Lapu Lapu, a Filipino eatery offering to-go breakfast sandwiches, is expected to open this spring in Crystal City, according to the National Landing BID.
The Gaithersburg-based shop hopes to make its Northern Virginia debut at 1417 S. Fern Street by April. Named after a national hero of the Philippines, Lapu Lapu combines Filipino cuisine with American breakfast sandwiches.
It’s owned by a RAMMY-nominated chef
- Chef Javier Fernandez’s Filipino restaurant, Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly, is a two-time RAMMY finalist for Rising Culinary Star in 2019 and Favorite Fast Bite in 2020.
- Lapu Lapu has been the subject of local acclaim in publications like Bethesda Magazine, where it was named one of the area’s best breakfast sandwiches in 2024.
- The eatery made it in The Washington Post’s 2023 Fall Dining Guide, where food critic Tom Sietsema praised the paksiw sandwich’s “luscious” pork belly.
Egg sandwiches are served on pandesal
- These bread buns are light, faintly sweet and a staple in Filipino cuisine. They’re often eaten warm at breakfast time or as a snack.
- The menu is divided between Filipino Favorites, like spam or chorizo, and American Classics, like bacon or sausage egg and cheese.
- Sandwiches are joined on the menu by meryenda, or snacks. These include pints of ube-flavored soft serve, loaded tater tots and chicken lumpia rolls.
It’ll join a growing restaurant cluster near Amazon HQ2
- Lapu Lapu isn’t the Fernandez family’s only project at The Gramercy this year. Gwenie’s Pastries, a Filipino bakeshop by Gwendolyn and Stella Fernandez, is slated to join the same building.
- Surrounding breakfast options include a Dunkin’, Good Company Doughnuts, Mae’s Market and acai bowl chain South Block.
This story has been updated to provide an estimated opening date from the owner.
