Arlington Rooftop Bar & Grill is permanently closed, and the landlord is looking for a new tenant.
Located at 2424 Wilson Blvd, the multi-story sports bar and restaurant opened in 2010 and became a popular destination thanks in large part to its open air rooftop deck and its ability to host events, including local and state political gatherings.
Despite its popularity, Arlington County police frequently visited the restaurant for noise complaints related to live music, according to a county staff report.
In 2021, the Arlington County Board voted unanimously to revoke the restaurant’s live entertainment permit. The restaurant also closed temporarily in 2019 due to a zoning issue.
Raghav Dumera, one of the restaurant’s landlords, confirmed that its last day of operation was New Year’s Eve and it will not be reopening for the warmer weather season. The closure was not announced on the restaurant’s social media accounts.
Dumera, who also owns and operates several other restaurants in the same building — Takeshi Sushi, Delhi Dhaba and Ghost Kabob — gave few details about the closure except to say the venue’s owner did not renew the lease.
Dumera noted he is looking for a new tenant to fill the space as soon as possible.
“So, anyone that’s interested can definitely reach out,” he said.
Hat tip to Katie W.
Colada Shop is set to open its first Arlington location on Monday, and the first 100 visitors will receive a free “Colada Clarendon” tote bag.
The Sterling-based Cuban cafe is moving into a 2,200-square-foot space next to Tatte and Seamore’s, at 2811 Clarendon Blvd.
The company originally announced the Clarendon opening last August. This will be the sixth Colada Shop to open in the D.C. area, including one that opened in the Mosaic District in 2021. The first location opened in Sterling in 2016 before quickly expanding to D.C.
“We’ve been blown away by the love and support from the Washington, D.C. community,” Founder and CEO Daniella Senior said in a press release. “Each Colada Shop has its own unique charm, and I’m thrilled to see the infectious energy this Clarendon spot will bring to our family. Clarendon has always been on our radar, and now, we’ve found the perfect spot to bring our Cuban coffee, cocktails, and culinary delights, amplifying the neighborhood’s spirit.”
ARLnow reported in December that a second Colada Shop is slated to open in Crystal City this year, along with a Tatte cafe and Van Leeuwen ice cream shop, among other businesses.
What sets the Clarendon location apart from its sister cafes is a bigger bar, which will be the largest among all its locations.
“Prepare to be dazzled by the spacious interior and cozy patio seating at the Clarendon store, but the real star is the bar — meticulously designed to foster a lively ambiance where guests can unwind, mingle, and indulge in an array of tantalizing Cuban-inspired libations,” the release said.
The restaurant will offer a menu that includes favorites like Cuban-style empanadas, croquetas, arroz con pollo and BBQ ribs, with vegetarian options including jackfruit dishes.
The cocktail menu offers a variety of rum-based drinks, including the traditional piña colada and mojito, among others. For patrons on the go, the shop will offer seasonal slushies and cocktail pouches.
The building housing Colada Shop dates back to 1941 and is part of The Crossing Clarendon development, which has been renovated and rebranded in recent years.
The restaurant joins other new openings in Clarendon including as Chip City. There have also been several closures in the area, including clothier Jos. A Bank, outdoor outfitter Orvis, bar/restaurant Chicken + Whiskey, Mediterranean restaurant Cava Mezze and international bakery Le Pain Quotidien.
More changes could be on the horizon at The Crossing in the coming months as the property manager aims to “modernize” its retail offerings.
Clarendon’s newest comedy venue is in the basement of a Balkan restaurant.
Starting next Thursday, the speakeasy-style bar underneath Ambar, called BABA, will host free bi-weekly comedy shows.
The “Elite 11 Closed Mic” show with the Savage Gentleman Club will feature seven local comics performing 11-minute skits. For the inaugural show next week, doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
The comedy show is free but BABA will offer Ambar’s unlimited Balkan dinner menu for $49.99 per person, with the small plates available à la carte as well, and discounted wines. Registration is recommended but not required.
Comedy is not the only way that BABA has been blending dining and experiences, in an effort to maximize use of the restaurant’s basement space. It also hosts “Dine in the Dark,” a blindfolded dining experience in which guests eat relying solely on their taste and smell.
