Jet’s Pizza, a Detroit-style pizza chain, is opening its first location in the region at 6 E Glebe Road in the Lynhaven neighborhood, the Washington Business Journal first reported.
The new shop will be taking the place of the now-closed Auburn Cleaners. The Washington Business Journal said no opening date has been announced yet.
INCOMING: @JetsPizza has signed on for the former cleaners space next to Northside 10 in Alexandria (around the corner from my home!) https://t.co/PKAL32jQKP
— Drew Hansen (@Drubaru) April 26, 2023
Detroit-style pizza is a deep-dish pie topped with a brick of cheese that caramelizes against the sides of a heavy rectangular pan — originally baked in steel trays designed for use as automotive drip pans.
While Alexandria already has a well known deluge of pizza locations, a plurality of ALXnow readers said there’s not enough good pizza in Alexandria.
Stop this! We have enough pizza!!! pic.twitter.com/Lsi0B1EAzP
— Becky Hammer (@beckyhammer) October 13, 2022
Image via Jet’s Pizza/Facebook
Z-Burger recently opened on the corner of Pickett Street Plaza, and its owner says the joint also corners the fast-casual burger market in Alexandria’s West End.
Peter Tabibian says Z-Burger is performing better than expected since opening at 684 S. Pickett Street on February 11. The restaurant is visible to drivers on S. Van Dorn Street and S. Pickett Street, but it’s more than just traffic
“We’re really killing it with DoorDash and Uber Eats,” Tabibian told ALXnow. “We can’t keep up with it, and sometimes we just shut it off. I love it. I think it is a very good location. It’s in a corner and based on my experience and all the restaurants I’ve opened, the corner locations always do very well.”
There are nine Z-Burgers scattered throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia. This is the first location in Alexandria and another is planned to open within a month at 509 23rd Street in Arlington, Tabibian said.
The burger chain features hamburgers, hotdogs, Philly cheesesteak subs, chicken sandwiches and 75 hand-spun milkshakes and malts.
“The Crystal City (Arlington) location is going to cater to the hotels in the area, the nightlife and bars,” he said. “That location will be open late until 3 a.m. on weekends.”
Tabibian also owns Maman Joon Kitchen in McLean and a number of My Own Pizza locations, the newest of which opened two days ago in Tysons Corner Center.
“Because of covid, I think this is the best time to open a business,” Tabibian said. ” People can name prices for their rents. If you have a good concept and reputation in the marketplace, landlords will work with you.”
The S. Pickett Street Z-Burger is near McDonald’s (505 S. Van Dorn Street) and a Wendy’s (229 S. Van Dorn Street), but has no nearby competition in the fast-casual burger market, Tabibian said.
“There’s no Five Guys of Shake Shacks around that area,” he said. “I love locations like this because we’re dealing with a lot of blue collar workers, hungry people, folks going to Home Depot, and it’s easy access. Easy in, easy out.”
A native of Iran, Tabibian got his first job at Burger King when he was 14 years old, and worked for 12 years as a general manager of a Jerry’s Subs & Pizza in Capitol Heights, Maryland, before branching out on his own.
Tabibian also says there’s no official expansion plan for his restaurants.
“The plan is giving customers good food and providing good service, doing one restaurant at a time and choosing good locations,” he said.
Z-Burger at 684 S. Pickett Street is open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., except Saturday when it’s open until 11 p.m.
It’s a beautiful spring morning in Alexandria!
Today’s weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 72 degrees during the day, and cloudy with a low of 56 degrees tonight.
🚨Â You need to know
Alexandria has been named one of the best places to visit, Patch first reported.
Money Magazine listed the city as a top destination, and called the city a “lux jumping-off point for D.C.-area visits.“
According to Money Magazine:
Along the King Street Mile in Old Town, you’ll find charming cobblestone streets lined with lanterns, outdoor cafes, Instagram-worthy murals and trendy bars. There’s also a vibrant art community — explore the many galleries or peek in at artists at work at the Torpedo Factory Art Center.
Other local coverage
- Custodian ‘Heart And Soul’ Of Alexandria Schools For 42 Years
Patch (Friday at 12;57 p.m.) - PHOTOS: 180 Alexandria Schoolkids Play to Sell-Out Crowd in Annual ‘Night of Stars’ Talent Show
Zebra (Monday @ 10 a.m.) - The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar is coming to Alexandria VA this Summer
Zebra (Sunday at 2 p.m.) - Foody Newz To Look Forward to In Alexandria This April 2023
Zebra (Monday @ 8 a.m.) - Del Ray Farmers’ Market Announces Monthly Kids’ Club
Zebra (Monday at 8 a.m.)
