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Does anyone even make New Year’s resolutions anymore when there’s the promise of a new restaurant by our local hot-and-numbing overlord Peter Chang?
Sure, take a dry January (check out the zero-proof cocktails at Punch Bowl Social in Arlington) but otherwise, here’s where you’ll be sipping and eating next year.
RESTAURANTS
Augie’s + Catch on the Ave + Urbano 116 | Alexandria
Common Plate Hospitality has a slate of openings planned: Catch on the Ave takes over the short-lived SnackBar in Del Ray and is opening today; Urbano 116, a Mexican restaurant from a Noma Mexico alum, will feature tacos and moles; and Augie’s, a mussel bar that debuted this summer, will reopen after renovations.
Status: Catch on the Ave opening today; Urbano 116 expected in January; Augie’s expected in the spring
Mama Chang | Fairfax
Peter Chang cedes the limelight to the women in his family, and will showcase the food from his home, Hubei province. [MORE]
Status: expected late January
Marumen | Sterling
The beloved, casual, modern ramen spot with reaches into Korean cuisine will open a second spot in Sterling. [MORE]
Status: expected by the end of the year
Tacos, Tortas & Tequila (TTT) + Buena Vida + Up | Arlington
The team behind Ambar takes on three Mexican-themed projects, including a beer garden. [MORE]
Status: expected February
TBD French bistro | Fairfax
The Hilton Brothers, who have planted of-the-moment restaurants in the city for more than 20 years, are entering Virginia by taking over the failed space of Mike Isabella’s Requin (and before that: RJ Cooper’s Gypsy Soul) in Mosaic District. The team is also planning to bring El Rey, a Mexican cantina with a location in DC, to the suburbs. [MORE]
Status: expected this summer
BARS, BREWERIES + CIDERIES
Altered Suds Beer Co. | Warrenton
The hoppy-beer focused brewery, with talent from Old Bust Head Brewing Co. (Vint Hill) and Barrel Oak Farm Taphouse (Delaplane), will open a 10-tap tasting room below Molly’s Irish Pub. [MORE]
Status: expected March
Aslin Beer Company | Alexandria
The much celebrated, cult-hit Aslin, with such notoriously slim open hours there’s a Reddit thread about it, is opening in Alexandria, but is still trying to make a Herndon location happen. [MORE]
Status: expected spring
Crooked Run Brewing + Daybreak Biscuit Co. + Nectar Cocktail Bar | Sterling
What started as a microbrewery in Leesburg is now expanding into multiple concepts. Come next year, Crooked Run Brewing will offer biscuits and fried chicken from the Daybreak brand, tacos from Senor Ramon Taqueria and fresh-pressed juices and cocktails from Nectar. [MORE]
Status: expected spring
Old Ox Brewery | Middleburg
The Ashburn brewery will duplicate in tony Middleburg. [MORE]
Status: TBD
Ornery Beer Company & Public House | Fairfax
The Woodbridge brewpub closed down its self-described too-big space—“Yep, I overcommitted,” wrote founder Randy Barnette—and opened with a new chef in the City of Fairfax. [MORE]
Status: opened Dec. 13
Hops N’ Shine | Alexandria
This Del Ray beer garden will focus on local, German and Belgian beers, plus moonshine and infused and barrel-aged cocktails. [MORE]
Status: TBD
Lost Boy Cider | Alexandria
Using apples from the family’s farm in Winchester—plus an eight-tree orchard out front of the Alexandria cidery—Lost Boy Cider is opening among the revitalizing Carlyle district with heritage and modern ciders. [MORE]
Status: expected May