Conte’s Bike Shop, coming soon to Amazon HQ2 in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A rendering of Conte’s Bike Shop inside of Amazon’s HQ2 (image courtesy of Conte’s Bike Shop)
Construction at Conte’s Bike Shop at Amazon HQ2 (photo courtesy of Conte’s Bike Shop)
A rendering of Conte’s Bike Shop inside of Amazon’s HQ2 (image courtesy of Conte’s Bike Shop)
Conte’s Bike Shop could open later this month in Pentagon City, perhaps making it the first business to open at Amazon’s new HQ2.
The nearly seven-decade-old, Virginia-based bike shop is planning to open its newest location inside of the still-under-construction office complex at 1350 S. Eads Street late this month or in early May, manager of strategy and operations George Lee told ARLnow. It will be situated adjacent to Good Company Doughnuts, which is set to start serving later in the summer.
If Conte’s Bike Shop meets that timeline, it will be the first business to open within the first phase of Amazon’s second headquarters, also known as “Metropolitan Park.”
The 4,000-square-foot store will be a bit different than other Conte’s locations, including the one in Virginia Square, in that it will feature a small cafe with complimentary coffee and will be focused “on being a start/stop/mid-ride point for cyclists with [Mt. Vernon Trail] access just a few blocks away,” per Lee.
It will also host “inclusive beginner-friendly group rides” and provide retail sales, repair services, and rentals like its other stores.
“It is a big deal for us as we are now the bike shop in the DC area with the best coverage of locations so customers are able to utilize services that come with bike purchases in any of our locations; we have a lot of customers in this area that used to travel 30-40 mins to get to a bike shop and now there will be one on their door stop,” Lee said.
This new location will be Conte’s second Arlington shop. The company also has stores in Alexandria, Vienna, and Falls Church. In total, the company has 21 locations in five states plus D.C.
Last May, Amazon announced that Conte’s and several other businesses were set to move into HQ2. Two months later, it announced that Peruvian Brothers, Good Company Doughnuts, and others would be joining them there as well.
“We are also humbled to have been selected by Amazon as a local… family business with deep history in the market as one of the most professional and approachable bike shops,” Lee said.
Conte’s hoped-for spring opening comes a bit sooner than Amazon’s planned summer debut of HQ2. Last month it was reported that the company was delaying construction of the second HQ2 phase — with the distinctive “Helix” tower — due to economic conditions and post-pandemic work patterns.
Concept design of a new pedestrian bridge across Four Mile Run, parallel to the Shirlington Road bridge (via Arlington County)
The location of where the Shirlington Road Pedestrian Bridge will go, parallel to the vehicle bridge (image via Google Maps)
The County Board is set to vote this weekend on a contract to build a long-awaited pedestrian bridge.
On Saturday, it is expected that the Arlington County Board will approve a $1.6 million contract to construct the Shirlington Road Pedestrian Bridge. The 15-foot-wide prefabricated steel bridge will run the length of Four Mile Run and parallel to the road with the purpose of providing safer bicycle and pedestrian access.
It will connect Shirlington and S. Arlington Mill Drive to Jennie Dean Park and the Green Valley neighborhood. It will also serve local users of the heavily-used Four Mile Run and W&OD trails nearby.
Work on the bridge could begin in the second half of this year if the contract is approved over the weekend, Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokesperson Claudia Pors told ARLnow. That would mean a completion date in mid to late 2024.
“The existing Shirlington Road vehicular bridge primarily funnels vehicles to/from I-395 and lacks safe, comprehensive accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists traveling through this area,” the report to the Board says.
“This project will provide a key missing link in the County’s bicycle network by providing a north-south protected bicycle facility that will link up with the existing Four Mile Run Trail along South Arlington Mill Drive to the west and along Four Mile Run in the City of Alexandria to the east of the bridge,” the report adds.
The bridge has been under discussion for two decades and has been the topic of conversation among county staff and the public for years.
