The county’s latest Dunkin’ Donuts opened Friday morning in Virginia Square.
And the donut-and-coffee shop made a splash this morning at 3701 Fairfax Drive with free prizes from a giveaway wheel, a balloon arch outside and appearances by mascots Cuppy and Sprinkles alongside cheerleaders for the Washington Capitals.
It is located on the first floor of the former DARPA headquarters and current FDIC office.
To mark the opening, guests could get a free classic donut with any drink purchase until 10 a.m. Friday. Then on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., patrons will receive a free medium hot or iced coffee, while children under 12 can decorate donuts. The giveaway wheel will once again be spinning, while an on-site DJ will provide music.
The cafe was already doing brisk business just before 8:30 a.m. when an ARLnow reporter stopped by. It is the 11th in the county, after one opened in April on N. Glebe Road.
Urban Tandoor is set to move into 801 N. Quincy Street
The Indian restaurant will have indoor and patio seating
It is set to be the fourth restaurant in the space in recent years
An Indian restaurant is set to be the latest to move into a Ballston space that has had several eateries come and go in recent years.
The restaurant, known as Urban Tandoor, hopes to be open at 801 N. Quincy Street on the ground floor of the Quincy Crossing office building around November, said owner Rajeev Mainali.
Mainali said there will be around 95 seats inside, with another 40 on an outdoor patio. He said it will have an “extensive” bar menu, while the food will mostly be Indian, with some subtle differences.
“It’s going to be mainly Indian food,” he said. “We have expanded the menu, and will be adding a lot of seafood and grill items. We put it as a tandoor. There’s going to be a little bit of a twist on the menu to cater to the young crowd.”
Mainali said he saw an opportunity to move in due to what he said is a dearth of ethnic food in the fast-growing neighborhood.
“They don’t have a lot of options for ethnic food in the Ballston area,” he said. “The area is growing so fast, we feel like it has been underserved as far as restaurants go. We feel like there are not enough good restaurants there. There are some, but not enough to serve the growing clientele there.”
Kung Fu Tea at 3018 Wilson Blvd opened over the weekend in the former Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream location. Its soft opening is expected to last all week, with the store open from 12-9 p.m.
The store offers black and green tea, which customers can combine with milk and with fruit flavors. There are also several flavored yogurt options made from the Japanese probiotic Yakult, slush and snow cream offerings, seasonal flavors like “Pumpkin Oolong Milk Tea,” and various coffee and espresso options.
Tapioca bubbles are one of several toppings that can be added for 50 cents each.
Inside of the new Clarendon store, which is located next to the recently-opened Hanabi Ramen restaurant, there is space for around 12 people to sit. Kung Fu Tea has dozens locations across the United States and has been expanding in the D.C. area.
At the time, owner Alemayehu Abebe said he was hopeful of opening this summer, but that timeline has been pushed back. Abebe told ARLnow in a brief interview last Wednesday that construction will start sometime around today (Monday). He did not say what has caused the delays.
The restaurant has applied for a license with Virginia ABC, and is hoping to have more than 100 seats inside as well as more outside on a patio. Chercher offers traditional Ethiopian food and drink on its menu. The restaurant at 1334 9th Street NW was included in Michelin’s D.C. dining guide and earned a “bib gourmand” for high-quality food at a low price.
The eatery previously filed for county permits to convert what was intended as an office space to a restaurant use. As of Tuesday, the space had been completely gutted, ready for work to begin.
The space on the ground floor of a large office building is close to the county courthouse complex and police headquarters, and across the street from the Tellus apartment building. Signs in the window indicate another ground-floor unit in the same building as the planned restaurant is available for rent by a retail tenant.
A new permit was approved in July for indoor seating at Pio Pio
A tipster reported that work will be done on the building and parking lot
The Peruvian restaurant has been the source of fascination for some for months
It closed earlier this year for maintenance on its roof
A rarely-open restaurant near Clarendon could be set for some big changes.
Pio Pio at 3300 Wilson Blvd has been the source of fascinationfor months, with some calling the Peruvian restaurant’s unpredictable hours downright “mysterious.” Pio Pio closed earlier this year, reportedly for maintenance on its roof.
But a permit approved in late July by the county indicates that someone has filed to open a new restaurant with indoor seating in the space.
