The 15-year-old local watering hole, at the corner of N. Glebe Road and Langston Blvd, will serve its last pints on Sunday (May 21), co-owner Gobind Ghai confirmed to ARLnow. Sales have slowed since the pandemic, which led ownership to decide not to renew its lease at the Glebe Lee Shopping Center.
“I wish we could continue, but we had a great run. It’s just our time,” Ghai said. “Sales were not high enough to continue but weren’t low enough… where we had to close right away. We could wait out the lease.”
He says there are no plans to open elsewhere and does not know what will come next to 2163 N. Glebe Road.
Last summer, rumors began circulating that the sports bar might be closing come mid-2023. Those in charge denied it at the time, but it ended up being true.
Thirsty Bernie opened in 2008, with its signature Saint Bernard mascot, as a sports-centric hangout. The current ownership took over in early 2017 after whispers of a format change.
Ghai said what made Thirsty Bernie special is the diverse mix of customers.
“We had customers and patrons from all walks of life… different cultures, different communities, different races. Everyone just sitting together,” he said. “It was such a special place. A melting pot.”
Ghai called Thirsty Bernie a “family-friendly” sports bar, a rarity in Arlington, with plenty of parking. He said his staff and regular customers were “family.”
“We are sad to go but happy for the time we had at Thirsty Bernie,” Ghai said.
The now-annual free event is set for Saturday, June 3 this year with a full lineup of music, food, drinks, street performers and family-friendly activities. This will mark the event’s fourth year, which replaced “Taste of Arlington” in 2019. It’s organized by the Ballston Business Improvement District (Ballston BID).
The Quarterfest will follow the same crawl format that’s been the case the previous two years. Organizers told ARLnow that this was originally a “pandemic solution,” but it’s been deemed so successful that they are sticking with the format “for the foreseeable future.”
The event will again be centered along Wilson Blvd, though a number of businesses off the main drag will also be participating. The line-up includes:
Noon-7 p.m. –DJ Ricky at Ballston Quarter
Noon-2 p.m. — Family Activations at Ballston Quarter
1-2:30 p.m. — Scott Kurt at the Filling Station
1:30-3 p.m. — Melissa Quinn at Bronson Bierhall
2-3:30 p.m. — David Thong Band at Ballston Local
2:15-3:30 p.m. — Rook Richards at Ballston Quarter
3-4:30 p.m. — The Crista Trio at SER
5:15-6:45 p.m — Keeton at Ballston Quarter
7-11 p.m. — Quarterfest Afterparty at WHINO
Several other bands and performances will be announced closer to the event date. A full list of participating restaurants will also be released as the event creeps closer.
As was the case last year, there are no planned Quarterfest-related road closures. Some 7,500 people attended the event in 2022 and organizers told ARLnow they expect similar attendance again this year.
Quarterfest debuted in 2019 as a replacement for the “Taste of Arlington” festival, which organizers said at the time didn’t adequately spotlight the then-new Ballston Quarter development.
New District Brewing in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
It appears the tap has run dry for New District Brewing, with the local brewery planning to close for good at the end of the month.
On Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved the purchase of two buildings on S. Four Mile Run Drive in Green Valley. The land will be used to expand nearby Jennie Dean Park.
New District Brewing had also bid to purchase the buildings, so that it could relocate, but the seller went with the county’s offer of $2 million. With that, New District Brewing co-owner Mike Katrivanos tells ARLnow that he has run out of options.
“This was my last shot,” he said, confirming that New District will permanently shut down operations at the end of May.
ARLnow first reported late last year an indoor dog park had come to terms to lease the building that New District Brewery was in. In January, New District confirmed that they had been unable to come to terms with its landlord to stay at 2709 S. Oakland Street. The brewery has been there since 2016, but a rent hike and other related disagreements had led to the indoor dog park getting the lease.
More recently, Katrivanos said he has tried to buy three separate properties in the county over the last decade but none of them panned out.
The last shot were the buildings at 3520 and 3522 S. Four Mile Run Drive, located only a few blocks from New District’s current location. With the county purchasing those buildings, Katrivanos said he’s done looking and is making the final decision to close for good.
“We thought we had this other property lined up for purchase and that we’d be able to make a smooth transition, but that is now not the case. I just don’t know if I can go through another Arlington lease, to be honest with you. They are not favorable for long-term business,” he said.
