2910 Columbia Pike, the soon-to-be new location of Stella Restaurant and Lounge (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
2910 Columbia Pike, the former location of P. Brennan’s (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
2910 Columbia Pike, the former location of P. Brennan’s (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
A mysterious new restaurant may be coming to Columbia Pike, potentially filling the vacant space once occupied by P. Brennan’s.
A business that goes by the name “Nightbird Restaurant & Lounge” applied late last month for a building permit at 2910 Columbia Pike, county records show. That’s the former home of P. Brennan’s Irish Pub, which was open from 2010 to 2017. The storefront has remained vacant ever since.
It appears that Nightbird was recently looking to hire an executive chef, based on the result of a Google search, but that job posting has since expired.
The Union restaurant on Fairfax Drive (photo courtesy of Giridhar Sastry)
The Union restaurant on Fairfax Drive (photo courtesy of Giridhar Sastry)
The Union restaurant on Fairfax Drive (photo courtesy of Giridhar Sastry)
McLean-based The Union restaurant has opened its second location in the Virginia Square neighborhood.
The “casual fine dining” eatery opened last Monday (April 4) at 3811 Fairfax Drive, chef and owner Giridhar Sastry confirms to ARLnow. Business, so far, has been “okay,” but Sastry says it may take some time for locals to know that the restaurant is there and open.
The menu, decor, and experience in Arlington are exactly the same as the original in McLean, he says.
The menu at the Union is, as the chef and owner described it last month, is made up of a range of cuisines.
“The DMV is a melting pot of different cultures,” Sastry said in March. “So, we have a little bit of everything.”
That includes Mumbai paninis, shrimp po-boys, beyond burgers, sorbet adas (Lebanese lentil soup), and chicken milanese.
Sastry, originally from Calcutta, India, has worked as a chef throughout the region, including the Ritz-Carlton, Mayflower Hotel in D.C., and several other Northern Virginia restaurants. He chose the Virginia Square neighborhood as the spot for his second location, which is also within walking distance of Ballston, because of the demographics and increasing population of the neighborhood.
The first Union opened in McLean in February 2020, but shut down shortly thereafter due to the pandemic. However, Sastry said that 2021 was a good year overall for the restaurant and an Arlington location was always part of his plan.
Sastry says the Union on Fairfax Drive is still hiring, particularly servers and cooks, and interested people are asked to contact the restaurant.
A new Chipotle is opening soon in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new Chipotle is opening soon in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new Chipotle is opening soon in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The new Chipotle in Clarendon is planning on opening in about two weeks.
The Mexican fast casual chain is aiming to open its new location at 3017 Clarendon Blvd on Thursday, April 21, a Chipotle spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow. It will be open from 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. This is Chipotle’s sixth Arlington location, joining existing outposts in Ballston, Crystal City, Columbia Pike, Pentagon City, and at the Lee Heights Shops.
The eatery will be on the ground floor of the 3000 Wilson Blvd office building, next to Four Sisters Grill. It’s filling the space that once was Pete’s New Haven Apizza, which closed in the summer of 2019.
There will be indoor dining space as well as a walk-up window where customers who ordered online can pick up their food without going inside. The location will also serve beer.
The first 50 people there on opening day will receive free “Chipotle Goods.” That’s merchandise that’s, as the spokesperson put it, “responsibly sourced… focused on size inclusivity, gender neutral pieces and unisex sizing on most products.”
ARLnow first reported on Chipotle moving into Clarendon in early February. The company initially denied its was coming to Clarendon, before reversing course.
The opening caps a seven year wait for burrito fans in Clarendon. Back in 2014, a Chipotle “coming soon” sign showed up on 3001 Washington Blvd. But it turned out to be a fake, apparently put up by a local prankster.
Wiltshire plaits and sausage rolls from Salt Pot Kitchen, planning to open in Ballston in May (photo courtesy of Salt Pot Kitchen)
Wendy and Charlie Salt, owners of Salt Pot Kitchen which is looking to open in Ballston in May (photo courtesy of Salt Pot Kitchen)
Ballston Quarter Market (courtesy of Ballston Quarter)
Wiltshire plaits from Salt Pot Kitchen, planning to open in Ballston in May (photo courtesy of Salt Pot Kitchen)
British-inspired Salt Pot Kitchen is planning to open in Ballston next month.
