new restaurant

Progress is being made on Huevos, a new “all-day egg concept” from Chef Victor Albisu of Taco Bamba fame.

Albisu tells ARLnow that the restaurant’s design is nearly complete and the interior build-out will begin soon. He still expects the restaurant, in the former Yona space at 4000 Wilson Blvd, to open at some point this spring.

Opening a new restaurant with an unusual concept, in a space slightly off the beaten path along N. Quincy Street, in a neighborhood full of new restaurants, is a bold move. But one doesn’t win the RAMMY award for Chef of the Year and become a James Beard award nominee by being basic and unchallenging, and Albisu thinks Arlingtonians will embrace the idea of the egg as an ingredient for all times of the day.

“Just like any other concept or anything I embark on, I put my perspective out there,” said Albisu, whose nickname as a child was “huevos,” for his love of the humble egg.

“I just want to make a really cool concept,” he said of the egg-centric idea. “It’s a food that makes everything better.”

So what kind of dishes can you expect? A Latin-accented version of green eggs and ham; a crispy egg roll with chorizo and poblanos; bacon, egg and cheese empanadas; egg salad topped with caviar; and, yes, tacos — with an egg-based “Huevos yellow sauce.”

“As a chef and restaurateur, you want to put your spin on it,” said Albisu. “There will be some curveballs and other things on the menu that will also attract people.”

There will also, of course, be various types of coffee, along with a “modest bar” serving craft beers, mimosas and Bloody Marys.

Albisu, who grew up in Falls Church and would regularly go out to eat in Arlington, says he hopes this is the beginning of even more restaurants here. While some might be disappointed that Ballston is not getting a Taco Bamba — the existing Chipotle leaves something to be desired — he says to stay tuned.

“If what I do is interesting to everybody there, and hopefully it is, we can expand what we do in the future,” he said. “We’re always looking in Arlington. It deserves the best it can get.”

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It actually opened three months ago, but unless you work on the western side of the 1100 block of N. Glebe Road, in the Ballston area, you probably don’t know it exists.

Olive Express Mediterranean Café, a small local restaurant and catering chain that also has locations in Reston and Herndon, opened in October at 1100 N. Glebe Road, in a long-vacant ground floor retail space.

Well off the beaten path but exceedingly convenient for those who work at the office building — home to the headquarters of Arlington Economic Development and government contractor CACI — the restaurant offers salads, sandwiches, bowls, Illy coffee and Italian gelato.

More from a press release, sent last night:

Residents of Ballston should prepare themselves for a new  Mediterranean flavor in town. Olive Express Mediterranean Café has announced the opening of its newest location – 1100 N. Glebe Road, Arlington VA  22201.

Olive Express Mediterranean Café  is a Mediterranean style restaurant that also specializes in Salad, Panini, and Sandwiches as well as Bowls and Plates. Olive Express Mediterranean Café features award winning falafel, hummus and shawarmas as well as  a full Illy Coffee Bar including Nitro Cold Brew and Italian Gelato. Olive Express fuses the mouth-watering taste of Middle East with the exciting new techniques. All items are prepared fresh and fast. Olive Express prides itself on its scratch kitchen and preparing everything from fresh ingredients never frozen. Olive Express features gluten free, lactose free and vegan/vegetarian options/

Olive Express is an upscale counter-service restaurant and catering service that offers quickly prepared healthy and tasty food. Olive Express was founded in the D.C. metro area and provides a full menu of breakfast, lunch/dinner, and a full-service Coffee House. Our food is made from fresh ingredients and is “Simply Good for You.” We specialize in Mediterranean cuisine, with a menu that also focuses on paninis, deli sandwiches, and salads. No preservatives or other chemical additives are utilized. All items are delicious and will fit into a busy schedule.

Olive Express Mediterranean Café’s other locations include Reston, Virginia and Herndon, VA.

Lee’s Sandwiches, which bills itself as the “World’s Largest Bánh Mì Chain,” may be coming to Ballston, according to permit filings.

The business is still in the process of applying for permits at 801 N. Quincy Street, where a Subway sandwich shop closed last summer. The windows of the space are covered in paper and no sign of construction activity can be seen yet.

Lee’s Sandwiches serves Asian sandwiches including its flagship Bánh Mì, and is also noted for its fresh-baked baguettes and Vietnamese iced coffee. The chain opened its first East Coast store at 3037 Annandale Road in Falls Church in 2016.

“Founded in 1983 in San Jose, California, Lee’s Sandwiches is a quick-serve restaurant chain specializing in Bánh Mì, Vietnamese sandwiches and other Euro-Asian food products,” a press release said at the time. “From its beginnings as a food truck, Lee’s Sandwiches is now the largest Bánh Mì chain with over 60 locations in Arizona, California, Las Vegas (Nevada), Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Taiwan.”