JUST IN: Whitlow’s Says It Will Close in June, But May Reopen Elsewhere

Long-time local watering hole Whitlow’s says it’s closing after efforts to renew its lease were unsuccessful.

“We have been unable to successfully negotiate an extension for our lease which expires at the end of June 2021,” the restaurant said today in a social media post. “We will continue to operate as we have been; however, we are due to close on Saturday, June 26.”

Located at 2854 Wilson Blvd, the bar first opened in Clarendon in 1995, after first opening as a greasy-spoon eatery in D.C. in 1946. It added a rooftop deck in 2010.

ARLnow first reported two years ago that it was listed on a commercial real estate website for a lease start date of July 1, 2021. As of this week, the property is now listed for sale at an undisclosed price.

In its social media post, Whitlow’s said it is “actively looking for a future home.”

“We don’t necessarily see this as a goodbye, but more of a see you later,” the post says. “In the meantime, there are three months left and we are going to make the best of it!”

The full statement is below.

Whitlow’s on Wilson has been family owned and operated since 1995. While it has been an exceedingly difficult year due to Covid-19, thankfully Whitlow’s maintained operations and support for our staff as much as possible. Unfortunately, we have been unable to successfully negotiate an extension for our lease which expires at the end of June 2021. We will continue to operate as we have been; however, we are due to close on Saturday June 26th 2021. We invite everyone to drop by and celebrate all the good times that have been had over the course of our 26 years here in Clarendon.

We want to take this opportunity to thank our past and present staff for making Whitlow’s the neighborhood gathering spot that it is. A special shout out to the incredible team that has fought so hard to keep Whitlow’s going during the pandemic, we are beyond grateful. Thank you to the musicians that have played on our stage. To our loyal regulars and guests, we cannot say thank you enough, we could not have done it without you.

While, the doors at 2854 Wilson may be closing in June, we are actively looking for a future home. We don’t necessarily see this as a goodbye, but more of a see you later… In the meantime, there are three months left and we are going to make the best of it! We have some good things planned and hope to see all of you soon.

The Cahill/ Williams Family