The Most Anticipated Fall Restaurant Openings to Track Around D.C.

Despite continued labor shortages and economic stressors triggering equipment and food delays, several notable restaurants are finally ready to swing open around town this fall.

D.C. is gearing up to welcome a dreamy cocktail and small plates spot from Maydan’s co-owner Rose Previte; a burger-driven brasserie in Georgetown; an omakase tasting room on Barracks Row; a veggie-filled Latin wonderland in Shaw; Filipino food on H Street NE; two distinct places to enjoy contemporary Mexican cuisine; a flurry of culinary additions to the Wharf; and much more.

Maryland’s dining scene also gets a big boost this season with a pair of Italian spots in Bethesda from Team All-Purpose; a new food hall for Chevy Chase; a polished Mediterranean restaurant in Potomac, and more. Virginia can look forward to the arrival of a new beer hall, brewery, and barbecue pad. The Commonwealth also benefits from Amazon’s shiny new HQ2 with an all-outdoor whirlwind of eats landing in Arlington.

Here are the most anticipated area openings to follow over the next few months:

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Astro Beer Hall

What: The Village at Shirlington’s new 14,000-square foot beer, doughnut, and fried chicken mecca is a collaboration between Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken owners Elliot Spaisman and Jeff Halpern and Tin Shop’s Geoff Dawson and Peter Bayne. Expect similar cosmic decor, over-the-top sandwiches and doughnuts, and local beer offerings found at the downtown D.C. original. Astro Beer Hall Shirlington will also brew Compass all day at its full-service coffee counter and serve Astro’s decadent doughnuts and breakfast sandwiches. The kitchen will also offer breakfast, lunch, happy hour and dinner, with an expanded menu of Astro’s beloved fried chicken and bar bites like deviled eggs, fried pickles, loaded tots, and more.

Where: 4001 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Virginia

When: September

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Falafel Brothers

What: Philip Ajaj and Pierre Stone, the culinary duo behind Jamaican restaurant Just Jerk, bring a late-night falafel fixture to Shaw. Situated across from the 9:30 Club and Atlantis, Falafel Brothers plans to serve falafel wraps, Mediterranean flatbread pizza, lavash chips with dips, and a build-your-own option with an array of sauces and toppings to choose from.

Where: 2016 9th Street NW

When: Late September

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Victura Park Virginia

What: The Hilton brothers’ popular pop-up wine garden, previously located at the Kennedy Center’s Reach, moves to a permanent new year-round home at the Meeting House in Fall Church. Look for imported wines, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, and snacks provided by Terrawood Catering. Victura Park Virginia will also host themed seasonal events like OktoberFest, a holiday market, and more.

Where: 419 West Broad Street, Fall Church, Virginia

When: Late September

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Medina

What: Steps down the alley from Michelin-rated Middle Eastern hotspot Maydan, co-owner Rose Previte unveils an intimate cocktail and small plates bar that evokes a Bedouin tent. The casual neighborhood destination plans to showcase Moroccan tagines, Tunisian brik (flaky pastries), Spanish gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), and absinthe tea service. Medina will also offer private dining service.

Where: 1328 Florida Avenue NW

When: End of September/early October

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La Bonne Vache

What: Treasured Georgetown deli Booeymonger flips into a burger-driven brasserie this fall. La Bonne Vache, which translates to “the good cow” in French, is a team effort between a pair of local culinary couples: vet chef Rob Aikens and his restaurant designer wife, Rachel, and Ari and Claire Wilder (Chaplin’s, Zeppelin’s). Aikens, a former protege of restaurant magnate Stephen Starr, led top kitchens across New York, D.C., Philadelphia, and his native London. His headlining list of French-influenced handhelds includes a “bourguignonne” burger with red wine-braised short rib, caramelized onions, and smoked bacon, while another loops in truffle brie. The 42-seat bistro plans to pair French fare with beers, wines, and Champagnes at lunch, dinner, and brunch.