Tweets of note
#Spring is in full bloom and so are the cherry blossoms. Now until April 16 enjoy a direct water taxi from Old Town to The Wharf development in Washington D.C. to see the blossoms in all their glory. Learn more from @AlexandriaVA: https://t.co/Xpk5SeJ5Du #ALXVActivities pic.twitter.com/L0JVFvabEQ
— AlexandriaVAGov (@AlexandriaVAGov) April 2, 2023
On this date in 1928, Alexandria legend Earl Lloyd was born. He is best remembered for breaking the NBA color barrier. We remember and honor Lloyd's legacy every day, but especially on his birthday. #ACPSBlackHistory #ACPSLegends pic.twitter.com/dFCTKJkee3
— Alexandria City Public Schools (@ACPSk12) April 3, 2023
(Updated 3/31) One year after a plan to open at 128 N. Pitt Street seemingly fell through, hyper-popular D.C. bagel shop Call Your Mother Deli says an Alexandria location in Old Town is back on the menu.
Currently, “somewhere” is the best the company can say for the exact location, but a store representative ruled out one location: 128 N. Pitt Street.
“Call Your Mother’s second VA location will be in Alexandria / the historic Old Town district, but it will not be at 128 N. Pitt Street,” said Carly Connor, a public relations manager with a firm representing Call Your Mother Deli, in an email.
Neighbors told ALXnow the new location is likely the new development at 1300 King Street.
Connor said the aim is to open sometime this summer.
“The lease is not yet final,” Connor said, “but it’s looking like mid-summer for the opening!”
The news came alongside an announcement that a new location will also be opening in McLean.
Photo via Call Your Mother/Facebook
Seven months after it was originally supposed to reopen, South African fast food chain Nando’s Peri-Peri could finally be opening next week in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood.
In a press release, the restaurant announced the Hoffman Town Center location at 2462 Mandeville Lane will open on Monday, March 27. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will have dining for 72 customers. Hours are 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Nando’s Peri-Peri opened on King Street in 2010 but closed one year ago after the lease expired. The restaurant was scheduled to open last August but was delayed.
The new Carlyle location will also kick off a “Community Day” a month after it launches. On Saturday, April 22, all proceeds (sans tax and alcohol sales) will be donated to Alexandria City High School’s Parent Teacher Student Association.
According to the release:
Nando’s PERi-PERi, the beloved South African restaurant brand recognized around the world for its spicy flame-grilled chicken, hatches in Alexandria on Monday March 27th. The restaurant, in the Carlyle Crossing neighborhood near the Wegmans and the AMC movie theater, represents Nando’s long-awaited return to Alexandria.
Nando’s operated for years on King Street in Old Town. The new restaurant, at 2462 Mandeville Lane in The Foundry, features stunning industrial designs that mix exposed concrete and columns with contemporary African patterns, original African artwork, furniture, and light fixtures.
“We can’t wait to bring our mouth-watering chicken back to Alexandria,” said John Fisher, CEO of Nando’s PERi-PERi. “PERi-PERi – or African Bird’s Eye Chilli – is the heart and soul of the Nando’s experience. We marinate our chicken in PERi-PERi for at least 24-hours, so the flavor goes right through to the bone. Then we grill it over an open flame and baste it with PERi-PERi sauce to the customer’s preferred spice level. That’s what makes our chicken so addictive.”
The company’s journey from the tip of Africa to the edge of Alexandria–an adventure which began 35 years ago with a single location in Johannesburg–now spans 24 nations from Australia to Zimbabwe. Landing stateside in 2008 with its inaugural US restaurant in Washington, DC, the brand has since expanded to nearly 50 sites in DC, Virginia, Maryland, Chicago, and soon in Texas.
Nando’s new Alexandria location opens in a prime site in the Hoffman Town Center. The restaurant features original, contemporary South African art and furniture. The 3,000-square-foot Nando’s will offer dine-in seating for 72 customers, a spacious outdoor patio, and convenient take-out service and parking. Hours are 10:30am to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, and 10:30am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
One of Alexandria’s last waterfront warehouses is becoming a tavern.
According to a press release, the squat brick warehouse at 10 Duke Street is going to be converted into a market, tavern and event space called Cooper Mill, a throwback to the site’s history of making barrels for the Alexandria Flower Company.
The warehouse — once used as a mess hall and commissary by Union soldiers during the Civil War — is in the Robinson Landing development and was left intact while the rest of the buildings around it were rebuilt.
The release said the new tavern is being helmed by Noe Landini, who operates the eponymous Landini Brothers Restaurant (115 King Street) and Junction Bakery & Bistro (1508 Mount Vernon Avenue), and boutique builder Murray Bonitt.
“When [Bonitt] brought this opportunity to me and asked me to participate, it was a no-brainer,” Landini said in the release. “An incredible building as it stands, but Murray shared his vision, and I simply couldn’t resist. It wasn’t long before we were drawing out a concept on the back of a napkin and before you knew it, we were off.”
According to the release:
The current plans for the two-story 6,400 square-foot warehouse building will consist of a small upscale market at the rear of the building, with a casual tavern on the first floor, and a 3,200 private event space upstairs. The market will feature grab-n-go breakfast foods and coffee, sandwiches, soups, prepared foods, fresh breads, and baked goods from Landini’s various locations, as well as beer, wine, and other high-demand market items. The tavern will have a relaxed casual vibe consisting of repurposed materials from the building to create a warm rustic, yet urban feel. The special event space upstairs will be the crown jewel of the building, Bonitt says, with lots of light, exposed brick, balconies with views of the park and river, repurposed roof trusses and flooring, with the ability to host events up to 120 people.
