For three decades, Westover was home to a dive bar called The Forest Inn that, in yesteryear, sold cigarettes and garnered a reputation for attracting a “rough crowd.”
Now, it is home to a taco and margarita spot with a kids’ menu.
The Forest Inn first opened in 1981 in a former post office space, under the name of The Black Forest Inn. In 1994, it moved a few blocks to its location on Washington Blvd where it remained until it closed in 2022. The bar had a blue-collar atmosphere — though it attracted judges and congressmen in addition to cops and teachers — and earned a reputation as one of Arlington’s last dive bars.
When it closed in 2022, however, times were changing. At the time, General Manager Ken Choudhary told ARLnow that he guessed the landlord, Van Metre Commercial, did not renew the lease because it wanted “something new… something that’s not a bar.”
Nearly a year and a half after The Forest Inn’s closure, Westover Taco opened at 5849 Washington Blvd. According to local serial entrepreneur and restaurant co-owner Scott Parker, the clientele at Westover Taco is less like a dive bar and more family-oriented — but cocktails are always available.
“There are people that come in and just have a couple margaritas but the great majority of people that come in are… having at least some food,” he said. “We’re open to people just having drinks if they want. There’s some people that come just for drinks, there’s some that come for food, and we’re happy with both.”
While the recently opened restaurant now has some regulars, Parker says he is mostly seeing an influx of new patrons trying it out.
“There are definitely some regulars from the neighborhood that have come quite a few times, some that come weekly for sure, but at the same time there are definitely folks that are just trying it out for the first time as well,” he said.
The entrepreneurs behind the taco shop also reflect the new focus. At the helm is Sarah White, a restaurant industry veteran who also runs the Cowboy Cafe on Langston Blvd, which many lovingly consider a dive bar, as well as several local Lost Dog Cafe locations. White co-owns the business with Parker and Cowboy co-owners Mike and Jim Barnes, Mike Danner and Wes Clough, who are all Yorktown High School grads.
Tacos and margaritas are the backbone of the menu but the casual eatery also serves a variety of tequila-based cocktails. The space features three roll-up doors that create an indoor-outdoor feel for spring and summer months.
Westover Taco might not hold the dive-y appeal of The Forest Inn to its former regulars, but Parker says it is finding success in its own, community-centric way.
“We had big expectations just because we love the neighborhood and know how much that neighborhood supports the local businesses, but even as much as we had hoped for I think it’s surpassed our expectations,” Parker said. “It’s just been really an amazing experience. I really love being there and it’s blown us away with how much the neighborhood has supported us.”
The aroma of freshly made corn tortillas is permeating the air in Westover.
Westover Taco, located at 5849 Washington Blvd in the pipestem-shaped retail space long occupied by the Forest Inn dive bar, announced via social media this week that it plans to officially open tomorrow (Saturday) at 5 p.m.
“The time has come! We will officially open to the public this Saturday, December 9th at 5pm. Come one, come all,” the post reads.
Initially slated to begin operations in August, the launch of the new taco spot was delayed due to permitting issues. However, the eatery posted on its Instagram last month that the opening was back on schedule.
This week, the Mexican restaurant and bar, formerly the Forest Inn until its closure in 2022, held a soft opening to test its taco recipes and cocktail creations ahead of the grand opening.
The restaurant’s menu boasts several types of tacos, including chicken, pork, steak and fish.
Complementing the taco selection is an assortment of tequila-based cocktails, including a cucumber jalapeño Paloma with grapefruit and lime, a tequila colada with coconut water and coconut Rèal and the classic margarita.
Westover Taco’s current hours are 5 p.m. to midnight from Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. However, the restaurant announced on social media that lunch service will be “starting soon.”
Scott Parker, one of the co-owners of Westover Taco, is a local entrepreneur in the area with several other well-known hospitality ventures in Arlington, including Don Tito in Clarendon, Barley Mac in Rosslyn, Bronson Bierhall in Ballston, Poppyseed Rye in Ballston and Nighthawk Pizza in Pentagon City.
Tacos are closer to being served in Westover, just in time for the holidays.
After a nearly 4-month delay, Westover Taco at 5849 Washington Blvd — previously the home of the Forest Inn, a long-time dive bar which closed in June 2022 — is set to open around mid-December, per the company’s Instagram account.
“Alright! We are super excited to announce that we’ve overcome all the hurdles and will be opening to the public in the next few weeks,” the company posted yesterday (Tuesday). “We’ll announce the exact date as soon as we have it.”
