The “Markers Market” is coming back to Pentagon City, planned for the first Sunday of every month starting this weekend.
The market featuring local artists, creators, food, and music is returning to Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) this coming Sunday, April 2. It begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m.
Like last year’s edition, it is free to attend with on-site parking available. Organizers are asking attendees to reserve tickets.
“Explore trendy and unique creations, enjoy ambient music from the live DJ, and take in all the plaza has to offer from tasty dining options to retail shops and services,” reads the event listing.
The market is expanding its schedule in 2023 and is now planned for the first Sunday of every month through October. Dates include:
- April 2
- May 7
- June 4
- July 2
- August 6
- September 3
- October 1
“Each market will feature some new vendors and some returning vendors,” notes the event listing.
Among the vendors are small producers like Herndon Woodshed, Clay Creations by Liz, Smell of Love candles, Billy’s Hobby Shop, Fire in Hand Jewelry, A Hot Sauce Co, and Jarhead Leather.
The shopping center that was once called Pentagon Row just closed its popular skating rink for the season last week and is now getting set up for the spring and summer.
Several new restaurants are preparing to open in the coming weeks. Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken plans to open early next month while Chase the Submarine remains docked at the former Bread and Water “cube.”
The sandwich shop’s revival from local chef Tim Ma was supposed to start serving earlier this year, but it has yet to open its doors.
Provided things go according to eggspectations, Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken’s new Pentagon City location could hatch early next month.
The eatery is opening at 1301 S. Joyce Street in the Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) shopping center.
Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken is a restaurant chain specializing in — no points awarded for guessing — Nashville-style hot chicken. The menu also includes standard sides like coleslaw and loaded fries, but the stars of the show are the spiced-up chicken sandwich, chicken fingers and chicken waffles.
The new location will be the growing chain’s second in Arlington, after opening in the former Laura Cooks spot in Ballston earlier this year. The Pentagon City restaurant is just a couple of weeks away, its owner says.
“My target date of grand opening will be April 8,” Jim Hong, owner of Hangry Joe’s Pentagon Row said in an email. “It may be delayed due to the health inspection, ordering merchandise, or something popped up that I wouldn’t be aware. But I will try my best to open on that day.”
Image via Hangry Joe’s Chicken/Instagram
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, the prime minister of Ireland, took in a history-making rugby match at a bar in Pentagon City over the weekend.
Varadkar watched the Ireland claim the Guinness Six Nations crown on home soil for the first time in 75 years at Maddie and Eddie’s, the Irish bar at Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) owned by notable local chef — and Dublin native — Cathal Armstrong.
Media outlets from Ireland and the UK wrote about and carried photos from Varadkar’s visit Saturday afternoon.
More from the Irish Examiner:
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has congratulated the Irish rugby team on winning the Grand Slam.
Ireland made history in Dublin as they completed just the fourth Grand Slam in their history as they were crowned Guinness Six Nations champions on home soil for the first time in 75 years.
Speaking in Washington, Mr Varadkar said: “Congratulations to the Grand Slam winning Irish team and staff.
“A fantastic achievement. Wishing them all the very best for their World Cup preparations.”
Varadkar posted a video showing him in the midst of a packed crowd cheering on Ireland.
What a way to round off an incredible week to be Irish, @IrishRugby winning the Grand Slam at home.
Bring on the World Cup! pic.twitter.com/W8giriZwid
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) March 18, 2023
“What a way to keep the St Patrick’s Day weekend going strong!” the bar wrote on Instagram.
On Saturday, Irish Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar was at Mattie and Eddie’s Irish Bar and Restaurant at @PentagonRow for the Six Nations Championship Rugby! @NationalLanding @ARLnowDOTcom 🏉 ☘️ 🛒 https://t.co/dezKVkmBU3
— CartChaos22202 (@CartChaos22202) March 19, 2023
A new urgent care clinic is opening in Pentagon City, filling a space that once served Italian sandwiches.
