bar

Astro Beer Hall to revamp basement following successful Shirlington launch and ‘overwhelming’ community support

By Madisson Weyrich
1/9

Astro Beer Hall’s second location in Shirlington is thriving four months after its opening.

Peter Bayne and Elliot Spaisman, two of the beer hall’s owners, said they receive more patronage in Shirlington than in their downtown D.C. location at this point.

“We opened up and it was like pure madness,” Bayne said. “We had so many people coming through the door. We were just trying to keep our heads on, essentially. It was overwhelming, the amount of support and love we felt from the community. People were even more excited than we were to get open.”

The beer hall’s second location opened Sept. 19 and has seen consistent business. Bayne credits much of the Shirlington location’s success to the mix of ages and professions in the area.

“They all interact and they all are like regulars together,” Bayne said. “It’s nice to see these cross-generational friendships that happen in the neighborhood of Shirlington… I was just really happy because we clearly picked great real estate to be at and something that we know is going to be there for a long time, and just a wonderful community to be a part of.”

Spaisman and former Washington Capital Jeff Halpern were childhood friends. They opened the first Astro Doughnuts — which later became Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken — in 2013, inspired by the doughnut shop they visited after hockey practice when they were kids in Bethesda.

The pair quickly expanded the business by offering fried chicken, chicken sandwiches with airy doughnut buns.

Elliot Spaisman (left) and Peter Bayne (courtesy Farah Skeiky)

Spaisman and Halpern later partnered with a hospitality development group, Tin Shop, and conceived the idea for a donut-shop-turned-beer-hall.

The 14,000-square-foot two-story beer hall features a game room, a 140-seat patio and a full-service coffee shop. The restaurant offers brunch, lunch, dinner, a variety of beer and cocktails, and of course coffee and doughnuts.

According to Spaisman, the most popular menu items across the board are the chicken fingers and the asteroid fried chicken sandwich. The most popular drink: the ‘Woke Up Sexy Again’ hazy IPA.

Following the Shirlington location’s successful launch, there are now plans in the works to revamp the basement area with pool tables, music and visiting DJs, giving the space more of a bar feel.

“We’ve been really happy with the level of business we’ve had and we’ve had a problem where we don’t have enough seats for everybody,” Bayne said. “It would be great for the basement to really have a nightlife activity, a spot that feels that it’s going to be a bar as opposed to a restaurant.”

Bayne and Spaisman are excited to add a level of nightlife to the beer hall and are hopeful this addition will open by the spring.

“It’s a busy operation and we’re having fun with it,” Bayne said. “Overall it’s been a great success.”

A new bar and restaurant is set to fill a long-vacant space in Crystal City

By Madisson Weyrich
Lantern Restaurant and Bar, located at 320 23rd Street S. (staff photo by Madisson Weyrich)

A new restaurant is set to fill a decade-long vacancy in Crystal City.

Lantern Restaurant & Bar, owned by Shen Zhao and Bing Liu, is moving into a storefront at the base of an apartment building at 320 23rd Street S., last occupied by Matsutake Hibachi Steak and Sushi until its closure in 2014.

The property, next to a Virginia ABC store and across from a Hilton hotel, appears to have sat vacant since.

Window dressings on the property say Lantern Restaurant & Bar is “coming soon.” Neither the owners nor the leasing agents for the space responded to requests for comment before deadline.

The new bar-restaurant is moving into the base of an apartment building plagued by stubborn business vacancies. Around the corner, storefronts have been vacant since the departure of Bar Louie and Legal Sea Foods.

The main attraction on this block, which also formerly was home to a Chili’s, is now the bowling alley Bowlero — which, for a while, drew a rowdy crowd that rankled apartment residents living atop it.

Crystal City has seen several restaurant closures in the wake of Covid. Most recently, The Freshman closed earlier this month and San Antonio Bar & Grill shuttered its location in the underground Crystal City Shops in December.

