After nine months of construction, the new World of Beer in Ballston is set to open its doors next week.
The Florida-basd chain announced Monday that the new watering hole at 4300 Wilson Blvd, facing N. Glebe Road, will open on Thursday, Oct. 5. The space was formerly home to Ted’s Montana Grill.
The restaurant is not far from Crafthouse (901 N. Glebe Road), which was Virginia’s first World of Beer location from 2012 until 2017, when the owner parted ways and rebranded locations in Ballston, Reston and Fairfax. World of Beer can currently be found in Bethesda and Rockville, Maryland.
“We are pleased to bring back our exceptional craft beer experience and beer-inspired menu to the community of Arlington,” World of Beer CEO Paul Avery said in a statement. “At World of Beer, we truly believe there is a friend on every barstool. We look forward to sharing the craft brews and their stories with our guests, who may be inspired to discover something new.”
In addition to an indoor seating area with a long, curved bar and an antler chandelier, the restaurant has a sizable outdoor patio, which the company says will feature social games like corn hole and giant Jenga.
World of Beer offers hundreds of local, regional, national and international beers at its 51 locations in the U.S., South Korea and China, in addition to food, wine and cocktails. The food menu includes items that pair well with beer, like pork schnitzel, an Angus beef burger with Chimay Classique cheese, Chipotle BBQ chicken flatbread, and a German pretzel.
WOB applied for building permits in October 2019 and began construction in February.
The split between then-owner Evan Matz and World of Beer took a bitter turn later in 2017, when the chain sued Matz for violating the terms of the franchise agreement. In October 2018, Matz sued back.
Two other World of Beer locations — in Ashburn and Charlottesville — broke from the franchise, with the owners rebranding the locations as Jefferson Ale House. Only the Jefferson Ale House in Ashburn remains in business.
World of Beer in Ballston will be open seven days a week: Sunday from 11 a.m.-12 a.m., Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-2 a.m.