The project is expected to open sometime in late spring 2024.
A new restaurant focused on milkshakes in mason jars is coming to Old Town.
The Crazy Mason, a self-described milkshake bar, is planning to open at 716 King Street sometime this summer.
“The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar offers sweet treats of all kinds, specializing in unique milkshakes and sundaes served in keepsake custom-designed mason jars,” the restaurant said in a release.
The Crazy Mason features a variety of types of milkshakes along with other desserts, like cookies and cheesecake. There are also a couple vegan options with non-dairy milk, according to the website.
The new location is set to open this summer, The Crazy Mason said in a release, with a more specific date to be announced closer to opening.
The chain started out in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 2020. The Alexandria store will be the 10th location in the swiftly growing chain.
“We fell in love with the Crazy Mason brand while on a family vacation in Myrtle Beach in 2021 and we opened our first location in 2022 in Ellicott City, Maryland,” franchisees Erin and Robert Studer said in a release. “We wanted to bring our crazy treats to the DC metro area and Old Town Alexandria is one of our favorite places. With the waterfront, the cosmopolitan feel and the walkable nature of the town, we are so excited to announce our next location on King Street.”
The Crazy Mason enters a neighborhood with some stiff frozen dairy competition, with five ice cream shops along or just off King Street in Old Town.
Image via The Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar/Facebook
BARtanical, a botanical and herbal inspired bar, will open as the newest pop-up at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray by the end of the month, its owners tell ALXnow.
The new bar is the fifth pop-up for the space, and owners Bill Blackburn and his partner “Mango” Mike Anderson of the Homegrown Restaurant Group have decided to keep going with the pop-up themes instead of opening a permanent restaurant.
Blackburn and Anderson closed the Sushi Bar — located between their other restaurants Holy Cow Del Ray and Pork Barrel BBQ — in December 2021 after nine years in business. Shortly after closing, the restaurant was transformed into the Christmas-themed pop-up bar Joy On The Avenue, followed up by a Tiki Bar that lasted for eight months, a Halloween-themed pop-up in October and then back to the Christmas-themed bar last month.
The windows of the pop-up are currently covered, and the interior of the space has been gutted.
Blackburn says that when it opens, the pop-up will be a “potted plant lover’s paradise,” featuring an “explosion of plants an greenery.”
“Sticking to the craft cocktail heavy formula, BARtanical’s beverage program will be botanic and herbal inspired, with a nibble and snacks menu that is on the crisper and lighter side,” Blackburn said. “It’s a limited time pop-up and perfect for girls night out, casual happy hour or late nightcap surrounded by rich green agricultural décor and Del Ray’s most entertaining bartenders.”
Anderson said that the next iteration of the pop-up is a secret.
“You’ll have to wait and find out,” Anderson said. “New concepts are like first dates. First dates are new and exciting, and every three months we’re going to provide the residents of Alexandria with a fresh experience.”
Mari Luffey, a former bar manager at HRG’s Whiskey & Oyster in Carlyle, is the manager for the pop-up and is creating a cocktail menu.
“The spring-feel of the bar will translate nicely during the winter months,” Luffey said. “It’s going to be beautiful and cozy in here.”
It’s official: Tatte Bakery & Cafe is coming to 515 King Street in the heart of Old Town — pending the approval of a special use permit.
The plans to open in Old Town were first reported by the Washington Business Journal back in October, but applicant Tatte Holdings LLC just filed the permit to make it official.
Tatte Bakery & Cafe filed an administrative special use permit to open a restaurant in the office building. Designs for the restaurant show that it will be located at the corner of N. Saint Asaph Street and King Street.
“The restaurant will serve bakery and cafe items seven days per week,” the application said.
The cafe will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. and serve approximately 400 customers per day. Staff at another location said an exact opening date is still unknown, but it will be “sometime this year.”
Image via Tatte Bakery/Instagram
A new French bistro will open on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray in two weeks, the restaurant’s owner tells ALXnow.
Gostov Boulangerie & Brasserie will be fully open at 2213 Mount Vernon Avenue by Wednesday, Jan. 25. Owner Abderrahim Moussaif says he has all of the necessary city permits.
“We’re legally ready to open, just not practically,” Moussaif said. “We just got the occupancy squared away with the City of Alexandria. We’re still getting everything ready, testing the ovens and training staff. We’re going to have a small opening and serve coffee and cappuccino and a little bit of breakfast, and then we can start implementing heartier food in the spring.”
Moussaif, who runs four Madison Day School child care centers in Alexandria, bought the 14,300 square-foot Del Ray property for $3 million in 2019. The two lots are located in the heart of Del Ray at the intersection of E. Oxford Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue.
“The idea for the bistro came about a year-and-a-half ago,” Moussaif said. “We were using the building as an office and figuring out what to do with it.”
Moussaif said that the bistro will be able to accommodate 47 customers at a time, and that there will be outdoor seating when the weather warms this spring.
The restaurant will be open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. every day.
Photo via Google Maps
