Around Town

Chef Santiago Lopez has officially taken over The Majestic in Old Town, bringing a flair for French and Mediterranean flavors.

Lopez recently bought the restaurant at 911 King Street from its previous owner, Alexandria Restaurant Partners. After a brief shutdown, the restaurant reopened today (Friday) at 11:30 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m.


Around Town

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.


Around Town

It was a cool but clear day on Saturday as the 43rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade passed through Old Town.

Dozens of pipe bands, Irish dance schools, community groups and local businesses marched along Alexandria’s historic streets for the event, which is hosted by the nonprofit Ballyshaners, Inc, whose name translates to “Old Towners” in Gaelic.


Around Town

The Taco Bell DC 50K that passed through Alexandria for the first time in November is planning a comeback this fall.

About 500 people participated in last year’s Tex-Mex-fueled race, which is not sponsored by its titular fast food chain, but organized by local runners Phil Hargis and Mike Wardian. The 32.4-mile course takes runners and walkers to eight Taco Bell locations throughout Alexandria, Arlington, and D.C., where they are required to eat at least one menu item at every stop.


News

 

The grand reopening for The World Crafted on King, a fair trade store that rebranded from Ten Thousand Villages, starts tomorrow (Friday), leading into a weekend of festivities.


Around Town

Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant and Bar just hit a milestone.

On Saturday, Feb. 28, the restaurant at 112 King Street will host its 20th anniversary party. The festivities start at noon with live music and continue for 12 hours, featuring raffles, contests and happy hour from 3-5 p.m. with $6 pints of Guinness — the price of a pint back in 2006.


News

A new report on traffic safety in Northern Virginia is raising concerns about the number of “near miss” incidents in Alexandria, especially those involving children.

A total of 155 near miss incidents involving children were reported in Alexandria from January 2024 to December 2025 — more than in any other Northern Virginia locality, according to the report from Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS). Of those incidents, 53 of them occurred at a single intersection in Potomac West.


News

A 33-year-old Baltimore woman was arrested earlier this month after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of apparel from a yoga apparel store in Old Town.

The suspect was captured on security camera footage with two suspects taking approximately $8,000 worth of merchandise out of Alo at 814 King Street on Dec. 10. The woman was arrested attempting to enter a getaway vehicle as two others suspects fled on foot and were not arrested, according to an Alexandria Police Department announcement yesterday (Thursday).


News

The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a string of thefts that occurred at two yoga apparel stores in Old Town this past fall.

The suspects of three Old Town thefts reported between Sept. 30 and late last month have stolen thousands of dollars in merchandise from yoga clothing retailers Alo Yoga and Lululemon on King Street. The incidents are being investigated in connection with other recent thefts in the D.C. region.


News

The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a fatal crash at King Street and S. Taylor Street that took the life of a man this morning (Saturday).

Around 8 a.m., APD shut down a portion of King Street between Menokin Drive and N. Quaker Lane to respond to the two-vehicle crash. Two men were injured and transported to a hospital, where one of them later died.


Around Town

Three local businesses along King Street in Old Town will be open late tonight (Friday) for a holiday-themed celebration.

Red Barn Mercantile (1117 King Street), Pippin Toy Co. (1310 King Street) and Penny Post (1201 King Street) will remain open from 8 p.m. to midnight for “Midnight Merriment” festivities. The shops plan to offer refreshments and activities throughout the night as shoppers enjoy “the magic of Old Town Alexandria after dark,” according to a release.


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