Rosa Mexicano in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) Rosa Mexicano at Pentagon City is now planning to open next week.
The new upscale New York-based Mexican eatery was planning to open its doors sometime this week, according to its website. But that has since changed, we’re told.
Rosa Mexicano’s debut was initially set for Sept. 1, then pushed to later in the fall, and now, according to a PR rep, has been pushed to next week.
The restaurant is moving into a 4,200-square-foot dining space at 1100 S. Hayes Street which was once home to Sugar Factory. That restaurant closed last year.
The new Rosa Mexicano will feature a bar, seating for 200 guests, a private dining room for events, and an outdoor patio. The menu appears will hue close to its other locations, including guacamole that is made tableside. There will also be other well-known Mexican dishes like enchiladas, ceviche, and tacos.
This will be the area’s second currently operating location for the East Coast chain. Locals might remember the location across the street from Capital One Arena in D.C., prior to its closing in July 2021 after 16 years.
There are eight other Rosa Mexicano locations spread out across New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut, with the chain’s geographic footprint set to expand with upcoming openings in Orlando and Las Vegas.
The former spot of Nono’s Taqueria on Columbia Pike is set to become Eli’s Taqueria y Restaurante next month (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new taco spot is moving into the former Columbia Pike home of another recently-shuttered taco spot.
Last week, ARLnow reported that the Instagram-popular Nono’s Taqueria was closed and planning to open elsewhere. Now, only days later, the space between Panda Bowl and Family Kabob House is getting a new tenant.
“Eli’s Taqueria y Restaurante” has taken over the lease for the restaurant and will be filling the space at 3207-A Columbia Pike, owners of both businesses confirmed to ARLnow.
The new restaurant, which will also serve birria tacos as well as other dishes, plans to open next month, co-owner Elizabeth Marquez says.
Eli’s Taqueria y Restaurante comes from local Nevi Paredes, who owns the taco truck Taqueria La Ceibita that is often parked at the BP gas station on Columbia Pike near S. Buchanan Street. Marquez, who is Paredes’ daughter, will help run it with her family.
“We’ve become a bit popular with the locals. [The truck] is run by my mom, me and my two older sisters,” Marquez said. “My mom’s grandkids love to come help out too. It’s been a dream of my mom’s to have a restaurant so we started with a truck and are super excited to open ‘Eli’s Taqueria y Restaurante’ and expand our family business.”
Paredes has lived in Arlington for 35 years. Her daughters are Yorktown High School graduates.
The menu at the new restaurant will be the same as the truck’s, though the restaurant will serve shrimp and fish as well. There will also be breakfast and pupusas because “everyone loves my mom’s pupusas,” said Marquez. Eli’s Taqueria y Restaurante willo continue to provide halal meat, like the truck.
The opening of this new eatery continues to strengthen Columbia Pike’s case as Arlington’s taco corridor.
Nono’s Taqueria gained quite a following before it closed so that the owner can take a “mini-vacation.” The plan is to reopen next spring, perhaps again on the Pike.
The Village at Shirlington is hosting its annual holiday event “Light Up the Village” (Photo courtesy of Federal Realty Investment Trust)
The lights are being turned back on in Shirlington for its annual holiday event next week.
Shirlington’s “Light Up the Village” is set for Thursday, Dec. 1 from 6-8:30 p.m.
Like previous years, the holiday event will include a Christmas tree lighting, horse-drawn carriage rides, selfies with Santa, and a holiday market featuring local makers. There will also be strolling entertainment, face painting, and balloon twisting.
Additionally, students from Bishop O’Connell High School and Shirlington-based Signature Theatre are both scheduled to perform holiday music.
The schedule with times is below:
6:00 pm Holiday Musical Performance by Signature Theatre
6:30 pm Tree Lighting celebration
6:40 pm Horse and Carriage Rides
7:00 pm Photos with Santa (located at Hardwood Artisans)
Live Holiday Music Performance by Bishop O’Connell High School
Food items and donations to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) will also be accepted at the event.
