A new Lebanese eatery quietly opened in Clarendon over the weekend.
Zazzy, located at 1025 N. Fillmore Street, held a soft opening on Sunday, welcoming visitors to try its new fast-casual approach to Lebanese cuisine.
The restaurant is currently open from 4-9 p.m., according to the owner and executive chef Zeina Chouman El Eid. She noted, however, that the hours would be adjusted to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. after the grand opening, which is planned for sometime in late April.
“Hopefully, by the beginning of April… we’ll be fully public about [the grand opening],” Chouman El Eid, a Lebanese-born Clarendon resident, told ARLnow.
The space previously housed Arlington’s first indoor cycling studio, Revolve DC, which opened in 2011 and closed before the pandemic. Last July, ARLnow reported that Zazzy, officially registered under the name “Zeal Eatery Inc.,” was set to take over the space.
Chouman El Eid opted for the name Zazzy, which means something “shiny” or “flashy,” hoping it would stand out among other restaurants in the area.
“Hopefully, it shines in Clarendon and all of Arlington,” Chouman El Eid said.
Although Zazzy represents her first venture into the Arlington dining scene, Chouman El Eid is already well-acquainted with the restaurant industry. Besides owning a spa in Falls Church, Chouman El Eid also runs several restaurants back in Lebanon.
Beyond the absence of table service, Chouman El Eid says what distinguishes Zazzy from more traditional Lebanese eateries is its unique fusion of street food and home-cooked meals.
“Lebanese food is usually served during long outings, dinners, and lunches, and it’s like mezze, which is tapas style,” she said. “But what we are doing here is bringing the street food that we all love and the home food that’s cooked by our mommas at home.”
Zazzy joins a growing list of new restaurants opening in Clarendon, such as the Cuban-inspired café Colada Shop, Japanese restaurant Wagamama, and Chinese eatery Tiger Dumpling.
The area has also seen several closures in the last year, including the Mediterranean restaurant Cava Mezze, Spanish tapas restaurant Pamplona, Bar Ivy, Le Pain Quotidien, and Chicken + Whiskey.