Originally, Westover Taco aimed to start serving back in August. However, co-owner Scott Parker said the opening was delayed due to permitting issues.
“It was just the usual permit delays. Nothing too exciting,” Parker told ARLnow.
Construction began last spring, and it appeared the restaurant was adding the final touches when ARLnow recently checked in on its progress.
The restaurant’s menu boasts several types of tacos, including chicken, pork, steak and fish.
Complementing the taco selection is an assortment of tequila-based cocktails, including a cucumber jalapeño paloma with grapefruit and lime, a tequila colada with coconut water and coconut Rèal and the classic margarita.
The Arlington Chorale is gearing up to bring a long-lost musical piece to life at its holiday concert next Saturday in Westover.
The community choir plans to perform familiar classics, including “Good King Wenceslas” and “Gloria.” However, it is also adding what it says is a rarely performed composition to its repertoire: ‘The Ballad of the Brown King.”
Composed by African-American composer Margaret Bonds, the ballad was first performed in New York in December 1954. It tells the story of Balthazar, one of the Three Wise Men in the Nativity story, who is described in some biblical translations as “dark or Black,” says Ingrid Lestrud, the choir conductor.
“As this work premiered in 1954 before the Civil Rights movement, it was a pretty radical idea to have a Black man as the main figure of a 25-minute piece for choir and orchestra,” Lestrud told ARLnow.
Although one Early Middle Ages saint describes Balthazar as having “black complexion,” it was not until the end of the 15th century that artists regularly depicted Balthazar with darker skin.
During the concert, slated for 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Westover Baptist Church, Scott Edwin Taylor, director of The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, and Saundra Green, a local Arlington resident, will also discuss the history of the song and share their insight about the hurdles Bonds faced as a Black female composer before the Civil Rights era.
“It was not performed often during the composer’s lifetime — probably because it was difficult for Black women to convince conductors to program their music — but her pieces are starting to be performed more now that conductors are trying to program a more diverse range of composers,” Lestrud said.
A conductor and educator, Lestrud has served on the staff of several ensembles in the D.C. area, including the National Children’s Chorus, Capital City Symphony and Encore Creativity for Older Adults. She has led the Arlington Chorale since 2019, per the press release.
The 60-member local, nonprofit chorus was first established in 1966 and both women and men sing in the ensemble. Over the years, it has performed at a number of significant regional events, including the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2018 at Nationals Park.
After a several-year hiatus due to Covid, the choir made a comeback to the local music scene last year.
(Updated at 10:35 a.m.) More than 3,000 Arlington homes and businesses were in the dark this morning due to a large outage.
The outage appeared to be centered around the East Falls Church Metro station, affecting several northwestern Arlington neighborhoods including Westover.
In addition to the 3,042 Dominion customers reported to be without power in Arlington as of 9:15 a.m., another 1,700 were without power in Fairfax County, according to the power company.
So far there’s no word on what caused the outage.
As of 10:30 a.m. power appears to have been restored to all customers.
Arlington residents can win gift certificates and other prizes by supporting local businesses this weekend.
One More Page Books, at 2200 N. Westmoreland Street in East Falls Church, is again spearheading a “Small Business Saturday” event for homegrown local retailers and restaurants this coming Saturday, Nov. 25.
“A group of Arlington and Falls Church businesses will once again participate in a ‘Passport’ program designed to help area shoppers discover unique shops and restaurants, keep their shopping dollars local and be eligible to win prizes,” One More Page Books said in a press release.
Small Business Saturday, created by American Express in 2010, is a national event that encourages shopping at local businesses during one of the busiest retail weekends of the year. It comes a day after the traditional post-Thanksgiving shopping bonanza, Black Friday.
Participants can obtain a passport at any of the 15 participating businesses in Falls Church and in Arlington’s East Falls Church, Highland Park, Bluemont, Williamsburg and Westover neighborhoods. To be eligible for one of three “Grand Prize Baskets,” including goods and gift certificates, customers must collect stamps from at least five participating businesses on Saturday.
After collecting a minimum of five stamps, participants can submit their Passports at One More Page Books or the last business they visit that day.
The prize winners will be selected through a random drawing of all completed passports on Wednesday, Nov 29, at 3 p.m. at One More Page Books. The community is invited to witness the raffle.
A list and a map of the participating businesses are below.
