Ballston Quarter Food Court Opens to Customers, Though Just One Restaurant is Serving Meals

Ballston Quarter’s long-awaited food court is now open, but the wait continues for most of its restaurants.

The space, dubbed “Quarter Market,” occupies 25,000 square feet in the renovated Ballston Quarter mall. As of today (Monday) Mi & Yu Noodle Bar is open for business, but all other eateries remain shuttered as construction continues and “coming soon” signs adorn the industrial digs.

Developer Forest City described the food court as an “indoor/outdoor eatery” with 14 restaurants scheduled to open:

• Ballston Service Station
• Bartaco
• Copa
• Cucina Al Volo
• French Exit
• Hot Lola’s
• Ice Cream Jubilee
• Local Oyster
• Maizal
• Mi & Yu Noodle Bar
• Pinch Dumplings
• Rice Crook
• Sloppy Mama’s BBQ
• Turu’s by Timber Pizza Company

Forest City previously told ARLnow that Quarter Market will “begin to open” on Feb. 27 after public signs promised a February opening date for months. But diners showed up that day to blocked-off entrances, and Forest City revised its timeline for the “food hall” until early March.

Delays have plagued the mall’s redevelopment with Forest City missing its September and October store opening deadline, with some stores opening in mid-November. The company also planned to open its pedestrian bridge spanning Wilson Blvd in time for that fall opening, but the bridge remains under construction five months later.

The County Board approved permits in September allowing six restaurants in the mall to build outdoor seating for diners in the 5,000-square-foot public plaza off of Wilson Blvd, despite  some county staff who worried private outdoor dining would cut into the public plaza area.

The September permits will allow Bartaco in Quarter Market to serve diners outdoors in warmer weather, along with five restaurants in other parts of the mall: Compass Coffee, South Block, Ted’s Bulletin, True Food Kitchen, and Union Kitchen, according to the mall’s online directory.

Hot dog food truck Swizzler and sushi burrito chain Buredo also previously announced they would be joining Quarter Market, but are not listed on the online directory.

The lineup of restaurants has fluctuated over the past several months: in May, Forest City announced that Chick-Fil-A, French Exit, Mezeh, Slapfish, South Block, and All About Burger were all slated to join. Those eateries will now be located elsewhere in the development.