Not far away, however, the neighborhood received an infusion of new dining options last October when developer JBG Smith opened a 1.6-acre outdoor food hall and park in the Crystal City Water Park. There, visitors can get everything from duck-fat fried chicken sandwiches to Indian-style crêpes filled with lentils and chutney to gelato.

Pamplona in Clarendon set to close next month

By James Jarvis
Pamplona in Clarendon on Nov. 27, 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Pamplona, the Spanish tapas restaurant and sangria bar in Clarendon, will close next month, according to a social media post.

The restaurant, which opened in 2017 in the space formerly occupied by SoBe Bar & Bistro, shared its farewell message on Instagram last week.

“It has been an amazing run, but the time has come for Pamplona’s final turn! To our loyal regulars, guests and friends, we can not say thank you enough; just know we could not have done it without you,” the post said.

“We want to thank our staff (past and present) for their hard work and dedication throughout the years. We formed countless memories with all of you, and we will forever be grateful,” the restaurant said.

Its final day appears to be Saturday, Dec. 16, per the post.

A representative for Pamplona could not be reached before publication. Its owner, Mike Bramson, also owns The Lot, an open-air beer garden that began its long goodbye this year ahead of development plans for the site it occupies.

Snouts & Stouts indoor dog park and bar set to open next month in Green Valley

By James Jarvis
1/5

An indoor dog park and bar is set to officially open its doors next month in the former home of New District Brewing.

Snouts & Stouts, located at 2709 S. Oakland Street in Green Valley, has announced it will start serving dogs and their humans on Saturday, Nov. 18.

“We believe that Snouts & Stouts is [complementary] to the existing Shirlington Dog Park and gives the community one place where they can have the best of both worlds with a massive outdoor dog park, and the option of an indoor dog park & bar,” Founder and CEO Daniel Ramos said in a press release.

The opening next month is a few months behind the initial plans Ramos announced to open this August.

The 6,000 square-foot climate-controlled dog park and bar includes a beer and wine bar, snack cafe, specialized turf, dog treat shop, dog daycare, boarding and training, according to the website.

Additionally, staff — nicknamed the “Dog Patrol” — will roam the area to ensure it stays clean and that dogs are playing well and staying hydrated.

“This way you can relax and grab a drink,” the website says.

Although it is advertised as the “only indoor dog park and bar in Northern Virginia,” there is another indoor dog park and bar in Alexandria called Barkhaus.

“While others have tried to create an indoor dog park in the area, you often see that their ‘indoor’ section is reduced to a small room where not many dogs can play off-leash,” Ramos said in the release.

While humans 18 and older can enter for free, dogs need a membership or day pass. An annual membership is $365 for the first dog and $120 for each additional dog. A monthly membership option is also available at $45 for the first dog and $13 for any additional dogs. Limited-time discounts on memberships are currently available.

Day passes run at $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends. Any additional dog is an extra $5, regardless of the day.

Before entering, dog owners must show proof of up-to-date vaccinations, and dogs older than one year must be spayed or neutered. Pups younger than 16 weeks won’t be allowed.

Dog daycare and boarding are only available during the week. Below are the hours of operation, according to the website:

  • Monday – Thursday:
    • 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM Dog Daycare & Boarding
    • 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM Bar & Public Playtime
  • Friday:
    • 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM Dog Daycare & Boarding
    • 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM Bar & Public Playtime
  • Saturday:
    • 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM Bar & Public Playtime
  • Sunday:
    • 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM Bar & Public Playtime

Before launching Snouts & Stouts, Ramos ran a marketing consulting firm and worked in data analytics, according to his LinkedIn. In the release, Ramos said he was inspired to open a dog park after becoming frustrated at the lack of indoor spaces for his dog, Cooper, to play in the area.

“I also always hate leaving my dog at home when I want to go out and get drinks with friends, so I put those two activities together and BOOM… Snouts & Stouts was born,” he said in an Instagram post in June. “This is truly a dream come true for me and I can’t wait to share my dream with the community!”

