Immigrant Food’s first foray outside of D.C. is scheduled to open in Ballston next week, owners told ARLnow.
The restaurant, opening Tuesday across from the Ballston Metro station at 4245 Fairfax Drive, is the newest outpost of “gastroadvacacy” dining for Immigrant Food, which launched in 2019. It will be the largest of the brand’s four restaurants.
“Most restaurants have one beating heart: the kitchen experience,” co-founder Peter Schechter told ARLnow. “This restaurant has two beating hearts: that, but it is also the mission to celebrate, advocate and educate about what immigrants have brought to this country, are bringing to this country and will continue to bring to this country.”
The local chain embraces flavors from around the world, resulting in a menu that features a variety of fusion-style dishes such as fried chicken featuring Filipino-inspired banana ketchup and a Caesar salad featuring miso and other Japanese flavors.
Immigrant Food’s Ballston location will feature a signature cocktail to headline its drink menu. Named after a national park in India, the Kanha features basil, jalapeño and Japanese shochu, among other ingredients.
The restaurant will be open for brunch, lunch and dinner. During happy hour, discounts are available on a variety of dishes, wines and cocktails.
The restaurant’s mission goes beyond the kitchen. Immigrant Food promotes a handful of opportunities to engage with immigrant communities each week, given the influence immigrants have long had on America.
“The whole idea of corporate social responsibility and having a mission as part of your company is not new,” co-founder Téa Ivanovic said. “I think what we wanted to do is sort of go beyond and really integrate the social mission into the business model.”
The approach has been successful for the brand, which is eyeing Fairfax County for a fifth location in the coming years before a planned expansion to other metropolitan areas.
“Whether it’s Washington or Atlanta or the Research Triangle in North Carolina … I think this is a concept that would work well in any urban area because it is definitively not political,” Schechter said. “It is a values-based concept that crosses generational lines, demographic lines and party lines.”
