Guests at the Old Town North Farmers’ Market will be able to sample food from a fast-casual vegetarian restaurant opening soon in Alexandria.
Life Alive Cafe — which plans to open Tuesday, June 9 at 400 King Street — will make an appearance at today’s market (May 28) from 3-7 p.m. at 901 N. Royal Street. The restaurant will also appear at the market on Thursday, June 11, according to a newsletter from the Old Town North Community Partnership.
At the farmers market stand, guests can try falafel with lemon tahini sauce and roasted corn fritters with chipotle aioli, a restaurant spokesperson told ALXnow.
The Massachusetts-based restaurant offers a menu of vegetarian scratch-made dishes, including grain bowls, salads, sandwiches and noodles, as well as smoothies, cold-pressed juice and coffee.
The new location also plans to host a patio preview party, “Alive on King Street,” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 7, ahead of its official opening on June 9. The preview will be free and open to the public.
“The Old Town neighborhood can stop by any time to enjoy complimentary bites and sips, live music, family-friendly activities, and an early look at the café’s feel-good menu offerings and atmosphere,” the restaurant said in a release.
On opening day, the restaurant will host a grand opening with branded tote bags and giveaways for its first 100 guests. Throughout the day, customers can also try a complimentary “King St. Coconut Cloud” cold brew or matcha with any purchase.
The seasonal drink — made with coconut vanilla syrup, maple vanilla cold foam and toasted coconut — is exclusive to the Old Town location and will be available through Aug. 31.
Life Alive Cafe CEO Bryan Timko said Old Town’s “incredible sense of community, character and walkability” made it an ideal match for Life Alive’s next location.
“We’re excited to create a space where people can stop in for a quick smoothie or latté, settle in for lunch with friends, or simply take a moment to recharge with food that helps them feel their best,” Timko said in the release.
The new restaurant will occupy 3,250 square feet of ground floor space at 400 King Street, with seating for about 100 guests across an indoor dining area and outdoor patio. The space is “designed to complement the charm of the neighborhood while providing a bright, modern environment that guests truly want to spend time in,” a spokesperson previously told ALXnow.
The new cafe will be Life Alive’s third location in the D.C. area as it expands into the region, following openings in Arlington and D.C. last year. The company has 13 locations in Massachusetts, where it was founded in 2004.
Life Alive Cafe’s planned hours in Old Town are 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
