(Updated at 9:45 a.m.) You can’t get an trans-Pacific flight from National Airport, but with a new P.F. Chang’s location opening in the airport, you can at least get a taste of (very Americanized) Chinese food.
The popular chain opened in Concourse E (Gates 46-59) of the airport. It’s the second location in Arlington after one in Ballston (901 N. Glebe Road) and joins a bookstore and a burger joint as some of the new offerings in the airport this year.
The new 5,800-square-foot restaurant will have restaurant staples like Mongolian beef and lettuce wraps.
“The much-anticipated addition of P.F. Chang’s brings our passengers an appetizing option that completes the arrival of new dining choices envisioned for Concourse E,” said Chryssa Westerlund, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, in a press release. “Working in partnership with Marketplace Development, we are proud to further evolve the Reagan National dining experience through P.F. Chang’s beautiful design and elevated cuisine.”
P.F. Chang’s isn’t the only Asian cuisine at National Airport. Matsutake Sushi sits in National Hall just post-security and Wow Bao is a centerpiece of Concourse D.
Taco + Pina in Shirlington closed in December 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Food and drink at Taco Bamba (Photo by Greg Powers)
Food and drink at Taco Bamba (Photo by Greg Powers)
Food and drink at Taco Bamba (Photo by Greg Powers)
Taco Bamba is expanding its presence in Arlington.
The burgeoning fast-casual chain is planning to open at 4041 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington, a PR rep said this morning. That’s the former location of Taco + Piña, which closed late last year after opening early in the pandemic and never quite finding its footing.
“The 2,100-square-foot space at 4041 Campbell Ave. will include a full bar and patio, and open this spring,” the PR rep noted.
Taco Bamba has an existing Arlington location at 4000 Wilson Blvd in Ballston, which opened in August 2020 after chef Victor Albisu decided to swap out a planned all-day egg concept called Huevos for his tried-and-true taco eatery.
Albisu today also announced the April 4 opening of a new Taco Bamba in Herndon, the restaurant’s ninth location. Additionally, the company is preparing for the impending opening of locations at City Ridge in D.C. and in Raleigh, North Carolina — the first outside of the D.C. area — as well as a new Fair Lakes location in Fairfax opening this fall.
Taco Bamba’s menu includes a variety of tacos, tortas, sides, sweets and cocktails.
Our Mom Eugenia in Shirlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Our Mom Eugenia may finally be ready to “opa” later this week in Shirlington.
The popular, family-owned Greek eatery is preparing to open its newest location on Thursday (March 30), per a press release.
It’s moving into a new 3,604-square-foot space at 4044 Campbell Avenue, next to CHIKO. It’s expected to have a similar, if not the same, menu as the other two Our Mom Eugenia locations in Great Falls and the Mosaic District. That includes an all-Greek wine list.
ARLnow first reported Our Mom Eugenia was making its way to Shirlington in May of last year.
The restaurant was originally planning to open in the fall, but serving was delayed to late 2022 and, then, to February 2023 due to a wait for county permits.
Our Mom Eugenia is named after its co-owner Eugenia Hobson, who was raised on the island of Zakynthos in western Greece.
“Eugenia learned the secrets of Greek cuisine from her grandmother for whom she is named,” reads a press release.
Hobson is a long-time local chef who’s cooked at several D.C.-area Greek restaurants, most prominently Nostos in Tysons. In 2016, she ventured out to open her own restaurant in Great Falls with her two sons.
Besides Our Mom Eugenia, Shirlington is also planning for another notable restaurant opening this spring. The long-planned Astro Beer Hall and its “donut robot” is aiming for a May debut. It’s moving into the space once occupied by Capitol City Brewing Co.
Hangry Joe’s chicken sandwich (image via Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken/Instagram)
Provided things go according to eggspectations, Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken’s new Pentagon City location could hatch early next month.
The eatery is opening at 1301 S. Joyce Street in the Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) shopping center.
Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken is a restaurant chain specializing in — no points awarded for guessing — Nashville-style hot chicken. The menu also includes standard sides like coleslaw and loaded fries, but the stars of the show are the spiced-up chicken sandwich, chicken fingers and chicken waffles.
The new location will be the growing chain’s second in Arlington, after opening in the former Laura Cooks spot in Ballston earlier this year. The Pentagon City restaurant is just a couple of weeks away, its owner says.
“My target date of grand opening will be April 8,” Jim Hong, owner of Hangry Joe’s Pentagon Row said in an email. “It may be delayed due to the health inspection, ordering merchandise, or something popped up that I wouldn’t be aware. But I will try my best to open on that day.”
The Westmont construction site on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The Westmont construction site on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The Westmont construction site on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The Westmont construction site on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The Westmont construction site on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Five Guys appears set to return to its original location near the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road.
Since its 1986 founding in Arlington’s Westmont Shopping Center, Five Guys has grown into a huge international burger-and-fries chain. But it has maintained its local roots, including a Northern Virginia corporate headquarters that will soon be moving to Alexandria.
Now, it is expected to open a new location on the ground floor of the Westmont apartment building that’s replacing the former strip mall. A leasing brochure seen by ARLnow suggests it will be taking a 2,400 square foot space along Columbia Pike, the second retail business listed on the leasing plan in addition to a new Allcare urgent care clinic along Glebe.
The brochure says construction on the building is expected to wrap up within the next three months or so. It is unclear how long after that Five Guys might open.
So far, Five Guys has not responded to ARLnow’s request, sent Tuesday, for confirmation of the new location.
2950 Clarendon Blvd, formerly Oz and eventually a Wagamama (staff photo by Vernon Miles)
Interior construction underway on the new Wagamama in Clarendon (photo courtesy G.B.)
Work is underway on the new Wagamama in Clarendon, which is currently expected to open around mid-year.
The opening estimate was reported last month by Restaurant Business, an industry publication.
One year after the British restaurant chain focusing on Japanese cuisine first announced it would be coming to Clarendon, to the former Oz location at 2950 Clarendon Blvd, the exterior of the building still seems in virtually the same condition it was after the Australian restaurant closed in 2019. That is, except for the removal of the signs and most of the loud yellow paint.
Brown paper now covers the windows, however, hiding the interior construction that’s well underway inside, according to a tipster.
Restaurant Business reported that the Arlington location and a new location in Dallas are expected to open “before summer.” Overall, the chain has over 200 locations across 27 countries. It is in the midst of a renewed U.S. expansion push, focused primarily on the Southeast.
The restaurant features dishes like ramen and donburi — a bowl of steamed rice with stir-fried protein and mixed vegetables — along with more pan-Asian dishes like curry. Plans for the Clarendon location include “an expansive patio,” according to a press release.
New Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse on March 7, 2023 (staff photo)
New Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse on March 7, 2023 (staff photo)
New Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse on March 7, 2023 (staff photo)
New Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse on March 7, 2023 (staff photo)
New Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse on March 7, 2023 (staff photo)
New Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse on March 7, 2023 (staff photo)
Arlington’s long regional nightmare has ended: the Taco Bell Cantina at 2039 Wilson Blvd will open at last next week.
A company spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow today that the restaurant will open on Monday, March 13.
Unlike traditional Taco Bells, Taco Bell Cantinas serve alcoholic beverages including beer, sangria, and frozen drinks. The Arlington location will also have a walk-up window for faster service.
The Taco Bell Cantina is opening in the space that was once Guarapo Lounge, a Peruvian restaurant and hookah lounge that closed in 2016.
There are Taco Bell Cantinas in neighboring D.C. as well as one on King Street in Old Town Alexandria — a popular post-City Council meeting spot given that it’s one of the few Old Town restaurants open until 2 a.m.
The new Courthouse Cantina has been the object of intense local interest. ARLnow has been bombarded by emails and social media messages from readers wanting updates.
