Hungry for something new? Here are a few Northern Virginia restaurants slated to open later this year in that we can’t wait to try.
Altitude
Episcope Hospitality is bringing chefs Mariela Pacheco and Andres Lopez, who have worked at the Michelin-starred Pineapple & Pearls in D.C., to lead the menu at their latest endeavor, expected to open this spring. Dishes will include crudos, house-baked breads and handmade pastas, such as the signature Ricotta Gnocchi with brown butter and sage. In a nod to its neighbor—Reagan National Airport—the bar will resemble an airplane wing cross-section, and custom furnishings will re-create in-flight lounges of the 1950s and ’60s. Altitude will also have a list of about 70 wines by the bottle and 20 by the glass, plus cocktails, including the Autodromo, a spritz paying homage to Emilia-Romagna’s Formula 1 site, and the Acido e Classico, a classic New York sour with an Italian twist. 2011 Crystal Drive, Arlington (Crystal City)
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Since closing last September after about three decades at Tysons Galleria, the family-style Italian restaurant will reopen next month across the street at Tysons Corner Center. Look for it in the space where Brio and La Sandia were before. 1961 Chain Bridge Road, Tysons
Duke’s Burgers
D.C.-based Duke’s Grocery, which has been recognized for having the best burgers around, will bring its patties to Water Park this summer. It will be the first Virginia location for the London-inspired spot, and yes, it will have menu items specific to the location, but also the signature Proper Burger, an angus burger with gouda and red onions. Location TBD
Little Birdie
From the team behind Matt & Tony’s All Day Kitchen and Bar in Alexandria comes a new chicken-centric spot. They’ll source birds from Pennsylvania farms and work with local bakers to procure Japanese milk buns—a pairing at the foundation of the eatery’s inventive chicken sandwiches. Those include the Birdie’s Classic (Lawry’s spiced chicken thigh, shaved garlic dill pickles and shredded cabbage slaw) and the Charleston (Southern-spiced chicken thigh with jalapeños and green tomato chow chow, pimento spread and cabbage slaw). Besides sammies, find chicken tenders, stuffed oysters and hearty rice bowls on the menu, plus sweets such as oatmeal cream pies and boozy punches. Look for it to open in June. 1504 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria (Del Ray)
PopUp Bagels
One of four bagel spots opening soon, this Connecticut native is known for its “rip and dip” approach. You get a whole bagel with a cup of schmear and then rip pieces off to dip in the cream cheese. It prides itself on making only five bagel flavors and making them well. That means you can rip a plain, everything, poppy seed, salt or sesame bagel and dip it in plain or scallion cream cheese or salted butter. There are weekly schmears, too, such as cake batter cream cheese. 4300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Ballston)
Bagel Uprising
This will be the second location for owner Chad Breckinridge; the first opened in Del Ray in 2019, four years after he began selling boiled-and-baked small-batch bagels at the Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market. The new spot, situated just feet from a coming-soon second entrance to the Ballston Metro stop at the intersection of North Fairfax Drive and North Vermont Street, will introduce additional house-made items. “This isn’t a chain store,” Breckinridge says. “It’s a second shop aimed at becoming part of the Ballston community, just as we have in Del Ray.” 901 N. Glebe Road, Arlington (Ballston)
Buffalo & Bergen
As we noted last year, chef Gina Chersevani is (still) working on opening her fourth location of this soda counter-meets-deli-meets-cocktail-bar. Inspired by a Brooklyn soda shop at the intersection of Buffalo Avenue and Bergen Street that conjured happy childhood memories for the chef’s mother, the D.C.-based chainlet pays tribute with a menu centering on New York water bagels, brisket Reubens, knishes and other comfort foods, plus an ingenious roster of classic and creative cocktails. 1028 N. Garfield St., Arlington (Clarendon)
Call Your Mother Deli
Not just good advice, but the name of a growing “Jew-ish” deli, Call Your Mother is prepping to bring its bagels to Ballston, possibly as early as this summer. Besides bagels, it will carry potato latkes, babka muffins and black-and-white cookies. Why Arlington? “We get a lot of messages from customers about where they want us to open, and Arlington has been the No. 1 request,” says Andrew Dana, who owns the chainlet with his wife, Daniela Moreira. (They also have a kiosk in National Landing’s Water Park and a storefront in McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center.) 4000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Ballston)
Cielo
Clarendon has no shortage of nightlife spots and will soon add to the list. Keep an eye out for more details on this “modern tech lounge,” according to its Instagram page. 3028 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Clarendon)
Cup of Bliss
For the first time since Starbucks left Arlington’s Lee Harrison Shopping Center in 2019, coffee will flow here again. This particular purveyor of caffeine will take cues from Vietnamese culture when it starts filling mugs. 2439 N. Harrison St., Arlington (Yorktown)
Electric Bull
Taco Bamba founder Victor Albisu is cooking up a new concept that will open in Vienna, and his menu items are already making waves. On Feb. 21, he won the chefs’ choice award for his charred honey lamb ribs with chimi-chermoula and smoked oyster barbecue sauce at Masters of Fire, a national grill competition at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami. Those ribs will be on the menu at Electric Bull, a South American-style steakhouse and butcher shop to be led by chef Justin Severino, co-founder of Morcilla in Pittsburgh, and Adam Hoffa, a Best of Arlington 2025 winner who was most recently the executive chef at Arlington’s Pirouette Cafe and Wine Bar. 176 Maple Ave. W., Vienna
La Omri
The team behind Georgetown’s Villa Yara is bringing a Mediterranean eatery to Capital One Center in Tysons. The name, which means “to the love of my life,” pays homage to the flavors and hospitality of Mediterranean living, according to a press release. Along those lines, the chef-driven menu will feature modern interpretations of regional classics, with an emphasis on premium sourcing. A 24-seat bar will be the restaurant’s focal point and home base for handcrafting signature and classic cocktails. Stop in on a weekend to enjoy entertainment-driven programming. 7775 Capital One Drive, Tysons
Scapegoat Beer Garden
We teased it last year, but this Asian-street-fair-meets-beer-garden spot is still aiming to open in Crystal City. Owner Kendrick Wu is building the outdoor concept in the former Athena Pallas space behind Crystal City’s 23rd Street “Restaurant Row.” The menu will feature pan-Asian comfort foods and classic bar fare, such as crackling pork belly rice bowls, wok-fried garlic noodles and bo la lot, a traditional Vietnamese grilled beef skewer wrapped in betel leaves. 556 22nd St. S., Arlington (Crystal City)
Surfside
Dreaming of fun in the sun after a brutal winter. That’s the vibe this beach-themed eatery hopes to bring to McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center. The D.C.-based fast-casual chainlet is planning its first Virginia location. If the menus for the District spots are any indication, expect nachos, queso, tacos, fajitas and salads, plus happy hour deals on frozen passion fruit margs. 6220 Old Dominion Drive, McLean
Name TBD
A yet-to-be-named café is in the works from Fabio Trabocchi, the James Beard Award winning chef behind Sfoglina in Rosslyn and D.C.’s Fiola, which earned a Michelin star. When it opens in the former spot AHRA Café space in Rosslyn, it will feature counter ordering. 1100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Rosslyn)