This week Bakeshop opened a new location in the City of Falls Church. The new shop had its soft opening yesterday (Monday) after weeks of teasing pictures of new equipment and barista training with Vigilante coffee on social media.
Founder Justin Stegall told ARLnow he “loves Arlington” but “was traveling around and kind of fell love in with Falls Church also.”
“The neighborhood vibe is a little less urban, a little more old-fashioned,” he said of Falls Church.
It was a neighborhood he thought could use a cupcake shop, and as of this week it has one. Bakeshop is now open at 100 E. Fairfax Street and plans to be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Stegall added that he will tailor the Falls Church menu to suit his new customers, likely adding more breakfast options and some exclusive cookies.
For now the new bakery shares a menu with the Clarendon location, which features a rotating cast of cupcakes with favorites like salty caramel and red velvet, as well as cakes, pies, and some light breakfast fare like croissants and scones.
Stegall said he’s “very happy to have become a piece of the Arlington fabric.”
Nearly ten years after some critics (including our commentators) predicted the 2010 cupcake fad would fade, Stegall and his staff are still in business.
“It’s crazy for me to think about,” he said. “Ten years is a pretty big chunk of life. I never even had a ten-year-out plan.”
When asked if he has plans to continue expansion, Stegall laughed.
“The vision right now is to stay with the two until the next vision comes,” he said.
“East West Cafe” is slated to open at 3101 Wilson Blvd, in at least part of the space that was once the American Tap Room, according to owner Mehmet Coskun.
Coskun also opened coffee-and-pastry joint Central Coffee Bar in Rosslyn (1901 N. Moore Street) two years ago. Since then he’s expanded opening hours and added alcoholic beverages to the menu.
Coskun, who lives in Pentagon City, previously told ARLnow he wanted to give Arlington a local alternative to Starbucks and had plans to expand to Clarendon and beyond.
He did not say East West would open, but that he expects the new Clarendon establishment to “open soon.” Records indicate Coskun registered East West Coffee LLC last month and applied for a county building permit on Tuesday.
Coskun said the new cafe’s namesake is its selection of both wine and coffee.
“I feel like the wine belongs to the west and the coffee comes from the east,” he Coskun, referring to Yemen’s early production of “mocha” coffee and the rise of wine in ancient Greece.
Several businesses have been rumored to fill the former Tap Room space since its closure in 2016, including a Verizon store and a gym, but thus far neither have come to fruition.
Ballston’s newest cafe and donut shop Good Company hopes to hold a soft opening this weekend
Ballston’s newest cafe and donut shop Good Company hopes to hold a soft opening this weekend
Ballston’s All-day cafe and donut shop Good Company hopes to hold a soft opening this weekend
Ballston’s newest cafe and donut shop Good Company hopes to hold a soft opening this weekend
Ballston’s newest cafe and donut shop Good Company hopes to hold a soft opening this weekend
Ballston’s newest cafe and donut shop Good Company hopes to hold a soft opening this weekend
Ballston’s newest cafe and donut shop Good Company hopes to hold a soft opening this weekend
(Updated 05/04/19) Ballston will soon be home to a new veteran-owned cafe serving up breakfast, lunch and doughnuts all-day.
The owners of Good Company Doughnuts and Cafe say they’re eyeing a soft opening on Sunday starting at 6:30 a.m., pending final health and permitting inspections this week.
The cafe is located at 670 N. Glebe Road, on the bottom floor of the 672 Flats apartment building.
Good Company is run by Charlie and Melissa Kachadoorian, his sister Kate Murphy and her husband Jim Murphy, and Tim Terry and Ana Terry.
Tim Terry, Jim Murphy, and Charlie Kachadoorian are Army, Navy, and Air Force veterans.
“We just need a Marine,” joked Kate Murphy.
“We will feed lots of Marines. Marines love doughnuts,” replied Tim.
Good Company will be serving handmade doughnuts baked by Kate Murphy. She uses a 60-quart, 300-pound mixing machine for mixing the dough so heavy she said a forklift needed to move it into the kitchen.
