “architectural significance to D.C.,” he said.
“You may not like the design, you actually may hate it,” Krom said. “But you cannot deny that it changed D.C.’s skyline.”
The secondary focus would, of course, be on the mother of all presidential scandals that changed the course of American history.
“That’s where that suffix ‘-gate’ started and continues to be used for almost every scandal that comes out today,” Krom said.
The inspiration for the museum spawned from an interaction from a tourist outside the Watergate.
“He says, ‘This is the Watergate, right?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s one of the buildings,’” Krom recalled.
The tourist then asked Krom, “So where’s the museum?”
“I was like, ‘Oh, we don’t have a museum.’ And he literally just looked at me and said, ‘That’s so sad.’ And he got on his bike and rode away,” Krom said.
While the self-proclaimed political history nerd said he “still gets goose bumps” when he drives by the Capitol at night, Krom hopes that when people leave the museum, “they’ll walk away with a new appreciation for how our government works, the guardrails that are in place.”
“Maybe an understanding that those guardrails themselves are kind of frail, and they probably need our collective help in making sure they last — that’s what we hope to accomplish,” Krom said.
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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
According to the National Park Service at the National Mall, famous cherry blossoms around the nation’s capital have hit peak bloom conditions. The National Park Service X account for the National Mall proclaimed this morning, “PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM!”
It became apparent yesterday that the bloom would be at peak today. “Despite a sunny afternoon and patches of blue sky, the cherry blossoms remain at Stage 5: Puffy White,” the Park Service wrote on X yesterday. Stage 5, “Puffy White”, is the final stage blossoms go through before being in full bloom. They start at Stage 1 as a “Green Bud”, grow into Stage 2 with “Florets Visible”, and then florets become extended at Stage 3. In Stage 4, there is “Peduncle Elongation” which sets the stage for the puffy blossoms to appear in Stage 5. Puffy White and Peak Bloom are defined as when 70% of the blossoms on the trees reach that stage.
Peak bloom varies annually depending on weather conditions; the most likely time to reach peak bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April. According to the Park Service, extraordinary warm or cool temperatures have resulted in peak bloom as early as March 15 in 1990 and as late as April 18 in 1958.
The planting of cherry trees in Washington DC originated in 1912 as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan. In Japan, the flowering cherry tree, or “Sakura,” is an important flowering plant. The beauty of the cherry blossom is a symbol with rich meaning in Japanese culture.
Dr. David Fairchild, plant explorer and U.S. Department of Agriculture official, imported seventy-five flowering cherry trees and twenty-five single-flowered weeping types from the Yokohama Nursery Company in Japan. After experimenting with growing them on his own property in Maryland, he deemed that the cherry tree would be perfect to plant around the Washington DC area. This triggered an interest by a variety of individuals to plant the tree around Washington. In 1909 the Mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, donated 2,000 trees to the United States on behalf of his city. When the trees arrived, they were riddled with disease and insects and to protect other agriculture, they were burned. The Tokyo Mayor made a second donation of trees in 1910, this time amounting to 3,020 trees. This started the forest of cherry trees that now line the Potomac basin around Washington DC. In a gesture of gratitude back to Japan, President Taft sent a gift in 1915 of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan. Thousands of trees have been added since, including another gift of 3,800 trees from Japan in 1965.
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