shaw’s rooftop tropical oasis, reimagined
About US
By day, it’s a rooftop escape. By night, it’s Shaw’s newest tropical party.
Sitting above the buzz of Shaw alongside breakout bar Eebee’s, Techo Palma is poised to become the neighborhood’s next weekend day spot, all-night destination.
Behind the transformation is longtime D.C. hospitality veteran Daniel Joseph Hatem, who has spent more than two decades working nearly every role imaginable in the city’s restaurant and nightlife scene since 2003. Now, for the first time, he’s stepping into ownership with a project that is personal.
Inspired by years of traveling to Tulum- “back when it was just dirt roads,” Hatem says-Techo Palma trades ordinary rooftop bar energy for something transportive: open-air windows, jungle textures, eclectic poolside furniture, lush greenery, and the feeling of stumbling into a beach club vacation without ever leaving U Street.
The rooftop formerly known as El Techo is entering a bold new era as Techo Palma- a lush, high-energy hideaway bringing Tulum-inspired vibes, DJs, cocktails, and late-night energy to one of D.C.’s newest, hottest revitalized corners.
IN THE PRESS
APRIL 2026
A Revived Tropical Party Spot Heats Up Shaw’s Trend-Setting Corner
The Techo Palma makeover, which is still underway, plans to maintain the mini-vacation vibes its predecessor was known for. “El Techo itself has an already developed identity. So we’re not trying to squash that in any way. It’s still a tropical rooftop, and it always will be,”
JUNE 2026
A Mexican Bar Returns Under New Name, Bringing Hints of Tulum to Shaw
The Shaw neighborhood staple El Techo has returned under the name Techo Palma, now featuring a combination of Mexican and Mediterranean dishes, a bar focused on tequila and mezcal, and live plants hanging from the ceiling meant to transport guests to the coastal city of Tulum.
