Alexandrians are spoiled when it comes to dining out. There's something for everyone: Freshly baked bagels, authentic Mexican food, gourmet seafood, amazing coffee shops and so much more.
And it’s not just Alexandrians who know about our food scene: “Restaurants” made the list of reasons why Alexandria is one of the Top 3 Best Small Cities in the U.S. according to the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards in 2019.
The restaurant scene is on the front burner in 2020 and beyond, as ex-citing new venues are coming to Alexandria that we can't wait to try. See the next page for a few of the highly-anticipated openings we're keeping an eye on.
1. Taqueria Picoso, 1472 N. Beauregard St.
The former restaurant director at Arlington’s Green Pig Bistro, Tom Voskuil, is bringing Taqueria Picoso to Alexandria. Taqueria Picoso will open at the Shops at Mark Center in Alexandria's West End. A $100,000-plus remodeling project is underway, according to construction permits. Voskuil and Lynn Umemoto are joint owners of the business. “Exciting news as we are in the pro-cess of opening the most authentic taqueria in the area!" Voskuil noted on his LinkedIn profile. The restaurant will feature a vertical al pastor roaster and a tortilla machine creating tortillas with Oaxaca corn. The restaurant will also boast $3 tacos “that taste like true tacos from CDMX [Mexico City]!”
2. Choong Man Chicken, 4700 King St.
The restaurant coming to the Shoppes at Summit Centre will specialize in "addictively spicy" Korean chicken wings, "snow chicken" (chicken covered in a mayo-type sauce and raw onions) and "Tikkudak" fried (and then baked in a charcoal oven, for extra crispiness) chicken when it opens in the shopping center just be-hind Friday's. Look for beer and wine to be sold here. The eatery already has locations open in Centreville, Annandale and Fairfax.
3. Silver Diner, 4610 King St.
The much-anticipated Silver Diner coming to the corner of Alexandria's King and N. Beauregard streets plans to open in Summer 2020, according to Matilde Ott, vice president of Marketing for Silver Diner. The 6,600-square foot diner will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as late-night fare. It will offer a varied menu with healthy options, as well as a full bar. The regional chain launched 30 years ago in Rockville, Maryland.
4. Crafty Crab Seafood, 5770 Dow Ave.
Located practically across the street from a longtime Red Lobster, another seafood restaurant chain, Crafty Crab Seafood, has plans to open at 5770 Dow Ave., according to special use permits filed with the City's Planning and Zoning department. The location was previously home to Portner Brewhouse, which closed its doors in October 2018. The Crafty Crab menu includes gumbo, seafood boils, fried seafood including shrimp, catfish, tilapia, oysters and calamari, plus non-fish options. Crafty Crab has not announced an opening date.
5. El Saltado, 3616 King St.
Located in the former location of Hong Kong Bistro, get ready for some Peruvian delicacies at this new eatery opening at Bradlee Shopping Center. On our wish list? Rotisserie chicken, ceviche and fried yucca!
6. Hank & Mitzi's Italian Kitchen, 600 Montgomery St.
The closed-for-renovations Hank's Pasta Bar in Old Town North will reopen in January 2020 as Hank & Mitzi's Italian Kitchen. The new restaurant will feature pizza and shared plates, rustic entrees and classic Italian cocktails. Executive Chef Will Artley will be at the helm. Artley's impressive resume includes helming BLT Steak in DC, Pizzeria Orso in Falls Church and Evening Star Cafe in Del Ray. He's also participated on the Food Network's "Chopped" cooking show as a finalist. The restaurant gets its name from owner Jamie Leeds' parents, Hank and Mitzi.
7. Hinata Sushi Bar & Grill, 530 First St. Joining St.
Elmo’s in this Old Town North development, Hinata Sushi Bar & Grill will be a welcome addition. The 2,200 square-foot restaurant will be the first location for Chef Hyun Su Kim. Chef Kim has spent the last 14 years working at various sushi restaurants in the Northern Virginia area. He has experience overseeing all aspects of the restaurants and operations with a focus on quality and exceptional service. No opening date is available yet.
