The site of a soon to be rebuilt Taco Bell on Lee Highway.
The site of a soon to be rebuilt Taco Bell on Lee Highway.
The site of a soon to be rebuilt Taco Bell on Lee Highway.
The site of a soon to be rebuilt Taco Bell on Lee Highway.
(Updated at 10:30 a.m.) It seems as if Arlingtonians craving Taco Bell may have a while left to wait for one of the chain’s four restaurants in the county to re-open.
The Taco Bell near Yorktown, at 4923 Lee Highway, shut down back in September as its owner sought to tear down the restaurant and completely rebuild it.
Contractors working on the project had initially hoped to have it open within three to four months. But these days, the only evidence of progress on the new restaurant is a new foundation where the old building once stood.
Managers of the construction project did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the project’s timeline. County permit records show the restaurant’s owners won building permits for the project in October.
The project’s slow progress leaves county residents craving a taco or burrito with just three other options in the county: in the Pentagon City mall, in the Pentagon itself, and along Route 7 near the S. Walter Reed Drive intersection.
A new Taco Bell Cantina, complete with alcoholic beverage options, opened at the end of last year in Alexandria.
The Capital One bank branch on Columbia Pike, which is set to close.
The Capital One bank branch along Columbia Pike now plans to shut its doors this spring.
The bank started notifying customers last week that the branch, located at 3532 Columbia Pike, will shut down on May 9, according to company spokeswoman Amanda Landers.
She told ARLnow that “there will be no changes to our customers’ accounts or their account numbers” associated with the branch’s closure.
“As always, customers can visit any Capital One branch and receive the same level of account access and high-quality service they’ve come to expect,” Landers wrote in an email. “We’re working hard to make this transition as smooth as possible. We also encourage our customers to give us a call or stop by the branch to ask us any questions before it closes, so that we could show them the available options to bank at any time with Capital One with tools such as online/mobile banking and bill pay.”
The bank branch has previously been in the news for twice being robbed in recent years, including one incident that attracted the FBI’s attention.
Capital One last closed another one of its Arlington branches along Lee Highway in September 2017.
The company still operates branches in Rosslyn, Ballston, Crystal City and another along Lee Highway.
The rear of an empty building along 5009 Lee highway.
(Updated at 9:35 a.m.) A new fast food restaurant and hookah lounge looks to be on the way to replace a vacant building along Lee Highway.
All About Burger plans to open up a new location at 5009 Lee Highway, according to county permit records.
The records indicate that a hookah lounge is also part of plans for the roughly 11,100-square-foot space, though it’s unclear if it will be attached to the restaurant, or merely operate in the same building.
The Lee Highway location would become All About Burger’s third shop in the county. The small chain already operates a location in Virginia Square, with plans to open another in the revamped Ballston Quarter mall.
All About Burger has several other locations in D.C., and has a bit of an unusual past.
The company’s owners, Mohammad and Ebrahim Esfahani, started out as business partners with Peter Tabibian to run the D.C.-area chain Z-Burger, and even opened the Virginia Square location under that name.
But a dispute between the company’s co-owners led to a severing of the business — Tabibian earned the right to retain the “Z-Burger” name and still runs two locations in D.C., while the Esfahanis’ restaurants became All About Burger instead.
The eatery offers hamburgers, hotdogs, cheesesteaks and milkshakes, according to its menu.
The future location of Arctic Fitness in Courthouse.
The future location of Arctic Fitness in Courthouse.
A Courthouse fitness and massage center is relocating into a larger space not far from its old home.
Arctic Integrative Health and Wellness Center is moving into a vacant office space at 1401 N. Adams Street, near the neighborhood’s Residence Inn and Fire Works Pizza, according to signs posted at the location.
The company, which offers personal training and other coaching services, was previously based at 2055 N. 15th Street, near the Courthouse Metro station.
The new space represents a bit of an expansion compared to the old location, and Arctic made the switch final on Sunday (Feb. 3), according to the company’s website.
The location was previously home to My Thrive Pilates, which closed after the company shuttered all of its locations, including studios in Falls Church and Shirlington, last spring.
A new UPS Store looks to be on the way along Lee Highway.
Signs posted at a storefront at 4532 Lee Highway, in the Lee Heights shopping center, indicate that the shipping store is “coming soon.”
