An upscale gastropub with live music three nights a week is joining National Landing’s growing list of restaurants.
Makers Union opens Dec. 5 in Amazon’s Metropolitan Park, with a menu chock full of modern comfort foods. Think mac and cheese with cavatappi pasta, gruyere cheese, jalapeños and parmesan-herb breadcrumbs ($14), or fried chicken slathered in hot sauce in a bowl with chopped kale, mustard slaw and pickles ($18).
Part of the minority-owned Thompson Hospitality group of restaurants, this is the third Makers Union location. The first opened in Reston Town Center in 2020 and the second at D.C.’s Wharf in October. Other eateries in Thompson’s portfolio include the Big Buns burger chain (with locations in Ballston, Shirlington and McLean), as well as regional favorites such as Matchbox and Velocity Wings.
“We always like to try and find ways to tie the specific Makers Union location into the area that it’s in,” says Alex Brown, Makers Union’s director of operations. “Amazon has a community banana stand, and they hand out bananas to everyone in the community every day. So, we created a cocktail that features a banana.”
Cheekily named There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand—a nod to part of a money laundering scam in the TV comedy Arrested Development—the drink ($14) is made with rum, banana liqueur, lime, simple syrup and a banana wheel.
Catering to daytime workers in the area, the restaurant also offers a grab-and-go-style lunch. “Employees [can] go on our website and a select number of items to be available within a five-minute fulfillment time,” Brown says, such as a chicken kale Caesar salad or a tuna poke bowl.
Open for lunch and dinner daily and brunch on the weekends, the kitchen turns out dishes that have proved popular at other Makers Union locations. Among them: Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($13) with hot honey, ginger, mint, cilantro and roasted peanuts; Makers Steak & Fries ($21), a flatiron cut with grilled broccolini and parmesan garlic-butter fries; and the vegetarian Moroccan-style “Impossible” Kebabs ($22), with roasted mushrooms, sweet potatoes, broccolini and jasmine rice.
On the beverage front, other signature cocktails include the Magical Sage ($13), with New Amsterdam vodka, lemon, elderflower, sage and pea flower; and The Riff ($18), with Suntory whiskey toki, honey-ginger syrup, lemon juice, honeycomb and candied ginger.
Barkeeps are also shaking up three seasonal quaffs for the holidays. The White Christmas margarita ($14) features Hornitos Plata tequila, triple sec, white cranberry juice, lime juice and a cream of coconut sugar rim. Vodka lovers can indulge in a Sugar Cookie Martini ($14) with Absolut vanilla vodka, Bailey’s Irish cream, amaretto, milk, powdered sugar, and red and green sprinkle rim. The Apple Crisp Martini ($15) blends Jim Beam rye, vanilla liqueur, apple juice and cinnamon spice.
House beers on draft include a Makers Light Lager and Makers IPA. The drink list also includes wine, and lagers, ales and hard seltzers by the bottle or can.
Decorated in light wood, tan and blue tones, the 3,075-square-foot space has a fun and casual ambience, Brown says, with live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Patrons can look forward to special food and drink promotions for holidays like New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo. A grand opening celebration is planned for the spring.
The restaurant seats 84 people indoors and has a “mostly-covered” 80-seat patio. A giant, retractable glass wall between the dining room and patio can be opened up to let the breeze in when weather permits.
“Makers Union is all about being that local gathering space where you can celebrate any of life’s occasions,” Brown says. “We’re really excited to go out to Pentagon City and Metropolitan Park and be able to be that gathering space, not just for those Amazon employees…but also the local residents.”
Makers Union is located at 1450 S. Eads St., Suite 65, Arlington (National Landing).