Where: 3265 Prospect Street NW

When: First week of October

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Amparo Fondita

What: Acclaimed chef Christian Irabién brings coastal flavors, seafood, and local seasonal ingredients to the heart of Dupont at his long-awaited ode to modern Mexican cuisine and his roots. The Oyamel alum plans to put veggies on a pedestal at Amapro Fondita, as seen in black beans prepared with heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo and traditional Mexican spices. Irabién hails from Chihuahua, Mexico and grew up working in his grandfather’s Mexican restaurant in El Paso.

Where: 2002 P Street NW

When: September/October

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Aventino Cucina and AP Pizza Shop

Stacey Windsor Photography

What: Colin McDonough, Gareth Croke, Mike O’Malley and chef Mike Friedman—the team behind D.C. mainstays The Red Hen, All-Purpose, and Boundary Stone—bring Bethesda a pair of next-door Italian eateries. Sit-down Aventino Cucina, a sprawling space with room for 135, will specialize in Roman cuisine. Think antipasti, pasta, homemade gelato, and mains like polenta-crusted Atlantic fluke, plus spritzes and Negronis stirred at its emerald and marble-clad bar. AP Pizza Shop, an ode to the New York and New Jersey pizzerias of Friedman’s youth, will offer lunchtime slices, salads, and sandwiches like a Cubano Italiano stuffed with homemade porchetta, fontina, and prosciutto. Dinner will showcase All-Purpose’s popular lineup of pizzas and Italian-American starters like roasted garlic knots.

Where: 4747 Bethesda Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland

When: October

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The Grove

What: Alexandria-based Common Plate Hospitality (Mason Social, Urbano, Augie’s Mussel House, Junction Bistro) step out of their casual comfort zone with a Potomac restaurant that’s shooting for a Michelin star. Nestled in the Cabin John Village shopping center, the Grove’s Mediterranean-hopping menu will showcase flavors and techniques synonymous with regions of coastal Spain, Italy, and Greece. Spanish chef Jose Lopez-Picazo, who’s held large Las Vegas roles at Aria’s Julian Serrano Tapas and the Bellagio’s French-Spanish showpiece Picasso, plans to serve everything from grilled octopus with zesty lemon vinaigrette to succulent lamb shank slow-cooked in aromatic spices.

Where: 7747 Tuckerman Lane, Potomac, Maryland

When: October

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The Heights Food Hall

What: Situated near the Friendship Heights Metro stop, Alexandria-based Common Plate Hospitality’s (CPH) first project in Maryland includes a full-service Tex-Mex restaurant (Urbano), full-service bar (The Heights Bar), speakeasy (The Turncoat), and eight local food stalls.

That includes Miami-style Saoco Cuban Eats (winner of Urbano’s “Stall Wars” competition), Sky Lantern (Thai), and Yasmine (Mediterranean). The Heights will also feature a sushi stall from Moon Rabbit chef Kevin Tien; slow-smoked meats and boba teas (Supreme BBQ and AunTea Boba); vegan Indian street foods from chef Priya Ammu (DC Dosa); and Arlington favorite Mimi’s Handmade, which plans to serve soft serve, cookies, and pints of ice cream.

Where: 5310 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland (within The Shops at Wisconsin Place)

When: October

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Hiraya

What: A huge new Filipino restaurant for H Street NE builds upon the success of Hiraya, chef Paolo Dungca’s polished weekend tasting room that got its start at the Block food hall downtown. The permanent, two-level location will offer separate menus and atmospheres on each floor. Sun-drenched Hiraya Cafe, opening first, will serve Filipino pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and caffeinated drinks from Sun & Stars Filipina Coffee Roasters. The casual, all-day level will also specialize in silog — a Filipino morning staple comprised of sinangag (garlic fried rice), itlog (runny egg), and protein like longganisa sausage. Its fancier counterpart up top will showcase la carte small plates and prix fixe menus. For Hiraya 2.0, Dungca partners with Juan and Jeremy Canlas — the father-son duo behind local chain Supreme Barbeque and Auntea Boba — with cocktails created by Minibar alum Al Thompson. Dungca also tapped former co-workers from Wharf’s Southeast Asian hotspot Kaliwa to help him cook in the kitchen.

