Around Town

New seafood restaurant Ocean Shack plans to open next month in former Thirsty Bernie space

Ocean Shack is gearing up for its grand opening in two weeks.

The new seafood restaurant near the corner of Langston Blvd and N. Glebe Road, formerly home to the local watering hole Thirsty Bernie, is planning to open on Wednesday, Nov. 15.

ARLnow peeked inside and the renovations appeared to be still in progress. Window signs also announced the restaurant is hiring staff.

Thirsty Bernie shuttered its doors in May after a 15-year run in the Glebe Road Shopping Center, in the Waverly Hills neighborhood, citing lackluster sales. ARLnow reported in August that Ocean Shack planned to take over the 1,767-square-foot space, aiming to open sometime between November and early December.

Cody Zhou, the man behind Ocean Shack, also owns a Southern-style seafood place in Chantilly called Ocean Crab.

Much like its Chantilly counterpart, Ocean Shack aims to offer several different seafood dishes, such as lobster rolls, tilapia sandwiches, fried oyster baskets, fried shrimp tacos and snow crab bowls.

The restaurant also plans to keep 16 beers on draft and serve specialty cocktails.

“I think this will be an awesome place for people to hang out drinking and watching sports,” Zhou told ARLnow in an email, adding the restaurant will have nine TVs.

At least eight of them “will for sure consistently play sports for the patrons,” he said.

The restaurant will also have “karaoke equipment” for events like open mic nights.

Zhou says he’s still ironing out the details but expects to offer food and drink promotions.

The establishment will operate from 5 p.m. to midnight Monday through Wednesday, from noon to midnight on Thursdays and Sundays, and from noon to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Author