The plan is to hold a going-away party on Saturday (May 20) with the last day of operations set for Sunday, May 28.
“We are going to be serving to the very end,” Katrivanos said.
New District also plans to honor its commitments to serve beer at the Columbia Pike Blues Festival in June and at the Arlington County Fair in August.
As an Arlington native, Katrivanos said it disappoints him greatly that he was “willingness to invest” in the community but it feels like that willingness was not reciprocated.
“It’s a mixture of emotion,” he said. “Being priced out of the area and not being able to find a permanent home for the business, it’s a very, very sad day.”
He has been thinking about what comes next but also needs more time to come to grips with the fact that this is the end for New District.
“It’s just too soon to think on all of that,” he said. “Just shutting down, getting all of this [brewery] gear out of here, and turning [the space] over… it’s just been a lot.”
2910 Kitchen & Bar is set to open in P. Brennan’s old home on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
(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.
“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.
The former location of Essy’s Carriage is for sale (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The former location of Essy’s Carriage is for sale (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Essy’s Carriage House in Cherrydale appears to have been sold, but it remains a mystery to whom.
The long-time, well-known restaurant on Langston Blvd closed in March and went on the market shortly thereafter for two million dollars.
Now, an “under contract” sign has appeared next to the building. The listing webpage also notes that an offer is “contingent.”
“Rare offering of the Essys Carriage House restaurant and parking lot located behind Essys that totals 17,269 Sq Ft,” reads the listing. “The restaurant is sited on a 2,099 Sq Ft lot that is zoned C-2 and is approximately 1,800 Sq Ft with two basements for storage and utilities. The parking lot is comprised of two parcels totaling approximately 15,170 Sq Ft that is zoned R-6. The property is vacant, conveys as-is & a majority of the restaurant equipment & personal property has been removed.”
ARLnow contacted real estate firm Yeonas & Shafran and they did confirm the former location of Essy’s is currently under contract, but could not disclose any more information than that. We have also reached out to a prominent local restaurant group that has been rumored to be behind the purchase but have yet to hear back as of publication.
The steak and crab cake Cherrydale eatery closed a couple of months ago after serving the community for nearly fifty years. The married couple who had run it, Essy and Janet Saedi, decided to retire.
That portion of Cherrydale has seen a good deal of turnover in recent years with the shuttering of several long-time restaurants.
In September 2021, Portabellos closed but was replaced only a few months later by Pines of Florence itself making a comeback after stints in Virginia Square and Columbia Pike. Tuna Restaurant serving Laotian and Japanese cuisine opened in October 2022, replacing Maneki Neko Express. But that restaurant was quickly sold to new owners who re-opened last month with a more Thai-focused menu.
Well-regarded Gaijin Ramen Shop at 3800 Langston Blvd also shuttered in September 2022, citing “irrecoverable business losses” due to the pandemic. It had been there since 2015.
They were greeted with the proverbial red carpet, including a banquet, music, and a gift of a painting showcasing the village’s famed “Arlington Row,” which is featured on United Kingdom passports and in the movie Bridget Jones’s Diary.
“It was awesome. When you share a name, you are cousins,” said Mark Murawski, who was part of the delegation as the civic association representative. “It’s important… to have this relationship, foster communication, meet new friends, and share new experiences. It’s a generational event. I wanted to be a part of that and I think it was great that they wanted to share it with us.”
Some believe that Arlington County is actually named after this 1,000-year-old village, as opposed to the more common understanding that it’s named after Harry Bennett, the 1st Earl of Arlington.
The county’s name actually comes from an estate owned by the Custis family near Williamsburg, Virginia, a number of locals say, with that name dating back to the Custis’ own ancestral hometown of Arlington, England.
Murawski is among those who believe this history. During the pandemic, he dove deep into local history and emerged convinced that Arlington, Virginia was in fact named after the small English village of under 1,000 residents in the parish of Bibury.
He said he approached the County Board about perhaps recognizing it as a “sister city” — like Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk — but he was told the village was too small. So, Murawski turned to his neighborhood civic association to see if something could be formalized.
The Arlington Heights Civic Association and Bibury Parish both approved an official relationship earlier this year with Murawski being named the civic association’s Friendship Community delegate.