Another location of NOVA Patient Care is coming to 1301 S. Joyce Street at Westpost, the shopping center in Pentagon City formerly known at Pentagon Row. The urgent and primary care clinic provides immediate daytime care, with hours currently planned to be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This will be the second Arlington location of the urgent care clinic, with the other just two miles away on S. Bell Street in Crystal City. It will be the company’s eighth clinic overall in Northern Virginia.
No word yet on when it might open, in the storefront next to Walgreens. ARLnow has reached out to both the clinic and Westpost for a timeline but has yet to hear back as of publication.
NOVA Patient Care is opening in the former location of Napoli Salumeria, an Italian market that closed about a year ago and was only open for just over a year. The urgent care appears to be retaining the distinctive bright blue doors and awning that marked the entrance of a spot that formerly served up focaccias and sandwiches.
Elsewhere at Westpost, a once-buzzy sandwich spot is opening inside of the “cube.” Local chef Tim Ma is reviving his “Chase the Submarine” concept inside the stand-alone space that housed Bread & Water until this past fall. It’s expected to open in the next few weeks.
It’s that time of year again.
An opening date has been set for the Pentagon Row ice skating rink in Pentagon City, and it’s less than two weeks away. The seasonal rink, currently under construction, will open on Tuesday, Nov. 1, a spokesperson for the Westpost shopping center tells ARLnow.
The nearly-7,000 square foot rink located in the plaza at 1201 S. Joyce Street is said to be the “largest outdoor ice skating rink in Northern Virginia” and the second-largest in the state.
It also opened around the beginning of November last year, which was a week earlier than the prior year. It remained open until March. The rink maintains special hours on holidays and other public school off-days.
Reservation are required to skate but the online reservation system did not appear to be working this morning. Last year admission was $10-11 and skate rentals were $5.
(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) A Filipino food festival is coming to Pentagon City this weekend.
“Filipino Chef’s Night Out” is set to take place this Friday, Oct. 21 from 6-10 p.m. inside Sparrow Room. That’s the cocktail bar and dim sum restaurant located behind Bun’d Up at Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) on S. Joyce Street.
The festival is a collaboration between local restaurateur Scott Chung and six Filipino chefs in honor of Filipino American History Month. It will feature the six chefs serving a “specially curating tasting box” to each attendee to go along with a night of karaoke and mahjong.
The line-up of local chefs includes James Beard nominees, the executive chef from one of America’s best restaurants, and RAMMY award winners. They’ll be cooking up traditional Filipino dishes with a modern flair like pork belly kare kare, beef tapa, and biko.
The evening event costs $75 per person. Both Sparrow Room and Bun’d Up will be closed to the public starting at 6 p.m for the duration of the night.
Chung, who co-owns Sparrow Room and Bun’d Up, told ARLnow that this is the first time he’s doing something like this, though he was inspired and encouraged by last weekend’s night market at Westpost.
“[Our festival] is the same idea, giving chefs a platform outside of the restaurant to celebrate their culture,” Chung said.
The chefs will be putting together about 150 boxes and Chung expects them to sell out.
Bun’d Up first opened in late 2019 and, about a year later, added Sparrow Room to the back. It’s styled as a “speakeasy” cocktail bar with a focus on the resurgent 19th-century Chinese game of Mahjong. The bar also offers classes to teach the game.
Between the night market and “Filipino Chef’s Night Out,” Chung says the popularity of these events makes it clear there’s an appetite for these types of festivals in Pentagon City.
“It really gives me ideas for what can be done with the space,” he said. “We can have a lot of success here. “
Bread & Water has closed its standalone “cube” location in Pentagon City after four-and-a-half years in business.
The outpost of the Fairfax County-founded artisan bakery — which in addition to baked goods also offered coffee, tea, sandwiches, salads — first opened in February 2018 at what was then Pentagon Row (now Westpost). It was generally well reviewed online.
The business told customers in an email this morning, below, that it was closing in Pentagon City “effective immediately.”
Hey Bread and Water friends…we just wanted to let you know that effective immediately our CUBE – Pentagon City location will be closed.
