Around Town

A D.C.-based bubble tea shop is now serving up colorful signature beverages in Crystal City.

Spot of Tea opened last week at 1631 Crystal Drive in Water Park, offering customizable fruit tea, milk tea and matcha. With flavors including vanilla taro milk tea, mango sticky rice matcha and passionfruit green tea, the cafe’s brightly hued beverages — adjustable by the level of ice and sweetness — match its vibrant decor.


Around Town

A new restaurant and private event space is coming to Courthouse, replacing a rooftop bar and restaurant that closed there after less than a year in business.

Rooftop Recess permanently closed in late December after just seven months at 2424 Wilson Blvd, property owner Raghav Dumera told ARLnow. Now, Dumera and his family — who also own and operate Delhi Dhaba Indian Restaurant on the property’s ground floor — say they are in the early stages of planning “The Willow” in the same spot.


Around Town

Cafe franchise Paris Baguette is planning a new location in Crystal City, and a previously announced Clarendon spot is set to open in a couple weeks.

Signs for the French-inspired eatery have appeared at 2000 S. Bell Street in Crystal City, on the ground floor of Valen apartments. The location is expected to open this summer, targeting a debut “in the third quarter of 2026,” according to property owner JBG Smith.


Around Town

With just days to go until the first round of March Madness, numerous sports bars across Arlington and Falls Church are ready with drinks and bites for sports fans of all stripes.

As establishments offer deals ranging from beers and seltzers to appetizers and wings, here are some local spots to try out while watching this month’s games.


Around Town

This is a free preview of the restaurant tracker report sent monthly to ARLnow Press Club members. Join the club to get this and other exclusive features, like our Court Update monthly emails and the ad-free Pro Update daily newsletter.

Hi everyone, this is Katie Taranto, with more updates for ARLnow Press Club members on food and drink in Arlington and Falls Church.


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A new Korean barbecue restaurant has opened for business near Crystal City’s Restaurant Row with grilling options aplenty.

Pi BBQ and Bar, located at 420 23rd Street S., promises “an extensive menu featuring premium cuts of meat, fresh seafood and a variety of traditional Korean dishes” in a modern atmosphere. The restaurant replaces a vacancy left by the Chinese restaurant Young Chow in 2023.


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A Falls Church “toy library” will let customers borrow some toys free of charge in exchange for donations of leftover candy following Halloween.

The Toy Nest is collecting unopened candy as part of its annual candy buyback program, which loans out games, puzzles and more in exchange for sugary treats. The buyback program runs for a week, beginning the day after Halloween this Saturday.


Around Town

A new party supply store is planning to open in a vacant Columbia Pike storefront where a family-owned rug shop closed last year.

New signs have appeared for Tysons-based Party Mania at 2330 Columbia Pike, which has been empty since the rug retailer Manoukian Brothers Oriental Rugs relocated to Langston Blvd.


News

McDonald’s is coordinating with Hall’s Hill residents to replace a local Black history mural after the company’s contractor demolished it earlier this month.

In a new response to residents’ questions and concerns, the fast food chain acknowledged the significance of the 33-year-old brick and cinder-block wall on its property at 4834 Langston Blvd.


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The following was originally emailed to ARLnow Press Club members this past weekend. Sign up to get upgraded newsletters and exclusive features while supporting local news in your community.

Hoping to save on dining and other purchases, or check out limited-time offerings at Arlington restaurants?


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A fish-forward pedicure experience is in store for some shoppers at the Pentagon City mall.

At Garra Spas, clients dip their feet into basins filled with garra rufa fish for a pedicure. The toothless, freshwater species is known to feed on dead skin with a “gentle, therapeutic touch,” owner Christina Pearson said in a release.


News

For the past two years, Marymount University has been among a small but growing group of higher education institutions leading the charge in offering degrees in AI.

The private university based in the Old Dominion neighborhood, which launched its AI program in fall 2023, currently offers a Bachelor of Science degree in the subject and an accompanying minor and graduate certificate.


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