The Loudoun County-based “upscale British street food” eatery is moving into the Ballston Quarter Market stall formerly occupied by perogi stand Rogi, co-owner Wendy Salt tells ARLnow.
Salt Pot Kitchen is looking to start serving by May 1.
The restaurant comes from mother and son team Wendy and Charlie Salt — hence, the restaurant’s name — who are currently working out of a commercial kitchen in Leesburg. This is their first brick and mortar location after mostly selling their British delicacies like sausage rolls and cottage pies wholesale and at farmers markets.
Wendy Salt says they think Ballston is the perfect location for their business because of the neighborhood’s “international demographic” made up of many who are familiar with British food from their time traveling or studying abroad. Plus, the family previously lived in nearby Falls Church for 17 years.
“We are bringing British food to the people who perhaps don’t have time to cook good wholesome food for themselves and their family,” Salt says. “We think people in this area will appreciate that.”
The menu will consist of traditional English fare, like meat pies, sausage rolls, and soups. Salt says the two most popular items at markets are the beef and mushroom pies and Wiltshire plaits (pork, apple, and cheddar cheese wrapped in a flaky pastry).
There will also be a number of vegetarian and, even, vegan options, like a vegetarian curried pasty (curried vegetables wrapped in a vegan flaky crust) and roasted cauliflower and turmeric soup.
Salt says she’s hoping to expand the menu once they get settled into the space to include other traditional British bites like bangers and mash.
Rogi owner Ed Hardy closed down his Quarter Market stand, situated near the escalator to and from the mall above, in February. At the time, he had hoped to replace it with “a series of collaborations and pop-ups from other regional restaurateurs.”
Those exact plans never materialized, but Salt Pot Kitchen was one of the potential pop-ups that was initially proposed.
Foxtrot is moving into the Highlands development in Rosslyn (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Foxtrot is moving into the Highlands development in Rosslyn (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Boutique market, cafe, and convenience store Foxtrot is expanding into Rosslyn, looking to open its first Arlington outpost this fall.
Foxtrot, which opened its first D.C.-area location in Georgetown only a year ago, is moving into a ground floor retail space in the Highlands development at 1771 N. Pierce Street, the company announced yesterday (Thursday). Foxtrot expects to be open by “early fall.”
Foxtrot is an upscale corner store, market, and cafe that also focuses on delivery, making much of its inventory available for delivery in under an hour. That means everything from Fruit Loop Snickerdoodle cookies to White Claw hard seltzers can arrive at your door.
The Rosslyn location is one of four new Foxtrots that the company announced yesterday, including two in D.C. and one in Maryland, all of which are projected to open by the end of the year. That will make eight Foxtrots locally, including an Alexandria outpost that just opened early last month.
The menu will be the same in Rosslyn as the others, a Foxtrot spokesperson tells ARLnow. Decor will vary from location to location and is dependent on the neighborhood, though there will be some similarities across stores.
“Whether it’s a renovation of an older building or a new build, the spaces are designed to blend into the neighborhood and have a sense of place,” the spokesperson says. “Foxtrot’s new DMV-area stores will continue this model, with each site uniquely designed while still supporting the brand’s day-to-night atmosphere and incorporating signature design elements like concrete floors, hospitality lighting, wood paneling, warm color palettes and local artwork.”
Foxtrot Market was founded in 2014 and is based in Chicago, but has since expanded to the D.C. area and Texas. It recently raised $160 million and plans to open 50 stores across the country in the next two years.
The Highlands development in Rosslyn, the ground floor of which Foxtrot is moving into, completed construction last year. It features three residential towers, a park, a new fire station, and 40,000 square feet of retail space.
The Brass Rabbit in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Inside of Brass Rabbit Pub in Clarendon (photo courtesy of Brass Rabbit Pub)
Inside of Brass Rabbit Pub in Clarendon (photo courtesy of Brass Rabbit Pub)
Inside of Brass Rabbit Pub in Clarendon (photo courtesy of Brass Rabbit Pub)
The Brass Rabbit in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Brass Rabbit Public House in Clarendon is now open, filling the space once occupied by the Bracket Room.
