An Azerbaijani bakery and cafe has applied for a change of ownership for the former Chewish Deli at 1640 King Street.
Despite stellar reviews, Sharbat Bakery & Cafe closed its D.C. location earlier this year. Now owners Ilhama Safarova and Natavan Aliyeva are asking the city to also approve adding outdoor tables and chairs to the proposed shop.
“The last business in this location was a restaurant, and we plan to use the space with the same equipment and purpose for our shop,” the owners said in their special use permit application. “The outdoor area is part of the private property, and we plan to set up approximately 4 tables with seating for 10-12 guests.”
The applicants continued, “We offer authentic Azerbaijani sweet and savory pastries like baklava, a variety of cakes, shawarma sandwiches, and plated bites, as well as lunch and dinner options. We also serve all-day breakfast. In our shop, we feature a small selection of handmade souvenirs from Azerbaijan and branded items.”
There will be minimal interior renovations, according to the application.
“We will only adjust the front counter to make space for displaying our sweet and savory pastries,” the owners said in the application. “We have coffee machines, a cake display fridge, a fridge for canned and bottled drinks, and mixers for pastry and bread dough.”
Chewish Deli opened at the location (a former Dunkin’ Donuts) in 2022 and closed earlier this year. The owner said four months ago on Reddit that there were “internal and external issues” that led the business to close.
Chewish Deli is open at its location at 807 Pendleton Street.
The last day for public comments on the proposal is Dec. 23.
Sharbat isn’t the only Azerbaijani bakery coming to town: Baku Delicious also filed a permit to open in the Parker-Grey neighborhood.