There are no other concrete details available about the future of the eatery, but a tipster said it would be a kabob restaurant.
“They are fixing up the building and parking lot,” said the anonymous tipster.
As of Friday morning when an ARLnow reporter visited, no work appeared to have been done, with tables and chairs still sitting in the vacant restaurant.
The soft opening will include Saturday night (photo via Instagram)
Wilson Hardware replaces RiRa at 2915 Wilson Blvd
Guests can expect to see various motifs and murals on the walls (photo via Instagram)
It will serve contemporary American food and drink (photo via Instagram)
Wilson Hardware has three distinct bar areas (photo via Instagram)
Seating will also be available on the back patio
(Updated 2:10 p.m.) After months of anticipation, the successor to the former RiRa Irish Pub in Clarendon will open its doors tomorrow (Friday).
Wilson Hardware’s soft opening at 2915 Wilson Blvd will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, with happy hour from 5-7 p.m., according to an event listing. It will open at the same time on Saturday as well, with a DJ to perform on both nights from 10 p.m. until close.
Anyone wanting to make dinner reservations for Friday or Saturday can now do so online.
“The team has been working hard create a beautiful, multi-level space for everyone’s enjoyment,” an invite to the soft opening reads. “Guests can anticipate bold fixtures, textured artwork and a unique experience in the new eclectic venue.”
The new 7,000-square-foot bar and lounge has three distinct bar areas, including one on the roof. Inside and outside are motifs and murals.
Food to be served will include Hardware fritters, crab dip and panzerotti, whichis crisp-fried pizza dough stuffed with cheeses and marinara sauce. The menu will also feature avocado burgers with grass-fed beef, duck confit with roasted vegetables, steak frites and pan-seared salmon with saffron mashed potatoes.
Many of the drinks will reference the Virginia Hardware store, which occupied the space from the early 1960s until 2005. The cocktail menu will feature signature drinks such as the “Blueprint,” a mix of rosé, vodka, cantaloupe, lemon, ancho chile and mint; the “Adjustable Wrench” made with bourbon, rum, vanilla and chocolate bitters and the “Bright Idea,” a shareable cocktail for two.
Work to renovate and build out the space began last year.
“We’re so excited for everyone to finally see our vision for Wilson Hardware to come to life,” co-owner Jad Bouchebel said in a statement. “We know Arlingtonians will be pleasantly surprised when they see how we’ve revamped the space into an elegant new restaurant and bar.”
A new beauty store is set to move to Pentagon Row, reportedly as early as next spring.
Ulta Beauty is opening a 10,000-square-foot store at 1101 S. Joyce Street, replacing the Vitamin Shoppe and Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. The store will be close to Harris Teeter and Bed Bath & Beyond.
Washingtonian magazine reported late last month it will open in spring 2018. As of Thursday, construction crews were hard at work on the space.
Ulta offers a wide range of beauty products, including brands like Urban Decay, Nars and MAC. It also offers services like facials, eyebrow waxing and hair styling.
Already, Ulta has stores nearby in Bailey’s Crossroads, Springfield and Northeast Washington. Its online careers portal notes several open positions at the planned Pentagon Row store.
Ulta is one of a number of businesses that have opened or are opening at Pentagon Row in the coming months. Signs nearby welcome the arrivals of the F45 Training gym, Club Pilates, Aabee Kabob, a Deli and Basic Burger.
Basic Burger, a Shake Shack-eque burger restaurant, opened its first location in Courthouse last year.
Yes! We are excited to announce @ultabeauty is coming to The Row!
After months of delays and regulatory hurdles, new Columbia Pike beer garden BrickHaus is set to open on Labor Day.
The 2900 Columbia Pike restaurant will open its doors at 2 p.m. with full service inside and a range of freshly tapped beers and new food. Reservations are not available, and the patio will not be open until October, owner Tony Wagner said in a Facebook post.
It's time to celebrate! BrickHaus is at long last opening our doors on Columbia Pike on Monday, September 4th. Doors…
Most construction on the space has been finished since May.
BrickHaus will be a beer garden on the first floor, with some 20 beers on tap and an approximately 30-seat outdoor patio. The second floor mezzanine will have upstairs dining with a menu including steaks, German food and other entrees.
