Electric Bull Steakhouse Coming to Vienna

Chef Victor Albisu of Taco Bamba is opening Electric Bull, a boutique steakhouse, at 176 Maple Ave. W., Vienna, in the former Cava at the Vienna Shopping Center next summer.

Electric Bull will serve beef short ribs with chimichurri sauce, popular at Albisu’s former Del Campo in Chinatown.
(Photo: Scott Suchman)

The former owner of South American grill Del Campo is returning to full-service dining with the 2,500 square-foot steakhouse. The upscale casual restaurant will focus on classic and non-traditional cuts of meat, elevated egg dishes and a raw bar. There will also be a butcher counter where customers can online-order the same cuts of meats and ingredients that are used in the restaurant, including dressings, marinades and dry rubs. Both raw and cooked dishes will also be available for carryout.

Albisu, who spent four years running the kitchen at D.C.’s shuttered BLT Steak, will focus on both classic and non-traditional steakhouse cuts of beef such as hanger steaks, teres major, picaña, flank and flat iron steaks. Inspired by a neighborhood parrilla, a South American grill, the menu will include South American-style short ribs and a family-recipe house-made chorizo. Lamb ribs, sweetbreads and other cuts round out the selection.

For longtime fans of Albisu’s cooking, two signature items will return from Del Campo, his Penn Quarter restaurant that closed in 2018: its burger and iconic rolled skirt steak, which Albisu used to win Beat Bobby Flay.

Electric Bull’s raw bar will serve ceviches, crudos, tartares and carpaccios. Eggs will be available all day in omelets, scrambles, fried egg platters and steak and eggs, with elevated toppings like caviar and truffles. Oysters will be available dressed raw or grilled. Fugazetta pizza, a double-crusted Argentine specialty piled high with caramelized onions and mozzarella, will stand out as an option for bread service.

The 80-seat dining room, just doors away from a Taco Bamba, will get a “moodier vibe” from designer Peter Hapstack, who worked on the taqueria’s Vienna location as well as the original in Idylwood.

Elena James Opens in Chevy Chase Lake

Elena James, from the folks behind Nina May, has opened in Chevy Chase. (Photo: Ella Griffin)

Elena James opened last Friday at 8551 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase in the Ritz Carlton Residences in the Chevy Chase Lake neighborhood.

Owned by Colin McClimans and Danilo Simic, the founders of D.C.’s Nina May, Elena James is a new all-day restaurant and features seasonal, locally sourced ingredients for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The 5,000 square-foot space includes a café offering breakfast and lunch counter service, as well as a dining area with a bar and open kitchen serving American-inspired dishes and cocktails for dinner.

Menu highlights include cacio e pepe, flank steak, pan-roasted trout, burgers and pizza. Initially, the restaurant is open for dinner only, with the café scheduled to open in mid-December.

Elana James is currently open from 5-9:30 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, and 5-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Llamabar Opens in Navy Yard

Llamabar’s hot beef sandwich (Photo: Llamabar)

Llamabar, a new café offering fresh, locally sourced, grass fed and organic dishes opened at 1 M St. SE.

The menu features sandwiches, salads, açaí bowls, smoothies and cold-pressed juices, all made with locally sourced, organic ingredients.

The café is designed for both socializing and teleworking. With cozy seating, a welcoming atmosphere and free wi-fi.

Llamabar is open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Prime Coffee & Bakery Now Open in Silver Spring

Prime Coffee & Bakery is now open in Silver Spring.
(Photo: Julie Rasicot)

Prime Coffee & Bakery, 930 Thayer Ave., Silver Spring, held its grand opening on Friday.

In addition to a wide selection of coffee drinks, baked goods and French pastries, the menu features a variety of breakfast and lunch options, including classics like French toast, avocado toast and egg and cheese sandwiches, as well as hearty choices like a roasted chicken club, BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato), turkey burger, butternut squash soup and apple cranberry chicken salad.

Prime Coffee & Bakery is open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.

McAlister’s Deli Now Open in Springfield

McAlister’s Deli king club sandwich. (Photo: McAlister’s Deli)

McAlister’s Deli opened last Wednesday at 8402 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, in the Old Keene Mill Shopping Center.

