It wasn’t the opening owner Tsega Haile was hoping for, but Kaldi’s Social House (3110 10th Street N.) is finally planning to open this weekend in Clarendon.
“We’re opening — a soft opening — on Saturday,” Haile said. “We’ll have free espresso drinks and free juice. That’s for Saturday and Sunday.”
Haile said the location will be selling fresh croissants and such this weekend, but full service starts in earnest on Tuesday with food, beer and wine being offered. Kaldi’s has a Virginia ABC license and will have beer at 16 of its 20 taps — the other four are for nitro cold brew coffee.
Haile said the menu will be substantially different from his popular Silver Spring coffee house by the same name. Breakfast will focus on smoothies, toast, waffles and sandwiches, while afternoon meals will be more soup and salad focused. The one item carrying over from the other location is the restaurant’s vegan Italian toast — a local favorite.
The interior will have social distancing, Haile said, with signs around the restaurant and on the floor telling customers where to stand. Tables will be assigned with over six feet of distancing between seats, according to Haile.
“It’s mixed feelings,” Haile said. “With the COVID situation, we weren’t expecting to open, but we are now. We wanted to make it big, but with the pandemic, we couldn’t do that. But we’re happy being in Arlington. We are so excited.”
Photos courtesy Kaldi’s Social House