China Chilcano - Chinatown

Saturday, 2/7/15, 10 pm 

Well I certainly didn't expect this. Walking into the restroom of Jose Andres' sleek new Peruvian Asian fushion place, I didn't expect to be transported to sleep-a-way camp. Even the wood planks makes you feel like you're in a bunk or a really fashionable outhouse. All the walls are covered with chalk scribbles, and there's plenty of opportunity to add your own name. 

Take a closer look at China Chilcano. 

Kushi - Washington DC

Friday, 7/8/11, 1 pm - Chinatown

I don't know what I was expecting from Kushi but after a lot of hype, I guess I was expecting more from the whole experience. As for the restroom, the two unisex single stalls were understated and subdued. Bathed in black with white porcelain accents, the streamlined room had some extra touches with a flower/plant. The most interesting part of the bathroom for me was the hot and cold handle which moved vertically as opposed to right and left to turn on the water.


What you don't see in this picture is the urinal across from the toilet. Not being male, I see those types of things in a unisex stall as unnecessary, but I'm sure others would beg to differ. Also not pictured, the free standing toilet paper roll holder, which often strikes me in a place that's trying to be informal as they didn't have time to put a holder on the wall.

Here's more on Kushi - no website yet but a tumblr.

Zola - Washington, DC

Saturday, 6/26/10, 9 pm - Chinatown

I talked about not judging the restrooms of restaurants in hotels, mostly because they're out of the control of the restaurants. For the few restaurants I've been to in museums, this has also held true. Thankfully that wasn't the case for Zola, which is a part of the Spy Museum, offering promise for the bathroom. And I wasn't disappointed. The stalls were completely private with a frosted porthole. The sleek chrome was offset by lights that ran the height of the wall. I don't remember a purse hook, which is one thing that would bother me.

Of course the modern sinks with a streamlined faucet were a nice touch. There was also a full length mirror on the way out - always helpful and keeps the sink area from getting overcrowded.

Here's more on Zola.

Co Co. Sala - Washington, DC

Thursday, 9/10/09, 7:15 pm - Chinatown

Walking toward this restroom at the back of the restaurant, you pass a circle window on your left - a peak into the men's room. Rounding the corner, you're presented with this sign: men to the left, women to the right. There are no doors on the rooms and from the sink area, you can see the person across the way. But I'll get to that in a minute.

Inside the single stall, surrounded in almost all black, I missed the toilet paper holder. The roll was just on a shelf above the toilet. Odd.

Coming out to the single sink, you have another circle in front of you - the mirror, plus a tall, white ceramic column sink. The central stainless faucet was difficult to turn off. For all the attention to details and effort to be sleek, the garbage can seemed out of place as just one of those metal rectangular ones in the wall. The restaurant concept was carried into the bathroom, though I think a bit more attention could have been paid.

Here's more on Co Co. Sala.

PS7 - Washington, DC

Thursday, 6/4/09, 5:30 pm - Chinatown

The restroom here was quite dramatic - practically all black with sphere accents. One wall actually had what looked like empty fish bowls in the in wall. You can also see part of the quite elaborate bathroom chandelier.

There were three individual stall with a full-length door and exposed brick. The small chrome trash cans were a nice touch. I don't remember there being a hook in the stall though - a much missed part.


No, this isn't the men's room - I must have been the first person to use it that night. The sink area was well done - nice circular mirror with glass sinks. Here's more on PS 7.

Zaytinya - Washington, DC

Saturday, 4/25/09, 9 pm - Chinatown

Offering 3 stalls in a spacious bathroom, the bright blue in each stall is offset by pale marble (marble looking?) tiles and white walls. O ne quirk (or perk) was the purse hook. At least I think it was a purse hook. It was a round hook directly above the toilet. I suppose it could have been a votive holder though that would be an odd place for it. If it is a purse hook, it makes it much more secure (though potentially hazardous should something fall out of your bag).

In the sink area, there's a lot of what I think would be called "negative space" which I usually find wasteful, but I think it make the room feel airy. Three bowl sinks on wooden pedestals greet you with the actual fixtures coming out of the wall. The layout of the mirror allows a few people to be washing their hands and still have room for others to touch up in the mirror.


And another unusual hook situation - a few beside the sinks. Sorry for the blurriness (you have to hold the blackberry really still). If you're looking for more details on Zaytinya, here you go.

Oyamel - Washington, DC

Saturday, 1/31/09, 8:30 pm - Chinatown

Oyamel means butterfly in Spanish but I didn't see any butterflies in the bathroom. Rather, the restroom was a mix of kitch and class.



On one sink counter you see some fake flowers, while the other side had a shadow box filled with Day of the Dead chatchkies. The black stalls were offset by the bright-colored walls - orange and yellow. Didn't blow me away but didn't disappoint either. Check out Oyamel for more.

Oya - Washington, DC

Saturday, 1/17/08, 9 pm - Chinatown

It was quite a small restroom for the relatively large restaurant. Three stalls and two sinks, but they seemed squeezed together. Of course it was modern looking with a curvy sink counter. But for a restuarant that has a waterfall blocking the kitchen window, the bathroom was boring - nothing on the walls. Just bright colors in the stalls. Half of the wall outside the stalls was a mirror and then sinks were on the other side. I was only able to get a shot of stall.

Here's more on Oya.

Proof - Washington, DC

Saturday, 12/6/08, 8 pm - Chinatown

This urban wine bar leaves the edge for the bathroom. First the ladies' room. A friend from out of town, who didn't even know I kept a bathroom blog, commented that the toilet looked like it belonged in a prison when she got back from the restroom. I'll let you judge for yourself.

Well that was just the tip of the iceberg. The wallpaper was decorated with legs and bras all over.




I finally had a guy friend who was willing to participate and it was definitely needed at Proof (and makes me wonder what I was missing at other places). So while the wallpaper was fun in the ladies room, the men's room took it one step further to tits and asses - literally.













And yes, that's a boob with a facet coming out of it.










For such a mild-mannered restaurant, the bathrooms definitely stepped out of the that comfort zone. Here's more on Proof.