Around Town

Restaurateurs with projects in Arlington and Falls Church are stepping into another RAMMY Awards season with plenty of recognition to go around.

Restaurants and hospitality groups with a foothold in the local area have received nearly two dozen RAMMY semifinalist nominations at the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s annual program spotlighting excellence in the region’s culinary scene.


News

Arlington has a new publicly traded company after a local AI cloud computing platform completed a merger with a California-based health technology firm last week.

Virginia Square-based Corvex finalized a reverse merger with Movano Inc. — a group that develops “wearable solutions” for users to track their personal health data — last Thursday. Movano is now called “Corvex” and remains under the “MOVE” symbol on the Nasdaq Stock Market.


Around Town

The French-inspired cafe chain Maman is coming to Ballston next month, joining the neighborhood’s shifting breakfast-and-brunch landscape.

The New York City-based business, known for its blue-and-white floral aesthetic and Oprah-approved cookies, is preparing to open its second Arlington location at 4121 Wilson Blvd in “early April,” a spokesperson told ARLnow.


Around Town

A new Pilates studio is rolling out plans to open in Crystal City.

Signs advertising “Pilates on the Mat” have appeared on the ground floor of The Grace and Reva apartments (269 19th Court S.). A website for the upcoming business advertises “a revolutionary fitness concept providing reformer-quality Pilates classes at a fraction of the price,” in addition to “corporate wellness” classes offered at offices and apartments.


Around Town

A pizza franchise with a flair for the psychedelic has its eye on Arlington and Alexandria as it plans a major new expansion into the D.C. area.

Mellow Mushroom has named the two localities among its “highest-priority growth markets on the East Coast,” a spokesperson told ARLnow. The business — known for its “stone-baked pies,” appetizers and kaleidoscopic colors — is planning to open eight to 10 new locations in the region, according to Jamie Cecil, vice president of franchise development.


Around Town

A longtime Thai restaurant and sushi bar has closed for business in Clarendon, but it appears the business won’t be gone for long.

Rien Tong Thai Asian Restaurant & Sushi Bar plans to spend the next 10 months rebranding at 3131 Wilson Blvd, located just across the street from the Clarendon Metro station. A message posted in the restaurant’s windows teases improvements under new management.


Around Town

An Ace Hardware store is opening soon in Crystal City.

Arlington’s second Twins Ace Hardware is preparing to soft open at 2051 S. Bell Street on Tuesday, April 7, owner Jeff Smith told ARLnow. This will be followed by a three-day grand opening with “swag, gift bags, giveaways, and plenty of surprises” from May 29-31.


Around Town

A new pottery studio offering customers a chance to paint their own bowls, mugs and figurines is opening in Shirlington this weekend.

Paint Your Heart Out is throwing a grand opening starting at 11 a.m. this Saturday for its new studio at 2780 S. Arlington Mill Road, where Shirlington Cleaners used to be. The grand opening will include a $50 gift card raffle, and the first 50 guests to make a $50 purchase will be given a complimentary mug to decorate.


Around Town

A family-owned chain of fast-casual Chinese restaurants, known for having dishes once celebrated by Anthony Bourdain, is eyeing Clarendon for its next location.

Xi’an Famous Foods is planning a new restaurant at 2800 Clarendon Blvd, in The Crossing Clarendon shopping center. The New York City-based eatery offers cuisine inspired by CEO Jason Wang’s childhood in Xi’an, China — including a variety of hand-ripped noodles, dumplings, and a spicy cumin lamb burger favored by Bourdain on the show “No Reservations” in 2007.


Around Town

A popular West Coast-inspired burrito shop and cafe from D.C. is opening for business next week at Crystal City’s Water Park.

Monstera Burrito opens Monday at 1721 Crystal Drive, bringing its signature San Diego-style, French fry-packed burritos and an extended menu of burgers, bowls, sandwiches and other bites. It’s the restaurant’s second location, joining a residency inside Georgetown’s Grace Street Coffee Roasters that opened in 2024.


Around Town

Women’s sports fans could soon have a bar of their own in Arlington.

Sarah White, a longtime local restaurateur and partner at Westover Taco, is in the process of buying out of the taqueria at 5849 Washington Blvd. After that?


Around Town

EagleBank’s Ballston branch is relocating to a new space just one block away.

The branch at 4420 Fairfax Drive — currently slated for redevelopment as a 22-story residential building — is coordinating a move to nearby 901 N. Glebe Road this fall, Director of Banking Operations Joe Clarke told ARLnow.


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