The Village of Shirlington, which is owned by Bethesda-based Federal Realty Investment Trust has had a slew of business openings in recent months with more likely on the way.
A local Christmas tree lot (Photo courtesy of Peter Golkin)
It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means it’s Christmas tree time here in Arlington.
As in past years, there are a number of tree sales going on in the county this holiday season. In fact, there appears to be more this year than in 2021. Many sales begin this weekend, right after the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Knights of Columbus, for instance, is resuming tree sales this year after being closed for the last two seasons due to Covid and tree supply issues.
But the group is cautioning locals that the price of a Christmas tree will be higher this year compared to last year due to rising operating costs and inflation.
“This will remain a challenging year for us, as have many other tree lot operators, as we have experienced almost a doubling of the wholesale costs from our suppliers due to the continuing Christmas tree shortage and the impact of inflation on shipping charges,” a spokesperson wrote ARLnow in an email. “While we realize this may reduce the amount we can raise from the sale, we felt it important to reopen the lot this year, as we’ve heard from many of our customers over the last few years that they miss their family tradition of heading down to the lot to get their tree.”
While not every tree sale posts prices in advance, at least two other local sales have appeared to have raised tree prices by about 15% compared to 2021.
Below are the sales that ARLnow has confirmed are happening this year.
Starts: Saturday, Nov. 26 at 9 a.m.
Clarendon United Methodist Church (606 N. Irving Street)
There will be 300 trees for sale this year. Pre-sale is open now, with pick-up at the church lot. The trees come from Canada and the six to seven-foot trees cost $85 this year, a ten-dollar increase from last year. All proceed are going to Arlington Thrive. This sale has been held annually since 2007.
Starts: Friday, Nov. 25 at noon Mount Olivet United Methodist Church (1500 N. Glebe Road)
The boys and girls of Scout Troop 167 are hosting a sale near Ballston again this year. It’s being held Thanksgiving weekend, on Nov. 25, 26, and 27. The sale starts at noon on Friday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. Saturday. It will go to 8 p.m. each night. The next weekend (Dec. 2, 3, and 4) are backup dates in case of inclement weather. Pre-sales are being accepted.
Shirlington-based Signature Theatre has announced a slew of new shows and events as part of a season-long tribute to Stephen Sondheim.
Earlier this week, the well-known local theater on Campbell Avenue released its show schedule for the upcoming season. It will feature a season-long tribute to the American musical icon Stephen Sondheim, who died last November.
The theater has produced 31 Sondheim productions in its history, more than any other theater in North America, per a press release from Signature.
“So Many Possibilities: A Season of Sondheim” will include three all-new productions from Signature of Sondheim classics: “Into the Woods,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” and “Pacific Overtures,” a rarely-produced musical due to the need for specific casting and production demands.
The addition of three more shows will bring the total of Sondheim shows performed at Signature to 34, a press release notes.
“As the American theater that has produced and championed more of Sondheim’s work than any other, Signature Theatre is proud to present So Many Possibilities in honor of his memory and in celebration of his unparalleled contribution to the American musical theater canon,” Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner said.
Along with three new fully produced musicals, there will also be a number of other events celebrating the lyricist. That includes book signings, sing-alongs, and a collective effort to sing (or speak) every lyric of every Sondheim song called “Sharing Sondheim.”
Signature Theatre opened in Shirlington nearly three decades ago, converting an old auto garage into a theater. In 2007, the theater moved about a quarter of a mile away into a $16 million space that was built in partnership with the county. Signature won the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2009.
Signature Theatre’s show and event schedule through July 2023, from the press release, is below.
If you plan on driving on I-66 during peak hours next month, make sure there are at least two other people in the car with you to avoid paying a toll.
I-66 is shifting from HOV-2 to HOV-3 in early December, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently announced. Starting Dec. 5, only those with traveling with three or more people will be eligible to avoid the tolls, which apply inside the Beltway during peak travel times and directions.
Single riders or those traveling with just two passengers will now have to pay a toll, at a price based on traffic volume — known as “dynamic tolling.”
