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burger
A new Z-Burger started serving late last week in Crystal City.
The local burger franchise has opened a new location at 509 23rd Street S., next to Royal Pawn and Los Tios Grill. That was the former location of Taj of India and was initially set to be the home to Korean rice dog eatery Oh K-Dog and Egg Toast. But those plans never materialized and now it’s a Z-Burger.
The fast-casual eatery opened late last week, co-owner Kevin Ejtemai confirmed to ARLnow. As to be expected, the menu consists of burgers, fries, and milkshakes.
This is currently the only Arlington location for Z-Burger, though there was one previously in Virginia Square before it became an All About Burger due to a legal settlement that forced a split of the two franchises.
Ejtemai said the local chain is eyeing expansion and is actively looking for other locations in Arlington. Z-Burger has nine other restaurants across the D.C. area, including one on S. Pickett Street in Alexandria that opened recently.
The co-owner noted one of the main reasons they decided to open on 23rd Street in Crystal City — on the “restaurant row” where a number of the independent businesses have set up shop over the year — is that it’s a “historic and quaint [part of] town.”
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(Updated at noon) It’s not even the highlight of the Arlington eatery’s menu, but the burger at Sloppy Mama’s has been named one of the best in the D.C. area.
That’s according to Washington Post food critic Tim Carman, who sampled 45 burgers around the region and compiled a list of the top 10. Many of the top burgers were at restaurants in the District which specialize in burgers.
But not Sloppy Mama’s, the barbecue joint at 5731 Langston Blvd.
The $6 cheeseburger is a recent addition to a menu that’s more focused on brisket than burgers. Nonetheless, it placed No. 3 on Carman’s list.
“The first time I tried the cheeseburger at Sloppy Mama’s, it was during the pandemic,” Carman wrote. “I had ordered a variety of smoked meats for takeaway — back when we were keeping the world at arm’s length — and owners Joe and Mandy Neuman tossed in a couple of burgers as a thank you. They had just put the burgers on the menu, one more hedge against an uncertain future for restaurants at the time. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d even try one.”
But the burger blew him away, perhaps due to the meat that’s used.
“[Joe Neuman’s] patties are made with the trimmings from prime briskets,” Carman noted, adding that the taste “probably boils down to animal fat, and lots of it. These burgers are not afraid to revel in the richness that can only come from good beef.”
Only one other Arlington restaurant was mentioned in the article, as an honorable mention: Bob and Edith’s Diner and its B&E burger.
Five Guys appears set to return to its original location near the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road.
Since its 1986 founding in Arlington’s Westmont Shopping Center, Five Guys has grown into a huge international burger-and-fries chain. But it has maintained its local roots, including a Northern Virginia corporate headquarters that will soon be moving to Alexandria.
Now, it is expected to open a new location on the ground floor of the Westmont apartment building that’s replacing the former strip mall. A leasing brochure seen by ARLnow suggests it will be taking a 2,400 square foot space along Columbia Pike, the second retail business listed on the leasing plan in addition to a new Allcare urgent care clinic along Glebe.
The brochure says construction on the building is expected to wrap up within the next three months or so. It is unclear how long after that Five Guys might open.
So far, Five Guys has not responded to ARLnow’s request, sent Tuesday, for confirmation of the new location.
The company has two existing Arlington locations, in Courthouse and at Reagan National Airport. The status of a previously-announced Clarendon location, in part of the former Whitlow’s space, is unclear.
