Author: Katie Taranto

Katie Taranto is a reporter at ALXnow. She previously covered local businesses at ARLnow and K-12 education at The Columbia Missourian. She is originally from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

Around Town

New coffee shop and wine bar aims for spring opening on Queen Street

By Katie Taranto
Cherry on Top is coming soon to Queen Street in Old Town (courtesy of Ksenia Varakina)

An upcoming café and wine bar in Old Town is getting closer to opening its doors.

Ksenia Varakina told ALXnow she is hoping to open her new business, Cherry on Top, around mid- to late May at 1021 Queen Street. There, she hopes to offer a variety of wine, espresso beverages, charcuterie and pastries across the shop and its accompanying 437-square-foot yard.

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Around Town

Duke St. Ice House pub closing next week at Whole Foods in Alexandria

By Katie Taranto
Sign for the Duke St. Ice House at Whole Foods in Alexandria (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

An in-store pub and café at Alexandria’s Whole Foods Market is closing permanently this month.

The Duke St. Ice House’s last day of operations at 1700 Duke Street is this Monday, April 6, according to signs posted outside the café. The forthcoming closure has prompted some disappointment from local customers, some of whom have created an online forum and plan to write a letter to the supermarket’s management.

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Around Town

New wine shop DCanter plans grand opening this weekend in Old Town

By Katie Taranto
Vacant retail bay at 1101 King Street where DCanter plans to open (staff photo by James Cullum)

A local wine shop is preparing to celebrate a new chapter in Alexandria this weekend.

D.C. wine boutique DCanter is hosting a grand opening for its second location, DCanter Alexandria, from 12-4 p.m. Saturday (April 4) at 1101 King Street, Suite 112. Led by couple Michelle Lim Warner and Michael Warner, the shop focuses on sustainably made and organic wines sourced from small, independent producers.

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News

ACPS plans to make April election day a student holiday

By Katie Taranto
ACHS (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City School Board is expected to approve a calendar revision that would make Virginia’s April 21 election date a student holiday.

Alexandria City Public Schools has recommended the School Board approve the item during tonight’s meeting (Thursday), as voters will be in school-based polling locations on Election Day.

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Around Town

Entrepreneur seeks to bring community center to Virginia Tech building in Old Town

By Katie Taranto
Ashley Wood (left) and daughter Lily at Soulo Studios (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A three-story Virginia Tech building in Old Town may soon be repurposed into a community center through the work of a Del Ray entrepreneur and creative.

Ashley R. Wood, the founder and author behind the arts-focused workspace Soulo Studios at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue, is working to bring her next endeavor to life: Lily’s Garden Creative and Cultural Community Center. The prospective center, named after Wood’s 4-year-old daughter, would open at 1021 Prince Street, which is currently part of Virginia Tech’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center.

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Around Town

Life Alive Cafe plans summer opening in Old Town

By Katie Taranto
Exterior rendering of Life Alive Cafe in Old Town (courtesy of Life Alive Cafe)

A fast-casual vegetarian restaurant and café is getting closer to its Old Town debut.

Life Alive Cafe is now targeting a summer opening at 400 King Street, a spokesperson confirmed to ALXnow. The Boston-based restaurant emphasizes scratch-made cooking, offering a veggie-forward menu of grain bowls, salads, sandwiches and noodles, in addition to smoothies, cold-pressed juice and coffee.

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Around Town

Dok Khao Thai Eatery opens at Alexandria’s Oakville development

By Katie Taranto
Dok Khao Thai Eatery at the Oakville development (staff photo by Emily Leayman)

A new Thai restaurant has opened in Alexandria’s Oakville development, between Potomac Yard and Del Ray.

Dok Khao Thai Eatery is currently in a soft opening at 2514 Richmond Highway with an all-day, Thai street food-inspired menu with more than a dozen specials from owner and chef Porntipa Pattanamekar, also known as “Chef Pat.” The restaurant includes an all-day menu and full-service bar, with space for about 100 guests.

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Around Town

MacMillan Spirit House closes in Old Town North amid landlord rent dispute

By Katie Taranto
MacMillan Spirit House at 500 Montgomery Street (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A restaurant and bar with a focus on spirits has closed after nearly two years in Old Town North amid a legal battle with the landlord over rent.

The MacMillan Spirit House is no longer in business at 500 Montgomery Street, the MacMillan Restaurant Group confirmed to ALXnow. The spirit house first opened in late March 2024, as a sister establishment to the MacMillan Whisky Room at the Mosaic District in Fairfax County.

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Around Town

March Madness in Alexandria: Where to watch and find deals

By Katie Taranto
Inside Don Taco (via Don Taco/Facebook)

Numerous restaurants and sports bars in Alexandria are gearing up for March Madness this week, with plans to offer specials on drinks and bites while the games play on.

Fans will get to see how their March Madness brackets fare when the NCAA men’s tournament’s first round begins Thursday (March 19) and women’s tournament follows on Friday (March 20). Games run until the final championship games on April 5 (women) and April 6 (men).

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Around Town

The Commodore cuts ribbon on new Old Town dive bar

By Katie Taranto
Rob Van de Graaff and Steve Kim pierce the ribbon on the new Commodore bar using a trident at 220 N. Lee Street (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

The Commodore, a self-described “five-star dive bar,” is now open for business in Old Town.

Owners Rob Van de Graaff and Steve Kim used a huge trident to pierce the ribbon on their new bar and restaurant at 220 N. Lee Street yesterday (Thursday). It was an on-brand move for the business, which is filled with nautical decor.

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Around Town

Live music, bar crawls and more coming to Alexandria for St. Patrick’s Day

By Katie Taranto
Daniel O'Connell's Irish Restaurant and Bar at 112 King Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade may have come and gone, but there are plenty more festivities coming to Alexandria celebrating the Emerald Isle.

Across the city, upcoming events include multiple bar crawls, live performances of Irish music and a feline-friendly “St. Catrick’s Day” at Mount Purrnon Cat Café + Wine Bar.

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