Then, the invite came for them to join the English community with the same name in celebrating the coronation of King Charles.
“It was an honor to celebrate this generational event with them,” Murawski said.
He hopes he can get the “Arlington Row” painting, commissioned by the village and done by a local English artist, to be approved to be hung on the wall at the Columbia Pike library. The local delegation brought gifts with them as well, including several books from the Arlington Historical Society detailing the history of the county.
It was a short trip, with the delegation arriving Friday morning, watching the coronation in the village center on Saturday, and flying back home to the United States on Monday.
This won’t be the end of the relationship though, Murawski said. Several members of the Bibury Parish Board — “essentially, their County Board” — have been invited to the Arlington County Fair in August.
“I think they are going to come,” he said.
Beyond occasionally traveling across continents for celebrations and county fairs, Murawski hopes that this continued relationship gets the county to add this history to its website and perhaps even designate the village as a sister city despite its small size.
“If an exception could be made, this should be it,” he said. “Because that is our namesake. It’s not that we would be twinning with a town that’s similar. We would be twinning with a town that we are named after.”
Bronx Pizza is becoming Big Tony’s in Clarendon (courtesy photo)
Big Tony has whacked Bronx Pizza.
As flagged by several tipsters, the Clarendon pizza shop recently shuttered with little warning after being open for more than a decade. In its place, window stickers went up advertising a new place called “Big Tony’s.”
It all had a bit of a nefarious feel to it, but it turns out that Big Tony is just keeping it in the family.
Bronx Pizza is getting a revamp and will debut as Big Tony’s potentially in August, co-owner Nick Cordero tells ARLnow.
The restaurant’s lease was up and, while ownership loved the location right near the Clarendon Metro, something of a spring cleaning was needed. So, they are going with what Cordero describes as a pizzeria and dive bar.
Big Tony’s will be somewhat similar to Bronx Pizza, in that it will have slices and a walk-up window, but it will also add to the menu with subs and sandwiches. Plus, there will be a full bar as opposed to just beer and wine.
The bar at Big Tony’s will be open until 2 a.m., with food available until 4 a.m.
“There are really no dive bars in Arlington,” Cordero said.
Asked how he would describe a dive bar, a subject of much debate locally, Cordero said he thinks of them as being small and comfortable with cheap drinks. Big Tony’s promises to be all of those things when it opens in late summer, he said.
Nick Cordero is the son of Chef Mike Cordero, owner of numerous other local restaurants and bars. Big Tony’s ownership includes Cordero Hospitality, veteran staff members Katherine Basile and Kristina Murphy, plus former NFL tight end and D.C. native Vernon Davis.
While some locals may have been surprised by Bronx Pizza’s sudden disappearance, the change has been in the works for months. ARLnow had previously sought more information from Cordero in December, when a permit application listed Big Tony’s at the same address as Bronx Pizza.
The “old school” Italian restaurant and bar coming to 3865 Wilson Blvd was scheduled to open this summer, but Cordero said that obtaining permits and reconfiguring the space — previously a Next Day Blinds — has taken longer than expected, with the exhaust system posing a particular challenge.
The current hope is to open in October, we’re told.
Carbonara will serve all “scratch food,” Cordero said, with bread, mozzarella, and other items made in house.
Armed Forces Cycling Classic (image via Armed Forces Cycling Classic)
The Armed Forces Cycling Classic is returning to speed around Clarendon and Crystal City for its 25th year early next month.
First beginning in 1998, the annual series of cycling races are set for Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 this year. It features men’s and women’s pro-ams, a kids’ race, and the “Clarendon Cup”, a race that follows a one-kilometer course centered around the Clarendon Metro station.
There will also be the popular “challenge ride” on Saturday morning, where “cycling enthusiasts of all abilities” are invited to bike in what’s thought to be the area’s largest non-competitive ride. The 10-kilometer, closed-to-vehicle-traffic course will take cyclists around the Pentagon, Crystal City, and Rosslyn.
There’s a three-hour time limit and everyone who finishes at least one lap gets at least a bronze medal. Those who finish 6 to 8 laps or more in the three hours will get a silver medal, while those who finish 9 or more will get a gold.
Registration remains open for the challenge race, but organizers told ARLnow they are expecting to sell out this year, with attendance capped at 3,000 riders.