The machine mixes 50-pound batches of dough, which she says yields around 300 doughnuts.
Murphy says she’ll be baking cake and yeast-raised doughnuts with flavors from cinnamon sugar to butter crunch.
The cafe will also serve “light breakfast fare” like smoothies and yogurt parfaits along with”rustic pastries” like quiche and lemon scones. Soups, salads, and sandwiches will be served at lunch, with a signature “Cubano” sandwich made with pork braised in-house daily.
The family enterprise says they hope to expand with dinner offerings after a grand opening planned for Memorial Day, and eventually add a liquor license.
The subway-tiled eatery features a map of Arlington on the wall by the tables, and giant donut-mixer whisks as lampshades.
Good Company partnered with Chicago-based Intelligentsia Coffee for their brews.
(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.
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.
Sloppy Mama’s BBQ in Ballston Quarter (sauce added by author)
Sloppy Mama’s BBQ in Ballston Quarter
Ballston Service Station in Ballston Quarter
Ballston Service Station in Ballston Quarter
Ballston Service Station in Ballston Quarter
The rapid-fire openings at Ballston Quarter’s Quarter Market food hall are continuing this week.
After a “soft opening” Friday, Sloppy Mama’s BBQ was open for lunch today, serving wood-smoked meats in sandwiches and platters, alongside homemade sides and barbecue sauces.
It’s the food truck’s first bricks-and-mortar location and its first major foray outside of the District — though some of its barbecue supplies are sold at Arrowine on Lee Highway.
Though it was only open for lunch today, and its hours are not yet set, Sloppy Mama’s expects to eventually be open for lunch and dinner.
Also open for a Friday “soft opening” was Ballston Service Station, which will serve as the food hall’s main bar.
Featuring 20 taps of beer — from local brews to cheap classics and popular imports — plus six wines and two cider on tap, the bar strives to provide “something for everybody.” Customers can drink at the bar or take it with them elsewhere in the food hall.
“We want to to be able to get whatever you want, so you can walk around and pair it with something to eat here,” said Andrew Dana, the co-owner of Ballston Service Station and also the co-owner of another Quarter Market vendor, Turu’s by Timber Pizza.
As it must to comply with Virginia ABC regulations, the bar will also serve food: paninis and chips.
Dana said Ballston Service Station will re-open Tuesday. Its regular hours will be 4 p.m. to close.
Long lines formed outside Turu’s and Rice Crook Thursday at the Ballston Quarter food hall
Long lines formed outside Turu’s and Rice Crook Thursday at the Ballston Quarter food hall
Long lines formed outside Turu’s and Rice Crook Thursday at the Ballston Quarter food hall
Long lines formed outside Turu’s and Rice Crook Thursday at the Ballston Quarter food hall
Long lines formed outside Turu’s and Rice Crook Thursday at the Ballston Quarter food hall
Long lines formed outside Turu’s and Rice Crook Thursday at the Ballston Quarter food hall
Long lines formed outside Turu’s and Rice Crook Thursday at the Ballston Quarter food hall
Long lines formed outside Turu’s and Rice Crook Thursday at the Ballston Quarter food hall
Two more restaurants are serving up dishes for diners in Ballston: pizza restaurant Turu’s by Timber Pizza Co. and Korean fast casual eatery Rice Crook.
Customers formed long lines at both joints today (Thursday) in the food hall of the newly redeveloped Ballston Quarter mall.
Rice Crook is creation of Scott Chung, who started Union Market’s Bun’d up. His new fast casual eatery serves wraps, salads and rice bowls.
Bowls were the only items on the menu today. Options included Korean BBQ beef, BBQ pork, tofu or mushrooms, or Thai chicken.
Chung said the restaurant takes its name from a Korean saying about food so good it makes people into rice thieves
“Basically everything that you see on the menu is stuff that I eat on the daily,” said Chung, who told ARLnow he hopes the restaurant will introduce Arlington to Korean cuisine. Chung himself is a relatively new Ballston resident, after moving to the area last April in anticipation of Rice Crook’s opening.