The inside the Beltway I-66 tolling takes place on non-holiday weekdays from 3-7 p.m. westbound and 5:30-9:30 a.m. eastbound.
Hours of operation for I-66 Express Lanes inside of the Beltway (image via screenshot/VDOT)
VDOT also notes that in order to use the lanes during these rush hours, drivers need to have an E-ZPass transponder. The state transportation agency said in a press release that the new requirements are “consistent with HOV requirements on the other express lanes in Northern Virginia.”
The I-66 tolling inside of the Beltway started five years ago, accompanied by a g ood amount of griping about the high toll prices. Previously, the lanes could only be used by high occupancy vehicles during peak times, with no options for paying a toll.
Construction is now complete on the 22-mile section of Express Lanes outside of the Beltway that runs from Fairfax County into Prince William County, after about six years of work. The eastbound lanes are opening this weekend with the westbound lanes opening by the end of the month, both a few weeks ahead of schedule.
More from the press release:
Motorists can choose to use the 66 Express Lanes, which are adjacent to general purpose lanes on I-66, by paying a toll. Toll prices are dynamic, and fluctuate depending on traffic volumes and speed in order to manage demand for the lanes and keep traffic flowing. Eligible High Occupancy Vehicles (HOVs) can use the 66 Express Lanes toll-free but must have an E-ZPass Flex set to the “HOV On” mode.
Currently, vehicles must have two or more occupants to qualify as HOV on I-66. Starting Monday, Dec. 5, vehicles will need to have three or more occupants to qualify as HOV on I-66 and travel the express lanes without paying a toll. This change from HOV-2+ to HOV-3+ will apply across the entire I-66 corridor including the 22.5-miles of 66 Express Lanes located outside the Beltway, as well as the nine miles of 66 Express Lanes located inside the Beltway between I-495 and Route 29 in Rosslyn, which operate on weekdays during peak periods in peak commute directions. This HOV-3+ requirement is consistent with HOV requirements on the other express lanes in Northern Virginia.
This change from HOV-2+ to HOV-3+ also will take effect on the stretch of I-66 west of the express lanes between Haymarket and Gainesville where there will continue to be a traditional HOV lane that operates during peak travel periods.
Rāko Coffee in Courthouse continues to be closed (staff photo)
Rāko Coffee in Courthouse continues to be closed (staff photo)
Rāko Coffee in Courthouse continues to be closed (staff photo)
Construction blocking sidewalk at the end of a row of retailers in Courthouse (staff photo)
Construction blocking sidewalk at the end of a row of retailers in Courthouse (staff photo)
Rāko at 2016 Wilson Blvd remains closed due to what a sign says is an “out of order” espresso machine.
The Courthouse coffee shop has reportedly been closed since at least early this month. A handwritten sign remains outside of the store noting it is “temporarily closed” and that the “espresso machine [is] out of order… we are sorry for the inconvenience.”
The cafe’s interior appears to be unchanged, with furniture set up and the suspect espresso machine still sitting on the counter.
A number of readers have written to ARLnow asking if the closure is permanent due to how long it’s been closed.
“Hi! I am desperate to know what happened to Rako coffee shop in Courthouse. They have had a sign up that their espresso machine is getting fixed for about three weeks?” read one email. “Seems like a bad sign. No phone number or notice on Google/their website. I love their business and it fills a much needed local coffee gap around here!”
ARLnow has reached out to the company and a spokesperson multiple times but has yet to hear back.
The row of shops and restaurants along the 2000 block of Wilson Blvd will be dealing with a notable challenge for the next couple of years: construction activity on the former Wendy’s lot, at the top of the block, potentially driving away some customers.
George Ishak, owner of Burger District at 2024 Wilson Blvd, told ARLnow this week that some safety measures are hurting business.
“There’s a new construction starting in the adjacent plot of land but the thing is that they have put a fence in front of my store and also fenced around the tree pit that is exactly in from of my store entrance,” he said. “I filed a complaint with Arlington County requesting to remove the fence in front of my store and around the tree pit since this is negatively impacting my small business.”
