In some instances, the birth of a restaurant comes after years of gestation in the owner’s mind. But in the case of Little Falls Café, owner Anastasiya Algarme — well-known for the Pupatella pizzeria chain that she owns with her husband, Enzo — was compelled by real estate.
“I wasn’t really going to open another restaurant at that point. But I saw that building, and [it] just gave me so much inspiration. And it had so much potential that all kind of came from this building,” she says.
The 1860 structure started as a farmhouse, when what’s now downtown Falls Church was far more rural. The red, ivy-covered building with a kitchen garden still looks like it belongs in the countryside.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Algarmes packed up and moved to Rome. “That gave us the opportunity to explore Europe. We went to France a lot, and we went to Brittany a lot, and that’s where we fell in love with their cuisine,” the restaurateur recalls.
Guests will find a menu of rustic, savory buckwheat crêpes and sweeter wheat ones, both prepared with ingredients from the farmers market across the street. Fresh figs blend with brie and prosciutto in one ultra-seasonal delight. Peaches and raspberry compote are presented over another plate of artfully folded pancakes.
Finish with a Roman-style cremolato, an icy, dairy-free treat similar to granita. Spiced plum has been a popular flavor, as has creamy-tasting pistachio.
There’s no question that this is the cutest new café in NoVA, and its locavore wares taste even better than they look.
Little Falls Café, 106 Little Falls St., Falls Church
Feature image courtesy Little Falls Café
This story originally ran in our October issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
