Plans to open a new Iranian restaurant on Langston Blvd continue to face delays, six years after a local entrepreneur first sought to open a restaurant in the space.
Restaurateur Mohammad Esfahani has been trying to open a business at 5009 Langston Blvd since 2019, when he announced plans to open an All About Burger location and hookah lounge there. He has since pivoted to pursue an Iranian restaurant, Kolbeh (formerly Alvand) which he originally hoped to open in April 2025.
Esfahani said he completed necessary construction and inspections before the county flagged an issue with the property’s plumbing and fire system six months ago.
“We were ready to open, but at the last minute they come, they asked us to have a sprinkler system and fire system,” Esfahani said. “For that reason, we have to hire an architect, engineer, and we built it. The restaurant is finished, and they calculate that we need a four inch water line — before, we have three-quarter water line.”
Esfahani filed permit applications in January and February to install a new water line, county records show. As of this week, the county has finalized one permit and approved a work plan for the other. But the work has yet to be done.
“We are ready, after that, to have inspections and have a license and start working,” Esfahani said.
Esfahani’s original plan for the Langston Blvd building faced other delays related to construction and the building’s electrical system.
Esfahani’s experiences with inefficient permitting mirror concerns held by other small business owners in Arlington. Over the years, quite a few restaurants and bars, and the Green Valley Farmers Market, have cited permitting delays as a drawback.
Arlington’s Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development did not respond to a request for comment on issues at this particular property.
The property remains shuttered, but Esfahani is holding onto hope.
“We don’t have that much money, and we don’t have support,” he said. “That’s why most small businesses, before they open, they’re bankrupt. [The county] should make it a little bit easier.”