Update on 11/19/22 — It appears that the business may owe money to Arlington County, as seen in the photos below.
A sign outside of Courthouse coffee shop Rāko says the espresso machine is out of order, but a reader sent these photos suggesting that the business owes money to Arlington County https://t.co/jCIbBpmTMXpic.twitter.com/1OJrhNKFFw
Dinner hour at a Shirlington restaurant (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
D.C.’s new law that phases out tipped minimum wage could potentially have significant ramifications for Arlington, local restaurateurs say.
Voters in the District last week approved Initiative 82, a measure that essentially ends an employer’s reliance on tips from customers to ensure paying minimum wage to workers.
Currently, employers can pay tipped workers a minimum wage below that of non-tipped workers, contingent on tips making up the difference. Starting next year, however, D.C. employers — primarily restaurants — will no longer be able to do that and will have to pay a gradually increasing rate until 2027, when the minimum wage of tipped workers is set to match non-tipped employees.
As a result of Initiative 82 passing, a number of D.C. restaurants are expected to pass at least some of the cost on to diners by either raising menu prices or instituting a service charge on bills.
This has some local restaurateurs thinking about the impact across the river.
Mark Bucher is the owner of Medium Rare, the steakhouse with locations in D.C., Bethesda and Arlington. He believes that the potential for higher costs in the District is going to drive a lot of diners to Northern Virginia.
“I think this is Mardi Gras,” Bucher told ARLnow. “For Virginia restaurants, in Arlington especially, this is a gift that was given from a misunderstood initiative in D.C.”
He said that while it may take a couple of years, it will likely end up being noticeably less expensive to eat and drink in Arlington compared to the District.
“Where are you going to drink? Where are you going to go to happy hour?” he asked rhetorically. “You’re going to go to Virginia, where it’s more friendly and it’s more open and it’s less expensive.”
Beyond diners, Bucher said that this might also work to Arlington’s advantage in terms of where restaurateurs are looking to open their next business. He told ARLnow that he’s spoken to a few “national chefs” recently that have scrapped plans to come to D.C.
“All the young chefs, all the young mixologists, all the young restaurateurs that would normally come to D.C. are going to be looking in Virginia,” he said. “D.C. blew it, but it’s to Arlington’s advantage.”
Bucher does believe that the initiative was a good idea in concept, but it was voted under the “flawed premise” that restaurant workers don’t make minimum wage. As the law stands now, if an employee does not pull in the equivalent of minimum wage with tips, the employer is required to pay the difference.
Nick Freshman is a little less sure than Bucher that the new law is going to push diners, employees, and restaurateurs across the river. He owns The Freshman in Crystal City and Spider Kelly’s in Clarendon, and is part of a team that owns several District businesses.
He can foresee scenarios where Arlington becomes the recipient of lost District business, but that’s not for certain.
“There’s a lot of ‘potentially’ and there’s a lot of ‘possibly,'” he told ARLnow. “What has happened to the industry across the area, a little bit of a bomb is going off in terms of the disruption. And nobody really knows how to react to it from an operational standpoint.”
Employees at the Courthouse Starbucks went on strike in November (staff photo)
Employees at the Courthouse Starbucks have gone on strike (staff photo)
Employees at the Courthouse Starbucks have gone on strike (staff photo)
(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) The employees at the Courthouse Starbucks have gone on strike, days after unionizing.
The reason for the strike, per Starbucks employee and union member Samuel Dukore, is that the company is not negotiating “in good faith” when it comes to a contract.
“Starbucks has been dragging its feet coming to the negotiation table,” Dukore told ARLnow, outside of the Starbucks at Courthouse Plaza, near county government headquarters. “And even when they do, their lawyers stand up after like a minute and a half or so and just leave. And that is not negotiating in good faith.”
Unionized employees are asking for better pay, more staffing, and more concern over the health and safety of workers.