Where: 1248-1250 H Street NE

When: Mid-September (first-level cafe) and late fall (second-level restaurant)

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Pascual

What: The Popal Group chefs Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss, the husband-wife culinary duo behind Georgetown’s acclaimed French neo-bistro Lutèce, open a contemporary Mexican restaurant on Capitol Hill. Pascual gets its name from San Pasqual, the patron saint of cooks and kitchens. The hearth-focused menu honors Coss’s Mexico City roots and the chefs’ combined experience working at top-tier Mexican restaurants. Before joining the Popal Group in 2020, Conroy was the chef de cuisine at Michelin-starred Oxomoco in Brooklyn. Coss, a former pastry chef at NYC’s famed Empellón and Cosme, got her start baking bread at Mexico City’s iconic Pujol at age 17. A few weeks after opening, Pascual will open a daytime panaderia and coffee shop called Volcán with pickup from a to-go window.

Where: 732 Maryland Avenue NE

When: October

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Grazie Mille

What: The team behind downtown’s Italian hotspot Grazie Nonna (Grazie Grazie’s Casey Patten and chef Gerald Addison) unveil a stylish new next-door lounge with elegant cocktails, cicchetti (small snacks), and live music.

Where: 1100 15th Street NW (behind/attached to Grazie Nonna)

When: Fall

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The Wharf Phase 2

The second phase of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront’s $3.6 billion Wharf development continues to open new restaurants along the mile-long scenic stretch of the Southwest neighborhood this fall.

Zooz

The family behind Urban Roast DC, Penn Quarter’s popular cafe and sangria bar, unveil a high-end cocktail and dessert garden blanketed in buds at the foot of a fancy Wharf condo building. The glamorous, late-night bar, which takes extravagant design tips from Vanderpump Cocktail Garden in Caesars Palace Las Vegas, will present cocktails on roaming bar carts alongside dessert pairings like tiramisu or creme brulee. 636 Maine Avenue SW

Kinfolk Southern Kitchen

The owners of the Wharf’s LaVie and Naraya add an Americana bourbon and barbecue restaurant centering around spirits and smoky flavors. 685 Wharf Street SW

Limani

The Mediterranean seafood showpiece with a focus on Greek cuisine expands from NYC, breathing life into a glassy standalone structure with 270-degree waterfront views. 670 Wharf Street SW

Makers Union

Thompson Hospitality’s Reston-born watering hole nicknamed the “Pub for the People” opens two new area locations this fall, one in D.C. (the Wharf) and another in Virginia (near Amazon’s HQ2). Both will offer outdoor dining, family-style brunch, bar bites, and lots of whiskeys, beers, and cocktails. 664 Maine Avenue SW; 510 14th Street South, Arlington, Virginia

Little Chicken

The downtown-born mashup between Grazie Grazie sub shop owner Casey Patten and chefs Gerald Addison and Chris Morgan relocates to new digs on the Wharf. Along with bone-in fried poultry by the buckets, the dressed-down hangout will offer big tendies, chicken sandwiches, and over 10 dipping sauces. A huge backyard bar serves buckets of beer, frozen drinks, and margarita pitchers. 11 Pearl Street SW

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Water Park

What: The all-outdoor dining destination near Amazon HQ2 opens with 11 restaurants and bars all at once. JBG Smith’s open-air complex at National Landing will feature familiar options for plant-based burgers (Bubbie’s), fried chicken sandwiches (Queen Mother’s), Indian street foods (DC Dosa), Vietnamese food (PhoWheels), breakfast sandwiches (Cracked Eggery), and more. Nine of the new eateries will be located in 300-square-foot kiosks lining Crystal Drive. In-house eateries operated by Atlanta-based culinary partner STHRN Hospitality include a full-service raw bar restaurant with cocktails (Water Bar) and a New York-style pie and slice shop (Crush Pizza) with salads and wines by the glass. Customers can walk around National Landing with booze in tow, thanks to its previously approved designation as a “sip and stroll” consumption zone.

