(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) A new restaurant is finally planning to open next month in the former P. Brennan’s space on Columbia Pike.
The family-owned eatery is set to be called 2910 Kitchen & Bar, taking its name from its Columbia Pike address. It was initially going to be named Stella, but the owners decided to change the name recently.
The plan is to open sometime in June, executive chef Rob Szydlowski told ARLnow, as construction continues on the expansive space.
The restaurant will serve “American fusion” cuisine, Szydlowski said, meaning the menu will consist of classics like steak and pasta as well as some “fun” dishes.
“This is going to be a scratch kitchen, so everything’s going to be made in-house,” he said. “We’ll have a seasonal menu… and rotating desserts.”
It will be open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch with a full menu debuting closer to opening.
P. Brennan’s closed back in 2017 and the storefront has remained vacant since, with the former Irish bar’s signage still up to this day.
From the outside, the new restaurant will look similar to the old one. Szydlowski said, however, that the interior is being completely gutted and redone.
“We’ve really made some fairly dramatic changes inside,” he said, including revamping the staircase, redoing the bar, and adding chandeliers.
It will all provide some “really cool photo opportunities for guests,” Szydlowski said.
There’s going to be an upstairs VIP area, contrasted by a “more casual” feel downstairs, we’re told.
“We wanted to do a fast-casual concept there where people can come in and have both sides of it,” Szydlowski said. “You don’t need to worry about a dress code, but if you want to get a little fancy you can. We just want to provide some really good food in a great environment.”
There will also be live music and patio seating, provided that the proper permits can be obtained
ARLnow reported in April 2022 that a “mysterious new restaurant” was moving into the long-vacant storefront next door to Rebellion on the Pike and across the street from the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse.
In September 2022, we reported that the wife-husband team of Griselda Giselle Fernandez and Raheel “Ray” Khan was behind the new restaurant. They also own two other restaurants in the region, including Heat Lounge on Lee Highway in Fairfax.
Earlier this year, they brought on Szydlowski as their executive chef. He has helped with more than 50 restaurant openings over his career, including several Well-Hung Vineyard restaurants in southern Virginia.
Despite some name changes and an initially over-aggressive opening timeline, the new restaurant at 2910 Columbia Pike is finally taking shape as it nears an opening.
“It is always a challenge when people see a [well-known] space and want to know what’s going in there. I think the bar is set pretty high for us, but I like that. I think we are more than capable,” Szydlowski said.