- Audacious Aleworks
- Ayers Variety & Hardware
- Blossom & Buds
- Botanologica
- Cafe Kindred
- Covet
- Doodlehopper 4 Kids
- Lemon Lane Consignment
- One More Page Books & More
- Preservation Biscuit Company
- Rare Bird Coffee Roasters
- TINT – A Modern Makerspace
- Trade Roots
- Two the Moon
- Urban Farmhouse
After some Swanson Middle School students reportedly egged customers and employees at The Italian Store, management at the popular Westover grocer discontinued a student special.
Italian Store Director of Operations Mike Tramonte tells ARLnow he is also trying to identify the students who lobbed the eggs, who also allegedly stole the eggs from Walgreens. He says store employees and patrons were struck three days in a row last week and that when he went onto the patio to deter the egging, he was targeted, too.
“The reason we took away the ‘Swanson special’ was because they’re not mutually respecting the area,” he said. “We’re still working to identify everyone involved and we’ll ban them.”
Last week, families were informed that students without an adult chaperone were banned and the store had discontinued a pizza special for students.
In an email, Principal Bridget Loft chalked the decision up to “a few students’ disrespectful behavior (including, littering, vandalizing, stealing and not following the directions of employees),” though she did not specifically mention egging.
After the email announcing the ban went out, Tramonte said he went back to the principal to clarify what he considers a miscommunication. He reiterated that the entire student body is not banned but the student meal deal is off the menu.
“The manager of the Italian Store asked me to convey to you that they have opted to allow students to enter the store without requiring an adult chaperone,” Loft told families in a follow-up email shared with ARLnow this week, noting the removal of the special meal was still in effect “until further notice.”
Tramonte weighed an entire-school ban but determined that would not be an effective way to hold accountable the students instigating the problems.
In a closed Facebook group for Swanson parents, some backed up the reports of patrons and staff getting egged, according to comments shared with ARLnow.
“Absolutely so disrespectful and disappointing to ruin a great relationship,” one said.
Others said this is not the first instance of middle schoolers stealing from Walgreens.
“Both my sons confirm there is a faction of 8th graders who regularly steal from shops or harass people in Westover,” one said.
A few said they support the Italian Store’s decision.
“Totally support the store in this and hope the kids eventually figure out they’re just hurting themselves in the end,” one parent said.
Until now, says Loft, many students had the chance to “practice some relative independence and autonomy” by visiting the Italian Store, as well as other Westover shops, after school hours. She said in her email that she had previously warned students that their behavior could result in their options being limited.
Tramonte says he had raised concerns with Swanson at the end of last school year, when he began noticing worsening behavior. That has continued this fall, with some patrons telling him they avoid the store if students are there.
“The store was getting overwhelmed,” he said. “We didn’t have a good relationship with the kids this year.”
He mused he may bring the special back next year if these relationships and student behavior improve.
In her emails, Loft stressed the importance of practicing social-emotional skills during school and at home. On Monday, she thanked caregivers in advance for talking with their children about “the importance of practicing responsibility, empathy and self-control while visiting Westover.”
In response to mounting behavioral issues, from fights and other safety concerns to drug use, this year APS invested $14.5 million in deans of students at high schools, middle and high school intervention counselors, and designated Social-Emotional Learning staff at every school.
A large, $18 million stormwater vault underneath Cardinal Elementary School in the flood-prone Westover neighborhood is now complete.
The vault responds to community concerns that arose after significant flooding washed over Westover in July 2019.
Arlington County will mark the completion of the vault with a ribbon-cutting this Saturday during a neighborhood festival at the school, dubbed Westover Day. Beyond celebrating the completed vault, Westover Day will also mark the completion of the new school building, athletic field and playground with school tours, live music and food trucks.
The 47,000-square-foot vault is part of the county’s strategy, dubbed Flood Resilient Arlington, to mitigate the major impacts of flooding. Located in the Torreyson Run watershed, Westover is one of the communities being prioritized for stormwater upgrades.
The vault is designed to hold just over 4 million gallons of stormwater — “equal to six Olympic swimming pools,” according to the county. Its construction, a joint effort by Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools, took two years and was separated into two phases.
First, underground pipes and junction boxes were installed to divert water from an existing storm sewer beneath the school property to where the newly built vault would be, according to the county website. Then, in December 2021, construction of the vault began. It was substantially completed this June.
A video below shows a timelapse of construction through last December.
