Westover Taco cut the ribbon on Northern Virginia’s first women’s sports bar last night (Thursday) with a little help from some of the region’s athletes.
Members of the professional women’s tackle football team D.C. Divas and nonprofit tackle football team DMV Queens showed up alongside professional ultimate frisbee players from DC Shadow Ultimate to help celebrate the grand opening of the bar with founder Sarah White.
“When I heard [White] was opening this to actually watch women’s sports all the time, I had to go out,” Divas offensive line player Kelly Tillman told ARLnow. The Divas represent the D.C. area in the Women’s Football Alliance, holding multiple national championships.
Last month, White announced plans to acquire the Tex-Mex restaurant and refocus its bar at 5849 Washington Blvd — prioritizing women’s sports games on its TV screens and helping local girls’ teams fundraise while looking into official team sponsorships.
A framed and signed Divas jersey now has a place in the bar, along with a signed DC Shadow cherry blossom jersey and frisbees that team members presented White last night.
“Divas, shout out, that shirt is amazing,” White told the athletes, who celebrated over tortilla chips, dips and samplings of the Westover Taco menu. “The rest of you, I’ll be buying some jerseys, so let’s get them signed and get them on the walls. We look forward to supporting you all and having your schedules up so that we can watch you on TV.”
With the restaurant’s sale expected to close in the coming days, White has gotten to work implementing new menu items and adding sporty touches to the bar, including Washington Mystics and Washington Spirit pennants.
A book signed by American soccer legend Brandi Chastain now sits behind the counter, with a message: “Dreams do come true.” A new neon sign by the TV screens says “#WatchWomenWin.”
“Women empowerment, involvement, women in sports — love it,” DMV Queens General Manager and player Jovan Quillar said. “I love the way the world is changing, looking at women not just as back in the day, but we are strong, just as men are.”
The new concept was made possible when White, who also operates Cowboy Cafe, jumped on the opportunity to purchase Westover Taco from her business partners.
“The guys decided that they wanted to remove it from their portfolio,” White previously told ARLnow. “It’s my only restaurant, and I happen to be able to fund it and buy it myself. I’ve wanted to own a restaurant on my own for a very long time, and this was the opportunity.”
Inspiration for the reimagined venue came from White’s passion for women’s sports — something that grew after she met D.C. Divas’ owner and team captain, Lois Cook, in 2022. Today, White offers the team volunteer marketing services.
Looking ahead, White intends to partner with DJ Melanie B to host community events at the reimagined venue.
“I want to see how we can make sure that there’s a place for everyone at the table, right?” White said last month. “That’s what restaurants do. We make sure that everybody eats. We make sure that everybody has a place, and just making sure that [women’s] sports is part of that too, I think, is phenomenal.”
