Some big changes are being proposed at 400 King Street in Old Town.
The building takes over an entire city block and is currently home to The Alexandrian Old Town Hotel at 480 King Street and Southern restaurant King & Rye. The latter is undergoing an interior renovation and is serving a limited menu through the end of March.
After years in limbo, a parking lot along Alexandria’s waterfront could be turned into an outdoor dining area for a local restaurant.
Mai Thai (6 King Street) last month submitted a request to the city to license four city-owned spaces in the eight-space parking lot in the rear of the building.
It’s been 16 years since Generous George’s Positive Pizza & Pasta Place closed, and only a few months before it reopens as a Japanese sushi restaurant.
After an extensive interior renovation, Umiya Alexandria is expected to open by August, a contractor working on the project told ALXnow.
After nearly three years of construction, a new Latin American wine bar and café will open in Old Town early next month.
LaPluma Coffee & Wine is expected to open at 1000 Cameron Street the first week in April, followed by a grand opening later in the month, its owners tell ALXnow.
Eras, a Taylor Swift-themed popup bar, is opening next week on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray.
While still under construction, owner Bill Blackburn said that each section of the seasonal popup at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue represents one of Swift’s albums — Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation and Folklore. There’s even a hall with portraits of her ex-boyfriends.
George Washington’s cherry-filled past will be celebrated this month with the second annual GW Cherry Challenge.
The challenge is sponsored by George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate and requires participating venues to create the best “cherry-oriented appetizer, entrée, beverage, or dessert,” according to organizers.
Two Alexandria restaurants made Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2025 list, with one Old Town spot landing at the number 8 spot.
The list ranks restaurants around DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
❄️ Today’s weather: Expect scattered flurries later this afternoon, followed by sunny conditions and a high near 32 degrees. West winds will range from 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 23 mph. Tonight, flurries will clear up before 9pm and give way to a mostly clear sky, with temperatures dropping to around 19 degrees. The northwest wind will persist at 13 to 15 mph, while gusts may reach 30 mph.
Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: Expect partly sunny skies and a high near 44 today, with light variable wind increasing to southeast at 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight, rain is likely to begin after 1am, with a low around 38 and southeast winds at 5 mph easing off after midnight. There’s an 80% chance of precipitation, and rainfall amounts may range between a tenth and a quarter of an inch.
With pocketbooks lighter from the holidays, it’s a good thing that Alexandria Restaurant Week is around the corner.
Nearly 100 restaurants are participating from Jan. 31 to Feb. 9, by offering multi-course dinner menus for $30-to-$50 per person in neighborhoods across the city.
An Azerbaijani bakery and cafe has applied for a change of ownership for the former Chewish Deli at 1640 King Street.
Despite stellar reviews, Sharbat Bakery & Cafe closed its D.C. location earlier this year. Now owners Ilhama Safarova and Natavan Aliyeva are asking the city to also approve adding outdoor tables and chairs to the proposed shop.