Guests are given a secret three-course menu that caters to their preferred source of protein. This sensory-based experience occurs on most Tuesday evenings but an updated schedule can be found on the website. Registration for this dining experience is required before attending.
Then on Fridays, BABA opens up the dining area for live music from 8-10 p.m.
While Ambar tests out different ways to attract potential patrons to its subterranean space, several other restaurants and nightlife spots in the neighborhood have struggled to stay open.
Over the last year, Clarendon saw the closures of new arrivals Bar Ivy and Chicken + Whiskey as well as more established destinations, including Pamplona, Cava Mezze and The Pinemoor.
Rustico is closing its doors in Ballston.
The craft-beer-centric restaurant serving “artisan pizza” and “creative American cuisine” at 4075 Wilson Blvd plans to welcome its last customers on Sunday, March 10.
The Old Town Alexandria location of Rustico will remain open.
From a message posted on social media last night:
After 14 great years, Rustico Ballston’s last day of service will be Sunday March 10th. We love the Ballston neighborhood and we’re grateful for the opportunity we have had to get to know and serve our amazing community.
We especially want to thank all members of the Rustico staff, past and present, for their dedication, service, and camaraderie throughout the years. While the individual team members have changed over nearly a decade and a half, the spirit they delivered never did.
Please join us one more time (or two! or three!!) over the next two weeks as we say goodbye to Ballston in style. Of course, Rustico Alexandria continues to bring the best craft beer and pizza to Northern Virginia—we would love to see you there!
Rustico opened in October 2010, in an expansive restaurant space that also featured a sizable outdoor patio area, complete with artificial turf and picnic bench-style seating.
From our coverage at the time:
With about 200 indoor seats and 100 outdoor seats (which will stay in storage until next year), Rustico is trying to become the premiere lunch, dinner, happy hour and sophisticated night spot in Ballston.
It will certainly have the largest beer selection in Ballston, if not in all of Northern Virginia: 400 bottles, 40 drafts and 3 cask ales (the casks will be installed next week). By comparison, the original Rustico, in Alexandria, has 300 bottles, 30 drafts and 2 cask ales.
The bottles are displayed prominently behind the bar in two bright display cases. The taps, however, form the bar’s centerpiece — two dense horizontal arrays of colorful tap handles in a cut-out nook between the display cases.
It is unclear what, if anything, might fill the space once Rustico leaves.
Hat tip to @HawkeyeKevin
Bonefish Grill in Pentagon City is permanently closed.
Situated at 1101 S. Joyce Street in the Westpost shopping center (formerly Pentagon Row), the seafood restaurant — known for its wood-grilled fish, steaks, and signature “bang bang shrimp” appetizer — has placed several “closed” notices at its entrance, directing patrons to its closest branch in Fairfax County.
Google has listed the restaurant as “permanently closed.”
When ARLnow visited the site to verify the closure, an employee was removing the “Bonefish Grill” lettering from the revolving door. The employee declined to comment when asked about the reason for the closure.
The Pentagon City outpost, which opened in 2014, isn’t the only casualty. The Burn reported that the Ashburn location has also shut down. Last week, Bonefish Grill’s parent company, Bloomin’ Brands, announced it will be shuttering 41 underperforming restaurants nationwide.
Bonefish Grill has not been the only eatery to shutter in Pentagon City recently. A location of New York-based Mexican restaurant chain Rosa Mexicano closed its doors earlier this month after just over a year in operation.
Hat tip to two tipsters
For Five Coffee Roasters’ Rosslyn location was already bustling with activity just hours after opening its doors for the first time on Friday.
“I’m so excited!” customer Laura Durie exclaimed to a companion as she looked at the coffee shop’s menu. “Look, they have an omelet!”
Durie has been walking past the 1735 N. Lynn Street location every day for work, eagerly awaiting its opening. But she didn’t know the spacious, two-story café sold food until she walked in.
“We have a lot of coffee shops, but this is just gorgeous,” she told ARLnow as she waited for her drip coffee.
The café, which replaces the Chopt that occupied the location after a Starbucks closed in early 2021, sells pastries, stuffed cookies and breakfast and lunch items in addition to coffee. Additionally, unlike other For Five locations, it will transform on the weekends into a bar with beer, wine and cocktails.
