Roots Provisions & Grocery
Part café and part gourmet market, this casual stop in the McLean Village shopping center serves up house-baked pastries, breakfast burritos, avocado toast, sandwiches, smoothies, acai bowls, salads and Counter Culture coffee drinks, plus pantry staples, local produce, organic dairy products and grab-and-go snacks. Cocktails are coming. Opened: May 10. // 8100 Old Dominion Drive, McLean
Ballston Local
Grab a plate of poutine, a burger (beef, Impossible, turkey or bison), a New York-style pizza, steak or salmon frites, or a wedge salad and pair it with a local brew or a fresh marg at this newcomer in the former Stageplate Bistro space. The kitchen is helmed by Jason Johnston, formerly executive chef at the MGM National Harbor. Opened: May 1. // 900 N. Glebe Road, Arlington (Ballston)
The Freshman
Restaurateur Nick Freshman’s eponymous coffee-to-cocktails concept features nearly 20 wines by the glass or bottle, 10+ beers and ciders, craft cocktails, Swing’s Coffee, pastries and desserts by Village Sweet, and food options for every appetite, from oysters and flatbreads to composed dishes like pan-roasted trout with salsa verde. Breakfast, too. Opened: April 14. // 2011 Crystal Drive, Arlington (National Landing)
Mattie and Eddie’s
It’s not just an Irish bar. Chef Cathal Armstrong has a lengthy list of acclaimed dining destinations (Kaliwa, Hummingbird, Restaurant Eve, Eamonn’s Dublin Chipper, Society Fair) and his latest restaurant—in the former Siné space at Westpost (Pentagon Row)—serves farm-to-table dishes like lobster pot pie, house-cured corned beef, oak-smoked salmon, black pudding and sardines on toast, and Irish breakfast all day. Rugby fans will find kindred sports fans here (there’s a dedicated watching room), and Sunday nights feature live Irish music. The kitchen has been fired up for a couple months now, but an official grand opening celebration with the Irish embassy is forthcoming. Opened: March 26. // 1301 S. Joyce St., Arlington (Westpost)