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.
This story was updated with additional details and a new rendering from a Carr spokesperson.
Plans for a new Italian restaurant and a café are progressing in Old Town North, with both expected to open early next year.
Northern Virginia brewery Crooked Run Fermentation is planning to expand its footprint with a new location in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood.
After filing for a Virginia ABC permit earlier this year, the brewery confirmed it is planning a Crooked Run Brewery Taproom at 2003 Mount Vernon Avenue, the former location of Dolce & Bean. Crooked Run Fermentation, founded in Leesburg in 2013, also has a production facility and taproom in Sterling and a location at D.C.’s Union Market.
A family-owned bakery and café from Arlington has officially expanded to Old Town, offering French pastries with Lebanese flavors.
Eclairons held a soft opening in February at 430 S. Washington Street and is now spending its first spring in Alexandria. The business replaced a vacancy left by Firehook Bakery, bringing a fresh look to the space with new outdoor pergolas and flowers.
The owners of a popular all-day brunch restaurant in Del Ray have a new concept with chicken on their minds.
Matthew Sloan and Eric Brannon are currently asking the city’s permission for 10 outdoor dining seats at their new restaurant, Little Birdie. The space at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue was formerly occupied by Benny DiForza’s Pizza, which opened in February 2024 and closed last October.
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.
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.
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.
Alexandrians can now get falafel with their cheesesteak, as a Falafel Inc. franchise soft-opened this week in the longtime home of the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Factory at 3060 Duke Street. Its new owner plans on running with both concepts, according to staff at the new restaurant.
The restaurant officially opened on Sunday, March 9. A grand opening event is currently in the works, but a date has not been set, staff told ALXnow.
A new Indian restaurant celebrated its recent foray into the Eisenhower East neighborhood over the weekend with festivities alongside local city and business leaders.
The Bombay Canteen rolled out the red carpet at 2010 Eisenhower Avenue yesterday (Sunday) for a grand opening of its Mumbai-inspired dining room and kitchen. The new eatery, which soft opened last month, is led by D.C.-area restaurateur Asad Sheikh and chef Nishi Barua, replacing a vacancy left by Hunan Cafe.
A local Indian restaurant founded by an Old Town couple is celebrating the start of a new chapter in Alexandria.
After about 18 months of planning and renovations, Sundara Indian Restaurant & Cafe is reopening in a new space on the ground floor of 1320 Braddock Place in Suite 105. It’s a hard-earned milestone for the business, which grappled with unexpected delays and rising renovation costs to reopen after departing from an Arlington VFW post in summer 2024, following a zoning dispute.