Dusan Sokica, director of operations at For Five, said customers were waiting outside the coffee shop when it opened at 7 a.m. on Friday. He was doing the payroll at another location when the business’s owner called him that morning.
“’Where are you?’” he recalled the owner asking him. “’Why are you not here? The line is out of the door, man!’”
By around 10 a.m., customers had begun to occupy many of the booths in the coffee shop’s upper floor. Sokica expects even bigger crowds on other days of the week, when more people go to work in person.
“This was supposed to be, today, a little, soft opening, but it seems more like it’s a grand opening,” the operations director said.
At 4,316 square feet, the Rosslyn café is the biggest location yet for the New York City-based coffee company. Initially predicted to open in early 2022, the business is about a mile from For Five’s Courthouse location, which opened in 2020.
Asked for his coffee recommendations, Sokica encouraged customers to try the shop’s signature blend. Also popular are the freddo cappuccino and freddo espresso — nods to the founders’ Greek heritage that Sokica thinks will be especially in demand in the spring and summer.
Meanwhile, Durie, who grew up in Texas, is excited to try a dish that reminds her of home.
“I’m definitely going to be back and I’m definitely going to get the huevos rancheros,” she said.
A food hall in Rosslyn will soon undergo a major transformation.
Assembly, the food hall at Rosslyn City Center (1700 N. Moore Street), will be closing on Friday, March 1, a PR rep tells ARLnow. In its place will rise a new food hall called Upside on Moore.
All of the existing concepts at Assembly — from the Fog Point oyster bar to Charo’s Taqueria to Big Day Coffee — will close, we’re told. They are set to replaced by Ghostburger, Stellina Pizzeria, Laoban Dumplings, Lucky Danger, Kam and 46, La Michoacana and another coffee shop.
An opening of the revamped food hall is scheduled for Tuesday, March 19.
More from a media advisory:
Treat yourself to President Biden and Vice President Harris’ favorite burger for lunch or grab a Michelin-rated Margherita pizza before hopping on the metro. Meet a few friends for a happy hour of Chef Tim Ma’s famous dumplings or spring rolls and some nostalgic Filipino nachos or host your birthday on the terrace with all your favorite tacos.
The Bar at Upside on Moore will feature wines, beers, and specialty cocktails curated and created by Elli Benchimol of Georgetown darling Apéro. […]
The 30,000 square foot space is operated by DMV born and bred Mothersauce Partners, the hospitality group behind Thompson Italian, City-State Brewing Company, and other favorites in the DC area and beyond. The space features both indoor seating, an outdoor terrace, bar seating, and several conference rooms. The space is fully customizable for private events of all sizes and occasions. The space is fully customizable for private events of all sizes and occasions.
A website and Instagram account for Upside on Moore are expected to launch soon.
Mothersauce Partners was founded by local restaurant and nightlife vet Nick Freshman, who was also behind the recently closed Crystal City cafe The Freshman.
The Washington Business Journal reported in December that the owner of the Metro-adjacent Rosslyn City Center building had tapped Mothersauce Partners “to freshen up the design, branding and concept curation at the food hall.”
The change comes as the lunchtime and happy hour crowd in Rosslyn is expected to swell, with the arrival of another major corporate headquarters. CoStar Group is set to eventually have 650 employees working four-day-a-week in person, in the Central Place building across the street from the food hall.
Before the pandemic, it looked like Rosslyn would be home to three separate food halls. In addition to Assembly, which was opened in 2021 by Chicago-based DMK Restaurants, the neighborhood was slated to get Common Ground and Happy Endings Eatery, both in the Central Place development.
The former never opened and the latter has rebranded as The Happy Eatery, de-emphasizing the food hall concept.
Celtic House on Columbia Pike is nearly ready to unveil its new whiskey bar.
Construction on the basement expansion has wrapped up and the owners are now adding finishing touches before the grand opening, expected in the next week or two, General Manager Chris Devenney told ARLnow.
“You only get one chance to open, and we want to do it right and not screw it up,” he said.
The whiskey bar, situated beneath the pub, is linked to the main restaurant via a wooden staircase. Additionally, patrons will be able to use a separate entrance located at the back of the building.
