Old Town | ALXnow

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

Published August 8, 2025 at 3:30PM

Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita will open at 529 E Howell Ave in Alexandria (via Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita Mexicana on Facebook)

We made it to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories.

Our most-read post is on a proposal to open a 24-hour Mexican restaurant in the city’s Del Ray neighborhood. The effort is facing some pushback from neighbors wary of potential crime and safety issues. In July, Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita officially announced in a special use permit application that it wants to open at 529 E. Howell Avenue, the former home to Bark Social. It would be the fourth restaurant for the local chain, and while the restaurant won’t serve alcohol, outside patio hours would be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to the application. The inside area is proposed to be open 24 hours a day.

News

French bakery and cafe files paperwork to open at 701 King Street in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published August 7, 2025 at 10:30AM

A lease has been signed at 701 King Street, the former home to Le Pan Quotidien. (Courtesy Google Maps)

A new French cafe wants to open in a prominent location in Old Town.

New York City-based Maman Coffee Baking Kitchen has filed a special use permit application to operate a cafe, bakery, restaurant, and accessory event space at 701 King Street. That’s the former home to Foxtrot, which closed in 2024, located at the corner of King and N. Washington Streets.

News

Old Town coffee shop and wine bar wants more outdoor seats and expanded hours

By James Cullum

Published August 4, 2025 at 2:30PM

LaPluma Coffee & Wine wants more outdoor seating and expanded hours for its operation at 1000 Cameron Street in Old Town (via Instagram)

There’s good news for Old Town coffee enthusiasts, as a new coffee shop and wine bar is asking the city for expanded hours and extra outdoor seating.

LaPluma Coffee & Wine Bar opened in May at 1000 Cameron Street in Old Town, and now its owners are asking the city to expand their operating hours only on Sundays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and add 12 more seats and two tables to the outdoor patio, for a total of 40 seats.

News

Notes: Over 20 Old Town shops cover sales tax this weekend

By ALXnow.com

Published August 1, 2025 at 8:00AM

Tax Free Weekend at Select Old Town Boutiques (via Visit Alexandria)

Good morning, Alexandria! 👋 Today is Friday, Aug. 1, the 213th day of 2025. There are 152 days left in the year.

⛈️ Today’s weather: Scattered showers, mainly before 8 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77 degrees. North wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%.

News

The Real Housewives of Potomac wraps production for Season 10 in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 1, 2025 at 5:00AM | Updated August 1, 2025 at 6:38AM

The Real Housewives of Potomac (via Instagram)

The Real Housewives of Potomac just wrapped its 10th season, and the Alexandria-based production crew will soon send all its footage for editing in New York City.

ALXnow sat down for a few minutes with the show’s production manager Juancarlo Morales. While the show is filmed in and around the Town of Potomac, Maryland, since April, Morales and his crew of about 30 producers and video production specialists have lived in apartments in Potomac Yard and worked out of The Link coworking office (215 N. Payne Street) in Old Town.

News

Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee announces Beaujolais tasting in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published July 25, 2025 at 3:00PM

Wine (image via Hermes Rivera/Unsplash)

How do you like your Beaujolais?

The Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee just announced that it will host a food and wine tasting that will “delight your taste buds and transport you to the heart of France,” according to the city. The event is being held the week before Thanksgiving at Lloyd House (220 N. Washington Street) on Nov. 20 (Thursday), from 7 to 9 p.m.

News

There’s a vigil on King Street in Old Town on Friday against the Israel-Hamas war

By James Cullum

Published July 24, 2025 at 3:00PM

There's a vigil in Old Town against the war between Israel and Palestine in Gaza (via Instagram)

There’s a vigil on King Street in Old Town against the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas on Friday (July 25).

The protest will be held in the pedestrian-only 100 block of King Street at 7 p.m., according to an Instagram post from Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights. The group has been a near-constant presence in Alexandria for more than a year-and-a-half in the city. Members have demonstrated at city council meetings, a reelection campaign event with U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), and the opening of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.

News

Harry Potter’s birthday to be celebrated at Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published July 23, 2025 at 2:30PM

The laboratory on the second floor of the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Old Town. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Attention all magic-loving muggles!

There’s a Harry Potter birthday tour on Sunday (July 27) at the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum (105-107 S Fairfax Street) in Old Town.

News

Old Town Alexandria’s Annual Summer Sidewalk Sale returns for 16th year

By Ryan Belmore

Published July 21, 2025 at 9:30AM | Updated July 21, 2025 at 2:17PM

Shopping in Old Town Alexandria (via Visit Alexandria)

Old Town Alexandria will host its 16th annual Summer Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, August 9, bringing together more than 30 independent boutiques for what organizers describe as the largest collective boutique sale in the D.C. region.

The shopping event, presented by Visit Alexandria, will feature participating stores throughout Old Town Alexandria’s historic district, with locations marked by balloons and sidewalk signage. Store hours will vary by location.

News

Hundreds march in ‘Good Trouble Lives On’ rally in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published July 18, 2025 at 9:30AM | Updated July 18, 2025 at 3:44PM

Hundreds marched in the Good Trouble Lives On protest in Old Town, July 17, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Hundreds rallied and marched against the Trump administration in Old Town on Thursday night (July 17).

The event at Judy Guse-Noritake Park (600 N. Henry Street) joined hundreds of Good Trouble Lives On rallies across the country, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the death of Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), with participants holding signs and speaking against the Trump administration. The civil rights icon was renowned for his legacy of nonviolent action in defense of democracy.

News

Old Town’s Hypergoat Coffee to mark first year with food trucks, tastings, and cake

By James Cullum

Published July 17, 2025 at 3:30PM

Hypergoat Coffee Roasters owners Rodrigo Ramos and Deborah Joos Tafner de Moraes (staff photo by James Cullum)

It’s taken a lot of coffee to keep Hypergoat Coffee Roasters humming in Old Town, and next month they’re celebrating their first year in business.

“This past year has been full — early mornings, great conversations, new faces, familiar ones, and lots of coffee shared,” shop owner Deborah Joos Tafner de Moraes recently wrote on social media. “We’ve grown more than we imagined, and it’s all because of the people who’ve been part of this journey.”