It will be constructed in two parts, per Pors. First, the span will be built offsite, a process that will take about nine months, while abutments will be added at S. Arlington Mill Drive and Jennie Dean Park where each end of the bridge will go. Around this time, the bridge’s walls will be built and the sidewalk and crosswalk at S. Arlington Mill Drive will be shuttered. Bike and pedestrian traffic will be detoured.
The bridge, then, will be lifted by a crane and installed.
“It’s possible that lanes on the existing bridge will close to accommodate this installation, and the public would be given notice of any detours,” Pors noted.
New street lighting on each end of the bridge will be installed as well, plus median, sidewalk and crosswalk retrofits. A new Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon will be installed in the median as well.
The work is set to be done by D.C.-based Milani Construction, whose $1.38 million bid (plus $277,000 in contingency costs) actually came in under the county engineer’s estimated construction cost.
Last year, work was completed on the parallel vehicle bridge on Shirlington Road. That included resurfacing, routine maintenance, widening the sidewalk by several feet on the west side of the bridge, widening curb ramps, and adding a median at the mid-block crosswalk near 27th Street S.
A number of these improvements came as a result of public feedback.
Additionally, the county is set to study the feasibility of adding another crossing at the intersection of S. Arlington Mill Drive and Shirlington Road.
“County staff have begun study efforts and anticipate reaching out to the public for input this fall,” Pors said.
A new restaurant might be coming to the old Rincome Thai space on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new restaurant might be coming to the old Rincome Thai space on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new restaurant may be moving into the former home of Rincome Thai on Columbia Pike.
A business going by the name “Yoi Yoi” has applied for a permit to serve alcohol at 3030 Columbia Pike, according to Virginia ABC records. That was until recently the address of Rincome Thai, which occupied the corner space inside the Days Inn for nearly four decades. It closed in February due to the owners retiring.
Currently, Rincome signage remains up at 3030 Columbia Pike, and there are chairs, tables, and a bar still inside the space.
Details about Yoi Yoi and when it might open remain spotty. The individual listed as the owner of Yoi Yoi also appears to own a noodle and sushi restaurant in D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood called “Absolute Noodle.”
ARLnow has reached out to the owner several times but has not heard back as of publication.
Employees at the Days Inn that the restaurant is connected to were also unaware of any details about the restaurant moving in. Rincome Thai’s former owner did confirm to ARLnow that another eatery was taking over but didn’t know any other information beyond that.
Whatever is moving into the Columbia Pike space will have big shoes to fill. Rincome Thai was well-known and popular for the better part of nearly 40 years. Owned by two Korean-American sisters, the restaurant fused two cuisines together creating a unique menu that had a loyal neighborhood following.
But the owners felt that it was time to retire earlier this year.
“My sister and I can still walk and enjoy going on vacation,” co-owner Mihee Pansiri said. “I don’t want to quit when I can’t walk. Then, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
Local crime author Bill Schweigart (photo courtesy of Bill Schweigart )
Bill Schweigart is always thinking about the best place for a dead body.
The Arlington-based author, who lives in the Barcroft neighborhood, could be taking a walk on nearby trails, grabbing a bite at a local restaurant, or even out with his wife, but he’s always looking for the next local spot to set a crime.
“I’ll be out on a bike ride or a date with my wife, and we’ll be strolling somewhere, and I’ll say ‘Oh, that would be a great place to drop a body,’” Schweigart told ARLnow. “Now, that’s not the most romantic thing to say on a date, but my wife knows I’m a crime writer.”
Schweigart is the author of five books, including The Guilty One, which was just released last month. What makes his novels unique, at least to locals, is that he makes a point to base many of them in places he frequents in Arlington and Alexandria.
That might mean a biking path he uses often, the woods behind his house in Barcroft, or even a pizza place he likes.
“In the Guilty One… I shout out Fairlington Pizza,” Schweigart said. “I put a lot of different cameos [in my books]. As much local flavor as I can include, I do that just because it makes it more fun.”