Celtic House plans to open new whiskey and bourbon bar later this fall

By James Jarvis
1/4

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.

Big Tony’s Pizzeria & Dive Bar opens in Clarendon, replacing Bronx Pizza

By James Jarvis
1/6

Bronx Pizza is back in Clarendon under a new name: Big Tony’s Pizzeria & Dive Bar.

Last May, the pizzeria closed its doors with little warning after doing business for more than a decade.

Some thought it might be a hit job, but co-owner and managing partner Katherine Basile tells ARLnow that the owners, Anthony, Mike and Nick Cordero, wanted to rebrand the restaurant.

“They figured they could probably do something a little bit different and a little bit more upbeat in there, since that space was kind of dead at one point,” she said, calling the new space “Bronx 2.0”

Basile says the Cordero brothers approached her and her business partner Kristina Murphy for business ideas. The duo and the brothers go back more than a decade, having worked together on other local Cordero-owned establishments, including Don Tito and A-Town Bar & Grill.

Basile says she and Murphy envisioned a “trendy” 80s and 90s retro theme for the pizzeria, which the Cordero brothers loved. New York City-based designer Yvette Irene was enlisted to design an eye-catching space.

The revamped pizza place is intended to have “a nice, fun vibe where people could really just be who they wanted to be in there,” Basile said. Another new addition: an upgraded outdoor dining space with all-weather booth seating.

While Big Tony’s retains some menu items from its days as Bronx Pizza, there are new options, including “The Snooki” meatball parmigiana sandwich and a pizza topped with mac and cheese and bacon, as well as a full-service bar with craft cocktails.

The restaurant held a soft opening two weeks ago and plans for a grand opening are in the works.

The grand opening date has not yet been confirmed but Basile said it will feature Anthony Cordero’s 4-year-old daughter Quinn, nicknamed “Big Tony,” who plans to sign autographs in crayon.

NEW: At long last, Astro Beer Hall to open in Shirlington next Tuesday

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

(Updated at 3:10 p.m. on 9/15/23) The long-anticipated Astro Beer Hall will open next week in Shirlington, serving decadent donuts by day and “astronomic” sandwiches and apps late into the night.

Ahead of the Tuesday opening, owners Elliot Spaisman and Peter Bayne are running around, making finishing touches on the 14,000-square-foot, galactic-themed space, while the team trains and awaits deliveries.

“We’ve got a lot going on over here,” Spaisman tells ARLnow.

The Village at Shirlington location is the second for the hall, which debuted in D.C. in 2019. The owners are bringing over some famed foods — including fried chicken sandwiches made with savory doughnuts — and debuting new bites. There will also be arcade games and, eventually, billiards.

The beer hall, with a sprawling 140-seat patio and adjacent coffee shop, took over the old Capitol City Brewing Co. space at 4001 Campbell Avenue, which closed five years ago. The Tuesday opening caps off two years of work in the midst of Covid and supply chain and permitting issues, the co-owners say.

The owners say they’re more than ready to open their doors.

“There’s a million pounds off my shoulders. It’s been such a whirlwind and a beast to get this thing open,” Bayne said. “It was so frustrating along the way, so to get to this moment where we can have a beautiful spot we can open up, feels so good.”

He and Spaisman opened the first Astro Beer Hall location all of four months before Covid lockdowns. While the location is faring well now, Bayne said the downtown D.C. scene is still stifled post-pandemic and he is excited to come to Arlington, which he says is “where it’s at.”

“This is nice because it’s a dense residential area in Shirlington with commercial and offices, a nightlife strip, and a ton of great options around us,” Bayne said. “It’s a hub people want to go to on a Friday or Saturday. It’s a little bit of something for everyone.”

That seems to be the plan with Astro Beer Hall, too.

There will be a coffee shop open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., serving baked goods, compliments of a doughnut-frying robot, and Compass Coffee beverages.

Over in the beer hall, patrons can watch sports from what Spaisman says is “a massive amount of TVs.” They can play classic arcade games such as skee ball and Ms. Pacman and, in the coming months, billiards in the basement.