Where: 1601 Crystal City Drive, Arlington, Virginia

When: Early fall

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Surreal

What: Also located near Amazon’s HQ2, this new all-day bistro from Seven Reasons Group (Michelin-starred Venezuelan chef Enrique Limardo, Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger) serves queso fundido shakshuka for breakfast and swordfish carpaccio for lunch and dinner, plus playful dishes like Flaming Hot totopos and spicy spaghetti pie. A grab-and-go selection features sandwiches, pastas, treats, and fresh baked breads during the day. Look for a substantial booze program, too.

Where: 2117 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia

When: Fall

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Parachute Pizza

What: Sicilian slices and pies swoop into the Union Market food hall stall where Red Apron formerly sat. Parachute Pizza comes from the team behind Brookland’s French wine bar Primrose (Sebastian Zutant, Erin Im, and Oliver Friendly). Parachute is an independent project for the trio, who all share a love for the rectangular Italian pies. Expect four to six varieties at a time topped with classic and seasonal ingredients, plus a gluten-free option. The menu also carves out room for oysters (filling a hole left behind by Rappahannock), plus salads, garlic knots, local beers, and wines. Parachute Pizza will offer lunch and dinner daily for dine-in and grab-and-go service.

Where: 1309 5th Street NE

When: Early fall

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Omakase@Barracks Row

What: Sushi chef Ricky Wang puts his knife skills to work at a sleek new omakase tasting room on Capitol Hill. The Minibar and Sushi Nakazawa alum co-owns the two-level venture with Chris Zhu (Han Palace, China Garden, Ginza, and Live K). The 18-course menu, which features sushi, hand rolls, and specialties, is $150 per person. Omakase@Barracks Row sits on the second and third floors above Han Palace, with 14 seats across each. In the meantime, Wang hosts preview pop-ups at nearby Ginza every Monday and Tuesday night.

Where: 522 8th Street SE

When: Early fall

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Ala Bethesda

What: The owners of Ala in Dupont Circle will do a second edition of the popular Levantine restaurant in Bethesda’s old Positano space. The menu will be similar to the Ala original, where dishes combine flavors of Turkey, Syria, Israel, and Lebanon. ala Bethesda features a 20-seat patio and rooftop with 150 seats inside. Ala’s newly named executive chef and Del Mar alum Ercan Sahn is a native of Turkey and plans to sprinkle fine-dining touches across the board. Ala owner Deniz Gulluoglu and her family live nearby in Cabin John.

When: Early fall

Where: 4948 Fairmont Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland

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MITA

What: Born as a pop-up in La Cosecha, the upscale vegan venture from chefs Miguel Guerra and Tatiana Mora spotlights Latin vegetables and flavors at its first permanent location in Shaw.

Where: 804 V Street NW

When: Fall

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Myron Mixon Pitmaster BBQ

What: Seven years after debuting in Old Town, Myron Mixon Pitmaster BBQ opens an additional Northern Virginia location in Vienna. The new smoked meats spot near the Dunn Loring/Merrifield Metro stop will feature fast-casual counter service plus beer and wine. Award-winning pitmaster Myron Mixon is known for his slow-cooked brisket, pork, and chicken, plus sides like like Mama’s slaw, peach barbecue baked beans, and mac and cheese.

Where: 2670 Avenir Place, Vienna, Virginia

When: Fall

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Taco Bamba

What: Chef and restaurateur Victor Albisu brings his wildly popular tacos with offbeat toppings back to D.C. proper. Situated at the shiny new City Ridge complex, Taco Bamba’s 3,100-square-foot freestanding location with a big patio is one of the homegrown taqueria’s largest yet. Taco Bamba’s previous D.C. presence in Penn Quarter officially ended in fall 2020 as Albisu shifted attention to surrounding states.

Where: 3900 Wisconsin Avenue NW

When: Fall

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Atlas Alexandria Brewery & Tap Room

What: Situated in the Carlyle Crossing mixed-use development, Ivy City-born brewery Atlas expands across state lines with a 2,000-barrel production facility, tap room with 16 draft lines, patio, and slices from New York-style hitmaker Andy’s Pizza. Look for six core Atlas beers at a time, including its 2023 World Beer Cup winner Silent Neighbor.

Where: 2501 Mandeville Lane, Alexandria, Virginia

When: Late fall