A new Ethiopian restaurant and lounge is opening on Columbia Pike, potentially by the end of the month
Meda Restaurant and Lounge is looking to open by the end of April or early May at 5037 Columbia Pike, in the former home of a long-time bakery. Owner Yohannes Getachew tells ARLnow the restaurant is just waiting on the approval of its alcohol permit.
It’s set to fill the space that was formerly Cinthia’s Bakery II, which closed up shop in the summer of 2020 due to a decrease in business amid Pike road construction and the pandemic.
Meda will focus on “speciality foods” as well being a coffee shop and bakery.
Getachew is the former co-owner of another Ethiopian restaurant in Alexandria near the Van Dorn Metro. That restaurant was named Meda before recently being renamed ZeMeda Market and Restaurant.
The new restaurant on the Pike will be located just up the street from Arlington Mill Community Center and less than a half of a mile from the Fairfax County border. Getachew says he choose this spot because he lives in the area, as does a number of his customers.
Cinthia’s Bakery II was the second location of the Bailey’s Crossroads bakery that remains open, also along Columbia Pike, only a five minute drive away.