National Landing’s increasingly vibrant food scene is stepping it up yet another notch with the reimagined Water Park, set to reopen October 6 after a long renovation period.
There are no slides or wave pools at this 1.6-acre space. It’s not that kind of water park. Instead, fountains and an expansive water wall provide a peaceful backdrop to an outdoor food hall concept with 11 restaurants. Nine are kiosks with minority and women owners.
“It’s really exciting because they’re all different kinds of purveyors,” says Kai Reynolds, chief development officer at JBG Smith, which developed the space, formerly an essentially vacant area with trees, grass and a fountain. “It’s small in size, but really, really significant in stature to the neighborhood.”
Here’s the rundown on kiosks to run to:
- Brij, a D.C.-based café and wine bar by Skyler Kelley, who will donate proceeds to single mothers, the LGBTQ+ community and people experiencing homelessness.
- Bubbie’s Plant Burger, a soda pop shop that serves plant-based, kosher Americana burgers and fries from chef Margaux Riccio and general manager Shaun Sharkey, who created D.C.’s award-winning Asian fast-casual restaurant Pow Pow.
- Cracked Eggery, launched by Mike Tabb originally in food truck form. This will be the third brick-and-mortar spot serving egg sandwiches, bowls and sides. The other locations are in D.C.’s Cleveland Park and Shaw neighborhoods.
- DC Dosa, the Virginia outpost of Priya Ammu’s South Indian street food concept.
- Dolci Gelati, a D.C.-born gelato shop by Gianluigi and Anastasia Dellaccio serving more than 450 rotating seasonal and artisanal flavors, all made fresh daily.
- Falafel Inc., an eatery with a Georgetown location that serves hummus, falafel bowls and sandwiches. Palestinian American owner Ahmad Ashkar has the goal of feeding refugees through the U.N. World Food Program.
- PhoWheels, the first brick-and-mortar location of Tuan and Jennifer Vo’s food truck, which serves Vietnamese-inspired dishes.
- Tiki Thai, a second location for chef Porntipa “Pat” Pattanamekar’s Reston eatery that offers Thai and Polynesian cuisine.
- Queen Mother’s, an homage to the chef’s mom, serves fried chicken and fries from James Beard Award Semi-Finalist Chef Rahman “Rock” Harper.
Grand opening events include food and drink specials plus entertainment (music, magic, poetry and performers) and all-ages fun such as face painters, caricature artists, a fortune teller and a photo booth.
In addition to the kiosks along the park’s perimeter, STHRN Hospitality operates Crush Pizza and Water Bar, a raw bar on an open-air terrace atop the fountain water wall.
Because it’s a Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority-approved consumption zone, patrons of Water Park’s licensed alcohol retailers can sip and stroll within the park’s boundaries.
Construction on the park started in March 2022 and ended about a month ago, Reynolds says. The revamp involved replacing pavers and installing new water features, public artwork and a stage for live performances.
“We want to make sure that it’s got an openness to it; everybody is welcome,” Reynolds says. “You can go sit in the park and enjoy the water feature and the artwork in the shade without buying any food. This is not a private establishment.”
Water Park is one of several redevelopment efforts JBG Smith is undertaking in National Landing with the goal of adding more retailers by the end of 2024. It’s also building 5,000-plus multifamily units in four towers that will open in 2024 and 2025. That’s in addition to the 2.1 million-square-foot Amazon HQ2 building that opened in June with 8,000 employees.