Super Garden Market in Virginia Square held its grand opening in October 2023, replacing Coffee Beanery (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A customer orders a coffee at Super Garden Market in Virginia Square (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Inside Super Garden Market in Virginia Square (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Super Garden Market’s front counter (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A new deli and coffee shop has opened in Virginia Square and it is hoping that Arlington mid-century nostalgia will bring in customers.
Super Garden Market has opened at 3444 Fairfax Drive, in the former Coffee Beanery location that closed earlier this year.
The new name references the original Super Garden Market and Deli — which operated in the same location for 47 years, before closing over three decades ago. Although the new coffee shop shares the same name as its predecessor, Asefaw Redai Sultan, the shop’s owner, clarified there’s “no relation” between the two.
“We are renewing the name,” Sultan said. “Everyone remembers the older name… we hope they’ll come back.”
Unlike the original grocery store and deli, Super Garden Market sells breakfast sandwiches, salads, smoothies, pastries and coffee.
Eventually, Sultan plans to expand the menu to include lunch items and is waiting for the state to greenlight a liquor license to sell beer and wine.
Sultan, a resident of Arlington for two decades, acquired Coffee Beanery from a friend he said was eager to leave the coffee industry. He filed for a new business license with the state this past June, according to the State Corporation Commission website.
Sultan says he began refurbishing the space in July. Super Garden Market held its grand opening this past Sunday.
D.C.-based Falafel Inc. opened a new brick and mortar at the newly renovated Crystal City Water Park (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A $4 falafel sandwich and $4 za’atar fries from Falafel Inc. in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Crush Pizza and Wine opened its first location in the newly renovated Crystal City Water Park last week (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A slice of mushroom lemon cream pizza from Crush Pizza + Wine in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Stracciatella and espresso gelato served at Dolci Gelati in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis))
A slice of pepperoni pizza from Crush Pizza + Wine in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
People line up outside Cracked Eggery in Crystal City for lunch (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A take on huevos rancheros called “Rancheros Cucamonga” from Cracked Eggery in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Water Bar in Crystal City held a soft opening the first week of October (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Broiled oysters with chorizo from Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The “Middle Ground” and “Summer’s Child” cocktails from Water Bar (staff photos by James Jarvis)
The view from Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The “Green Goddess Mussels” from Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A patron sips on a cocktail at Water Bar in Crystal City while looking out over the park (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The “Oyster Mushroom” sandwich from Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Tiki Thai in Crystal City takes dozens of orders during the afternoon lunch rush just days after opening (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Gai fried rice with crispy chicken (right) and drunken khao soi with grilled chicken from Tiki Thai in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Water Bar in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
An oat milk vanilla latte and apple cinnamon muffin from Brij in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A yellow dosa with mango chutney and onion chutney from DC Dosa in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Starting today, all 11 food vendors and restaurants within Crystal City Water Park are officially open for business, following a soft opening two weeks ago.
Morning to night, the 1.6-acre outdoor food hall and park in Crystal City will serve everything from indulgent duck-fat fried chicken sandwiches to Indian-style crepes filled with lentils and chutney to gelato.
Tiki Thai, serving dishes inspired by Thai and Polynesian cuisine
Queen Mother’s, a fried chicken spot that previously operated on Columbia Pike
Perched atop a water wall at the back of the park, meanwhile, is the cocktail and oyster bar Water Bar.
Operated by Atlanta-based hospitality group STHRN, the restaurant offers light lunch and dinner options, ranging from salads, seafood sandwiches and oysters to ceviche and specialty cocktails.
For something more casual, STHRN operates a New York-style pizzeria that serves beer, wine and cocktails, called Crush Pizza.
The park’s owner, JBG Smith, aimed to provide a comprehensive dining experience from breakfast through dessert, Amy Rice, the company’s senior vice president of retail leasing, tells ARLnow.
“We were really deliberate in wanting to make sure we could create a bit of an 18-hour offering,” she said.
At the park’s grand opening tonight, attendees can sample from nine newly opened restaurant kiosks, a sit-down seafood restaurant and bar or a new pizza place, all while listening to music. A month-long live concert series kicks off next Friday.
The kiosks are home to several minority- and women-owned businesses that were “having a hard time making the jump from a farmers market or food truck into a traditional brick and mortar,” Rice said.
“Typically, if you were a retail-like, fast-casual restaurant, and you wanted to start a new restaurant in a new building, it would probably be upwards of a million-dollar-plus investment to actually get your business up and running in that location,” Rice said. “We removed both of those barriers by creating these turnkey kiosks for these operators.”
Those looking for recommendations can try Water Bar’s “Middle Ground” cocktail, a Mezcal-based drink with tepache, made from fermented pineapple, and grapefruit, lime and peppercorn. At Crush Pizza, the mushroom lemon cream pizza was memorable.