Chung’s grandmother from New York travelled down to Arlington for the opening and was helping customers at Rice Crook today, while emphatically recommending the addition of hot sauce.
Nearby in the 10,000 square-foot space of Quarter Market’s food hall, Turu’s by Timber Pizza Co. was holding soft opening from 11-2 p.m. today (Thursday) featuring giant slices of pizza with all the classics — as well as a jalapeño and spice honey recipe.
The pizzeria is a brick-and-mortar venture from Petworth food truck Timber Pizza that will continue the tradition of Neapolitan-style pizza cooked with a wood-fire oven.
Turu’s staff told ARLnow that the pizza eatery will re-open tomorrow (Friday) from 11-2 p.m. again and said the plan is open with “expanded hours” next week.
The Quarter Market’s food line-up has fluctuated over the past year as the development project was beset by multiple delays but as today Hot Lola’s, Ice Cream Jubilee, Copa Kitchen and Bar, and Mi & Yu Noodle Bar were also serving customers.
Hot Lola’s chicken sandwiches (photos via Hot Lola’s)
Hot Lola’s chicken tenders
A new restaurant specializing in spicy chicken is now open in Ballston Quarter’s food hall.
Hot Lola’s is the one of the newest additions to the mall’s Quarter Market food hall and is helmed by Chef Kevin Tien from Petworth’s Himitsu. The menu features chicken sandwiches in four levels of spiciness, from mild to eye-watering. Each is $7.50 and topped with slaw, pickles and a special sauce.
Chicken tenders with slaw, pickles, and toast are available for $8.50 those who want to go bun-less.
Tien previously told Eater he use Sichuan chili oil and spices to flavor the signature sandwiches, making for a style that’s akin to Nashville hot chicken, but unique.
“The only question is, how hot do you want it?” reads Ballston Quarter’s website for the eatery.
Patrons can indeed order on a scale from “TOO HOT” down to “O.G. HOT” down to “Warm + Numbing,” according to the menu. A non-spicy version is also on the menu.
A 4 percent “Fair Wage + Wellness Provision” that pays for employee health insurance, as well as dental and vision, is added to the price.
“After careful research, we have come to the conclusion that this is the best way to reduce wage disparity and provide health benefits for all full time employees,” the restaurant wrote in an open letter about the fee. “No portion of this Hospitality Provision will go to ownership wages or investor dividends.”
The eatery is part of the 25,000 square-foot “food hall” in the newly-renovated Ballston Quarter mall, where only about half of the planned restaurants are open amid construction delays.
Ice Cream Jubilee opened in the space last Friday, following Hot Lola’s and Spanish small plate restaurant Copa Kitchen and Bar earlier this month. Mi & Yu Noodle Bar was the first Quarter Market eatery to open, on March 4. Korean rice bowl restaurant Rice Crook also appeared to be open earlier this week.
Rosslyn’s new Italian restaurant Sfoglina is now hiring.
Rosslyn’s new Italian restaurant Sfoglina is now hiring.
The new Rosslyn outpost of Sfoglina restaurant is now hiring, a signal that its long-awaited opening is approaching.
Signs plastered over the front windows of Sfoglina Pasta House say the Italian restaurant is “coming soon” and it’s hiring bartenders and sous chefs, among several other positions.
The restaurant is located in a 4,500 square-foot space at 1100 Wilson Blvd, the 31-story building that’s home to local TV station WJLA.
As of today (Tuesday), Sfoglina’s website says its Rosslyn location is “coming soon.” The restaurant owners did not return a request for comment on expected opening dates in time for publication.
The Rosslyn pasta house will be a sister to the flagship Sfoglina co-owners Maria and Fabio Trabocchi opened in D.C.’s Van Ness neighborhood in 2016. The pair also manages several other local culinary hotspots including another Sfoglina in downtown D.C., as well as Fiola, Fiola Mare and Del Mar.
Fabio Trabocchi said in May that opening a location outside of D.C. was “such an exciting opportunity, and we’re delighted to be a part of this vibrant and growing community, while further strengthening our love for the craft of pasta-making.”
