A butcher and deli chain with a popular Philadelphia-style cheesesteak is planning to open a new spot in Crystal City.
Soko Butcher is coming to a 1,600-square-foot retail bay at 269 19th Court S., Suite 95, on the ground floor of the Grace and Reva apartments, owner Brad Feickert told ARLnow.
The shop with outposts in Maryland and D.C. has something of a cult following around its cheesesteak, “The Philly,” which is piled high with prime rib and smothered in caramelized onions, mayo and a homemade “cheese wiz.” The dish was named one of the area’s best sandwiches last year by The Washington Post.
“We’re kind of famous for our Philly cheesesteak nowadays,” Feickert said. “We sell a lot of them. We found a baker up in Jersey that makes really nice semolina rolls for us now, so [customers] have an option between a French roll and semolina roll.”
Feickert said he hopes to open the new location by late summer as preparations are still underway.
Soko has two dozen sandwich options in total, in addition to a breakfast burrito, salads, wings and loaded fries.
Feickert said the Crystal City spot will be “a full-fledged butcher shop” with similar offerings to Soko’s original location in Takoma Park, Md. The butcher — whose name is the Swahili word for “market” — plans to serve up pork, chicken, beef and potentially some “exotic” cuts.
Most of Soko’s meats are sourced from Monkton, Md., including a 21-day dry-aged beef.
“It’s way different than, you know, stuff that you’re just buying from the local supermarket or Costco,” Feickert said. “We hope to attract some people and have them experience a higher-end product that is relatively the same price.”
Plans for the new shop also include retail beer and wine, as well as Soko’s monthly “Butcher Club” subscription service, which delivers a rotating box “filled with hand-cut meats, house specialities, and small-batch pantry goods.”
“We try to orient the box around something like one recipe … so people can experiment with different things, rather than just buying a New York strip or a filet,” Feickert said.
Soko’s Arlington spot will be available for third-party pickup and delivery. Indoor seating is not planned, but an outdoor patio is expected to have space for about 25 people.
This is Feickert’s first Arlington project since he helped lead the Australian eatery Oz Restaurant and Bar, which closed in 2019.
The new Soko location is expected to be the chain’s fourth outpost since its Takoma Park founding in 2022. The shop has since expanded to Union Market, where Feickert also operates Harvey’s, and a new Leesburg location that is expected to open this spring.
Photo 1 via Soko Butcher/Instagram