Live music performances from 5-7:30 p.m. will start at the venue next Friday, Oct. 13, and run through Nov. 3. A performance by Virginia native R&B artist Bryan Lee will kick the inaugural concert.
“This series is just the first of many engaging Water Park events that will celebrate our diverse and growing downtown,” Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, president and executive director of the National Landing Business Improvement District, said in a press release.
“Step back into history and try your hand at some old-time games and crafts, make a corn husk doll, churn butter, dip candles and work the cider press,” the county website says. “Bring your old pants and shirt to make a scarecrow — child sizes work best.”
Tickets are $7 for residents and non-residents. Admission is free for children under the age of three.
The cutoff date to register for the event is Friday, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.
“The festival welcomes hundreds each year and will include a full array of live music and dance, great local vendors, interactive children’s entertainment, delicious food, and exciting community spirit,” the county website says.
Attending teens can play basketball, life-size foosball, esports and boardgames, show off art projects and hang out with animals, per the county website. Admission is free for Arlington Public Schools students enrolled in a local middle or high school.
Teen Nights occur on select Saturdays and are scheduled through April.
People taking photos of artwork at Mason Exhibitions in Arlington (via Mason Exhibitions/Facebook)
If you’re a fan of art and tacos, today is your lucky day.
This afternoon (Thursday), from 3-7 p.m., local art galleries in the Ballston and Virginia Square neighborhoods will open their doors for the annual Arlington Art Walk.
The art walk, sponsored by Arlington Economic Development, is free to everyone and features 12 local galleries and artists throughout the Ballston and Virginia Square neighborhoods between N. Glebe Road and Washington Blvd.
“The ‘Arlington Art Walk’ is a self-guided art experience that connects local galleries, artist studios and cultural events,” Arlington Economic Development says on its website. “During the walk, gallery hours for participating organizations will be extended so that our friends, neighbors and artists may come see what we’re up to.”
The walk kicks off at Mason Exhibitions, located at 3601 Fairfax Drive, next to Quincy Park. Art aficionados can pop into nearly a dozen participating venues and see outdoor, permanent installations from Arlington Public Art along the way.
Map showing the locations of participating galleries and artists during the 2023 Arlington Art Walk (via Arlington Economic Development)
Exhibits are on display at the following places:
Arlington Independent Media
ARC 3409 Art Studios
Arlington Art Truck
Arlington Public Library Maker’s Studio ‘The Shop”
Cody Gallery
Fred Schnider Gallery
Mason Exhibitions Arlington
Museum of Contemporary Art
Northside Social Arlington
WHINO
“Rosslyn Taco Crawl” flier (via Rosslyn BID)
Rosslyn Taco Crawl
If the art walk leaves you hungry, the Rosslyn BID and DC Fray are hosting a guided taco tour in Rosslyn to celebrate National Taco Day, which the U.S. celebrated yesterday.
Tickets for the Taco Crawl are $15 and come with tacos at every stop.
Check-in takes place at Central Place Plaza, which will also feature live music and games to enhance the walking experience.
Runners participating in the Army Ten-Miler (courtesy photo)
The annual Army Ten-Miler race will trigger a series of road closures in Arlington this weekend.
More than 26,000 runners will start and end the race near the Pentagon, racing through parts of Rosslyn, D.C. and Pentagon City, according to Maida Johnson, deputy director of the Army Ten-Miler.
“The 39th annual Army Ten-Miler race will occur on Sunday, October 8, 2023,” the Arlington County Police Department said in a news release. “The race begins at 7:50 a.m. on Route 110, crosses the Key Bridge into the District of Columbia, returns to Virginia via the 14th Street Bridge in the northbound I-395 HOV, and ends in the Pentagon reservation.”
Starting at 5 a.m., several law enforcement agencies will close sections of I-395, I-66 and Richmond Hwy, as well as Army Navy Drive and S. Fern Street, per the release. This includes ACPD, Virginia State Police, U.S. Park Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.
Metro will open at 7 a.m. on Sunday, per an Army press release. Blue Line trains will bypass the Pentagon stop from 7-8 a.m. and riders can exit at the Pentagon City Metro station during these times.
Otherwise, Metrorail plans to operate a normal schedule on Sunday and several Metrobus lines will experience temporary detours between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m., a WMATA spokesperson told ARLnow.
The best spectator locations include the finish line, Key Bridge, Independence Avenue, Army Navy Drive and S. Eads Street, close to the finish line, the Army press release says. A free express shuttle for spectators will run between the Pentagon North and South lots.
Army Ten-Miler course map (via ACPD)
A full list of planned road closures, from the ACPD press release, is below.