The space has sat vacant since Bradshaw’s Children’s Shoes closed back in November 2016. The store was a fixture of the shopping center for more than 20 years, but it shuttered when its owners decided to retire.
Signs for ‘Rebellion on the Pike at the old BrickHaus space (photo courtesy of Rob N.)
Signs for ‘Rebellion on the Pike at the old BrickHaus space (photo courtesy of Rob N.)
Works remodel the old BrickHaus into ‘Rebellion on the Pike’ (via @rebellion_onthepike)
A DuPont Circle bar is planning an expansion into the old BrickHaus space along Columbia Pike.
Rebellion will soon open its second location in the D.C. area at 2900 Columbia Pike. Signs posted at the building say the new establishment is due to open in “early 2019.”
Staff at the current D.C. location said in a Facebook message that the bar’s current owners “have been longtime Pike residents and regulars, so they are extremely excited to get the place open and get it open quickly.” Brian Westlye, the founder and COO of the hospitality company managing Rebellion, told ARLnow that the new location should “hopefully” be open by March 1.
The new bar is described as “Rebellion on the Pike” on the restaurant’s website and social media pages.
Rebellion offers up Southern cuisine and a hefty beer selection at its Dupont location, at 1836 18th Street N.W.
BrickHaus offered a similar vision for the area before shuttering at the end of last year.
Owner Tony Wagner closed both his Twisted Vines wine shop and BrickHaus to consolidate his offerings at the nearby Josephine’s Italian Kitchen, and lamented at the time that BrickHaus “never took off the way we expected and hoped it would,” after battling through a series of permitting and construction delays.
APS on Two Hour Delay — Arlington Public Schools is a two hour delays this morning amid a light coating of snow. Fairfax County Public Schools, meanwhile, is closed after initially announcing a two hour delay last night. [Twitter]
County Still Seeking Aquatics Center Sponsor — “Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz has not given up on his goal of finding sponsors to help offset the cost of the Long Bridge Park aquatics center. ‘I remain optimistic that we will be successful” in finding partners,’ Schwartz told County Board members Jan. 29, though he offered no specifics.” [InsideNova]
ACPD: Get a Designated Driver for the Big Game — “Super Bowl LIII is slated for kick-off this Sunday, February 3, and, for many, this celebratory evening includes alcohol. Enjoy the game and festivities, but don’t drop the ball on safety. Make it your game plan to take a sober ride home – whether it’s by using a ride sharing service, taxi, public transportation, or designated sober driver.” [Arlington County]
Ballston BID to Launch ‘Club’ — “The Ballston Business Improvement District is launching a club for area residents… which appears to be a first-of-its-kind program in the region. When the club kicks off by the end of summer, members will enjoy exclusive benefits like discounts for restaurants and retail, in addition to events like yoga in the park and outdoor movies.” [Washington Business Journal]
Wardian Does It Again — “Michael Wardian, 44, of Arlington, Va. has won the first of seven marathons in the World Marathon Challenge in Antarctica.” [Canadian Running, Twitter]
Arlington Firm Makes Big Acquisition — “CACI International Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire LGS Innovations LLC for $750 million in a deal that extends Arlington-based CACI’s reach into the signals intelligence and cybersecurity markets.” [Washington Business Journal]
The space at 2011 Crystal Drive, which will soon be home to The Freshman (courtesy of Dan Bowman)
The space at 2011 Crystal Drive, which will soon be home to The Freshman (courtesy of Dan Bowman)
The co-owner of popular Clarendon nightlife spot Spider Kelly’s is planning a new restaurant for the base of a Crystal City office building.
Restaurateur Nick Freshman is launching “The Freshman” at 2011 Crystal Drive, he announced today (Tuesday). He hopes to have it open by sometime in 2020.
Freshman hopes to offer “high-quality coffee, teas, and craft cocktails” at the restaurant, in addition to “breakfast, lunch and dinner options made in-house with fresh local ingredients.”
The Freshman will set up shop in a 3,400-square-foot space that was once home to a Noodles & Company location, which shut down last fall. The restaurant will have room for 120 diners and a 50-seat outdoor patio.
