Car Wash Coffee To Open in Former Savannah’s Space

Mr. Wash owner has installed signs at the Kensington building

A worker installs the new Car Wash Coffee sign at the Connecticut Avenue building.

Joe Zimmermann

The building that housed Savannah’s American Grill in Kensington will be getting new life as a coffee shop.

Workers installed a “Car Wash Coffee” sign on the side of the building at 10700 Connecticut Ave. on Wednesday and were putting up another sign facing the road Thursday morning.

Nathan Harris, who operates Mr. Wash, a car wash adjacent to the building, confirmed this week that his father, Steve Harris, planned to open a coffee shop at the location. The elder Harris owns the building that will become Car Wash Coffee as well as the six locations of Mr. Wash in Virginia and Maryland. He could not be reached for comment.

A Mr. Wash manager said Car Wash Coffee might open in late May. On Thursday morning, the interior space looked unchanged since Savannah’s days, and workers said it would be remodeled before opening.

Some Savannah’s signage remains on the canopy in front of the building.

The space has been vacant since Savannah’s closed in July 2016. The bar and restaurant opened in 2001 and gained a reputation as a dive bar in online reviews.

Credit: Joe Zimmermann