It is the chain’s 13th restaurant in Virginia. Started in 1989 by a Mississippi dentist, the chain can also be found at University Mall near Fairfax City, Worldgate Centre in Herndon and Mount Vernon Plaza in Hybla Valley.

Its menu features six different soups and nearly three dozen different handcrafted sandwiches as well as giant spuds — baked potatoes featuring a variety of different toppings, such as the black angus roast beef and chipotle chicken and bacon.

McAlister’s is open from 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.

Z!Eats Coming to Fairfax City on Dec. 12

Z!Eats maple bacon ham grilled cheese and butternut squash soup. (Photo: Z!Eats/Facebook)

Z!Eats restaurant – formerly known as Zoup! — is scheduled to open Thursday at the Scout on the Circle Apartments, 9414 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax.

Z!Eats has tailored its menu toward health-conscious customers with a variety of different dining options, expanding beyond the company’s previous focus on soup.

“Z!Eats is proudly establishing itself as a plant-forward brand, offering delectable and health-conscious fare along with an elevated overall dining experience,” Ted Asbury, chief marketing officer of parent company WOWorks, said earlier this year.

Founded by two spice merchants in Southfield, Mich., in 1997, Zoup! started as a chain of soup-and-sandwich shops in the Midwest and was acquired by WOWorks in 2022. All Zoup! locations will be rebranded as Z!Eats by the end of 2024. The company’s only other Northern Virginia restaurant in Sterling closed this summer, although its “temporarily closed” listing on the website suggests it will reopen at some point as Z!Eats. The chain hopes to grow to 500 restaurants nationwide over the next five years.

The chain’s revamped menu still includes a dozen different soups, along with 14 sandwiches, seven salads and a variety of mac and cheese, grain bowls and flatbread options.

Using a concept that diners might be more familiar with from Panera, Z!Eats lets diners “pick two” to receive smaller portions. Customers can also indulge in three different soups with the chain’s new “tasting flightz,”

The restaurant offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Z!Eats is open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

Good Co. Doughnuts Opening at Johns Hopkins

Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe will open at John Hopkins University’s Bloomberg Center, formerly the Newseum.
(Rendering: Johns Hopkins University)

Good Company Doughnuts & Café, a veteran- and family-owned full-service café, is coming to Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg Center, formerly the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

The restaurant will have 60 seats and a capacity of 166 inside and 50 seats on the patio.

Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe, known as GoCoDough, is known for handcrafted doughnuts and will open a publicly accessible location by year end. The café will be open seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

GoCoDough will provide students, faculty and guests with fresh food featuring global flavors, including soups, sandwiches, salads, bowls, platters, Intelligentsia Coffee and more. It has other locations in Ballston, Amazon HQ2 in Arlington and The Westerly development in Southwest D.C.

The new café will face Pennsylvania Avenue at the southeast corner of the building, adjacent to the Canadian Embassy. Featuring indoor and outdoor seating, the café will also be beside the new Irene and Richard Frary Gallery.

The café will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday through Monday.

Simply Banh Mi Opening in Ballston

Georgetown’s Simply Bahn Mi will open another location in Ballston. (Photo: Simply Bahn Mi/Facebook)

Georgetown’s Simply Bahn Mi will make its Arlington debut at 801 N. Quincy St. in Ballston in a few weeks, serving banh mi, pho and other family recipes. It will replace Lee’s Sandwiches, which closed in February.

Simply Banh Mi began about 10 years ago, in the basement of owner John Tran’s mother’s bridal shop in Georgetown.

With recipes from his mother — cookbook author and dress designer Diana My Tran — the restaurant caught on, eventually becoming well-known for being one of the area’s only halal options for Vietnamese cuisine.

The restaurant serves customizable entrees starting at $8.75, pho starting at $12.50, appetizers including spring rolls and egg rolls, and drinks like Vietnamese iced coffee and bubble tea.

While the D.C. location is exclusively carryout and delivery, the Ballston location includes a dining area.

Tatte Set to Open Jan. 29 on Rockville Pike

Tatte will open in Rockville on Jan. 29. (Photo: Tatte)

Tatte will open its third Maryland bakery and café on Jan. 29 at 12232 Rockville Pike, Rockville, according to its Google listing. The bakery recently opened its second Maryland location at 5400 Westbard Ave., Bethesda.