Bank Booting Xmas Tree Sale from Lot — “Optimist members tell 7News On Your Side that [Wells Fargo] bank officials told them in late 2021 that their parking lot would not be available to the Optimists for liability reasons. This concern was bewildering to club members as they say over the years they’ve never had any serious accidents or issues. The Optimists are now scrambling to find another space.” [WJLA]
Real Estate Agents Making Less — “Northern Virginia Realtors shared roughly $30 million less in compensation during the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2021 despite rising home prices, according to a new Sun Gazette analysis. Year-over-year sales for the first half of 2022 were down 12.2 percent, according to figures reported by the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.” [Sun Gazette]
Expanded Bikeshare Station in Ballston — From Capital Bikeshare: “Our teams have expanded and replaced the station at Glebe Rd & 11th St N in Arlington. Happy riding!” [Twitter]
Firefighters Rescue Stuck Bird — “The Arlington Fire and Rescue Department helped save a blue jay stuck in a tree on Monday — and the video is heartwarming. The bird appeared to have a piece of plastic material wrapped around its leg.” [WJLA, Twitter]
Arlington Seeks Feedback on Bay Plan — “The County is updating its Chesapeake Bay Preservation Plan, which speaks to effective land use management practices as required by the state. Read on, chime in.” [Twitter, Arlington County]
Local Company Making New Acquisition — “Evolent Health Inc. is taking steps to expand its arsenal of services for health care providers, starting with an acquisition that will move it into the lucrative area of musculoskeletal care. The Arlington company, which helps health systems and insurance companies manage their costs and improve care, charges into the second half of 2022 on the cusp of closing its purchase of Alpharetta, Georgia’s IPG.” [Washington Business Journal]
New Burger Restaurant at DCA — “Elevation Burger has opened a new restaurant in Terminal E at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington. Founded in 2002, Elevation Burger uses USDA-certified organic, 100-percent grass-fed beef and fresh-cut fries cooked in heart-healthy olive oil.” [Patch]
It’s Thursday — Humid and mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 88 and low of 75. Sunrise at 6:07 am and sunset at 8:25 pm. [Weather.gov]
All About Burger appears to have vacated its storefront in the Ballston Quarter mall.
“Completely cleaned out,” is how one tipster described the space, which is located between Slapfish, which closed this past December, and the still-open Mezeh, near the N. Glebe Road entrance to the mall.
The Ballston outpost of All About Burger opened in the spring of 2019 but never drew the consistently large crowds of its other nearby neighbor, Chick-fil-A. It could not be immediately confirmed whether the location is closed for good or may reopen later, though the removal of most of the interior furnishings and the fact that the phone number has been disconnected suggests the former.
All About Burger, which split off from Z-Burger after a legal settlement, has an existing location near Clarendon, at 3325 Wilson Blvd, that is still open today.
Hat tip to Chris T.
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A burger restaurant and a hookah lounge are expected to open on Langston Blvd later this year.
All About Burger is gearing up for a new location at 5009 Langston Blvd, owner Mohammad Esfahani tells ARLnow, with the hope it will start serving by May or June of this year. This will be the local chain’s eighth location and third in Arlington, including restaurants in Virginia Square and Ballston.
This will be All About Burger’s largest location yet and will include a 5,000-square-foot rooftop cafe and deck.
Additionally, a hookah lounge is also planned in the back of the building. That should open closer to the end of the year, Esfahani says.
Back in 2019, ARLnow reported that the businesses were set to come to a vacant building on what was then called Lee Highway. However, that project seemingly stalled until early last year, when a new permit revealed that a build out was finally on the verge of happening.
Last month another permit was applied for to finish the work, which is about 70% done. Esfahani says the three year delay has been due to permitting and construction delays.
All About Burger’s menu consists of burgers, cajun fries, onion rings, milk shakes and a “secret menu” with chicken wings, grilled cheese and turkey burgers.
Esfahani cited a lack of higher-quality burger options in North Arlington as why Langston Blvd is a perfect spot for All About Burger’s next location, though there are two fast food spots nearby.
“There’s no burger place like us around here,” Esfahani says. “McDonald’s and Wendy’s are different. We have fresh burgers, fresh buns, fresh french fries. We wash and cut potatoes ourselves. Everything is fresh.”
The burger spot will be situated a half a block from relatively new Bob and Edith’s Diner and just west of Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe, about a three minute walk.
All About Burger originated as a result of a split with another burger joint, Z-Burger. Esfahani and his brother Ebrahim were once partners in that business, but a legal settlement handed branding and naming to his former partner Peter Tabibian. Esfahani was able to retain four locations of Z-Burger, including the one on Wilson Blvd near Clarendon, but he had to rebrand. Hence, the name change from Z-Burger to All About Burger.
Esfahani tells ARLnow that his brother is no longer a partner in the business.
Clarendon’s Citizen Burger Bar is now closed, per a sign on the door.
“Our time with you has come to an end,” reads the sign on the front doors of the restaurant at 1051 N. Highland Street. “We want to thank you so much for visiting us and supporting us for the last 5 years!”