An official opening date hasn’t been set but Devenney anticipates it will be within the next 10 days. Upon opening, the bar’s hours will be 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
Owners Michael McMahon and Rolando Canales initially planned to open the bar last fall but they decided to time the opening with March Madness and St. Patrick’s Day instead.
“That’s our best month of the year,” McMahon said.
Billy Mulcaire, a D.C.-area carpenter trained in old-world techniques, started working on the complex solid red oak bar last February. He also crafted all the furniture, stairway and vestibule leading into the bar behind the pub, says McMahon.
“He’s a good friend of mine… He [doesn’t] do this stuff anymore,” McMahon said. “It is a great masterpiece.”
Construction on the space, previously a dry cleaning business, began in August, after the county’s historic review board approved plans for a vestibule on the exterior of the pub, which is located in a historic district.
McMahon, who immigrated to the U.S. from County Clare in southwestern Ireland in 1987, co-founded Celtic House with Canales in 2014. When the dry cleaning business closed, Canales suggested to McMahon that they lease or renovate the space.
Although McMahon was initially hesitant, Canales convinced his business partner to embrace the opportunity and launch a whiskey bar that could host private gatherings while expanding the restaurant’s capacity from 90 to nearly 150 patrons.
“So, this room gives us an opportunity that we can tap into that if they want to do a showcase or have a nice happy hour here with 40 or 50 people,” McMahon said.
The food menu downstairs will be the same as the upstairs menu, while the event and catering menus — set to publish on the restaurant’s website this week — will “look a little different,” says Devenney.
Devenney mentioned the new bar will also have a much more extensive selection of Irish whiskeys, which are “difficult to get.”
“So, we have bottles we’ve been collecting for over a year, really since we started construction,” he said.
Lee’s Sandwiches, which bills itself as the “World’s Largest Bánh Mì Chain,” has temporarily closed its doors in Ballston but may reopen under new ownership.
The Ballston location at 801 N. Quincy Street appears to have been closed for at least a month and is listed as “temporarily closed” on Google Maps and on a sign posted inside the door.
It first opened on N. Quincy Street in August 2020, replacing a Subway which closed in 2019.
The Ballston spot was the second East Coast location for Lee’s Sandwiches — a California-based franchise — following the first such location opening in 2016 at 3037 Annandale Road in Falls Church.
Tamy Nguyen Duong, who owns the Falls Church franchise location, says she recently purchased the Lee’s Sandwiches store in Ballston. She told ARLnow that the Ballston shop will reopen soon, though she could not give an exact date.
Her nephew will run the shop and is still deciding whether to operate it under the “Lee’s Sandwiches” franchise, she said. Either way, 801 N. Quincy Street will eventually resume selling sandwiches and coffee, according to Nguyen Duong.
The chain has a variety of sandwich options but specializes in bánh mì, a popular Vietnamese sandwich with savory ingredients in a short, toasted baguette. Lee’s is also noted for its Vietnamese iced coffee.
Arlington has plenty of dimly lit, romantic restaurants and charming, cozy local spots suitable for a date night.
Whether you’re hoping to share a bowl of noodles “Lady and the Tramp”-style, split a slice (or whole pie) with a partner, or would rather skip straight to dessert, these local spots have you and your loved one covered for Valentine’s Day next week.
Don’t want to venture out on Feb. 14? Stay in with take-home treats from your favorite local spots suitable for solo diners, a duo or even with a group of friends.
1. Village Sweet
5872 Washington Blvd, Westover
We’re starting with dessert on our romance roundup. Begin your Valentine’s Day with the sweet smell of croissants, cookies and other Valentine’s Day treats at Village Sweet Bakery.
The bakery’s holiday offerings are available now and include a royal wedding layer cake, “brown sug’ah” cupcakes with spiced graham buttercream, strawberry and black velvet swirl loaf and chocolate snacking cake with Irish coffee buttercream. Place your order ahead of time or stop by and peruse all of Village Sweet’s offerings.