Tatte opened its first Maryland location at 7276 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, in March 2021. Its second location, also in Bethesda, opened last month.

An employee said the Rockville date is accurate as of now, but could be pushed back due to delays in construction.

The bakery and café serves salads, sandwiches, shakshuka, and seasonal offerings, along with craft coffee, tea and soda. Tatte has grown from a small Boston-area farmers market stand to more than 40 locations throughout the DMV and Boston areas.

Seven Restaurant Coming to Reston Town Center

Seven Restaurant will open at the AC Hotel and Residence Inn. (Rendering: Donohoe Hospitality)

Seven Restaurant will open on the street level of Marriott’s AC Hotel and Residence Inn, 1975 Opportunity Way, Reston, in January when the dual-branded hotel opens its doors.

The restaurant will serve classic American food along with European and Latin American dishes influenced by executive chef Alexis Hernandez’s travels and Peruvian heritage, according to a press release.

A full menu won’t be released until closer to the opening date, but an initial sampling of dishes includes classic European dishes such as pulpo, a wood-grilled octopus dish complemented with baby potatoes; chorizo topped with olive aioli; and grilled calamari with chimichurri topped with a charred lemon. Main dishes with Latin American influences include the scallop linguini with bay scallops tossed in a creamy Peruvian aji amarillo sauce and vegan roasted cauliflower seasoned with tajín brushed with a sweet, smoky panca BBQ and accompanied by cauliflower purée and sweet rocoto aioli.

While working as an executive sous chef at El Ancla y Las Brasas in Lima, he was chosen in 2007 by Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos, then the country’s ambassador to the U.S., to be a private chef for the Peruvian Embassy. His D.C. career has included stints at Le Diplomate, Zengo and Dirty Habit in the Kimpton Hotel Monaco.

In 2020, Hernandez became the executive chef at Topside, a seafood restaurant at the Revival Hotel in Baltimore.

Named in homage to Reston founder Robert E. Simon’s principles, Seven Restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. It will feature a central bar with spirits and wine, lounge areas with a glass-encased fireplace at its entrance and a dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Hernandez will also oversee a banquet kitchen and the SYN Rooftop Bar and Lounge on the hotel’s 16th floor.

Donohoe Hospitality Services manages the 267-room co-branded AC Hotel, which focuses on business travelers and other short-term visitors, and the extended-stay Residence Inn.

The hotel is part of Reston Town Center’s expansion south of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, a development that includes two office buildings and a 508-unit apartment building.

Little Beast Café Coming to Falls Church

D.C.’s Little Beast Cafe & Bistro will bring its Detroit-style pizza to Falls Church in 2025. (Photo: Little Beast Cafe & Bistro)

D.C.’s Little Beast Café & Bistro, known for its colorful monster theme and Detroit-style pizza, will open on the ground floor of Broad & Washington, 111 E. Broad St., Falls Church, sometime next year.

“Having kids and bringing them to a restaurant can always be complicated,” said owner Aaron Gordon, who also owns Red Light in D.C. “We want to be able to invite those people in and have a good time.”

Although the menu is still being set, Gordon said Little Beast will have a kids menu and offer brunch, lunch and dinner service. It will, of course, also serve the Detroit pizzas that have won kudos. Detroit pizza is light and airy, with buttery focaccia bread crust and the cheese and toppings underneath the sauce.

The bistro also hopes to operate a takeaway bakery inside, offering soft-serve ice cream, pies, tarts and other treats from longtime restaurant partner and pastry chef Naomi Gallego, formerly of Blue Duck Tavern.

The bistro previously had a Reston location, which closed last December.

Gordon also owns Red Velvet Cupcakery in D.C.’s Chevy Chase neighborhood and previously owned Bakers & Baristas in Penn Quarter, Drafting Table in the 14th Street Corridor, froyo spot Tangy Sweet, and sausage-centric Fat Shorty’s and Rabbit Salad and Grill in Clarendon.

Shake Shack Wants to Open in Old Town

Shake Shack wants to open in the old Burke & Herbert bank on King Street in Old Town. (Photo: Shake Shack/Facebook)

Shake Shack filed for a permit to open at 621 King St., Alexandria, in Old Town. The location, near the intersection of Washington Street and King Street, was formerly a Burke and Herbert bank.