“I’ve seen firsthand how much the neighborhood has changed over the years and I knew I wanted to be a part of the growth,” Freshman, who lives in the area, said in a release. “When Amazon announced that they were coming to town, I knew that the opportunity to be part of this story was just too good to pass up, especially considering this is my backyard.”
Like most of the other office buildings across Crystal City, developer JBG Smith owns the property, and is trumpeting The Freshman as the first retailer to sign a lease in the area since Amazon tabbed the neighborhood for its massive new headquarters.
The company is planning an expansive new redevelopment of other retail offerings nearby, and it’s envisioning The Freshman’s arrival as one in a series of big changes on the way for the newly dubbed “National Landing” neighborhood in the coming years.
“The Freshman is a perfect fit for National Landing given Nick’s longstanding ties to the neighborhood and his concept’s natural appeal to the neighborhood’s residents, office workers and daily visitors,” Amy Rice, senior vice president at JBG Smith, said in a statement.
Freshman is launching the eatery in tandem with Mothersauce Partners, a restaurant advisory and investment firm he launched in 2016. The company has helped found The Eleanor and Takoma Beverage Company in D.C., with similar offerings as Freshman’s plans for the new Crystal City establishment.
Sloppy Mama’s barbecue, which is planning two new locations in Arlington (via @sloppymamas)
The former Misomen ramen restaurant on Lee Highway
The former Misomen ramen restaurant on Lee Highway
The chef behind a popular D.C. food truck serving up half smokes and other BBQ is opening a new restaurant in an empty space along Lee Highway.
Co-owner Joe Neuman told ARLnow he’ll be opening a brick-and-mortar location of “Sloppy Mama’s” at 5731 Lee Highway, most recently the home of the short-lived Misomen Ramen restaurant. The small space sits directly across from the original District Taco location, and Eater D.C. first reported Neuman’s plans.
The move means that Joe and Mandy Neuman will soon boast two locations in Arlington — Sloppy Mama’s is also set to join the new “food hall” at the Ballston Quarter development when it opens next month.
He points out that the company got its start as a catering operation in D.C., before eventually revving up the food truck. As that gained steam, Neuman was able to open a stall at Union Market, and even start partnering up with some bars and restaurants around the city.
But he was after a space to spread out a bit more, especially when it comes to finding room for smoking meat, so he sought out the new Lee Highway locations.
Neuman says the menu at the new space won’t differ much from Sloppy Mama’s current offerings. He’s expecting to cook up “authentic smoked meats” including brisket, pork. chicken, ribs, sausages and turkey, in addition to “traditional southern sides.”
As for an opening date, he’s currently targeting “mid-to-late April.”
The space Sloppy Mama’s will move into has seen plenty of turnover in the past few years. Before Misomen, the location was home to the Asian Kitchen restaurant; before that, it was a Pizza Hut.
A sign posted at Subway in Clarendon, which has closed.
Subway in Clarendon, which has closed.
A Subway location in Clarendon now looks to be toast.
The chain’s shop at 3000 10th Street N. closed for good on Tuesday (Jan. 22), according to signs posted on its doors.
The store last made the news back in 2016, when its owner pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges.
The Clarendon Subway is the second one to close in the area in recent months. Another location near Courthouse shuttered in late November.
However, anyone in the mood for one the chain’s sandwiches won’t have to go too far. The company’s website shows nine other locations still open around Arlington.
An Arlington-based smoothie chain is now offering giveaways over the next month for federal employees feeling a squeeze from the seemingly interminable government shutdown.
South Block will now hand out free regular smoothies every Friday between now and March 1. All you have to do to claim one is show a valid federal government ID.
The smoothie and juice shop has been blending up drinks at its original Clarendon location (3011 11th Street N.) for years now, and also operates stores in East Falls Church, Alexandria, Vienna and some neighborhoods in D.C. South Block will also be opening locations in Rosslyn and at the Ballston Quarter development in the coming months.
The company has even recently partnered with a Georgetown-based coffee roaster, Grace Street Coffee, to offer some caffeinated beverage options alongside its normal drink selection at the chain’s Clarendon location.
The salad chain Sweetgreen has also been offering giveaways, and even recently announced it would be handing out free signature bowls to federal employees this Saturday (Jan. 26) from 6-8 p.m.
