Photo courtesy of Life Alive Organic Cafe
Life Alive Organic Cafe in Old Town Alexandria
After more than a year of anticipation, Life Alive Organic Cafe opens its doors in Old Town Alexandria on Tuesday, June 9, bringing its scratch-made, plant-forward menu to the corner of King and South Royal streets.
The cafe begins serving at 7 a.m. at 400 King Street, the ground floor of the building that also houses The Alexandrian Old Town Hotel.
The roughly 3,250-square-foot space seats about 70 guests indoors and another 30 on the patio. Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and no alcohol is served.
Photo courtesy of Life Alive Organic Cafe
Menu items from Life Alive Organic Cafe
Life Alive brands itself as "a beacon for positive eating," and the menu reflects that philosophy: chef-crafted grain bowls, salads, noodles and ramen, wraps, pita sandwiches, cold-pressed juices, smoothies and açaí bowls, all made from scratch. Standouts include a chili garlic mushroom bibimbap (a Korean-inspired rice bowl), smoky chipotle chili and a PB Cup açaí bowl. On the coffee side, the cafe pulls Intelligentsia espresso into wellness-leaning signatures such as a Vanilla Tahini Latte, a Banana Oat Cold Brew and a date-caramel latte finished with black sea salt.
The Old Town cafe is Life Alive's second location in Virginia and third in the greater D.C. area. The company opened its first Virginia cafe in Arlington's Ballston neighborhood in November and a Washington, D.C., location in the West End in early 2025.
Photo courtesy of Life Alive Organic Cafe
Interior of Life Alive Organic Cafe
Founded in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 2004, Life Alive operates more than a dozen restaurants in its home state. The company-owned cafes pride themselves on using locally sourced produce and on creating eclectic, light-filled dining rooms meant for lingering — its D.C. location advertises that it is "flooded with natural light" and offers "ample plugs and wifi."
The opening fills one half of a two-tenant plan reported on last spring by Alexandria Living Magazine. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream opens next door at the same King Street address on June 18, giving Old Town diners a vegan-friendly dessert stop steps from their meal.
