Spice in Clarendon Now Open

(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) Spice, the Italian hoagie and Mediterranean food shop at 3033 Wilson Blvd, is now open.

The shop is at the former location of “Le Sandwich,” a French-style sandwich shop that was open for all of 10 days before owner Yasser Mohamed dissolved the business and dismissed its operator. After Le Sandwich closed, Mohamed planned to open Spice to showcase his wife’s “amazing cooking.”

“Right now we’re happy,” Mohamed said. “Our customers seem happy and we’re getting repeats.”

The daily menu includes a variety of Italian cold-cut sandwiches, including a duck prosciutto hoagie, with prices ranging from $7.49 to $10.99. On Monday and Wednesday, Spice sells its chicken, fish and shrimp tacos, with guacamole that Mohamed describes as “so fresh.”

Mohamed also sells his wife’s hummus, moussaka, lentil salad, baba ghanoush and specialty Mediterranean platters that come with saffron rice and salad. The Greek salad with wild Alaskan salmon has been a hit with customers, Mohamed said.

Spice will extend its hours of operation and expand its menu within the next three months to include breakfast, then dinner. The shop is currently open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but will open at 7:00 a.m. as soon it can accommodate the breakfast rush.

“My wife does all the cooking and she gets very tired,” Mohamed said. “We want to keep the quality high, so for now we’re just pushing lunch.”

He said he will hire more employees soon. Presently he works a 16-hour day between Spice and his neighboring business, Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream, and his wife works a 12-hour day, “but that’s business.”

Mohamed is also expecting a liquor license for Spice before summer ends, which will be essential when the restaurant eventually serves dinner. Despite the limited hours, Mohamed said he’s been selling out of food almost every day.

“Last Tuesday we were slammed at lunch,” he said. “We sold out by 3:00.”