The Guilty One tells the story of an Alexandria Police Department detective who helped stop an active shooter but can’t remember how he did it. Six months later, while running on the W&OD Trail, he finds a body in a tree that possibly reveals the truth of what happened that day.
While a good portion of the book takes place in Alexandria, Fairlington figures prominently in the story as well.
“I will say some deadly shenanigans occur in Fairlington,” Schweigart said.
The Guilty One written by local crime writer Bill Schweigart (photo courtesy of Bill Schweigart )
The Guilty One isn’t his only book where familiar locales are plot points. His second book, The Beast of Barcroft, is named after the neighborhood he’s lived in since 2008.
Schweigart explained that the simple reason why he includes so many local spots is that it’s easy and fun to “write what I know.” Plus, Arlington’s real-life diversity in terms of neighborhoods, settings, and residents makes it an ideal fictional backdrop.
“This place is a great place because you can write any kind of story,” he said. “You’ve got gleaming high rises. You have trails and wilderness. You’ve got politics. You’ve got the rich and powerful. You have the not-rich and the not-powerful. And they are all colliding and living pretty close together in the shadow of the nation’s capital. And it’s just a great engine for stories.”
It’s been a busy few months for Schweigart, not even accounting for his day job working for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Earlier in the year, a James Patterson-led collection of short stories to which Schweigart contributed was released. He first started working on his story “Women and Children First” with the legendary writer prior to the pandemic, but it took some time for the book 3 Days to Live to come out, due to the number of projects Patterson has his hands in.
For Schweigart, it typically takes about a year for him to write a book. It took him four years, though, to finish his first book, Slipping the Cable. He came away from that experience with a valuable lesson that he now passes along to other aspiring writers.
“Write every day. I learned that the hard way,” he said. “It does not have to be a huge word count, but if you establish a daily practice, the words just come easier over the long run.”
As for what’s next, Schweigart said he has already completed a sequel to The Guilty One and is talking with the publisher about it now. Asked whether readers can expect even more well-trodden local spots in this next book, Schweigart enthusiastically answered.
Construction is nearly complete on the 3,000-square-foot second location of the Ballston-based donut shop, which is coming to 1400 S. Eads Street, managing partner Charles Kachadoorian told ARLnow. The plan is to open there in late May or early June, he said.
Like Peruvian Brothers, that hoped-for debut aligns with Amazon’s schedule for the first phase of its new Pentagon City office complex, also known as “Metropolitan Park.” Back in July, it was announced Good Company and a number of other local businesses were opening at HQ2 Phase 1.
The eatery first opened on N. Glebe Road in Ballston in 2019 and has since become popular as well as crowded on weekends, with lines and seating sometimes spilling onto the sidewalk.
That history played a big part in how this new location is being approached and designed, Kachadoorian said.
“It’s almost twice the size… compared to our tiny little spot in Ballston,” he said. “We’ll have more seating, indoor and outdoor seating, and we will have a great flow which we are excited about. Folks tend to get cramped up here in Ballston.”
The larger space will allow the cafe to have dinner service as well, a feature of the Ballston location prior to the pandemic. The menus will be pretty much the same at both locations.
“The [food] will be very, very similar. I’m sure there will be small things,” Kachadoorian said. “But, for the most part, the bulk of the menu is the same. The donuts are the same and the same coffee.”
The new Pentagon City location isn’t the only one that Good Company will be opening in the coming months. The company just completed construction on a new commercial baking facility in Tysons that will allow the majority of the baking to shift to that location. The hope is that it will open as soon as next week and alleviate some of the customer congestion often found in Ballston.
“We [currently] make everything in Ballston. We’ve spilled out of the kitchen into the dining room, so it’s time to get some more capacity,” Kachadoorian said.
Beyond baking for the two Good Company locations, the Tysons facility will also pick up the slack with the wholesale items the shop sells to area coffee shops and for catering. One of those places that Good Company provides pastries to is Misha’s in Old Town Alexandria.