Back in July 2021, ARLnow reported that a new bar and restaurant was moving into 1210 N. Garfield Street and, a few months later, that ownership was aiming for a mid-February opening. That goal wasn’t quite met, but after a bit of a delay Brass Rabbit finally opened its doors last week on Tuesday, March 22.
The pub comes from local restaurateur Reese Gardner, who owns a number of other Arlington eateries and watering holes, including Copperwood Tavern and Dudley’s Sport and Ale in Shirlington, Quinn’s on Corner in Rosslyn, and Clarendon’s The Pinemoor, just a couple of blocks from Brass Rabbit.
Photos show that rabbit-themed decor and bunny puns dot the interior. The menu also aims to be fit for a rabbit, described as “elevated pub fare with a healthy twist.”
The all-day menu includes lettuce wraps, carrot fries, a number of different salads, soups, sandwiches, wings, and burgers. The brunch menu is similar, plus the addition of carrot cake french toast. To drink and “keep the place hoppin’,” there are more than a dozen beers on tap, hand-crafted cocktails (like the “Rabbit-Hole Fashioned”), and a hefty wine list.
Brass Rabbit replaces the Bracket Room, which closed about a year ago. That restaurant and bar opened nine years ago and was co-owned by Chris Bukowski, who is probably best known for his ‘Bachelorette’ appearances — and who is not the only reality TV personality to own an Arlington restaurant.
The Bracket Room was known as a place to watch sports, the Bachelor, and for garnering noise complaints from neighbors.
County records show that Darby applied for a building permit earlier this month for the construction of a restaurant at 3185 Wilson Blvd, the one-time home of the expansive, long-time local nightlife and event venue.
In December 2020, Darby’s company Monument Realty purchased the building where Clarendon Ballroom was located for close to $7 million, the Washington Business Journal reported. The company then signed a 21-month lease with the owners of the Lot, the outdoor beer garden down the street, to operate a series of themed pop-up bars out of the space as longer term plans were figured out.
But that lease expires later this year and now it appears Darby could be moving into the Wilson Blvd location himself.
When reached for comment about the possibility of a new Darby-owned restaurant, a Monument Realty representative told ARLnow that they would be “in touch when we have additional information to share.”
Darby and wife Ashley star on the Bravo reality show “The Real Housewives of Potomac.” Ashley Darby recently confirmed that she will be returning to the show’s seventh season. Production on the new season is expected to start soon and Ashley said that locals can expect to “see some cameras around the summer.”
The couple opened Oz, featuring cuisine from Michael’s native Australia, in 2015. Its trials and tribulations ended up being a storyline on season two of the show, before the eatery closed in 2019. It’s unclear whether the new restaurant will feature into RHOP’s upcoming season.
The Oz space on Clarendon Blvd — a four minute walk from from the Ballroom space — has sat dormant ever since, but will soon become the first D.C. area location for Asian restaurant chain Wagamama.
Construction at the former Rays the Steaks location at 2300 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction at the former Rays the Steaks location at 2300 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
FitDistrict owner and founder Catherine Ford (courtesy photo)
A one-stop-shop for a workout and a post-workout meal is gearing up to open in the former Ray’s the Steaks location in Courthouse.
The forthcoming gym-café, FitDistrict, will have a little bit of everything: studios for hot yoga, cycling and interval training classes, and a diverse menu ranging from wheatgrass shots to healthified comfort classics, like shepherd’s pie.
“This has been a dream in the making for a long time,” says owner and founder Catherine Ford, who is also an Arlington resident.
Construction began about two weeks ago on the approximately 7,500-square foot space in the Navy League building at 2300 Wilson Blvd. It housed the iconic, no-frills steakhouse until that closed in 2019.
She expects to open the gym and restaurant at the same time in July.
“We’re all so busy and we are all are craving belonging and community — now more than ever — so it’s going to be fitness and food, but it’s about belonging and community,” she said. “Our tagline is ‘feel good here,’ because that’s what it’s about.”
After finishing a workout, gym members can head over to the café, which will have indoor and outdoor seating, or pick up a to-go order they placed before their workout. Ford designed the menu, which has vegan, vegetarian and paleo-friendly options.
