Apéro fifth‑anniversary party in Georgetown

A restaurant anniversary party is usually just a nice excuse to sell a special menu. This one is a little more revealing than that. Apéro — the tiny French bistro in east Georgetown — is using its fifth birthday on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, to stage a full Parisian-style evening built around Champagne, caviar, canapés, and big-format bottles. That matters because the party is also a snapshot of what Apéro has become in DC: not just another date-night spot, but a very specific kind of luxury restaurant with a real identity. ### What is happening tonight? The event is Apéro’s 5th Anniversary Celebration, listed for Tuesday, May 12, 2026, with multiple start times beginning at 7:00 PM. The restaurant frames it as “Five Years of Apéro — An Evening in Paris,” which is basically the whole pitch in one line: a one-night, dressed-up version of the French apéro ritual, where drinks and small bites are the main event instead of a warm-up. (exploretock.com) ### Where is Apéro exactly? Apéro sits at 2622 P Street NW in Georgetown, in a quieter residential stretch rather than the neighborhood’s louder retail core. That matters because the restaurant has always sold intimacy as part of the experience — small rooms, a tucked-away feel, and a kind of polished hospitality that works better in a townhouse block than on a busy commercial strip. ### Why is the French angle so central? (exploretock.com) Because Apéro is not doing generic “French-inspired” branding. The restaurant’s whole identity is built around Champagne, caviar, and classic bistro luxury. Michelin’s write-up says that mission plainly, and Apéro’s own site leans on a 700-plus bottle wine list with a focus on Champagne and sustainably farmed caviar. So the anniversary party isn’t a theme layered on top of the restaurant — it’s the restaurant turning its core idea up to full volume for one night. ### What do guests actually get? The menu centers on canapés from executive chef Jenn Castaneda-Jones, roaming caviar service with accoutrements, aperitivo-style drinks, and some deliberately flashy pours. The attention-grabber is scale: a 6-liter Laurent-Perrier Grand Cuvée, plus 3-liter Bollinger and Dumont Champagne, alongside large-format Yellow and Green Chartreuse and Darroze 12-Year Armagnac. There’s even a “Night in Paris” photo booth, which tells you this is meant to feel celebratory, not hushed. (aperodc.com) ### How much does it cost? Tickets start at $195 per person on Tock. That puts the night firmly in special-occasion territory, but not out of line with what Apéro already signals as a brand — high-end wine, caviar, and a boutique room with limited capacity. In other words, the price is part of the message. This is not a neighborhood happy hour with birthday cake. ### Who is behind the event? Owner and Advanced Sommelier Elli Benchimol is the face of the beverage side, and chef Jenn Castaneda-Jones leads the food. (thewashingtonlobbyist.com) That pairing explains a lot about Apéro’s appeal. The place is selling technical wine credibility and polished kitchen execution at the same time, which is hard to fake and even harder to sustain for five years in a small-format restaurant. ### Why does a fifth anniversary matter here? (exploretock.com) Five years is long enough for a restaurant to prove it is not surviving on novelty. Apéro has Michelin recognition, and both its own materials and third-party listings keep emphasizing the same strengths — wine depth, Champagne focus, caviar, and hospitality. Basically, tonight’s party works as a celebration because the restaurant already spent five years making that story believable. ### Bottom line This is a birthday party, sure — but it is also a branding flex. Apéro is celebrating five years by showing DC exactly what niche it thinks it owns, and turns out that niche is pretty clear: intimate Georgetown glamour, done the French way. (exploretock.com) (aperodc.com)