The athletic fields atop the stormwater vault were closed for sodding but the county tells ARLnow the work is now complete and the fields open.
The ribbon-cutting for the vault at Cardinal Elementary comes on the heels of another county stormwater improvement project.
On Tuesday, county officials celebrated the transformation of the once sludge-filled Ballston Wetland Park into a more robust stormwater filtration system and wildlife refuge.
As we move through the dog days of August, several highly anticipated local restaurants are looking ahead to openings in the coming late summer or early fall.
Coco B’s is finally set to open on the roof of Clarendon’s B Live next week, pending permits, co-owner Christal Bramson confirmed to ARLnow. Besides the roof, the “tropical glam bar” consists of nearly 4,000 square feet of bars, dining rooms, and a back patio. Coco B’s has been in the works for a year and was originally supposed to open this past spring. This comes as B Live continues to revamp, including shifting away from hosting original acts and debuting a new beach bar concept this weekend.
Astro Beer Hall in Shirlington was also finally hoping for an opening this month, but that’s being pushed back at least a few weeks. While no exact timetable has been set for the two-level bar and coffee shop, a spokesperson confirmed a debut is likely coming next month. So, it will be a bit before its donut robot starts its world takeover, one pastry at a time.
Peruvian Brothers is aiming for a “soft opening” at Amazon HQ2 as soon as later this month, co-owner Giuseppe Lanzone told ARLnow. A grand opening is scheduled for September in Pentagon City, he said. It was July 2022 when the fast-casual Peruvian restaurant announced it was moving into 1400 S. Eads Street. The initial hope was to open earlier in the summer, but permitting is again the culprit.
Westover Taco also had planned to start serving this month, but that’s been pushed back. Co-owner Scott Parker told ARLnow that the new spot in Westover will “for sure” open this year but couldn’t provide an exact timetable yet. It was almost exactly a year ago when ARLnow first reported that Parker, along with owners of Lost Dog Cafe, was taking over the space once home to Forest Inn.
Carbonara, the self-described “old school” Italian restaurant in the Ballston area, is now aiming for a November debut, a spokesperson told ARLnow. The Italian eatery and wine bar is moving into the former home of Next Day Blinds on Wilson Blvd and was originally supposed to open this summer. But “difficulty with [the] mechanical system” and permitting hang-ups has pushed it to later in the fall.
Wagamama in Clarendon is coming along. While the British restaurant chain has announced several timelines for opening, none have proven to be the case. Construction does appear underway, but a spokesperson declined to give ARLnow any substantial information. “There are no updates to share regarding the opening timeline for Wagamama Arlington,” they wrote in an email.
Several other notable restaurants are also looking to open later in 2024, including Kirby Club in Clarendon and Yunnan By Potomac in Pentagon City. They are both aiming to open in the spring.
Arlington firefighters are investigating a reported fire in the ceiling at Lost Dog Cafe in Westover.
The fire started in the kitchen area and is said to be out, but firefighters are removing ceiling tiles to make sure there are no remaining hotspots, according to scanner traffic.
It’s unclear what sparked the fire, but accumulated grease in the kitchen ductwork is a common cause of fires at restaurants.
The local staple at 5876 Washington Blvd is best known for its wide selection of beer and sandwiches. There are other Lost Dog Cafe locations on Columbia Pike and in McLean, Dunn Loring and Alexandria.
At least one lane of Washington Blvd is currently blocked by the fire activity.
Arlington County is buying its fourth home for stormwater mitigation — this time in Westover, near the neighborhood’s main drag.
The Arlington County Board is set to approve the terms of the purchase, including a price tag of $1.5 million, on Saturday. The home is located at 5840 18th Street N., across the street from Cardinal Elementary School and the Westover Library branch.
This purchase is part of its voluntary property acquisition program targeting homes in the Spout Run watershed, which saw severe flooding during rain storms four years ago. Since agreeing to purchase its first home in March, the county has purchased a total of three — all in the Waverly Hills neighborhood.
The goal is to create “overland relief,” or a safe path for stormwater to flow to a stream or storm drain during large rain events. The county contends the existing stormwater systems and public space are not able to handle floods like those seen in 2019.
The newest acquisition is a stone’s throw from the stormwater detention vault at Cardinal Elementary, which was also a “community-driven project following the devastating losses and impacts to surrounding businesses and homes from the July, 2019 storm event,” according to the county.
The single-family home will be demolished, with viable parts of it salvaged for new purposes, if applicable.