Shipgarten, Tysons’ food and drink ‘theme park,’ set for grand opening this weekend

(Updated at 8:55 a.m. on 7/15/2022) After spending weeks perfecting various food and drink offerings, Shipgarten is ready to formally introduce its dining-in-shipping-containers concept to Tysons.

Launched on May 26 with its Tysons Biergarten revival, the Scotts Run pop-up will celebrate the completed rollout of its four restaurants and five bars with a three-day grand opening, starting at 3 p.m. tomorrow (Friday).

“We’ve been doing a soft opening for the past few weeks, making sure everything is perfect, especially the food, and things are looking very, very bright,” said Matt Rofougaran, managing partner for Creative Bar Concepts, which also developed Hops N Shine in Alexandria.

The festivities at 7581 Colshire Drive will include live music and local DJs, a moon bounce, face painting, various games and contests, a UFC Fight Night viewing, a ceremonial keg tapping, and at 3 p.m. on Saturday (July 16), a ribbon-cutting led by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.

“I am thrilled to be attending the ribbon-cutting for the ShipGarten pop-up,” McKay said in a statement to FFXnow. “This is exactly the kind of innovative use of urban open space that not only creates jobs but is fun, unique, and responsive to what the community wants. I am looking forward to joining the founding team for a beer and perhaps a curry wurst or taco!”

Concluding with an adults-only stein hoisting competition at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, the full schedule of events can be found on the grand opening weekend’s Eventbrite page.

Since late May, Shipgarten has unveiled a different shipping container each week. The biergarten, which features German beer and cuisine, was followed by the Asian fusion restaurant RollBär in early June and the fast-casual Persian eatery, Salamati Grille.

The final concept, Waffles and Tacos, opened about 10 days ago. As suggested by its name, the restaurant features customizable Belgian waffles and street tacos, along with American craft beer, a whiskey bar, and a distiller bar.

Boasting three 2,500-square-foot tents and what it says is the largest outdoor patio in the D.C. area, Shipgarten used the prolonged soft opening to ensure the staff was fully trained and refine the food and drink menus, Rofougaran says.

In all, Shipgarten has more than 100 beer options and over 60 types of bourbon, whiskey and tequila, according to a press release. Supplementing the bars and restaurants are a dog park, a kids’ playground, TVs and a 24-foot-wide projector screen, and outdoor games, including a giant Jenga and water pong.

“It’s just a big theme park in the heart of Tysons,” Rofougaran said.

After the grand opening weekend, Shipgarten will begin its regular operating hours of 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week.

Photo courtesy of Shipgarten/Instagram