Kachadoorian said he expects the company’s wholesale offerings and commitments to increase “dramatically” over the next few months due to the opening of the new Tysons commercial baking facility.
There’s also a plan to open a Good Company location in D.C. in the spring of 2024, but exact plans have not been finalized as of yet.
For the moment, what Kachadoorian is most excited with the new Pentagon City location is getting to know the community.
“It’s a new neighborhood. What’s really fun thing when you open a restaurant is getting to know everybody from the area,” he said. “So, we hope that, just like it has in Ballston, it becomes a really cool spot for people to gather and weave the fabric of the community a little bit.”
Iron Paddles members at the Walter Reed Community Center courts (photo courtesy of Jimmy Brown)
An Arlington-based group wants to “take over pickleball nation” and become the sport’s most talked-about organization within three years.
The Iron Paddles Pickleball Club is a 115-person-strong organization that sets up tournaments, clinics, and league play throughout the region. The club is locally-based but calls the courts at Walter Reed Community Center home.
The aim is higher than just Arlington or the D.C. area, co-founder Jimmy Brown told ARLnow.
“We are trying to take over pickleball nation, not just here,” Brown said. “When people think of pickleball, we want to be the first organization that comes to mind. From clinics to unique events… to pop-up tournaments to individual lessons, we want to be the brand that people think about three years from now when they think about pickleball in this country.”
Brown said about 80% of the current members are from Arlington or Alexandria, though there are members from Woodbridge, D.C., and Maryland.
Iron Paddles launched about two and half years ago at the height of the pandemic, when a smaller group was playing pickleball “really early in the morning” at Walter Reed, per Brown. They’d play so often and get so competitive that several regular players considered going pro.
“A lot of us… are pretty good players [now] and are trying to eventually get where they can eventually make some money in this sport,” Brown said.
That includes Brown, who lives in the Claremont neighborhood near Wakefield High School. He’s the son of former NFL football player Tom Brown, who played for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s and won multiple Super Bowls. The younger Brown plans to join the senior pickleball tour in five years, when he turns 50.
“[My dad] always said, ‘If you play better competition, it’s going to make you better.’ So, I surround myself with better players than myself… who kick my butt every day,” Brown said.
He’s a school teacher, so he plays early in the morning — particularly in the summers when school is out — and in the afternoon after school is dismissed. He and 15 or 20 other Iron Paddle members can often be found playing into the evening at Walter Reed.
Brown admits he was one of those people who was playing at the community center courts at 6 a.m. last summer. The noise from the courts, mainly the infamous “pickleball pop,” led to some neighbors threatening legal action late last year.
He says he “completely understands” if some people got mad about being woken up to the thucks and pops of pickleball. The group has since moved to other courts for their early morning ritual, though he wouldn’t say exactly where.
Once the clock strikes 8 a.m., however, residents have to deal with the noise, Brown said.
“You chose to live by a rec center. After 8 a.m., it’s free reign. I’m sorry,” he said. “Turn the TV up a bit louder and shut your windows. I’m sorry. I know that sounds harsh, but people are trying to work out.”
As for the accusations of bullying children earlier this year, Brown said that is not true. Whenever kids have wanted to come to play basketball or tennis, the pickleballers he knows are “accommodating” and sometimes move the nets so they can play.
“If it’s super packed, now that’s a different story,” he said. “But nobody’s ever been belligerent and nobody’s ever been nasty.”
Giuseppe and Mario Lanzone in the space that will be Peruvian Brothers inside of Amazon’s HQ2 (photo courtesy of Giuseppe Lanzone)
Peruvian Brothers at The Stand (photo courtesy JBG Smith)
Peruvian Brothers co-owner Giuseppe Lanzone with alpacas (Photo courtesy of Peruvian Brothers)
Empanada eatery Peruvian Brothers is set to return to Arlington this summer.
