A new Middle Eastern restaurant and hookah lounge has opened in Bluemont.
Ya Hala Bistro, located where Layalina Restaurant used to be at 5216 Wilson Blvd, hosted a soft opening last Saturday and is planning a grand opening in the coming weeks.
“We’re not 100% open yet. It’s just like a soft opening slowly, then when we figure out everything and everybody is trained, we can open in the next two or three weeks,” owner Mohamed Alkadi told ARLnow.
Although the official grand opening is scheduled for later this month, the bistro’s operating hours, 11-2 a.m. seven days a week, will remain the same.
The menu features a variety of savory Mediterranean dishes, including chicken shawarma and baba ghanoush, alongside craft cocktails and a “premium hookah experience,” per the restaurant’s website.
Ya Hala joins a number of other Middle Eastern restaurants and hookah lounges in Arlington, including Tarbouch Cafe in Lyon Village, Darna in Virginia Square and Eska on Columbia Pike.
Hat tip to James Tatum