Food Halls – Virtual or Not – Are Hot
Reza Farahani and The Kitchen Collective (TKC), which recently opened Joon in Tysons, has launched a virtual to-go food hall, located at Fairfax Square, 8045 Leesburg Pike. TKC’s D.C.-based, fast-casual Yasmine (kebab bar) and Pizza Serata (focaccia-style pan pizza), are now available in Northern Virginia for curbside pick-up or home delivery. Stay tuned as TKC brings other brands such as Soul Rebel, El Oso, San Tokki, and Lucky Danger, into its virtual food hall.
Yasmine dishes virtual food hall to-go.
Rubén García (minibar) and Richie Brandenburg, formerly of José Andrés Group, have formed Unfold Hospitality, with plans to open Casa Teresa at the end of Q3 2023 at the International Square food hall at 1850 K Street NW in downtown D.C. They’ll also manage the vendors at the food hall. Casa Teresa is named for Rubén’s grandmother, a labor rights activist in Spain.
Filling Station, a beer hall featuring live music, recently opened at the Ballston Exchange at 4201 Wilson Blvd. on weekends, for now. It features Mexican food from El Rey, a taqueria, brought to you by Eric and Ian Hilton and their H2 Collective (American Ice Company, Crimson, Players Club, Chez Billy Sud, and Café Colline). Watch for a third El Rey, to open at Navy Yard by Q4 2023. H2 Collective plans to open a new bar at the Verge at Buzzard Point in 2024.
Clyde’s Restaurant Group (CRG) is in expansion mode. In addition to Old Ebbitt Grill 2.0 opening in Reston in 2025 and Rye Street Tavern opening in Baltimore, CRG plans to open Cordelia Fishbar at the Morse at 550 Morse St. NE, a residential building near Union Market in Q2 2024. The 10,000 sq.-ft. Cordelia Fishbar, with seating for 250, outdoor dining and private event space, is slated to offer a higher-priced, global seafood-centric menu.
Ashok Bajaj and his Knightsbridge Restaurant Group (KRG) plan to open Little Black Bird, a wine bar, in late Q3 2023 where Bindass was, at 3309 Connecticut Ave. NW in Cleveland Park. It will seat 30 in the main dining room, with eight more bar seats. Ron Balter, KRG wine director, will curate 100 wines by the bottle and 12 by the glass. Sababa’s executive chef, Ryan Moore, oversees the food and beverage program.
Chef Nick Stefanelli hopes to reopen Philotimo Restaurant and Café, and Kaimaki, coffee/wine/cocktail bar across the Midtown Center breezeway from Philotimo in Q3 2023, after the Q1 2022 fire that forced it to close. Nick will introduce a second-floor bar incorporated into its private dining space.
Sebastian Zutant, Erin Im and Oliver Friendly (Primrose in Brookland) are slated to open Parachute Pizza at Union Market where Red Apron used to be, in Q3 2023, featuring Sicilian-style pizza squares and oysters (with lots of fancy accompaniments) on-site and to-go. Pizza & oysters is trending, re: Oyster Oyster’s garage pizza & oysters on the half shell offering.
Kudos! Bukom Cafe, known for West African fare and live Afrobeat and reggae music, is celebrating their 30th anniversary, at 2442 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan.
Quick Hits: The 2023 RAMW Chef of the Year Kevin Tien opened his fourth Hot Lola’s at Le Fantome food hall in Riverdale Park, MD…. KPOT Korean BBQ and Hot Pot opened its fourth location at Laurel (MD) Shopping Center… Los Cincos Tacos opened at 711 Florida Ave. NW from Jose Candelero and the folks who brought you Capo Deli.
Linda Roth is Founder and CEO of Linda Roth Associates (LRA), a D.C.-based public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the foodservice and hospitality industries. Follow her at: @LindaRothPR, #LindaRothPR, or www.lindarothpr.com.
