Is Arlington’s restaurant landscape oversaturated? It depends on who you ask. Some chefs and owners whose concepts have fizzled would say yes. But Javier Candon, a co-proprietor of SER in Ballston (which he owns with chef Josu Zubikarai) sees strength in numbers. He says he’s hopeful that the redevelopment of Ballston Common will make the neighborhood more of a dining destination akin to 14th Street in D.C., where you might grab a cocktail in one place, go out for dinner somewhere else and then finish with a night cap at yet another establishment.
Mike Bramson, co-owner of Social Restaurant Group, which owns Provision No. 14 and The Prospect in D.C., is of a similar mindset. A Clarendon resident, he’s recently made a play in his own neighborhood, starting with Pamplona, the trendy Basque restaurant that opened in the former SoBe Bar & Bistro location. Next up: Bar Bao, which promises Asian-style buns and a full bar in the recently vacated Mad Rose Tavern space. The two restaurants will share a courtyard patio that’s set back from Clarendon Boulevard.
“We hope to create a little corner that will attract people to that side of the block,” Bramson says.
That’s not all. Social Restaurant Group is also converting a former used-car lot at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and 10th Street into an 18,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor beer garden, with a setup akin to the Fairgrounds outside Nationals Park in the District. With the arrival of The Lot, Bramson says he’s hoping to capture the clientele that frequented Sehkraft and CarPool, which at press time was slated to close in April.
He’s betting that Arlington’s sweet spot is that middle ground—a locally owned venture that’s bigger and more capitalized than a mom-and-pop but smaller and more personal than a corporate chain.
“I hope people will go to dinner at Pamplona, grab a drink afterward at Bar Bao and then end the night at the beer garden,” Bramson says. “If you give people a reason to stay in Arlington, they will.”
Arlington freelance journalist Lisa Rabasca Roepe has written for Fast Company, Quartz, The Week, CityLab and Good. She is also a Forbes contributor.
Associate editor Lisa Lednicer also contributed to this story.