When the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) handed out its annual awards celebrating the D.C. region’s food industry last night (Sunday), the winners included two restaurants that can be found in Fairfax County.
Fava Pot, an Egyptian restaurant in West Falls Church, won an award for Favorite Fast Bites, while Colada Shop, a Caribbean spot with a location in Merrifield’s Mosaic District, was named the area’s Hottest Sandwich Shop at the 42nd Annual RAMMYS Awards Gala, which was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C.
The team behind Long Shot Hospitality, a D.C.-based company whose concepts include the Tex-Mex restaurant Ometeo in Tysons, was also honored with a Restaurateur of the Year award.
Started as a food truck in Arlington, Fava Pot opened its first brick-and-mortar location in the Shops at West Falls Church (7393 D Route 29) in 2017. Offering traditional comfort food like macaroni bechamel and falafel patties, owner Dina Daniel wanted to create a space where people can feel at home.
The business can now also be found in Dupont Circle, and it continues to operate a food truck.
In a message to fans after last night’s RAMMYS win, Daniel admitted that she had been wrestling with some doubts about her business, so the award, which was voted on by the public, gave her a much-needed boost in confidence.
“Just the night before our victory was announced, I was feeling so tired and uncertain about the future of our business,” Daniel said in the Instagram post. “Your vote not only brought us this amazing win but also came at the perfect time, reminding us that we are on the right track and giving us the strength to keep pushing forward.”
Last year’s recipient of the Favorite Fast Bites RAMMYS award — the fast-casual Indian chain Rasa — also had a Fairfax County location.
Colada Shop’s win was similarly determined by a public vote, rather than RAMW’s anonymous judges’ panel.
An immigrant from the Dominican Republic, founder and CEO Daniella Senior opened the first Colada Shop in Sterling in 2015 out of a desire to share her “love of good food, coffee, cocktails and social interactions,” the cafe’s website says. While that original location closed in 2020, Colada Shop now has six locations across the D.C. area with a seventh expected to open in Crystal City later this year.
The Mosaic District “cafecito” is smaller in size and has a more limited menu. It opened in August 2021 at 2920 District Avenue, where it’s paired with Bloomie’s.
The restauranteur award for Long Shot Hospitality went to chef and partner Kyle Bailey and partners Jon Ball, Jeremy Carman, Gavin Coleman and Paul Holder. Known for The Salt Line and D.C.’s Dauphine’s, the team expanded to Fairfax County for the first time with Ometeo’s opening at Capital One Center (1640 Capital One Drive) last December.
Elsewhere in Northern Virginia, the RAMMYS gave Ellie Bird in Falls Church its New Restaurant of the Year award. The restaurant opened at the city’s Founders Row development in April 2023, blending contemporary European and Asian cuisines.