“Are there any updates for when the Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse will open?” one reader inquired last month, just over two weeks into the 3-4 week timeline given for the opening. “I saw your 2/8/23 article but wanted to know if it will keep to its timeline.”
Prior to the February article, other eagle-eyed readers noted that the project was running behind schedule.
“I was just reading one of your posts from December… you quoted a representative from [Taco Bell] who said the TB should be ‘open within the next 30 days.’ 30 days have passed and I don’t believe the TB Cantina has opened yet,” the reader astutely pointed out. “It’s a matter of universal importance and essential to my quest to eat TB with a high BAC that was achieved in-house. Godspeed.”
When it opened in 2012, we described the eatery at 3000 Washington Blvd as the “inland version of the small chain of eponymous coffee shops owner Oby Lee once ran along the Delaware Shore.” Its website says it specializes in crepes, wine, coffee and Polish food.
A sign on the door suggests that the business was purchased — it appeared to be for sale this past fall — and that a Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon Bistro, will be taking its place.
This will be a bit of a trend reversal from previous decades. Clarendon was once known as Little Saigon for all of the Vietnamese restaurants and businesses that opened after mass migration during the Vietnam war. Many of those eateries and shops closed after Metro opened in 1979 and the neighborhood redeveloped.
Asked about the closure, Oby Lee sent the following statement to ARLnow.
Our Clarendon location is our 7th successful business location of our small chain which commenced in 1989, and like the others, we have been so fortunate to garner a loyal community following over our eleven years at The Reserve At Clarendon Centre.
For as much as we have loved this space, we were approached with an offer that we simply could not refuse, to sell this location!
We wish to thank the wonderful community for welcoming us into their lives. We’re really going to miss seeing everyone each week, or everyday for many! It’s not going to be the same for awhile, without the daily Gluten Free crepes for Michael, the Matt & Ilona signature Latte’, Chai Tea for Lee, seeing John reading his books, enjoying long conversations with Sandy & Douglas, and preparing VeryBerry for Lauren & Ed, jokes with Gearred and Pietro, Alan never missing a Wednesday Prix Fixe, Brunch with the McCabe family and solving all the worlds problems with Ginny & Ted, in addition to the many, many honored patrons we will always keep close to heart. Over the years we’ve witnessed many of you getting married, sending your kids to college, getting a new puppy, buying a house, or moving across the states. We feel we have become much more than just a restaurant, but a part of the Arlington family. We thank our committed staff, namely our manager Mr. Bo Smulskyi, from Ukraine, who opts to stick with us as forever family to follow his dreams and build his life in the USA.
Former Philz Coffee storefront, future home to Greenheart Juice Shop (staff photo)
A juice shop will be replacing a coffee shop in Ballston.
The former Philz Coffee at 4121 Wilson Blvd, in the middle of the Ballston Exchange office complex, is becoming a Greenheart Juice Shop. Philz closed in December after just under four years in the storefront.
The San Francisco-based company has reportedly closed all of its existing D.C.-area cafes. The last remaining Philz, in the District’s Adams Morgan neighborhood, was robbed earlier this month before its expected closing date.
Greenheart Juice Shop was recently acquired by Arlington hospitality group Wooden Nickel Bar Co., operator of local restaurants like Copperwood Tavern and Brass Rabbit Public House, the Washington Business Journal reported last month.
Greenheart has existing locations in Vienna, Leesburg and Aldie. Wooden Nickel owner Reese Gardner confirmed to ARLnow that a new location will be opening in Ballston — and said that another would follow elsewhere in the county.
“The first of two Arlington locations,” Gardner said, declining for now to reveal where the other will be opening. “Same offerings as the other three locations.”
Gardner said the juice shop in Ballston “should be open in July.”
The Business Journal had also previously reported about a Greenheart location planned somewhere in Ballston. The new juice shop will compete with another homegrown local juice-and-smoothie chain, South Block, which has been open across the street since March 2019.