If the race does sell out, that would be about a 25% increase in participation from last year, organizers said.
The pro-am races are “by invite only” with the Clarendon Cup pulling from those races. That’s a 100-kilometer race following a one-kilometer course that loops around the Clarendon Metro station.
“The Clarendon Cup is known as one of the most difficult races of its kind in the U.S. due to the technical demands of the course and the quality of the participants,” the event’s website notes.
Some 140 riders are expected to participate in that race.
“I am very proud to have the Classic stand the test of time, with our 25th Edition”, Armed Forces Cycling Classic founder Rob Laybourn said in a statement. “Cycling as a sport or for leisure continues to grow and evolve in so many ways. We are committed to evolving this event by exposing more folks to cycling as a whole, while contributing positive value to the community as well as the sport.”
The full schedule of the weekend’s events is below.
Armed Forces Cycling Classic weekend schedule of events (image via Armed Forces Cycling Classic)
A number of road closures are planned for the races
While specifics have yet to be released, organizers said the closures are set to be similar to what’s been done over the past 24 years. Course maps show that a large swath of Route 110 will be closed to vehicle traffic from Rosslyn to Pentagon City, in addition to the closure of portions of 12th Street S. and Crystal Drive in Crystal City.
2023 Challenge Ride course at the Armed Forces Cycling Classic (image via Armed Forces Cycling Classic)
As has been the case in recent years, the Armed Forces Cycling Classic will provide support to Tragedy Assistance for Survivors. The Arlington-based organization provides care and resources for those grieving the death of a military or veteran loved one.
Columbia Pike Movie Nights is back at Penrose Square and Arlington Mill (photo courtesy of Columbia Pike Partnership)
Summer movie nights are coming back to Penrose Square and Arlington Mill for a 12th year.
Columbia Pike Movie Nights is a free outdoor summer movie series taking place on Friday nights at the Arlington Mill Community Center Outdoor Plaza (909 S. Dinwiddie Street) and Saturday nights at Penrose Square Outdoor Plaza (2503 9th Road S.).
It’s scheduled to begin July 7 and run for 8 weeks through August 26. The movies will begin at sunset, generally between 8 and 8:30 p.m.
Movies set to be shown are a mix of old and new classics intended to be relatively family-friendly, including Back to the Future, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Top Gun: Maverick, and Till.
The movies will be shown in English with Spanish subtitles. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs. Leashed pets are welcome, organizers note, and alcohol is not permitted at either site.
Free parking will be available, though bus and bike travel is encouraged. There will be restroom access inside of Arlington Mill Community Center and at the businesses around Penrose Square.
In case of inclement weather, check the event’s webpage and social media channels for updates. Information will be “typically posted at 3:30 p.m. on the day of each screening.”
An aerial rendering of the Water Park in Crystal City (image courtesy of JBG Smith)
Construction at Crystal City Water Park continues (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A street view rendering of the Water Park in Crystal City (image courtesy of JBG Smith)
Construction at Crystal City Water Park continues (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A rendering of the Water Bar in Crystal City (image courtesy of JBG Smith)
Construction continues at Crystal City Water Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
An aerial rendering of the Water Park in Crystal City (image courtesy of JBG Smith)
A street view rendering of the Water Park in Crystal City (image courtesy of JBG Smith)
Rahman “Rock” Harper of Queen Mother’s Fried Chicken (photo courtesy of Mark Jones)
The revamped Water Park in Crystal City is reopening this summer along with nearly a dozen new restaurants, including acclaimed local fried chicken spot Queen Mother’s.
The 1.6-acre park on Crystal Drive is reopening to the public this summer after a year-long construction effort, park owner JBG Smith announced this morning.
In addition to a number of food and drink spots, the revamped park will feature a live performance stage, public art installations, a building with public restrooms and bike facilities, and a “modernized fountain water wall” that empties into an “immersion fountain,” per a press release and renderings provided to ARLnow.
On top of the water wall will be an open-air raw and cocktail bar simply being called “Water Bar.” A New York-style pizza place will also be located in the park.
There will be a total of nine 300-square-foot restaurant kiosks lining Crystal Drive. Each will hold a small-scale eatery “meant to serve as incubator opportunities for up-and-coming culinary talent,” said the press release.
Among those are several notable local restaurants, including Queen Mother’s Restaurant — currently on Columbia Pike — and Reston-based Tiki Thai.