At the time, the Trabocchis said they expected to open by the end of 2018, or in early 2019.
Ice Cream Jubilee in Ballston Quarter (photo courtesy Victoria Lai)
Ice Cream Jubilee in Ballston Quarter
Ice Cream Jubilee in Ballston Quarter
Ice Cream Jubilee has opened its new location in Ballston Quarter’s food hall.
The ice cream store, on the mall’s concourse level, is serving 16 unique flavors of ice cream, ranging from Thai Iced Tea to Honey Lemon Lavender to Banana Bourbon Caramel.
Owner Victoria Lai told ARLnow that she’s been pleasantly surprised by the number of customers they’ve had on their first day. She added that she’s excited to be among Ballston Quarter’s bevy of local food vendors.
“Every single day there’s something new down here,” she said. “There’s so much to look forward to.”
The opening comes at the same time as some other Ballston businesses were experiencing a power outage, across the street from the mall.
Dominion Energy spokesman Chuck Penn said the outage was caused by a nearby car accident and that Dominion crews were on the scene performing repairs.
“We expect to have all that done in about an hour,” Penn said at 2 p.m.
At 12:45 p.m. Dominion’s live outage map showed three customers affected by the outage.
Cava and Philz Coffee, which are both located at 4121 Wilson Blvd, posted signs on their front doors at noon Friday alerting customers they had closed due to the lack of power.
Cava restaurant and Philz Coffee in Ballston are both closed due to a power outage that appears to be isolated to one building pic.twitter.com/n4K6qUE4N8
The three-story Mexican restaurant combo (TTT, Buena Vida, and Buena Vida Social) will open in stages this spring.
The three-story Mexican restaurant combo (TTT, Buena Vida, and Buena Vida Social) will open in stages this spring.
The three-story Mexican restaurant combo (TTT, Buena Vida, and Buena Vida Social) will open in stages this spring.
The three-story Mexican restaurant combo (TTT, Buena Vida, and Buena Vida Social) will open in stages this spring.
(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) Arlington’s newest stop for tacos is holding a soft opening tonight (Friday) in Clarendon.
Tacos, Tortas, and Tequila (TTT) is the colorful creation of serial restauranteur Ivan Iricanin, who also owns Ambar and Baba across the street. Iricanin modeled the menu after Mexico City’s street food.
Starting Friday and continuing through Sunday, Iricanin says TTT will test out a limited version of its new menu with a dozen types of tacos available to order in groups of three. TTT will serve patrons from 4 p.m. until 1 a.m. tonight, he said.
The new restaurant’s soft opening continues this weekend, with TTT serving up taco combos Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“The goal is to be a neighborhood gathering spot,” Iricanin told ARLnow Friday morning, gesturing to the downstairs bar where he hopes people will order drinks, food, and bring books or laptops to hang out.
Eventually, he plans to open TTT for brunch seven days a week, keeping the taco eatery open from 7 a.m.
TTT occupies the ground floor of the giant, three-story homage to Mexican cuisine that Iricanin opened in what used to be La Tasca at 2900 Wilson Blvd. A mural of traditional Mexican motifs adorns the new eatery’s open kitchen in the style of Diego Rivera, and murals along the wall help guide patrons to the right floor.
The concept is similar to the Iricanin’s Silver Spring TTT, but he says the new spot will be unique because of a a collaboration struck with famed Mexican chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo of the award-winning Nicos restaurant in Mexico City. With Chef Lugo’s help, the theme of the Clarendon building’s three restaurants — TTT, Buena Vida, and Buena Vida Social Club — is traditional Mexican food not altered for American palates.
“What I learned from Ambar is if you stay true to the roots and present the culture you can’t go wrong,” said Iricanin.
Upstairs from TTT is Buena Vida, a sit-down restaurant that opened Monday with a focus on what Iricanin called “indigenous recipes” of traditional family-style cooking in Mexico. Waiters prepare caesar salads and guacamole fresh at patron’s tables using rolling side carts that line the edges of the spacious room overlooking Wilson Blvd and N. Fillmore Street.