Ballston’s newest coffee shop is looking to start pouring next month.
The D.C.-based Slipstream is looking to open on the ground floor of the Ballston Point building, at 4300 Wilson Blvd, within the first two weeks of March, co-owner Ryan Fleming told ARLnow. It will be near the intersection with N. Glebe Road, next to World of Beer, and across the street from the new Silver Diner.
When ARLnow stopped by there earlier this week, construction on the cafe appeared to be closer to being finished, with “now hiring” signs in the window.
The coffee shop is known for its single-origin coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and loose-leaf teas.
While Slipstream currently has three D.C. locations, the Ballston cafe will be its first outside of the District.
In August, when ARLnow first reported Slipstream was coming to Ballston, Fleming said it would be similar to other locations but “adapted slightly to fit the unique neighborhood.”
He also said the company choose the neighborhood because Ballston is growing and has a healthy mix of business and residential buildings.
Hot dogs on a tray at Haute Dogs’ preview event (staff photo by Vernon Miles)
A preview event at Haute Dogs’ Arlington location (staff photo by Vernon Miles)
Chloé Swanson, co-founder of Haute Dogs (staff photo by Vernon Miles)
Haute Dogs at 2910 N. Sycamore Street (staff photo by Vernon Miles)
Ahead of an official opening this weekend, Haute Dogs hosted a preview event last night with a coterie of Arlington’s underground “foodie” influencer community.
Haute Dogs has become a beloved local institution in Alexandria’s Old Town North neighborhood. The new location at 2910 N. Sycamore Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood takes over the spot previously occupied by Smoking Kow BBQ.
The menu features an array of the eponymous hot dogs, from the classics to the more outlandish, like a veggie dog topped with jalapeño and pineapple.
The official opening is Saturday, Feb. 25, but last night (Thursday) the new restaurant was packed with local food writers getting close-up shots of hot dogs and comparing notes.
At the center of the scene was Chloé Swanson. Chloé is one of Haute Dogs co-founders, along with her mother Pamela Swanson and her stepfather Lionel Holmes.
Chloé said the new restaurant is a shift in more ways than just moving across Four Mile Run. While the Old Town North location is located in the epicenter of a rapidly developing section of Alexandria, the Arlington location is in a decidedly more residential community and closer to several schools.
“There are so many schools around and parents didn’t really have a place to get a burger and beer that’s also family-friendly,” Chloé said. “There are not a lot of dine-in options in the neighborhood.”
The different type of neighborhood necessitated some changes in the menu, like the inclusion of new burgers on the Haute Dogs menu. Chloé said, in preparation of opening a new location with a slightly different menu, she opened a ghost kitchen to test concepts. Chloé said the ideas were tested against the jury of D.C. residents, and burgers won out.
“It’s overwhelming and exciting,” Chloé said. “We’ve wanted an Arlington space for a long time, then Covid hit.”
Chloé said during the pandemic, it was all hands on deck with a focus on keeping the main restaurant afloat, but in September they found the Smoking Kow BBQ location.
“We wanted to erase the BBQ identity and wanted to create a different space,” Chloé said, “a different visual look both from Smoking Kow and from our Alexandria location.”
Samara Singer, creator of Arlington foodie Instagram account A Town Bites, said there were a lot of other familiar faces in the local foodie community at the preview event. The Arlington social media foodie circle is a small but fairly tight-knit community, Singer said.
Many started their blogs after Covid started, and Singer said the Haute Dogs debut was a fun chance for many of them to meet each other in person.
Singer said she was excited for the fries and onion rings at Haute Dogs, but also said the location’s milkshakes could help fit a niche in the Williamsburg neighborhood.
“There are not a lot of other great shake locations around here,” she said.
Singer hopes Haute Dogs is able to capture an underserved evening demographic in the area with parents coming by after they’ve put their kids in bed. The eatery will be open at 11 a.m., closing at 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and at 5 p.m. on Sundays.
