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

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.


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

Freddie’s Beach Bar, the long-running LGBTQ+ bar on Crystal City’s 23rd Street S. restaurant row, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a party this Sunday.

The March 1 celebration at 555 23rd Street S. is set for 7-9 p.m. and will include music, food, drinks and giveaways, according to a press release.


News

Police are looking for one or two suspects who have been robbing local businesses while armed.

The robberies happened around 8 p.m. the past two days, each by a 20-something year-old man wearing dark clothing and a face mask. On both nights, a man brandished a gun and demanded cash at a pair of nearby businesses.


News

Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security headquarters is leaving Crystal City after nine years.

The aerospace and defense company announced the move Wednesday, citing a desire to be “present and engaged with teammates who are designing, producing and delivering vital defense and space products and capabilities.” The St. Louis region is home to about 18,000 Boeing employees.


News

Buck & Associates, a 50-year-old real estate company based near Courthouse, is turning the page on residential sales.

The firm has announced that its residential real estate agents have moved to other brokerages in Northern Virginia. Buck & Associates founder Bill Buck is planning a renewed focus on commercial real estate.


News

The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a pair of overnight break-ins at two businesses in the Old Dominion neighborhood.

Bill’s Ace Hardware and a neighboring service center, National Tire & Battery (4801 Langston Blvd), were both targeted, according to scanner chatter and a tipster.


Around Town

A cafe and flower shop in Ballston is shuttering after four years, in the latest closure for the neighborhood.

Poppyseed Rye, which sold bouquets and hosted flower arrangement workshops in addition to serving up soups, sandwiches, salads and coffee, is closing its doors for good on Sunday at 818 N. Quincy Street. Founder Scott Parker told ARLnow that business had been down for about five or six months, despite loyal customers in the neighborhood.


News

A Fairlington-area bakery’s sign advertising a conservative political club has left a bad taste for some local residents.

The sign posted in the window of Great Harvest Bread Company at 1711 Centre Plaza has attracted hundreds of comments on the Reddit page for Northern Virginia and the private Fairlington Appreciation Society Facebook group this week.


News

Changes to a law restricting liquor sales at Virginia restaurants are still on the mind of at least one state legislator representing Arlington.

As Del. Patrick Hope (D-1) prepares for the General Assembly in 2026, he told ARLnow that he is “open to revisiting” a law that mandates that no more than 55% of a restaurant’s sales can come from liquor or mixed drinks.


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