The fast-casual Peruvian restaurant owned by two brothers is planning to open in the first phase of Amazon’s HQ2 sometime in the summer, co-owner Giuseppe Lanzone told ARLnow. That timeline appears to follow Amazon’s schedule for opening its gleaming new office complex at 1400 S. Eads Street.
The new 2,000-square-foot restaurant on the first floor of the new building will have a full menu and a cocktail bar, serving pisco sours, among other drinks. This marks a return to the neighborhood for Peruvian Brothers, which previously occupied a stand at the Crystal City Water Park before the park underwent renovations.
Last July, it was announced that the restaurant was one of several moving into HQ2. The recently-announced delay for the second phase of the headquarters didn’t impact Peruvian Brothers since it’s moving into the almost-completed first phase.
“We are very much looking forward to going back into the National Landing area because the last they know we only had a small stand selling empanadas and some drinks,” Lanzone said. “Now, we are bringing our whole menu and a whole new bar concept. We hope all the neighbors… come enjoy a drink, a bite of food, and hang out.”
Giuseppe and fellow co-owner Mario Lanzone are originally from Peru and moved with their family to McLean in 1997. Prior to becoming a restaurateur, Giuseppe was a two-time Olympic rower for Team USA.
In February 2020, the brothers opened their first brick-and-mortar spot in La Cosecha, a Latin American market in D.C. Then, the pandemic hit and shut down the newly-opened location.
Thankfully, Lanzone lived in Crystal City and often jogged by the then-unoccupied stand in the privately-owned water park. The brothers struck a deal with park owner JBG Smith to serve a limited menu of empanadas and a few drinks out of the small space.
They were there for about two years before closing, but it led to an even bigger opportunity with the brothers moving into the largest restaurant space they’ve ever occupied.
The new restaurant will feature a similar menu as its La Cosecha location, which includes sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, and ceviche along with empanadas, but with at least one new addition.
“One of the things that were very popular with my brother and I growing up in La Punta on the coast of Peru were croquetas y pulpos, Peruvian croquettes,” Lanzone said. “It’s like an octopus burger, so to speak, which is absolutely delicious.”
The space will be designed with art and murals influenced and done by fellow Peruvians, he said.
Lanzone admits it’s been a bit of a challenge to build out the expansive space, from the back of the kitchen all the way to the front doors, but the reward is that they get to show off their shared heritage and culture to all who come by.
“We are very much looking forward [to bringing]…a little bit of a taste of where my brother Mario and I grew up… and where we come from,” Lanzone said. “From day one, teaching and sharing our Peruvian culture to everybody else that hasn’t been there yet. And, hopefully, one day will get to go there.”
Ruthie’s All-Day in Arlington Heights (courtesy photo)
Interior view of Salt cocktail lounge on N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Salt/Open Road on N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
RASA’s Crystal City exterior and patio (Photo courtesy of Rey Lopez/Rasa)
Stellina Pizzeria in the Village at Shirlington (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Ambar in Clarendon
Northside Social (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) Ten restaurants and restaurateurs with Arlington ties were named finalists for one of the region’s most prestigious dining awards.
Ruthie’s All Day, Bar Ivy, Circa, and SALT were among the finalists named for a RAMMY award this year, which was announced earlier this week. Plus, the restaurant group that owns Ballston’s Salt Line, Shirlington’s Stellina Pizzeria, a manager at Ambar Clarendon, and the pastry chef at Liberty Restaurant Group, as well as fast casual spots Rasa and Moby Dick House of Kabob, were included in the list.
The RAMMY Awards are handed out by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, the region’s restaurant industry trade association. The intention is to honor restaurants for their work in the previous year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022. A gala is set for July where the winners will be announced. This year marks the 41st edition of the RAMMYs.
For the first time, this year the dining public could choose the finalists for five categories including best bar, best brunch, favorite gathering spot, best sandwich, and favorite fast bites. Diners can now vote for the winners online, with voting continuing through May 31.