The notice said its last day was Sunday. Phone calls to the eatery went unanswered, and the number appeared to be disconnected.
The restaurant posted a copy of the sign on its Facebook Friday, noting it was “a sad day for us here in Clarendon.”
Inside the restaurant, chairs could be seen stacked up between cleaning materials last night (Monday). The unlit sign of Mister Days, which closed in April across the street, reflected in the burger joint’s windows.
Clarendon was the second location for Citizen Burger Bar’s Charlottesville, Va.-based business. The Arlington location opened in February 2015, expanding its menu two years later.
Owner Anderson McClure told ARLnow.com before the restaurant opened that his goal was to “broaden people’s horizons when it comes to simple, ‘classic American’ fare.”
The closing adds to the agony this week for local connoisseurs of the bovine, who are mourning the impending closure of Courthouse staple Ray’s the Steaks.
D.C.-based burger joint All About Burger is now open in Ballston Quarter (671 N. Glebe Road).
The restaurant — owned by a pair of former partners in the Z-Burger restaurant chain — offers its eponymous hand-formed burgers alongside chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and more for under $10. The standard chocolate/vanilla/strawberry milkshakes are available for $4.99 with a wide variety of “premium milkshakes” available for $5.99.
Staff at All About Burger said the restaurant will be open from 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. every day.
The new eatery joins a spate of newly-opened restaurants in the renovated Ballston Quarter mall, including True Food Kitchen, which is set to open next Wednesday.
The Arlington County Board this week unanimously approved an outdoor dining area at Burger District in Courthouse, as well as a new outdoor bar in Ballston.
Burger District requested Board members amend zoning rules to allow the Courthouse eatery to seat patrons in four feet of space on the sidewalk outside of its 2024 Wilson Blvd location.
That would leave six feet for pedestrians on the 10-foot-wide sidewalk, which requires County Board approval, according to a staff report.
In return, the eatery agreed to:
- Only operate the outdoor section from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
- Keep the rest of the sidewalk (6 feet) clear
- Not exceed more than 24 seats
- Hold “no live entertainment or dancing”
“Permitting an outdoor cafe along Wilson Boulevard will help achieve the vision of the Rosslyn to Courthouse Urban Design Study where there are ‘vibrant and people-friendly streets and plazas… full of life’ and ‘small businesses prosper,'” county staff wrote.
The Courthouse restaurant opened in August and serves burgers, shakes, hotdogs, and wings.
Last night the Board also approved a new “fixed” outdoor bar in Ballston, at upcoming restaurant The Salt Line, which is planning to open next spring.
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(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) Arlington’s newest craft beer bar “Rebellion on the Pike” is opening this week.
An employee said it would be open Monday evening, though a phone for the business was not answered as of 5 p.m. A Facebook post from Monday afternoon says the bar was open over the weekend and will be “back open tomorrow after a good day of rest and restocking.”
Silver tables and chairs sit under the string lights of its outdoor patio area. Inside, black and brown wood furnish the bar. The bar is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weeknights and from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Located at 2900 Columbia Pike across from the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, the Rebellion’s menu features a variety of sandwiches like “The Ronnie” which stuffs 1/3 pound of smoked pork on ciabatta with an Alabama white sauce and bourbon picked slaw, and the “Rebel Yell” with smoked turkey breast, bacon, tomatoes, and white American cheese on sourdough.
Rebellion also serves wings, salads, a variety of pork sandwiches, and “communal grub” like fried pork belly bites, and poutine with house beer cheese, per the menu.
The bar will feature 24 draft lines of craft beer, according to social media posts. A full drink list of the beers, wines, and spirits was not available in time for publication.
As of today (Monday), the bar’s website says it’s hiring.
Brian Westlye founded Rebellion and is the COO of the hospitality company that’s managing the bar. Westlye said in February he was “hopefully” opening by March 1, though most new restaurants in Arlington end up being beset by varying degrees of delays. Rebellion quietly opened its doors and served its first customers last week as part of a soft opening.
Wesley founded the first “Rebellion” in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. That location serves up a sizable whiskey list as well as burgers, beer, and cocktails.
Rebellion replaces “Brickhaus” which closed last year after owner Tony Wagner said it “never took off the way we expected and hoped it would,” after delays from a lengthy permitting approval process.
Last two photos via Facebook