News

Del Ray’s ski lodge is closing after this Saturday night, and its owner says he’ll be throwing a party like snowbody’s business.

Aspen on the Avenue popup bar owner Bill Blackburn of the Homegrown Restaurant Group says that Saturday night will be the last chance for customers to enjoy delicacies like the ski lemon meringuetini.


News

Beloved Old Town chili-spot Hard Times Cafe at 1404 King Street could be temporarily closing to undergo extensive interior renovations.

Hard Times Cafe filed an application for partial demolition and encapsulation at the restaurant. That permit is scheduled for review at the Board of Architectural Review meeting on Wednesday, April 17.


News

After nearly a year of extensive renovation and expansion, Piece Out Del Ray is reopening next month, it’s owner tells ALXnow.

The expansion from 2,700 to 4,600 square feet includes a large, center-focused bar area, a brand new dining room in what was previously a neighboring yoga studio, booths, dart boards and 21-and-up-only shuffleboard. A small area for outdoor seating is still being leveled and rails need to be put in place, but otherwise the restaurant was ready enough to open for a March Madness pop-up event on Wednesday night.


News

A smoking heating and air system has closed Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar at 111 King Street for the foreseeable future, the restaurant owner told ALXnow.

Owner Bartolo Paz said that smoke came out of the furnace this afternoon after it was turned on by restaurant staff, that no one was hurt, and that there is minimal damage.


News

(Updated 2:25 p.m.) It can be hard to find good vegetarian and vegan-friendly options around Alexandria. After a walk along the waterfront or a stroll through Del Ray, it’s nice to know where you or your friends with plant-based diets can stop in for a meal.

ALXnow has you covered.


News

A new outdoor seating area at Union Sandwich Company (101 N. Union Street) could both alleviate overcrowding in the store and give visitors a new place to sit and enjoy Old Town.

The sandwich shop owner filed a special use permit with the City of Alexandria to add three tables with four seats each and some planters and rope to delineate the area.


News

Marino’s Pizza and Subs at 3100 Richmond Highway* could soon become a Middle Eastern restaurant with a carry-out focus.

Owner Talat Omar filed a special use permit with the City of Alexandria to turn the now-closed pizza place into Omar’s Pitas & Platters.


News

Mediterranean restaurant La’Baik should open in the next several weeks in the former Rubia’s Tacos at 2309 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, its owner tells ALXnow.

Rubia’s, which was previously Stomping Ground for eight years, closed in January, and new restaurant owner Mohammad Abdel-Hay is keeping the interior and equipment and tables and chairs as-is, only changing the menu, staff and signage.


News

He’s not remotely Irish, but Alexandria restaurant owner “Mango” Mike Anderson is the grand marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday.

A local celebrity of sorts, Anderson will lead the parade down King Street and to the reviewing stand on Royal Street in the heart of Old Town.


News

There’s nothing like numbing your aching body with a hot toddy after a long day on the slopes.

That’s the vibe that the owners of the Aspen on the Avenue popup (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue) have in mind. There’s a two-seat gondola parked outside the restaurant and bar greeting customers as they walk into a warm environment with a fake fireplace, a fake brick wall, lots of skis and two giant backlit photos of idyllic snowy scenes.


News

New pizza restaurant Benny Diforza’s (1504B Mount Vernon Avenue) has been popular since opening last week. The restaurant was well attended this weekend, and according to an application with the City of Alexandria, there could be more space for diners soon.

Benny Diforza’s is part of a Benny’s Pizza chain with locations across Virginia, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wyoming.


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