We’re so grateful for all the support from our amazing customers here. We have loved our time at the Row, but we’ve got big things planned for our Alexandria location and sister restaurants (shout out to Bun Papa & BeeLiner Diner). We look forward to serving you at our other locations.
See you soon.
Reached by ARLnow, the business said it simply declined to renew its lease.
“Lease was just up,” said company founder Markos Panas. “Bread & Water and the team are doing better than ever and we’re focusing on bigger things… We are moving full speed ahead!”
It’s unclear what, if anything, is planned to replace Bread & Water in the small, standalone space at 1201 S. Joyce Street, near the shopping center’s plaza that hosts the ice rink during colder weather months.
Hat tip to Paul W. Matt Blitz contributed to this report.
It appears that Pentagon City mainstay Tasteful Delight has closed.
The signage is now gone at the long-time Chinese food restaurant on S. Joyce Street. There’s also a lock on the door, plus the interior looks like it has been cleared out. As further proof, online ordering is no longer available on the restaurant’s website and its phone line has been disconnected.
It’s unclear when exactly Tasteful Delight did serve its last meal, with the last Yelp review being from early September.
ARLnow has reached out to the email listed on the restaurant’s website but has yet to hear back as of publication.
Earlier this week, a tip came in that expressed disappointment that the restaurant had closed because “the food was really good.” On NextDoor, there was similar sentiment.
“It was by far the best American style Chinese food I’ve food in the area.” Another says that they “feared” the day it would close and “almost fell to my knees cursing the sky” when they realized they would no longer be able to order from there. Overall, Tasteful Delight garnered 3.5 stars on Yelp.
The restaurant was open at 1301 S. Joyce Street for at least a decade, outlasting until now all the turnover that’s been going on at Pentagon Row — also known as Westpost — over the last two years.
Like the swallows of Capistrano, the Hello Kitty truck keeps returning to a warm and welcoming place: Pentagon City.
As it did last summer, the truck will be setting up shop along Pentagon Row this weekend, offering its baked goods and pink-hued merchandise to the masses. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted during the event, which is set to take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, near the DSW store.
Hello Kitty, for the uninitiated, is an internationally beloved Japanese character first created in the mid-1970s and still going strong as a multi-billion-dollar media franchise.
The truck will only be in the area for one day. After the Arlington stop on the truck’s East Coast tour, it’s off to New Jersey.
More from a press release, below.
The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is continuing its 2022 tour across the U.S. with its all-pink cafe on wheels carrying exclusive treats and collectibles celebrating all things Hello Kitty.
Fans of Hello Kitty can look forward to edible goodies and limited-edition merch, including:
- NEW Hello Kitty Cafe Glass Mug with Sprinkle Handle
- NEW Hello Kitty Cafe Coin Bank
- NEW Hello Kitty Cafe Lunchbox
- Hello Kitty Cafe Lavender T-Shirt
- Hello Kitty Cafe Canvas Tote
- Stainless Hello Kitty Cafe Rainbow Thermos (18oz and 32oz)
- Hand-Decorated Cookie Sets
- Madeleine Cookie Sets
Other best-selling items include: Hello Kitty Cafe Plush Toys and giant Hello Kitty Cafe chef cookies.
*Hello Kitty Cafe Truck accepts only credit/debit card payments -no cash.
Following DC, the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will continue its 2022 East Coast tour with a stop in Cherry Hill, NJ on 8/20.
Since the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck made its debut in October 2014 as part of Sanrio’s first food-related venture, the cafe on wheels has delighted thousands of fans from all over the U.S., drawing crowds of up to hundreds of Hello Kitty lovers at each stop. To date, two Hello Kitty Cafe trucks have traveled to more than 100 cities across both coasts – from Los Angeles, Seattle and Houston – to Chicago, New York and Miami.
A man absconded with thousands of dollars yesterday after swiping a bag of cash from an employee who was filling an ATM in Pentagon City.
The incident reportedly happened around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Harris Teeter store at 900 Army Navy Drive, in the Pentagon Row shopping center.