Once it is beer o’clock — as early as 11 a.m. on the weekends but 4 p.m. on Mondays — the hall will start serving snacks, sandwiches and salads for lunch, happy hour and dinner.

(more…)

Ireland’s Four Courts reopening to the public today after honoring victims and first responders

By ARLnow.com
1/30

(Updated at 12:10 p.m.) The first thing you notice when walking into the rebuilt Ireland’s Four Courts — which is officially reopening today, at long last — is that it’s both familiar and new at the same time.

The interior is a bit brighter and more open — the crash that smashed and torched the long-time Courthouse watering hole last summer revealed to the owners that the columns near the front were decorative, not structural.

The predominant color scheme is now teal instead of red. The mugs that used to hang behind the bar are gone — the heat from the fire melted them, leaving just handles hanging from the peg board. Additionally, the back room is now more inviting for patrons and private events, with a library and an upgraded second bar.

On the other hand, the general layout is the same. And you’ll notice touches that were salvaged from the old Four Courts: the handmade-in-Ireland tables have a fresh coat of paint and varnish, the soccer jersey that miraculously survived the flames, the antique Irish fireplace that needed 30 hours or restoration work, the Men of Aran sculpture, and a few other items.

Four Courts would have probably needed an interior refresh at some point this decade, but this was not the way managing partner Dave Cahill and other owners wanted it to happen.

When the rideshare driver who was suffering an apparent medical emergency slammed into the pub on Aug. 12, 2022, a group of coworkers were marking an occasion together near the front. They never saw the car barrelling toward them.

The 14 people who were injured, including the three critically hurt from that group — who spent an extended period of time in the hospital — were honored during a private event at the pub Wednesday evening.

The Arlington first responders who rushed to the scene and — along with fellow patrons — helped to pull the injured out of the building just as the inferno started spreading were also honored at the event. Without them, according to Cahill, multiple people would have died and Four Courts would never have reopened.

That everyone survived is its own miracle. The force of the impact was such that a patron sitting at the bar, well away from where the car came to rest, with the dazed driver and rideshare passenger inside, was blown off of his barstool.

After eight months of a complete interior demolition and reconstruction — and despite some work left to be done with the exterior facade — Four Courts will reopen to the public at 4 p.m.

There will be live music today, Friday and Saturday. And as before, those hoping to catch some sports from across the pond can expect a 9 a.m. opening time on Saturday.

For Cahill and others who witnessed the crash and its aftermath, memories of the horror of that day are still fresh. But for now he’s focusing on the reopening, which is also a homecoming for Four Courts’ legion of displaced regulars.

“I am feeling a huge relief to be at the finish line and a great of excitement to open the doors and see all the familiar face again,” Cahill told ARLnow. “Four Courts is a home and away from home for so many of our customers and we are excited to welcome them back. It’s like having my birthday, St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas Day all at once. We can not wait!”

Under construction Centurion Lounge at DCA shows new signs of progress

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

It appears work is coming together for a new Centurion Lounge in Reagan National Airport.

Boards concealing construction activity are up, advertising the lounge from American Express coming to the airport’s “National Hall” in Terminal B, after passengers clear security.

Meanwhile, Compass USA, the food service provider associated with the lounge, has applied for a liquor license, per a Virginia ABC notice posted to the boards. The company placed its first legal notice advertisement about a month ago, it says.

This marks a step forward for the lounge — the first non-airline lounge at DCA — which was initially expected to touch down in late 2022. Last month, CNN reported the lounge is now expected to open “later this year.”

The new Centurion Lounge at DCA will span more than 11,500-square-feet and boast “floor to ceiling windows, airfield views and one-of-a-kind design elements inspired by the city’s history,” per a 2021 American Express press release.

“The Centurion Lounge will feature signature amenities such as a complimentary custom bar1 and food menu, premium restrooms and shower suites, access to high-speed Wi-Fi, noise-buffering workspaces, and more,” the release said.

