Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse will celebrate 75 years of holding a unique spot in the hearts, and stomachs, of D.C.’s LGBTQ+ community Saturday.
Roosevelt High School graduate George Katinas opened the restaurant in 1948 after serving in the Army during World War II. He called it Paramount Steakhouse but later added the name of his sister, who served drinks, sass and love from behind the bar.
“Our regulars here are unlike anywhere else,” general manager Georgia Katinas said. “I say it’s like a gay Cheers.”
The restaurant on 17th Street NW near Dupont Circle has had a very special place in D.C.’s gay community since it opened.
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“Back when D.C. was a very segregated, discriminatory city, restaurants wouldn’t serve openly gay and lesbian people,” said Vincent Slatt of Rainbow History Project.
Slatt will be there Saturday with a microphone, inviting people celebrating the restaurant’s 75th anniversary to tell their stories.
Many will feature Annie Katinas Kaylor, who remains the spirit of the place a decade after her passing. Her love and the restaurant’s love for D.C.’s gay community as it was stigmatized during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s will never be forgotten.
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Slatt’s archive will include an email from a man now in his 70s who described a late friend’s long-ago experience at Annie’s.
“Because of the lesions and things, didn’t feel comfortable going anywhere, except to come to Annie’s, and in the last weeks of his life, this was the only place he would come and feel welcomed,” Slatt said.
In a world where the average life of a restaurant is eight to 10 years, Annie’s has remained a comforting constant.
Georgia Katinas soon will give birth to a member of the fourth generation of her family to serve love, and tasty food, to people who remain hungry for both.
“It’s really powerful to see how amazing our community is, and we’re just grateful to be part of it,” she said.
At the front door, in a place of pride, is the James Beard Foundation’s American Classics Award bestowed on the restaurant in 2019.
A banner marking the restaurant’s 75th anniversary features a caricature of Annie, still watching over the place.
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