The popular chain serves a selection of burgers, chicken sandwiches, crinkle-cut fries and eponymous milkshakes.

The application said the 2,570 square-foot Shake Shack will offer a “digital-forward ordering experience” with most of the orders to-go. The company estimated 400 customers per day with 70 percent of the orders to-go, mobile/app pick-up or third-party delivery with 30 percent or less served for onsite consumption.

The 36-seat Old Town Shake Shack will be the first in Alexandria, with the next closest ones being in National Harbor and Pentagon City. It will be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

Baku Delicious Seeks Permit to Open in Old Town

Baku Delicious wants to open an art cafe, serving freshly baked pastries, coffee and teas in Old Town next year.
(Photo: Baku Delicious/Facebook)

Baku Delicious, a Fairfax cafe and bakery specializing in Azerbaijani cuisine, wants to open a new location at 711 Pendleton St., Alexandria, in Old Town next year.

Owner Sevda Tahirli filed a permit with the city to open an “art cafe, serving freshly baked pastries, coffee and teas.”

The 620 square-foot space will have seating for 20 diners. It will also serve alcohol.

Baku Delicious first opened in 2016 and, in addition to its selection of pastries and dishes from the Caucasus, also hosts classes and special events.

The shop will be open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.

First Watch to Add 3 Fairfax County Locations

First Watch’s classic Benedict with two poached cage-free eggs atop toasted ciabatta with smoked ham and vine-ripened tomato and covered with hollandaise. (Photo: First Watch)

First Watch will add three more cafes across Fairfax County in the coming year.

After opening its largest restaurant yet in Fair Lakes this summer, the national chain is opening three more locations in the county in the first half of 2025.

The first opening will likely be at Idylwood Plaza, 7501 Leesburg Pike, where First Watch expects to open an approximately 4,000 square-foot restaurant with an indoor/outdoor bar. The cafe was expected to be ready by the end of 2024, but the company now says it should launch early next year.

First Watch is also coming to Reston where it will replace the shuttered Carrabba’s Italian Grill, 12192 Sunset Hills Road near RTC West, and Groveton, where it’ll take over a former Boston Market at Beacon Center, 6650 Richmond Highway, according to a spokesperson.

Carrabba’s closed its Reston location in February after 21 years there. The property piqued the interest of “several prospective tenants,” but First Watch won out because the retail leasing manager felt a breakfast-and-brunch option was more needed in the area than another dinner spot. Fairfax County issued a permit for the restaurant’s build-out on Nov. 25.

The Reston location will be approximately 6,500 square feet with a covered patio and seating for 179 diners.

The Groveton cafe will be smaller, measuring approximately 3,388 square feet with 136 seats, but it will have a covered patio. A permit to allow interior and exterior alterations of the freestanding building was issued by the county on Dec. 4.

Both the Reston and Groveton locations are expected to open next spring.

Started in Pacific Grove, Calif., in 1983, First Watch is based in Brandenton, Fla., and has more than 500 restaurants nationwide, including ones in Franconia, Bailey’s Crossroads, Chantilly and Fairfax City.

The chain serves classic breakfast, brunch and lunch food, including sandwiches, salads, egg dishes, pancakes and avocado toast, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients. The drink menu includes a juice bar, coffee and brunch cocktails.

In addition to the core menu, there is a revolving seasonal menu that changes five times a year.

The restaurants will be open 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily.

Convivial Is Closing Permanently on Dec. 22

Convivial will close permanently on Dec. 22 due to crime, location and back rent. (Photo: Laura R./Yelp)

Convivial, 801 O St. NW, will close in Shaw on Dec. 22.

The restaurant opened in November 2015 in the City Market at O development.

Chef and owner Cedric Maupillier said the French restaurant is closing due to crime, location and back rent he owes.

“It’s difficult to let go, but the challenges of maintaining consistent sales to meet our financial obligations have led us to this decision,” Maupillier wrote on social media Saturday. “To those who dined with us and shared their joy, gratitude, or a kind word on your way out, you made us proud and fulfilled. And to those who had less-than-perfect experiences and shared your thoughts, you helped us grow and improve.”