Exterior of Ambar restaurant in Clarendon (file photo)
SeoulSpice in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Food from Korean fast-casual eatery SeoulSpice (photo courtesy of SeoulSpice)
Urban Tandoor in Ballston (file photo)
Food from Urban Tandoor in Ballston (file photo)
Barley Mac in Rosslyn (file photo)
Chef Mike Cordero at Barley Mac (courtesy photo)
Patrons at JINYA Ramen Bar (courtesy photo)
A table of food from JINYA Ramen Bar (courtesy photo)
The exterior of Clarendon’s Maison Cheryl in 2021 (staff photo)
Seared duck breast entree at Maison Cheryl (photo courtesy of Maison Cheryl)
Smokecraft Tacos (courtesy photo)
The Celtic House (file photo)
Freddie’s Beach Bar in Crystal City (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington Restaurant Week returns this month with almost five dozen eateries for local foodies to explore.
This marks the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s fifth consecutive year organizing the week-long event, starting Monday, Oct. 16. It is also the third year in a row Amazon has sponsored the event.
Currently, 49 restaurants plan to participate but “new restaurants are being added daily,” per a press release from the chamber. They include Ambar, Barley Mac, SeoulSpice and Urban Tandoor, among others.
The event is open to all Arlington restaurants, “from fast-casual spots to five-star dining establishments,” the release says, adding that participating restaurants can also pick their prices and offer both dine-in and carry-out options.
Participating restaurants are primarily located along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and in Pentagon City and Crystal City, with a few others on Langston Blvd, in Shirlington and near Falls Church.
“Arlington Restaurant Week continues to be a testament to our commitment to supporting local restaurants, especially as they navigate ongoing challenges like staffing shortages, rising food costs, and supply chain disruption,” Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kate Bates said in the release. These establishments are essential to Arlington’s economic vitality and contribute to our community’s character.”
The list of participating restaurants as of this article’s writing is below.
‘Coming Soon’ signs in the windows of Roggenart Bistro and Café, set to take over the space previously occupied by Republik Coffee Bar (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Maryland-based bakery and coffee retailer Roggenart Bistro & Café is set to make its Arlington debut in Ballston.
It is moving into the previous home of Republik Coffee Bar, at 4401 Wilson Blvd, next to restaurants Big Buns Damn Good Burgers and Nando’s PERi-PERi. Republik and its Tysons counterpart permanently closed earlier this year.
Details about Roggenart’s opening remain sparse but the company, which operates four locations in Maryland, filed a permit with Arlington County on Thursday to start work on the space
The café’s owners did not respond to ARLnow’s request for additional information. Roggenart has existing locations in Columbia, Ellicott City, Savage, and Towson, Md.
The menu for the European-style café and bistro includes a range of breakfast and lunch items, including eggs benedict to a cast-iron grilled reuben. The establishment also offers baked goods such as croissants and danishes and espresso-based drinks.
Roggenart joins a growing list of coffee options in the Ballston area, including newcomers like the outdoor stand Ballstonian and, just across Wilson Blvd from the future café, Slipstream.
An Arlington-based company that helps startup founders turn their ideas into viable ventures has a new permanent home in Rosslyn.
Founded in 2017, Unstuck Labs is a small venture capital and consultancy firm that provides founders of small tech startups with mentorship, office space and, sometimes, investment.
Until recently, Unstuck operated from various co-working spaces across Arlington. With the help of Arlington Economic Development, the Rosslyn Business Improvement District and the county’s Innovation Fund grant, Unstuck moved to an office in Rosslyn, where Co-founder and CEO Wa’il Ashshowwaf says he hopes to add more programming.
Ashshowwaf says Unstuck is not a typical accelerator program.
Whereas most accelerator programs provide founders with a “curriculum” on how to set up their company, Ashshowwaf says Unstuck treats the program more like an apprenticeship.
“Think about sitting in a classroom versus doing an apprenticeship. Like someone can tell you, ‘This is how you fix a car,’ but our apprenticeship is going to be like, ‘Okay, let’s open the hood and fix it,’” he told ARLnow.
The program lasts 12 weeks, during which Ashshowwaf says the company assists founders in everything from designing a logo to pitching to potential investors — including Unstuck.
Although Unstuck does not guarantee it will invest in participating startups, Ashshowwaf noted that “86% of the founders got some kind of seed funding… within three months of the program.”
“The goal is you come in on day one, and no one really cares about you. You have your idea. By week 12, people care about you. You have an idea. You have a customer. You have revenue, and you’re invested in,” he said.
Unstuck Labs Co-founder and CEO Wa’il Ashshowwaf waves to attendees following a ribbon-cutting event in Rosslyn this September (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Even if the product “doesn’t work,” Ashshowwaf says it is not the end of the world. For Unstuck, a failed product launch is less a setback and more a learning opportunity that can lead to a more successful venture down the line.
“If the idea doesn’t work, that’s not a failure because in 12 weeks, you would learn, ‘Okay, that didn’t work.’ You didn’t spend two years of your life doing that. And then you can move on to the next thing,” Ashshowwaf said.
