Courtesy Weingarten Realty Inves
The 6,600-square-foot Silver Diner in Alexandria will be part of Weingarten Realty Investors' West Alex, a Harris Teeter-anchored building at King and North Beauregard streets. (Courtesy Weingarten Realty Investors)
UPDATE: We've updated our story with new information, courtesy of Silver Diner.
Alexandria's first Silver Diner will open its doors Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 4630 King St. in the city's West End, featuring its famous menu with healthy options, and a full bar. In addition to spacious indoor dining, the restaurant also has an outdoor patio that seats 60.
When it opens, the West Alex Silver Diner will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night. Hours are 7 a.m. to midnight. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday through Saturday. For more information or to place takeout, call 703-789-9251.
During the pandemic, Silver Diner pivoted to a more robust takeout and delivery plan and has added outdoor seating at all its restaurants. Indoor protocols are ahead of the industry in including an HVAC/UV light system that increases air flow and forces air over UV light coils. At night, when the restaurant is closed, the interior is bathed in UV light to help kill bacteria and germs on surfaces.
Silver Diner has also installed plexiglass protectors around booths and tables and moved furniture to ensure patrons are well over 6-feet apart. Other protocols include regular wipe-downs of surfaces, temperature checks, staff in masks and gloves and deep-cleaning.
During its opening, Silver Diner is partnering with Real Food for Kids, a local non-profit that works with area schools in finding ways to deliver healthy, nutritious food to schoolchildren. During the pandemic, Real Food for Kids has created an initiative—Chefs Feed Families. A program that works with area restaurants to provide free meals for children and their families throughout the DMV. Since Silver Diner began working with the initiative on April 1, it has fed more than 45,000 meals to families in the area and is continuing as the need grows stronger. The Alexandria Silver Diner is holding an online contest to support Real Food for Kids.
The 6,600-square foot restaurant is part of West Alex, a new $185 million mixed-use community at the corner of King and North Beauregard streets, anchored by an in-the-works Harris Teeter grocery store and Array, a 278-unit apartment building.
The restaurant will seat 300 — 236 inside and 64 outside. Mixed drinks, beer and wine will be served. The eatery will offer full service, bar, carry-out and delivery. No live entertainment is proposed but TV screens and recorded music will be a part of entertainment provided.
The restaurant is hiring, according to a large sign out front and is expected to employ more than 100 full-time and part-time employees including a six-member management team.
The restaurant goes beyond typical diner fare, offering up healthy menu items sourced from 15 farms in the region, offers low-fat (listing calories and carbs) and vegetarian options and uses meats that are free of antibiotics and hormones.
The eatery also offers deals on senior meals, "blue plate" specials and weekend brunch items. It also offers rewards and promos if you use the Silver Diner app.
Once the restaurant is up and running, hours are expected to be:
- Sunday-Thursday: 7 a.m. to midnight (indoor and outdoor)
- Friday-Saturday: 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. (indoor and outdoor)
The restaurant operates 15 restaurants in the DC metro area; it will be the eighth Silver Diner location in Northern Virginia and a first for Alexandria. Others are located in Clarendon, Reston, Tysons, Merrifield, Potomac Mills, Springfield Mall and Fair Oaks.