It appears that the employees are among the more than 1,000 Starbucks employees that have reportedly gone on strike today, on one of the company’s busiest days.
Earlier this month, on Election Day, Courthouse employees voted to become the third D.C.-area Starbucks to unionize (behind one in D.C. and in Merrifield) and the first in Arlington. The employees have joined Starbucks Workers United.
The Starbucks in Courthouse Plaza remains open. It currently appeared well-staffed with un-unionized employees and managers, and a greeter at the door welcoming customers.
The former spot of Nono’s Taqueria on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The former spot of Nono’s Taqueria on Columbia Pike is set to become Eli’s Taqueria y Restaurante next month (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A Columbia Pike taco spot that has gained a following on social media has closed until next year and is likely moving.
Nono’s Taqueria announced last week to its nearly Instagram 61,000 followers that it was “temporarily closing” its location at 3207-A Columbia Pike, tucked between Panda Bowl and Family Kabob House. But “better things are yet to come” continued the post.
Those better things appear to be a “mini-vacation” and a move, per chef and owner Christian Ruiz.
“We decided to close because our lease was almost up and it was time for an upgrade. Our clientele is big and we think it’s time to stand out on Columbia Pike with a facility that’s modern, offers more parking, and easier access for all our customers,” Ruiz wrote ARLnow in an email. “Our previous location served its purpose and was a great starting point for Nono’s Taqueria and we are grateful for all that it came with. All that being said, we are taking a mini vacation meanwhile so that we can come back stronger than ever.”
Ruiz also said that all of this might not happen until “close to March.”
We asked where Nono’s Taqueria plans to move but have yet to hear back. The taco shop opened in May 2021 and is known for its “Tijuana-style” birria tacos.
Birria tacos at Nono’s Taqueria (image via Instagram/Nono’s Taqueria)
The Columbia Pike corridor is gaining a bit of a reputation for being home to popular taco spots.
Last month Tortas y Tacos at 2911 Columbia Pike, next to the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse, announced that it would be extending its hours to 24/7, at least for delivery.
The Chopt in Rosslyn is moving one door down later this month (photo courtesy of Edward MacNabb)
A rendering of the new Chopt in Rosslyn (image via Chopt)
A rendering of the new Chopt in Rosslyn (image via Chopt)
Chopt in Rosslyn is moving a door down from its original location on N. Lynn Street to a smaller space and “eco-friendly” store model.
The fast-casual salad purveyor announced yesterday that the current Chopt in Rosslyn will close on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and shift over to a smaller space next door. That new location at 1735 N. Lynn Street will open six days later on Monday, Nov. 28. It will be open Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 pm.
The reason for the downsizing, a restaurant spokesperson told ARLnow, is that the new store model is “designed specifically to reduce their environmental and spatial footprint.” It will be about half the size of the current Chopt in Rosslyn.
The location will be a “completely contactless experience,” per the spokesperson. In other words, you’ll order from an electronic kiosk rather than placing an order with a person.
The new “sustainability-focused and contact-free storefront” is set to mimic the Ballston location, which opened in July.
More from a press release:
As a testament to Chopt’s dedication to improving customer experience, the Rosslyn restaurant features new QR code tableside ordering and delivery, and three self-serve kiosks to offer guests a completely contactless ordering process. The latest ordering technology makes in-store pickup and delivery easy, quick and convenient for guests to ‘chop’ the line. Reflecting the newest store model, as seen in Ballston, V.A., the restaurant significantly reduces Chopt’s environmental impact with a smaller spatial footprint that cuts square footage down by over 55%, streamlined operations, energy-efficient kitchenware and HVAC system to lower energy consumption by 30%, and GHG emissions by 21%. To fall into stride with all Chopt locations in sustainability and sourcing efforts, all menu offerings are served up in 100% compostable bowls made from sugar cane, which are capable of naturally breaking down without creating any new waste.
In addition to the Rosslyn and Ballston Chopt locations in Arlington, though there are additional locations in McLean, Vienna, Fairfax, and D.C.