Buena Vida’s menu features cold starters like tropical ceviche with tuna, cucumber and pineapple and classic starters like queso fundido served with herbs and tortillas made in-house. Entrees are a mix of meat and seafood dishes, like a Yucatan recipe for duck cooked in a pumpkin seed sauce.
The rooftop floor will host a third restaurant and bar space newly named “Buena Vida Social Club” and is still under construction. Iricanin says he hopes to open it in late April.
“It’s a challenge opening one restaurant. We’re opening three,” Iricanin admits.
He plans to also seat patrons on patios outside Buena Vida and TTT come early summer, pending better weather and sidewalk seating permits. With the patios, the three-story establishment will be able to seat a combined 345 people.
Despite the “tequila” in the name, Iricanin says he’s focusing on growing the restaurant’s wine selection. At the moment he says he’s importing craft wines from Mexico’s Baja region to pair with the menu, and hired a sommelier from Mexico City to help make the selection for Clarendon.
“Their wine culture is growing, there are amazing wines there,” said Iricanin. “My goal is by the end of the year to have 50 to 80 wines.”
Other future plans include using the 190 inch projection screen installed in front of TTT’s mural for game nights during the World Cup, or black and white movies on Fridays.
The new 1,300 square foot location, next to BASH Boxing in the outdoor row of businesses at Ballston Quarter mall, will offer raw, cold-pressed juices, along with toasts, acai bowls, and smoothies.
A “soft opening” for the new Ballston location will be held starting on Monday. The location’s normal weekday hours will be 7 a.m.-8 p.m., with weekend hours of 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
South Block will be holding a “block party” in two weeks to celebrate its grand opening, with proceeds from the event benefiting the Arlington Food Assistance Center. More on that, via a press release, below.
Locally owned South Block, northern Virginia’s first juice bar known for amazing acai bowls, smoothies and juice, celebrates its ninth location with a Grand Opening “Block Party” on Saturday, April 6 in Ballston Quarter. South Block first opened in 2011 in a 700 square foot space in Clarendon on a mission to “Build Healthier Communities…One Block at a Time!” The Ballston location is more than 1300 square feet and is located next to the future Ballston BASH Boxing in the newly renovated Ballston Mall on N. Randolph Street.
“When I graduated from Virginia Tech I lived in Ballston before I opened the first South Block. It’s where the seed was planted, and now, more than 15 years later I am so excited to go back to my roots and open our ninth location. I have a strong connection to this community and am honored to be a part of the flourishing neighborhood,” said South Block’s Founder and CEO, Amir Mostafavi.
South Block’s “good vibe tribe” will be out in full force at the Grand Opening “Block Party” on Saturday, April 6 at 9:00 a.m. The first 100 “Block Party” attendees will receive a swag bag complete with a reusable smoothie cup and sunglasses plus the chance to win a $100 South Block gift card. A live DJ and boxing demonstrations by BASH boxing will keep the good vibes rolling!
WHO: South Block Ballston
WHAT: South Block Ballston’s Grand Opening “Block Party”
WHEN: Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. (Store opens to the public on Monday, March 25).
WHERE: South Block | 700 N Randolph St, Arlington, VA 22203
All proceeds on April 6 will go to South Block’s new fundraising initiative, Fruitful Planet, to support the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), a community-based non-profit that provides supplemental groceries to Arlington neighbors in need. South Block created Fruitful Planet as a way to give back to those in need and build healthy communities. “We believe that small acts can make a big impact! The Arlington community has been so great to South Block… we want to do everything we can to support the community and show love back. We are ‘One Block!'” said Mostafavi.
South Block’s Ballston Quarter location will have a soft opening starting March 25 and will be open weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and weekends 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Download South Block’s mobile app to access their secret “Underground Menu” and order-ahead. South Block has partnered with another locally growing business, MightyMeals, to deliver their juices. Visit www.southblockjuice.com for juice delivery options!
