Maxwell, the award-winning Shaw wine bar that Esquire once named Best Bar in America, has applied for a streatery endorsement to add 22 outdoor seats at its 9th Street NW location.

The application, filed with the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, would give the bar at 1336 9th St. NW its first outdoor dining space since founder Brent Kroll opened it in June 2017. PoPville reported the filing on Monday, Aug. 10.

Maxwell has operated for nine years as an indoor-only destination, packing guests into a space where staff skip the suits and ties, write wine notes in chalk on a slate bar top and play old-school hip-hop over the speakers. The bar offers more than 50 wines by the glass, half rotating monthly by theme, stored in a four-zone refrigeration system calibrated to different serving temperatures.

Esquire wrote that Kroll and his fellow sommeliers "know how to pull together some glasses that will surprise even the most jaded."

The accolades run deep. Beyond the Esquire honor, Washingtonian named Maxwell its Best Wine Bar, and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington awarded it Wine Program of the Year at the 2019 RAMMY Awards.

Under D.C.'s permanent streatery framework, established when Mayor Muriel Bowser signed emergency legislation on Dec. 19, 2025, the endorsement allows licensed establishments to sell and serve alcohol on ground-floor or street-level outdoor space not covered by their existing license. Maxwell's filing is a new application under that permanent program, not a carryover from the pandemic-era temporary permits.

The application now enters a 45-day public comment period. If no one files a protest, the ABC Board issues approval in approximately 12 weeks, according to ABCA's endorsement application guidelines. Maxwell must also secure a public space permit from the District Department of Transportation before the endorsement takes effect.

The filing adds to a busy stretch along the 9th and O Street NW corridor. Genika Cafe soft-opened two blocks north, at 1400 9th St. NW, also on Aug. 10.

Residents who want to weigh in on Maxwell's streatery application can submit comments through ABCA during the 45-day window.