2. Surreal
2117 Crystal Drive, Crystal City
Step into a garden-like oasis for a dinner experience suitable for both singles and couples at Surreal, a gourmet diner that opened late last year in Crystal City. Surreal is offering a three-course Valentine’s Day menu for single diners starting at 7 p.m. in the private dining room. For couples, Surreal is open for both lunch (12-2 p.m.) and dinner (4-10 p.m.) with creative favorites like chocolate lava cake service and the crispy tuna poke pillow.
Reservations can be made on Surreal’s website.
3. WHINO
4238 Wilson Blvd., Second Floor, Ballston
Step into the colorful and carefully-curated WHINO, a restaurant, bar and art gallery where you and your valentine can peruse art and the menu. This year, WHINO is offering a special Valentine’s Day dinner menu on Wednesday, Feb. 14 from 5-10 p.m. The menu has not yet been made available, but WHINO’s current menu can be found on its website.
Reservations can be made online.
4. Padaek
2391 S. Glebe Road, Arlington Ridge
Elevate your dinner experience with a five-course chef’s tasting menu this Valentine’s Day at Padaek, which opened last fall in the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center.
Inspired by Chef Seng Luangrath’s 35-year marriage, the menu of Southeast Asian dishes include goong nahm paa (Argentine red shrimp with chili garlic and lime sauce), pak naam (flash-fried sweet potato leaves with tamarind sauce), gaeng som (chicken consommé, Chilean sea bass, pickled lime, roasted cherry tomatoes and smoked hot pepper), and kanom soat sai (steamed sticky rice cake stuffed with caramelized shredded coconut and coconut cream).
The dinner is $89 per person. Reservations are required and can be made on Padaek’s website.
5. Ambar
2901 Wilson Blvd., Clarendon
Looking to share new experience this Valentine’s Day? Ambar is offering a Valentine’s Day feast of traditional dishes from the Balkan Peninsula, prepared with a modern twist. The dinner features small plates including spreads, charcuterie, soups and salads, seafood, dessert and more to share.
The Valentine’s Day menu is $94.99 per person (tax and gratuity not included) at Ambar Clarendon. Pre-selected cocktails are priced at $0.99 per drink and featured beverages include an Ambar Old Fashioned, mango lemonade, margarita, kiwi smash, red punch sangria and a variety of wine and beer. Ambar’s Valentine’s Day menu will be available exclusively on Wednesday, Feb. 14, from 4-11 p.m.
There is a 2-hour time limit for all parties. Reservations can be made on Ambar’s website.
A bar and restaurant with French bistro inspiration and an “eclectic ambiance” is set to join several new businesses in Crystal City next year.
Bar Colline, created by D.C. brothers and hospitality entrepreneurs Eric and Ian Hilton, will join six street-level offerings at two new apartment buildings at 1900 Crystal Drive, announced developer JBG Smith in a press release.
The new restaurant is anticipated to open in early 2025 and will be an interpretation of French bistro Café Colline, which the brothers opened in the Lee Heights Shops along Langston Blvd in June 2020.
The Hilton brothers, operating as H2 Collective, have received national attention for their burgeoning D.C. restaurant empire, including Cafe Colline, Chez Billy Sud in Georgetown, Brighton at the Wharf and El Rey taqueria in Ballston and on U Street NW in D.C.
They are also behind Players Club, Parc de Ville in the Mosaic District, Solace Outpost in Falls Church and delivery-only burger purveyor Gee Burger.
The newest venture will boast a bar and private dining room with an “eclectic ambiance,” a press release from JBG Smith said. Bar Colline’s menu will feature shareable plates, wine and inventive cocktails.
The venue will join multiple businesses coming to the new apartment buildings, dubbed The Grace and Reva. They are Chinese-French fusion restaurant Bar Chinois, Cuban café and bar Colada Shop, national blowout and hair styling brand Drybar, a nail salon called nailsaloon, and popular chains Tatte Bakery & Cafe and New York-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.
JBG Smith is also behind an explosion of food options in Crystal City after opening a 1.6-acre dining destination in the Crystal City Water Park last October in an effort to “[cultivate] engaging places that create lively communities and exciting experiences,” JBG Smith Senior Vice President of Retail Leasing Amy Rice said in the release.
“We’re thrilled to welcome H2 Collective’s newest concept, Bar Colline, to the neighborhood and expect it to offer customers a unique and compelling reason to return again and again,” Rice said.