A Shirlington Italian restaurant is shutting its doors for repairs after flooding earlier this month.
Corso Italian will be closed at 4024 Campbell Avenue for an uncertain period of time after flooding on Aug. 2 caused “significant damage” to a dining room and the basement, owner Jill Erber wrote in a letter to customers yesterday (Wednesday).
“For the past couple of weeks, we have done everything we could to keep going. We operated with one dining room closed, worked around ongoing remediation and construction, did our best to continue welcoming guests, and, most importantly, kept our team working,” Erber said. “Today, that became impossible. The repair work has reached a point where the restaurant needs to be completely closed for it to continue.”
A GoFundMe campaign is currently seeking to raise $14,000 for lost wages to 40 cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, hosts and managers. The campaign had raised almost $7,000 as of this afternoon.
In the letter to customers, Erber noted that the flooding took place amid construction work in The Village at Shirlington to support outdoor renovations. She didn’t elaborate on any connection she sees between the construction and the flooding.
“Because the flooding resulted from exterior construction work, our insurance will not cover the wages our team will lose while the restaurant is closed,” Mirando Russ, the front of house manager at Corso Italian, wrote in the GoFundMe. “This leaves many of our employees facing several weeks without their regular income through circumstances entirely outside of their control.”
Village at Shirlington property owner Federal Realty Investment Trust, which is responsible for the construction, told ARLnow that it intends to support Corso’s efforts to reopen soon.
“Corso Italian has been a cherished member of The Village at Shirlington community for many years, and we appreciate how meaningful the restaurant is to its guests, employees, and neighbors,” a spokesperson said. “We are committed to supporting the Corso team and the restaurant’s reopening in the coming weeks.”
The construction project began in March in Shirlington, promising expanded sidewalks, additional lighting and new public art exhibits along Campbell Avenue.
“Later this year, renovations at The Village at Shirlington will be complete, bringing improved connectivity and enhanced public spaces while preserving the property’s historic character,” the spokesperson said. “We look forward to celebrating Corso’s return as an integral part of the renewed Village at Shirlington.”
Erber did not list any planned reopening date for the restaurant, but said she will share information as the situation becomes clearer.
“If you have ever joined us for dinner, celebrated a birthday or anniversary at Corso, attended one of our events, stopped in for a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine, or simply been welcomed through our doors, you have experienced the people who make Corso so special,” the GoFundMe says. “They are the heart of this restaurant.”
Some staff members have been with Corso Italian since it first opened as a Cheesetique location in 2011. The restaurant reinvented itself as an Italian-inspired restaurant and market in 2023 under the same ownership.
The menu includes a range of Italian-American classics, such as chicken Vesuvio with red chili and sage, and carbonara with handmade pasta and housemade guanciale. Entrees include a Tuscan steak and Sicilian salmon.
Cheesetique, an Alexandria restaurant also owned by Erber, is still open and will accept Corso Italian gift cards during the closure.
“I don’t know yet what the next chapter looks like. What I do know is how incredibly grateful I am for the people who have worked here and the community that has supported us,” Erber wrote. “Thank you for being part of it.”
