The opportunity to create and build a new restaurant in Washington came in the summer of 2002 when long-time friends Drew Kim and Perry Smith, along with brothers Mark and Ty Neal discovered an out of the way building on H Street. The building was the former home and business of a Chinese grocer and had been vacant for so long it had a six- foot tree growing in it! In spite of the condition of the space (and the tree), they loved it. Within days, they formed a partnership and embarked on a year-long journey of concepting, design and construction--the majority of which they completed themselves.

From the start, a key element on which they focused was the idea of a hand-crafted pizza and bistro menu that would be complemented by the warm vibe and structure of this unique, vintage brick building. As things evolved, this core concept led to the construction of such features as a masonry pizza oven, an open bistro kitchen, fabricated metal stairs and railings, custom oak tables and even a manual dumbwaiter to the second floor!

When the construction phase wound down in the spring of 2003, the restaurant quietly opened its doors. As word spread, customer feedback and reviews were highly supportive. In 2004, momentum continued to build and matchbox was named “Best New Restaurant” in Washington.

This past fall, the team expanded the original space into two adjacent buildings, adding an additional 150 seats and an outdoor deck--a first for Chinatown!