One of the Shops at Avenir Place’s earliest tenants has left.
Spice 6, a fast-casual Indian restaurant, closed its doors last Wednesday (Aug. 21) after serving customers near the Dunn Loring Metro station for nearly a decade.
Paper signs posted to the doors said only that the eatery is “closed for today,” but a worker was seen loading boxes from the suite at 2674 I Avenir Place into a Cybertruck when FFXnow walked by yesterday (Monday). The location has also been removed from the company’s website.
A decline in traffic to the area in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic led Spice 6 to shutter that location, a spokesperson told FFXnow. An outlet at the Westfield Montgomery mall in Bethesda was also doomed by Covid, its initially temporary shutdown becoming permanent in fall 2020.
The restaurant can still be found in D.C.’s Chinatown and Hyattsville, Maryland.
Spice 6 originally launched in Hyattsville in spring 2012 at a time when Chipotle-style approach of serving customized dishes in a cafeteria-like line was still relatively new. It expanded to Avenir Place in May 2015 with the completion of construction on the Modera Avenir Place apartments and 65,000 square feet of retail.
Anchored by Harris Teeter, which opened in May 2016, the mixed-use development still has several original tenants, including Starbucks, District Taco, Jersey Mike’s and Orangetheory Fitness.
However, Spice 6’s closure might not be the only departure in store. Roosters Men’s Grooming Center is no longer shown on a site plan for the development’s retail. An employee denied that there are plans to close, but the barber shop’s 1,181-square-foot space next to Séchoir Beauty Bar is listed as “available.”
KLNB, the property’s retail broker, didn’t return a request for comment by press time.
Lease signed for Vietnamese restaurant
Impending arrivals to the Shops at Avenir Place include Japomen, the first standalone location for a Japanese restaurant that can currently be found in Rockville, Woodbridge and Sterling food halls. After previously hoping to open in May, owner James Park says the team is now “shooting for early September,” but the timing will depend on how an upcoming health inspection goes.
According to KLNB’s site plan, Japomen will be adjacent to a second location for Pho Viet Flare, a Vietnamese eatery currently serves pho, rice dishes and vermicelli bowls at Alexandria’s Van Dorn Station Shopping Center.
Owner Minh Cong confirmed to FFXnow that he has signed a lease for the space on Avenir Place, enabling him to fulfill a longtime dream of expanding the pho restaurant his family has been running in Alexandria since 2003.
Targeting a December opening, the new Viet Corner restaurant will serve traditional dishes like pho and banh mi, boba tea and Vietnamese coffee with an emphasis on fresh, locally sourced ingredients, Cong says. He hopes to create a family-friendly atmosphere with menu options for kids and perhaps even items specifically for pet owners.
“Vienna is always one of my top locations since it is known for its vibrant community, affluent demographic, and family-friendly atmosphere, which can be ideal for a new restaurant venture,” Cong said. “Additionally, the area has a strong local food culture with residents who appreciate diverse dining options, making it a promising location for a Vietnamese noodle soup, sandwich and boba tea.”