The full list of restaurants moving into the kiosks is below.
Brij, a DC-based café and wine bar by Skyler Kelley, whose vision is to bridge people and communities together with proceeds benefiting single mothers, the LGBTQ+ community, and the un-housed.
Bubbie’s Plant Burger, a plant-based and kosher certified Americana burgers, fries and soda pop shop from chef Margaux Riccio and general manager Shaun Sharkey, the creators of DC’s award-winning Asian fast casual restaurant Pow Pow.
Cracked Eggery, launched by Potomac native Mike Tabb and his partners as a popular food truck serving inventive egg sandwiches, bowls and tasty sides throughout DC. It now has permanent locations in Cleveland Park and Shaw, where it occupies space in a JBG SMITH-owned building.
DC Dosa, Bombay-born Priya Ammu’s South Indian street food concept, and her first location outside of Union Market.
Dolci Gelati, a DC-born gelato shop by Gianluigi and Anastasia Dellaccio serving up 450+ seasonal and artisanal flavors made fresh on a daily-basis as well as a robust coffee/espresso program.
Falafel Inc., launched by Ahmad Ashkar in Georgetown with a simple, inexpensive menu of falafel bowls, sandwiches and sides and the goal of feeding refugees alongside the World Food Programme.
PhoWheels, a family-based business from Tuan and Jennifer Vo featuring Vietnamese inspired dishes. Their kiosk will be the first brick and mortar location for the popular DC food truck.
Tiki Thai, a new outpost of chef Porntipa “Pat” Pattanamekar’s Reston eatery that has been dubbed “Virginia’s first premier tiki bar and Thai restaurant,” offering a wide-range of eats inspired by Thai and Polynesian cuisine.
Queen Mother’s, Virginia native and James Beard Award Semi-Finalist Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper’s tribute to his mother through his renowned fried chicken joint.
Queen Mother’s owner and chef Rahman “Rock” Harper, who was semifinalist for a James Beard award earlier this year, told ARLnow that the new Crystal City location will serve the fried chicken sandwiches and duck-fat fries the restaurant is known for. The plan is to also debut new flavors — and alcohol.
“We’re going to introduce some cocktails, maybe a cocktail on tap or a beer or two. So you’ll be able to get your chicken sandwich and your duck-fat fries with a nice little tasty beverage,” Harper said.
The new location at the Water Park will also mark the end of Queen Mother’s run on Columbia Pike, at least for restaurant-style service. Harper said he’s going to keep the space to help with catering orders, though.
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Par Citi)
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Par Citi)
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Par Citi)
Virtual indoor golf facility Par Citi on Columbia Pike (photo courtesy of Par Citi)
(Updated at 11:40 a.m.) A new virtual indoor golf facility on Columbia Pike hopes to open by the end of the month.
The independently-owned Par Citi plans to open in the old LoanMax building at 3102 Columbia Pike “within the next few weeks,” managing partner Kristian Hara told ARLnow. That likely means tee time will be in the back end of May.
Construction is essentially complete with the business just waiting on receiving the certificate of occupancy from the county, he said.
The golf-centric complex will feature “state of the art simulators” inside of individual bays, similar to Five Iron Golf in D.C., per Hara. There will also be a cafe and bar with a Virginia ABC permit pending.
While it will technically be two floors, the basement level will be closed off per county instructions and the putting green in the original plans had to be axed, Hara said.
ARLnow first reported that Par Citi was aiming to putt on the Pike back in September. While a building once occupied by a car title lending company may seem like a odd place for indoor golf simulators, Columbia Pike provides a great opportunity because of the “potential of the neighborhood with the new condos [and] apartments being built,” Hara said.
A block away from Par Citi, construction on the Westmont development continues and could be wrapped up within the next several months. It will feature 250 apartments and a Five Guys returning near the spot of its first ever location.
Hara said availability of space also played a big part in the decision to bring Par Citi to Columbia Pike, as opposed to another Arlington neighborhood like Ballston or Clarendon.
Prior to Par Citi and LoanMax, 3102 Columbia Pike was home to a family-owned furniture and appliance store that was a bit of a community-gathering place in the 1950s and 1960s. Owner Sol Cohen used to keep the store open late on Friday nights so that neighbors could watch boxing.