“Upon arrival, it was determined the reporting party was filling an ATM with money when the unknown suspect approached and stole a bag containing an undisclosed amount of cash,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “The suspect then fled the scene on foot.”
An armored truck could be seen parked outside of the store as an ARLnow photographer arrived on scene. Initial reports suggest that the suspect may have stolen tens of thousands of dollars simply by running off with the cash without any use or threat of force.
“There was no force reported,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “The incident is a larceny.”
The suspect was described as a teen or man in his early 20s. Police searched the area but did not locate him.
“The suspect is described as a Black male in his late teens to early 20s with a slim build,” said the crime report. “He was wearing dark gray pants, a black long sleeve shirt and carrying a backpack. The investigation is ongoing.”
New Renderings of Days Inn Development — “The plans to replace the Days Inn on Arlington Boulevard with 251 multi-family units and around 3,000 square feet of retail are coming into focus. New plans filed with Arlington County last week provide the first renderings for The Arva, the eight-story project designed by STUDIOS Architecture.” [UrbanTurf]
Yorktown Girls Lax Wins State Tourney — “After qualifying for the state tournament for the first time in 2019 and enjoying success by going 1-1 and losing in the semifinals, the Yorktown Patriots were hungry for much more in that competition. This spring, the girls lacrosse team indeed got considerably more, by winning the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state tourney with a 3-0 record and capping its best season in program history.” [Sun Gazette]
Woman Assaults Officers in Pentagon City — “1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 9:00 p.m. on June 11, police were dispatched to the report of a disorderly subject. Upon arrival, officers met with security who advised the female suspect had been smoking inside the building and they wanted her banned from the property. Officers located the suspect and asked her to leave the premises. During the incident, the suspect became combative and struck an officer in the face. The suspect continued to attempt to strike the officers, and with the assistance of an additional responding officer, she was taken into custody.” [ACPD]
Buses Causing Damage in Ballston — “Another Arlington light pole bites the dust, this time in Ballston. Police are on the scene. A tour bus that was here earlier, possibly the striking vehicle, has since left… More bus mayhem in Ballston: a tour bus ran over and damaged some of the landscaping in front of the Westin hotel, per a reader who sent this photo.” [Twitter]
Cobbler Moving to Alexandria to Expand — “After twenty years in Pentagon Row, family-owned leatherworking shop Best Foot Forward is moving to the Bradlee Shopping Center in Alexandria early next month… ‘My dad started it as a one-man business. Now we’re looking to expand and Bradlee would be twice as big.'” [ALXnow]
Va. Realtors Worried About Market — “Members of the Virginia Realtors trade group report declining sales conditions and more concern about the future, owing to higher interest rates, more inventory and perhaps the sense among some residents that it’s time to batten down the hatches rather than take on the responsibility of a new home.” [Sun Gazette]
Arlington Bear Now in Fairfax County? — “A bear was sighted in the Belle Haven area on Thursday (June 9), and one Nextdoor user snapped some photos of it crossing George Washington Memorial Parkway near Belle View Boulevard… The Fairfax County Police Department says its Animal Protection Police and wildlife management specialist were alerted to bear sightings in the area over the weekend. The department has also received recent reports of a young bear moving through McLean.” [FFXnow]
Missing Middle Modifications in Portland — “The Portland City Council unanimously approved a long list of seemingly technical zoning tweaks that ease the city’s rules on construction of… housing types like townhomes, fourplexes, and cottage clusters… The program got hearty praise at the time as the nation’s most ambitious low-density zoning reform. It’s spawned an infant industry of developers building smaller, more affordable ‘missing middle’ housing. Nevertheless, the results thus far have been fairly modest, producing only about 100 additional units since the program went into effect in August 2021.” [Reason]
It’s Tuesday — Rain and storms, potentially severe, in the morning. Clearing in the afternoon. High of 82 and low of 73. Sunrise at 5:44 am and sunset at 8:36 pm. [Weather.gov]