In total, ten finalists this year have some Arlington ties, including several up for some of the biggest awards. That exceeds last year’s seven finalists, which were essentially on par with previous years.
Clarendon’s Bar Ivy is a finalist for best new restaurant of the year. The “West Coast-inspired” outdoor garden-centric spot opened on Wilson Blvd this past June.
“The RAMMY nomination has been amazing — there have been so many noteworthy restaurants opening in the last year and to be recognized as one of the top 5 is humbling. We’re over the moon to be recognized for all the hard work from our team and it’s really a tribute to them,” owner Greg Algie wrote in a statement to ARLnow. “We’re always looking at ourselves, thinking of what we can do to be better every day, and an honor like this just pushes us to continue to bring a memorable experience day in and day out.”
The acclaimed Ruthie’s All Day in Arlington Heights was nominated for “Favorite Gathering Place,” given to the restaurant “rooted in its neighborhood where guests come to eat, drink, and get together with friends over and over again.” Last year, diner-esque eatery won for “Casual Restaurant of the Year.” It was also named one of Washingtonian’s Very Best 100 Restaurants earlier this year.
“We feel so fortunate to have such tremendous support from our Arlington community and to be nominated with other outstanding local neighborhood businesses,” said chef and owner Matt Hill.
“We are over the moon and so honored by your support,” the restaurant wrote on social media about the nomination.
Salt in Rosslyn’s Instagram post celebrating its RAMMY nomination (image via screenshot/Instagram)
Five additional restaurants with Arlington outposts were nominated for RAMMYs.
Moby Dick House of Kabob was chosen by the public as a “Favorite Gathering Place.” The local kabob chain has a number of locations across the region, including in Clarendon and Shirlington.
Long Shot Hospitality, which owns both Salt Line locations, including the one that opened in Ballston in late 2021, is up for Restaurateur of the Year. Circa, with a Clarendon location, was also nominated by the public for best brunch.
Individuals with Arlington connections are finalists too. Ambar Clarendon’s Snjezana Jaksic was nominated for the manager of the year and Bridie McCulla of Liberty Restaurant Group is on the list as pastry chef or baker of the year.
McCulla — who has been nominated before — bakes for Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall, and Northside Social, all in Arlington.
Other restaurateurs with local ties are up for RAMMYs, though not for their Arlington locations. Hot Lola’s owner Kevin Tien is on the list for chef of the year for his work at D.C.’s Moon Rabbit while Rose Previte is nominated for restaurateur of the year. She’s planning to open up a new restaurant in Clarendon later this year that was previously dubbed Tawle but is now being called Kirby Club.
The Loop park in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A kid playing in the enclosed play area at the Loop in Clarendon (photo courtesy of George Brazier)
The Loop park in Clarendon (photo courtesy of George Brazier)
The Loop park in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) A public green space with a play area for kids is now open at Clarendon’s outdoor shopping center.
The Loop, a central green space in the middle of the Crossing Clarendon, officially opened on Friday, a spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow. Several readers sent tips and photos of locals enjoying themselves in the new public park at 2800 Clarendon Blvd late last week.
The new park includes walkways, Adirondack chairs, new landscaping and artificial turf, a pipe-like tunnel, small bronze-colored statues of hopping rabbits, and an enclosed play area for kids. It was become known as the Loop due to the quarter-mile piece of roadway that loops around the plaza and through the shopping center.
The almost cage-like play area extends vertically with red metal wavy structures for kids to climb as well as several exit and entrance points.
Dogs are allowed in the park, but “they are required to relieve themselves only in the designated areas, highlighted by the on-site signage,” the spokesperson said.
The little park in the middle of the Loop allegedly opens today at The Crossing. For kids only, no dogs allowed. pic.twitter.com/SGtCyqKxVQ
It was first announced in early 2021 that property owner Regency Centers was looking into building a pedestrian-friendly plaza in the middle of the shopping center, which has an Apple Store, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel. That spring, the entire mixed-use development was rebranded as The Crossing Clarendon.
