Pike Cornerstone has closed its doors for the last time after just over two years in business.
The restaurant and bar, which aimed to create a “home away from home” atmosphere with hearty bar fare, cocktails and a dog-friendly patio, held its “final call” on Saturday. It opened at 2900 Columbia Pike, at the former site of Rebellion on the Pike, in April 2024.
“Thank you to everyone in our community,” Cornerstone wrote on social media. “We’ve loved all of the conversations and being part of your lives. This isn’t goodbye this is see you later.”
Co-owners Pete Fejeran and Kathryn McAbee, who also own the nearby Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, said it’s been a tough year for Pike businesses.
“Between the misplanned construction and all the government shutdowns, it’s a continued trend,” Fejeran said, referring to economic headwinds on the corridor.
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Located at the corner of the Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive, the restaurant offered a variety of entrees, appetizers and brunch at modest prices, including $12 rice bowls and garlic lemon pasta.
The bar served beer, wine and more than a dozen signature cocktails and frequently highlighted its wine selection on social media with a “wine of the week.” The co-owners had refurbished the space after Rebellion on the Pike’s departure in February 2024.
Cornerstone’s closure follows the departures of several Arlington businesses this spring — most recently, The Board Room in Clarendon and Whino in Ballston. Owners of both businesses cited economic difficulties and high overhead costs.
The restaurant had a working partnership with the Drafthouse, hosting various “crossover events” and providing discounts to customers who showed their tickets at the eatery. The space also held plenty of community programming and themed nights for events like March Madness and the season 4 release of “Bridgerton.”
“We really just want a homey place,” Fejeran previously told ARLnow. “It’s a place where people coming into town can just kick back, relax.”
The restaurant made it through months of adjacent construction as the Columbia Pike Multimodal Improvement Project was underway. As local leaders held a ribbon cutting last month marking the end of years of Pike roadwork, Fejeran said Cornerstone still had two lanes blocked in front of the restaurant.
The co-owners maintain that the state of the Pike’s local business scene is not as strong as leaders say.
“The biggest blow was [the construction] all being downplayed,” Fejeran said. “It hurts more as a business owner and resident that it’s being downplayed.”
The former Rebellion on the Pike, known for its craft beer and whisky, had previously operated at the property for five years. The business had cited “economic downturn” in a statement announcing its closure.
Nearby on the Pike, renovations appear to be underway at the shuttered Takohachi Japanese Restaurant at Penrose Square. Signs posted in the windows at 2501 Columbia Pike advertise a new all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, “MoMo GoGo,” which is currently hiring and “coming soon.”
