Around Town

After a three-decade run, the San Antonio Bar & Grill in Crystal City is set to close this Saturday, marking the end of an era.

The Tex-Mex restaurant, a mainstay in the underground Crystal City Shops since 1993, was notified by its landlord, JBG Smith, three months ago that its lease would not be extended past December, according to co-owner Amparo Magne.


News

All was not quiet in Arlington this past Christmas weekend.

Arlington County police responded to several notable incidents, including a man who allegedly ate at a Courthouse area restaurant, left without paying, and then flashed a gun at an employee.


Around Town

The owner of Tuna Restaurant in Cherrydale says she plans to rename the Thai and Japanese eatery “Siam Shinzo.”

The new signage, however, won’t be displayed until early next year. And the menu will stay the same.


Around Town

Last year Charga Grill topped the Washington Post’s annual list of top casual restaurants in the region.

That sent a flood of new customers to the eatery at 5151 Langston Blvd. Now two other Arlington restaurants, including another along Langston Blvd, are bound to see a big influx of diners thanks to the latest WaPo rankings.


Around Town

Washingtonian is out with the results of its 46th annual restaurant survey and while the rankings are decidedly D.C.-centric, one Arlington restaurant stands out.

Ruthie’s All-Day, which opened in Arlington Heights in 2020, was voted by the magazine’s readers as the No. 1 favorite restaurant in Virginia.


Around Town

(Updated at 3 p.m.) There’s no official word on its website, but it looks like Bar Ivy in Clarendon may have closed permanently.

The “West Coast-inspired” restaurant at 3033 Wilson Blvd, noted for its expansive and verdant outdoor patio, opened in the summer of 2022. Earlier this fall it introduced a breakfast and coffee menu, in addition to existing lunch and dinner service.


Around Town

Pamplona, the Spanish tapas restaurant and sangria bar in Clarendon, will close next month, according to a social media post.

The restaurant, which opened in 2017 in the space formerly occupied by SoBe Bar & Bistro, shared its farewell message on Instagram last week.


Obituary

The long-time former owner of Essy’s Carriage House has died.

Essy Saedi died on Thanksgiving, November 23, at the age of 76. He owned the beloved family-owned Cherrydale restaurant before its closing earlier this year. As he told ARLnow, Saedi was looking forward to traveling in his retirement.


Around Town

Cava Mezze has quietly shuttered in Clarendon, with a “For Lease” sign recently placed out front.

This comes after the restaurant — the upscale original version of the popular, publicly traded Mediterranean chain — changed its status to “closed” on the company’s website last month. Google, however, still lists it as “temporarily closed.”


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