Then, a year ago, plans were unveiled that showed some of what is now there. While the mock-ups and initial plans show that the end of the U-shaped road would be cut off from vehicular traffic to create a pedestrian-only area, that isn’t yet the case. Construction does appear to be continuing on the roadway, though.
“This area within The Crossing, known as The Loop, is a fresh look at how the community interacts with the center,” Regency Centers’ Vice President Andrew Kabat wrote in a statement. “The amenities, design, and layout were intentionally and considerately implemented to highlight what a unique location this is within the corridor, and a place for neighbors, shoppers, and friends to gather for a long time. This property was deserving of an updated face-lift, and we’re excited to provide more updates for The Crossing in the future.”
Chase the Submarine in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Chase the Submarine is now serving sandwiches inside the cube at Pentagon City.
The sub shop from local chef Tim Ma reopened to the public in February inside the former Bread and Water “cube” at Westpost on S. Joyce Street. The shop currently has only seven sandwiches on its menu, including banh mi, a meatball sub, and peanut butter and jelly.
This is Ma’s second Westpost restaurant having opened the Chinese-American take-out spot Lucky Danger in July 2021.
Along with Chase the Submarine, Ma is planning another concept in the cube. In the evenings, the shop will become a wine and cocktail bar called No Chaser. That is set to open later this year, Ma told ARLnow in January.
Stickers for both the sandwich shop and the bar are now up on the windows.
The noted chef has a history in Arlington. In 2013, Ma opened Water & Wall in Virginia Square. About three years later, though, the restaurant closed, with Ma saying that closing was neither “a celebration or a wake, it’s just a natural progression in its existence.”
Now, Ma is having sort of a renaissance in Arlington with Lucky Danger, organizing a collective of chefs around combating anti-Asian racism, organizing a popular night market in the fall, Chase the Submarine, and — soon — No Chaser.
Carbonara, soon to open in the Ballston/Virginia Square area (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Carbonara, soon to open in the Ballston/Virginia Square area (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Coco B’s is set to open on the roof of B Live (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
As we slide into brown flip flop season, some hotly-anticipated Arlington restaurants and bars are set to open in the coming months.
Below is a list of the latest updates, compiled by ARLnow.
“Tropical glam” bar Coco B’s in Clarendon hopes to start serving drinks with little umbrellas in May, co-owner Mike Bramson told ARLnow. It was about a year ago when the owners behind the Lot and Pamplona announced they were opening a rooftop bar on top of another one of their ventures, B Live. The two bars were filling a space that was once occupied by legendary Whitlow’s, which moved to the District. Coco B’s was supposed to open this past fall, but construction work and the winter delayed it to spring 2023.
Shirlington’s Astro Beer Hall and its donut robot is also looking at starting up in May, as the owners told ARLnow in February. The beer hall has been in the working since at least December 2021 and is moving into the space formerly occupied by Capital City Brewing Co.
Wagamama in Clarendon is looking at potentially late spring serving date. The British chain focused on Japanese cuisine is taking over Oz’s former home.
Carbonara: Old School Italian & Wine Bar from local chef Mike Cordero, is expecting to get cooking later this summer. It will be located at 3865 Wilson Blvd, near the Ballston/Virginia Square border. The menu, as first announced back in August 2022, is expected to include a veritable tour of Italy and its expected opening date of late summer remains pretty much in line with what was first announced last summer.
Forest Inn fill-in Westover Taco is aiming for tacos to be served by late summer, co-owner Scott Parker said earlier this week. The margarita and taco spot is taking over what was once one of Arlington’s last dive bars.
Kebab-centric Tawle is now aiming for a fall opening in Clarendon. The buzzy eatery from the owners of two of D.C.’s hottest restaurants first announced back in May 2022 that was it was making a new home at the former address of beloved live music venue IOTA Club. The plan was to initially to open Tawle this spring, but the opening has been pushed back to the fall, a restaurant spokesperson tells ARLnow.
