Susannah Moore
Former Charlie's on the Avenue
A new restaurant called Matt & Tony's may serve up traditional American fare at breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week in Del Ray, according to a report by Washington Business Journal.
This will be the first restaurant to be operated by Matt Sloan, who heads up Mitten Hospitality LLC and who is also an Alexandria Restaurant Partners managing partner. ARP owns the building and will provide improvements but not be part of the company operating the business.
Sloan was previously associated with Born Hospitality, Daikaya Group, Matchbox Food Group and Talbot Country Club in Maryland, according to his LinkedIn profile. He earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University.
Located at 1501 Mount Vernon Ave., the spot where the new restaurant will be located was formerly home to Charlie's On the Avenue and before that, FireFlies, where President Barack Obama dined (he chose the American Burger from the lunch menu) in 2014 with Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
Before Sloan's Mitten Hospitality entered the picture, an administrative special use permit filed with the City in 2020 by Alexandria Restaurant Partners indicated that the former Charlie’s on the Avenue would be replaced by an ARP restaurant.
“We love the neighborhood, we love the building. It was for sale, so we bought it. We’re not actually quite sure what we’ll do with it yet. Right now we’re just kind of noodling ideas, we’re looking, thinking, 'What’s not in Del Ray that should be in Del Ray?'” Scott Shaw, ARP founding partner, said at the time.
ARP has been busy this year opening their newest dining destinations, Ada's on the River near Robinson Landing on Alexandria's waterfront as well as Barca Pier & Wine Bar. ARP also operates, in Alexandria: The Majestic, Mia's Italian Kitchen, Vola's Dockside Grill, Hi-Tide Lounge and Theismann's.
Charlie’s on the Avenue opened in fall 2018 and was a casual, family-friendly restaurant. The restaurant closed Feb. 2, 2020. The owners, Jeremy Barber and Justus Frank, continue to operate Elo's Italian, a pop-up restaurant in their Live Oak Restaurant and The Garden, both in Del Ray.