It will offer mostly regional brews from Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, in addition to perhaps a couple of German beers. Wagner said draft wine will also be available.
The aging building has received an extensive renovation after being vacant for years following the departure of Blanca’s Restaurant.
“The oldest building on Columbia Pike will come to life once more, letting it all hang out!” Wagner wrote.
Plaza Maya opened at 3207 Columbia Pike last month
The restaurant serves food from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala
Plaza Maya replaced Ethiopian restaurant Flamingo
Photo via Facebook
Photo via Facebook
Photo via Facebook
Photo via Facebook
Photo via Facebook
A Central American restaurant run by Honduran immigrants just celebrated its first month open on Columbia Pike.
Plaza Maya at 3207 Columbia Pike serves food from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, and replaced the Ethiopian restaurant Flamingo.
The restaurant’s menu includes staples of Central American food like enchiladas, burritos and tacos. It has also applied to Virginia ABC to start serving alcohol with its food. Per a permit filed with the county, it can seat up to 61 people.
It opened July 21, between the Panda Bowl Chinese restaurant and City Kabob & Curry House, an Indian and Pakistani eatery. Plaza Maya offers dine-in and carry out options.
Employees at the restaurant said they are from Honduras, and some have lived in the United States for a decade or more. They said they opened the restaurant so others could experience their love of food from their native country.
“We like cooking, and we like money too,” one joked.
Buckingham Florist is being taken over by Ravi Kabob
It will be the Pakistani eatery’s fourth location in Buckingham
Signs on the doors indicate it will be “for family”
Next door, the takeout restaurant Ravi Chatkhara will become a bakery
The flagship Ravi Kabob in the shopping center is nearby
The space occupied by Buckingham Florist until earlier this year is apparently set to be taken over by the owners behind the Ravi Kabob family of Pakistani restaurants, though details about the new eatery are scarce.
The florist’s former storefront at 301 N. Glebe Road is under construction, with signs indicating it will become “Ravi Kabob For Family,” the restaurant’s fourth location in the area of the Buckingham Shopping Center.
A sign next door at the Ravi Chatkhara takeout restaurant indicates it will become the “Ravi Confectioners and Bakers.” The flagship Ravi Kabob restaurant, known in the neighborhood as “Ravi Kabob 1,” appears to be staying put.
Ravi Kabob is described as a “no-frills restaurant” that offers kebabs and other Pakistani food at low prices. It has another location across the street at 250 N. Glebe Road next to the CVS, known as “Ravi Kabob 2.” Multiple attempts to contact the restaurant’s owners were unsuccessful.
Buckingham Florist, a long-time local business, relocated to Annandale. Open since the 1940s, the florist delivered to Arlington County, Arlington National Cemetery and other parts of Northern Virginia.
It is next to a Virginia ABC store and across from the Colonial Village condos
Inside, the restaurant seats approximately 20 people
It also offers carry-out and delivery of its Thai and Mongolian food
Photo via Buuz Thai Eatery
Photo via Buuz Thai Eatery
Photo via Buuz Thai Eatery
Photo via Buuz Thai Eatery
The successor to Chinese and Thai restaurant Lucky Pot in Courthouse opened earlier this year and is garnering positive reviews.
Buuz Thai Eatery opened a few months ago on the ground floor of the 1919 Clarendon Blvd apartment building, but with an address of 1926 Wilson Blvd. It is located between the Virginia ABC store and a realty office, across the street from the Colonial Village condos.
Buuz’s predecessor, Lucky Pot, opened in 2014. The interior looks largely unchanged, even after the business changed hands. One reader emailed to say he has visited Buuz twice already, “and it’s been packed and [the] food is good.”
Co-owner Zola Enkh is Mongolian, and said she wanted to combine her native country’s food with that of Thailand. The menu is filled with traditional Thai and Mongolian dishes, like stir fry, curry, pad Thai rice and vegetable dishes.
“I’m sure there’s many Thai restaurants, but there’s not many Mongolian restaurants here,” she said.
And while the restaurant seats only around 20 people in addition to its carry-out and delivery service, Enkh said she hopes those wanting Thai and Mongolian food in Courthouse will find it welcoming.
“Even those it’s small, it can be enjoyed,” Enkh said.