8. St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, 530 First St.
Del Ray institution St. Elmo's Coffee Pub appears to be opening a second location. According to plans from the Edens development company, St. Elmo's Coffee Pub is opening a new location in the 500 block of Montgomery Street in Old Town North. The retail space is a part of the new 530 First Street development, which includes multiple retailers (including West Elm) and the restaurant Oak Steakhouse, and hundreds of luxury apartments in The Gables community. The new space is 2,200 square feet. If the original St. Elmo’s is any indication, expect a variety of coffee drinks and freshly baked and created breakfast and lunch items.
9. French & Southern 1625 King St.
The restaurant will be located inside the new Hyatt Centric Old Town Alexandria, serving up "creative cuisine within an upscale setting" with an "elegant yet casual vibe." The eatery gets its name with influences from "Paris to Southern United States cuisines to form a worldly menu that will have something for everyone." The restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The hotel itself is accept-ing guests starting in March.
10. Goodie's Frozen Custard 200 Commerce St.
Frozen custard, coffee and baked goods are on the menu at Goodie’s Frozen Custard and Treats. Goodie’s started as a food truck, self-de-scribed as “Washington D.C.’s first and only ‘Vintage Mobile Eatery’ paying homage to the Rock & Roll era." Now, its owner plans to open a permanent location operating from the historic Mutual Ice Co. ice house. Goodie’s is known for Wisconsin-style frozen custard and treats like the "donutwich" (an apple cider donut stuffed with vanilla frozen custard and topped with caramel), sundaes, shakes and floats.
11. Mount Purrnon Cat Cafe and Wine Bar, 109 S. Alfred St.
Mount Purrnon Cat Café and Wine Bar started with a successful crowd-funding campaign in 2018 and will be opening in the spring of 2020. You can visit cats up for adoption through a partnership with a local shelter. Plus, snack on cheese plates, hummus, fruit, cookies and cupcakes, while drinking wine, coffee, tea, milk or juice. The cat café will offer free wifi and a series of special events.
12. The Handover 728 King St.
The former location of Eammon's Dublin Chipper and PX, the 1920s-style lounge with a cult following, will see a new venue open. The venue’s new owners have been tight-lipped about plans, but expect sushi on the menu at the restaurant. The downstairs will have a more The downstairs will have a more casual flare and may be called “The Handover." The upstairs sit-down restaurant may be called "The King's Ransom."
13. The Mill, 10 Duke St.
James Beard-award winning chef John Currence will helm this waterfront eatery coming to Alexandria in 2021. Currence, one of the country’s most celebrated Southern chefs, is a New Orleans native best known for his thoughtful and inventive cuisine at City Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi. Opened in 1992, the restaurant brought fine dining to the Deep South town and earned Currence the 2009 James Beard Award for Best Chef: South. Currence’s influence on Southern culture has expanded as he’s continued to open new restauants, including Snackbar and Big Bad Breakfast in Oxford. Alexandrian Murray Bonitt, a custom builder who specializes in historic preservation, is renovating the building at 10 Duke St., which served as a Civil War mess hall. Dubbed The Mill, the building will house a basement short-order grill, casual fare on the first floor with a tavern feel and Virginia craft beers and locally-influenced food, and more.
14. Barca, Waterfront
Alexandria Restaurant Partner's latest restaurants in the works for Alexandria's waterfront, set to open in summer 2020, are being designed by HapstakDemetriou. The firm is the star designer of some of the DC metro area's top eateries including Rose's Luxury and Fiola Mare. Plans call for a fine dining restaurant and café both overlooking the water with an open air-seating concept that will activate the Robinson Landing Pier. The proposed design includes two 30-foot shipping containers — one turned into a small kitchen and the other into a bar, each with a retractable canopy.