“The whole idea came out of something I wanted in my own life and my personal struggles of fitting it all in,” she said.
The FitDistrict logo (courtesy photo)
As a financial planner, Ford had difficulty finding time for her two passions: attending group fitness classes and cooking healthy food. As someone who enjoyed a variety of workouts, she maintained multiple memberships to different boutique gyms.
The idea for one spot housing multiple studios and a restaurant came to her 10 years ago, when she was hungry after a barre class she had squeezed in before a meeting. She mulled the concept for years before deciding to act on it.
“I am grateful I found the courage a couple of years ago to go after it,” she said. “This has been a journey of a lifetime already.”
Ford incorporated FitDistrict in 2017 and found a bank to work with her in 2018. It took her a few years to find the right location, but she eventually signed a lease on the space a little more than a year ago. Now, she’s focused on construction and hiring for multiple positions.
She still works as a financial planner by day, but her hope is to go full time and, eventually, add locations.
Nighthawk Pizza will open to the public on Thursday (March 24) at 3 p.m., in the large space at 1201 S. Joyce Street, after a series of private “friends and family” nights this week.
In addition to thin-crust pizza and beer, the menu includes a range of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and cocktails — both handmade and on tap. The red-and-blue neon lights, bench seating and retro arcade games help to give the restaurant its 90s feel, partially offset by the abundant flat screen TVs that surround the large bar and the cavernous dining area.
“The design inspiration for the space was The Max from ‘Saved By The Bell,'” Parker noted.
In all, the brew pub has 10,000 square feet of space, plenty for the crowds Parker and company are hoping to attract from the growing neighborhood, which includes Amazon’s HQ2, set for a 2023 opening a few blocks away.
Parker said his group of partners “is already looking for our next locations for Nighthawk, as well as developing other projects.” Additional locations in the D.C. area and other cities are expected to be announced “in the coming months,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nighthawk is not the only spring opening at Pentagon Row, which was renamed “Westpost” in 2020.
“Taco temple” Banditos Bar & Kitchen is set to open in April, one restaurant over and also overlooking Westpost’s central square and soon-to-be-dismantled-for-the-season ice skating rink. Also expected to open next month are a new, 34,000 square foot Target store, on April 3, as well as sushi restaurant Kusshi.
Crystal Bowl, a lunch bowl eatery, to open in Crystal City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Crystal Bowl, a lunch bowl eatery, to open in Crystal City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Crystal Bowl, a lunch bowl eatery, to open in Crystal City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Crystal Bowl, a lunch bowl eatery, to open in Crystal City (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Grab a fork because a new lunch bowl eatery is coming to Crystal City.
Crystal Bowl is opening on the ground floor of 2800 Crystal Drive, signs announce on the eatery’s exterior. It’s set to serve lunch bowls, sandwiches, breakfast, coffee, smoothies, and bubble tea, according to signs on the window.
It remains unclear when it is expected to open, though. The website just notes “coming soon” and a call to the posted phone number went unanswered. Looking inside, however, it appears that interior construction is mostly complete.
Ice skaters on a 60 degree day in March in front of Banditos (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
“Taco temple” Banditos is looking to open next month in the old Thaiphoon space at Westpost (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
“Taco temple” Banditos Bar & Kitchen appears to be preparing to open in Pentagon City next month.
A new black and pink banner declaring an “April 2022” opening for the Baltimore-based Mexican eatery was spotted hanging over the exterior of 1301 S. Joyce Street at Westpost.
ARLnow has reached out to both Banditos and Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT), which owns the development, for more details about the plans.
The self-described “taco temple” is moving into the 3,000 square foot space plus outdoor seating that was previously occupied by Thaiphoon, which closed in November after more than a decade at the spot.
Company owner Sean White told ARLnow last year that the size, design, and layout of the Arlington location will be roughly the same as the other Banditos restaurants in Maryland. This is the eatery’s first location in Virginia, but is opening a Fairfax eatery later this year, according to its website.
White also noted that Amazon’s continued expansion into Arlington, a few blocks from Westpost in Pentagon City, made the county a particularly good fit for Banditos’ own expansion.
The brunch, lunch, and dinner menu includes more than 20 different types of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, street corn, more than 40 different brands of tequila, and mezcal.