The release notes that the project follows on the heels of Project Journey, a $1 billion capital improvement project to add new security checkpoints and a 14-gate commuter concourse replacing the notorious Gate 35X.

Neither American Express nor Compass USA returned requests for comment.

Some 13 U.S. airports currently have a Centurion Lounge — including those in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Miami and Charlotte — according to a map on its website.

NEW: Ireland’s Four Courts is planning to reopen this week

By ARLnow.com
1/9

Just over a year after a car plowed into Ireland’s Four Courts, seriously injuring several people and sparking a devastating fire, the pub is set to reopen.

Four Courts is planning to reopen to the public this coming Thursday, managing partner Dave Cahill tells ARLnow. Some private reopening events are likely to take place between now and then, in part to make sure staff get up to speed.

Photos posted by Four Courts to its Instagram account over the past week or so show construction wrapping up, with a new bar, a new mural, and a new library room stocked with books.

The crash that closed the beloved Courthouse watering hole, located at 2051 Wilson Blvd, happened on Aug. 12, 2022.

The driver of the rideshare vehicle that slammed into the building and caught fire was not charged. Police say he suffered a medical emergency prior to the crash.

In all, 14 people were injured, including eight who were taken to local hospitals. All three pub-goers who suffered serious, potentially life-threatening injuries were released from the hospital by the next month.

A number of first responders who responded to the chaotic scene were recently recognized for their heroism.

“Tropical glam bar” Coco B’s hoping to open this weekend in Clarendon

By Matt Blitz
1/7

The much-anticipated “tropical glam bar” Coco B’s in Clarendon hopes to open this weekend, co-owner Christal Bramson tells ARLnow.

Ownership is in the process of getting final permits before the doors can be thrown open, but the belief is that everything will be ready for the coming weekend.

The long-planned companion bar to B Live — or, for the moment, “Beach Bar Live” — at 2854 Wilson Blvd was originally supposed to start serving a full year ago. It was delayed a few times, however, due to construction and permits. But now the wait appears to almost be over.

Judging by photos, Coco B’s is set to be Arlington’s pink palace of nightlife. The color covers the 6,000 square feet of space, from the walls to the chair to the umbrellas, that the business is set to occupy inside and atop the building that was once Whitlow’s on Wilson.

While it’s the rooftop — featuring a mural of a flamingo wearing a hat — that many locals might be looking forward it, Bramson said the rest of the bar might actually be the real draw.

“I don’t think people realize that Coco’s is not only a rooftop, but has nearly 4,000 square feet directly below the rooftop (next to B Live),” Bramson wrote ARLnow in an email. “It’s a collection of three bays, with two gorgeous bars, dining room, and a stunning back patio.”

The main floor will feature pink chandeliers and clamshell chairs, while another bay is the “Bubble Bar,” a champagne-forward bar with lots more pink. The third bay is for private events.

The Carribean-inspired menu is set to be curated by Chef Juan Olivera, who previously worked at D.C.’s Lupo Verde. It will feature Caribbean delicacies like jerk chicken, ceviche, and Jamaican oxtail patties, Arlington Magazine reports.

Coco B’s will have signature cocktails, including the Dac-Dac-Doc. It will be served in half coconut shells with Caribbean rum, passion dragon fruit syrup, and coconut foam.

The opening of Coco B’s will mark another expansion of Christal and Mike Bramson’s Arlington nightlife empire under the B Social Hospitality banner. B Live opened last spring as a live music venue but has since shifted away from original acts to live karaoke. It also changed concepts, at least temporarily, earlier this month.

The Bramsons also own Pamplona on Clarendon Blvd, Roll’d in Ballston, run operations at Clarendon Ballroom, and are celebrating local beer garden The Lot’s last season before redevelopment happens on the site. The couple owns several restaurants in the District as well, including Rebel Taco and soon-to-open The Cove in the District’s Navy Yard neighborhood.

View More Stories