The “Jew-ish” deli is taking over the beloved market and cafe in Upper Northwest DC.
Call Your Mother’s bagel sandwich. Photograph by Scott Suchman
One of DC’s most devastating restaurant losses of 2022 was Little Red Fox in Upper Northwest. The beloved purveyor of breakfast burritos, baked goods, and other gourmet provisions closed in December as owners Matt and Jena Carr address “complicated health issues and prioritize the well being of our family.” The silver lining is that another local favorite, Call Your Mother, will be moving in by the end of the month.
“Nobody was more gutted to hear about Little Red Fox closing than we were. We go way back with them,” co-owner Andrew Dana said in a video announcement on Instagram today. Call Your Mother’s sister restaurant Timber Pizza used Little Red Fox’s hot sauce in its spicy honey, and Little Red Fox sold Call Your Mother’s bagels. Dana says he frequented the cafe for breakfast burritos on weekends, and remembers his dad taking him to buy bread at the shop’s predecessor, Marvelous Market.
“When Matt came to us, we weren’t really looking up there, but it was hard to say no to that opportunity,” Dana tells Washingtonian. Call Your Mother will also be hiring any hourly staff from Little Red Fox who want a job.
Expect Call Your Mother’s usual roundup of bagel sandwiches, coffee drinks, and quirky pastries. As an ode to Little Red Fox, the outpost will likely have a fridge with grocery staples, like eggs from Earth N Eats in Pennsylvania and milk from South Mountain Creamery in Maryland. Other changes to the space will be fairly minimal, though yes, the facade will be painted Call Your Mother’s signature pink.
This will be the eighth DC-area location for the “Jew-ish” deli, which first launched in Park View in 2018 and is expanding to Denver in 2023. Another big announcement from Dana and his wife/business partner Daniela Moreira: they’re having a baby due around the same time as the latest opening.
“They’re on a collision course,” Dana says. “It’s an actual coin toss.”
Dana did not immediately respond to a call for additional comment, but we’ll update this story with additional details when we have them.
Food Editor
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.