In addition to its accelerator program, Unstuck offers free workshops, such as “Startup Patent Survival Skills, and weekly meetups where entrepreneurs can discuss their current projects. Ashshowwaf says he hopes to host 50-100 free workshops and weekly meetups a year now that Unstuck has its own office.
Ashshowwaf says the free workshops cultivate an “ecosystem” where entrepreneurs can collaborate and help each other get “unstuck,” instead of navigating the often daunting process alone, he said.
“Someone has an idea. Says, ‘Okay, I want to build a startup. I want to build a business.’ So they’ll ask friends and their family, then they usually jump to a company and say, ‘Hey, can you build the app? How much? Oh, $100,000? How do I find the money?’ And it’s a very disjointed process,” he said.
An Arlington Transit (ART) bus outside the Ballston Metro station (staff photo)
(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) Starting today, morning ART bus rides into Arlington and evening rides out during weekday rush hours will be free until the end of December.
“Skip the driving, save money on gas and tolls, and get to your destination stress-free,” the county says on the ART bus website. “When you ride instead of drive, you’re taking single-occupancy vehicles off the road, reducing both traffic and greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.”
Free fares will end on Christmas Day, per the release. To ensure passengers do not accidentally pay, fare boxes will be covered on buses headed in the direction with higher demand during rush hours.
Arlington received $1.35 million from NVTC, about $566,000 of which pays for free fares, Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Claudia Pors said. The rest funds activities by Arlington County Commuter Services, which educates commuters and employers about sustainable transportation options.
The grant funding applies to routes along the I-66 corridor. Three ART routes outside the corridor will be free during the same period “for a seamless experience for all ART riders,” Pors said, noting the county’s transit bureau is paying $19,000 for these fares.
The county says it also supports expanding the free-ride initiative to include routes beyond the I-66 corridor. Funding for free fare initiatives comes from revenue from the Express Lanes on I-66, I-395 and I-95, which help finance various transit projects across the region.
ART already offers free transfers for rail riders who transfer from Metro to bus within two hours of taking Metro. Rides are also free for Arlington Public School with registered Student iRide SmarTrip cards.
In addition to the free bus initiative, NVTC funds are also supporting a proposed west entrance to the Ballston Metro station.
A list of free bus routes and times is below.
Free fare routes on ART through Dec. 25, 2023 (via Arlington County)
A sneak peek at Celtic House’s new red oak bar, soon to host rare whiskeys and bourbons. (courtesy of Celtic House)
Site of Celtic House Whiskey Bar (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Celtic House on Columbia Pike (via Google Maps)
Architectural drawing of proposed Celtic House expansion (via Arlington County)
Celtic House on Columbia Pike says it plans to unveil its new whiskey and bourbon bar beneath the existing restaurant “later this fall.”
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the pub said the centerpiece of the new bar will be a handcrafted, solid red oak bar, offering a range of rare whiskeys and bourbons. The additional dining space will also add 60 seats to the main restaurant’s current capacity of 90-100 patrons.
Celtic House initially hit a snag when it filed for a permit in March to renovate its newly leased basement unit — previously a defunct dry cleaning business — because the shopping center is located in a historic district.
Despite these hurdles, the permit was approved in August and construction started downstairs that same month.
General Manager Chris Devenney told ARLnow the new bar will be a seamless extension of the existing restaurant. A staircase will connect the two units but the new downstairs bar will have a separate entrance, too.
The main dining area will remain open throughout the renovation, Devenney said.
“Our main pub and restaurant is still fully operational. We’re hoping it will remain fully operational during construction,” he said.
Devenney envisions the new bar doubling as a space for hosting events such as birthdays, rehearsal dinners, funeral wakes and showers.
Although he could not confirm an exact opening date, the general manager said he hopes it will be in the next few months.
“I don’t want to give false hope in case we run into an issue with construction or it’s going to take us longer just getting things ready,” he said.
Metro 29 Diner says it is reopening today (Friday) following a closure that lasted several weeks due to plumbing issues.
Earlier this week, ARLnow reported the restaurant could remain shuttered for up to a month, as it awaited a permit to repair a clogged sewer line located along N. Albemarle Street, adjacent to the restaurant.
The local staple at 4711 Langston Blvd was forced to close after the plumbing issue caused grease and other liquids to flood the parking lot from the restaurant’s grease trap, creating a health hazard.
Arlington’s planning department granted the necessary permit on Tuesday, within hours of ARLnow’s initial story publishing, Metro 29 Diner owner Peter Bota told us.
Construction started Thursday morning and concluded by 1 p.m. Bota said the restaurant has been “given the green light to reopen by the health department.”
“I want to thank the county for their prompt attention and I’d like to thank our loyal patrons and staff for their patience, understanding and well wishes while we were closed,” Bota said.
