A well-liked local Egyptian eatery, an entertainment venue that lets customers compete in game shows, and other new retailers are about to shake up The Boro in Tysons.
Fava Pot will start moving into 1624 Boro Place on Sept. 20 — the day after Tasty Kabob, which has occupied the storefront since 2020, is set to close.
A member of Tasty Kabob says the company decided not to renew its lease after having the misfortune of opening during the COVID-19 pandemic and then struggling without consistent foot traffic from office workers.
“Covid destroyed our business,” he said, noting that they had signed the lease for The Boro back in 2018.
While the federal government and some private companies have pushed for a return to fully in-person work, many businesses have embraced hybrid and remote options, allowing them to downsize or even eliminate their office space. Office vacancies in Tysons have held steady at around 20% over the past year, well above the pre-pandemic rate of 13%.
Though The Boro has housing and plans to eventually add more, the surrounding area remains largely dominated by office buildings, including the notoriously empty Boro Central (previously known as Tysons Central).
“One Boro Tower isn’t going to make it work,” the Tasty Kabob member said, referring to the successful high-rise at 8350 Broad Street. “Trust me, we didn’t want to close, but we can’t break even.”
Tasty Kabob will continue to operate a food truck throughout the D.C. area, and its owners are open to reviving a brick-and-mortar location, though the team member who spoke to FFXnow says they’d look for a more suburban area with cheaper rent and more homes.
Fava Pot plans homecoming
Hoping to have better luck in the space, Fava Pot is aiming to have a soft opening in November before Thanksgiving, with an official launch following about 30 days later, owner Dina Daniel says.
Winner of a 2024 RAMMY Award for Favorite Fast Bite and FFXnow’s Readers Choice poll for best Middle Eastern restaurant, Fava Pot actually got its start in 2013 as a food truck serving office workers on Solution Drive in Tysons, according to Daniel, who opened her first a brick-and-mortar location in West Falls Church (7393 D Route 29) in 2017.
“After all of these years, I’m going back to the same area,” Daniel said. “… It is a sense of accomplish[ment] and blessing.”
Following a fast-casual approach, the menu will generally be more similar to Fava Pot’s Dupont Circle location, which opened in 2021 and serves street food, such as chicken kabob rice bowls or kofta sandwiches. However, the Tysons restaurant will have breakfast items, like its West Falls Church predecessor.
Daniel is also seeking a liquor license that will allow beer, wine and cocktails to be served. All alcoholic drinks, coffee and tea will be half off during happy hours, which will be held from 3-6 p.m. daily, she says.
Seating 50 people inside with an additional 35 seats outside, the store roughly the same size as the West Falls Church location, but the layout will make it feel bigger, making it “ideal for hosting cocktail parties” and other corporate and social events, Daniel told FFXnow.
An immigrant who came to the U.S. from Egypt in 2004, Daniel says she’s especially excited about the expansion to Tysons because it’ll be managed by Chris Samuels, who started at Fava Pot five years ago as a 17-year-old cashier. After he graduated from college with a business degree, she interviewed Samuels for the opportunity to become a business partner and carry on the restaurant’s legacy.
“I just want to see our team empowered to grow more, so whenever I will decide to retire, Fava Pot will keep going with the new generation,” she said.
More retail coming to The Boro
Fava Pot isn’t the only new addition awaiting The Boro.
The Meridian Group, the property owner and developer, announced today (Wednesday) that it will also welcome TileBar, Game Show Battle Rooms, California Closets and NOVA Plastic Surgery and Dermatology in the coming months.
- NOVA Plastic Surgery and Dermatology (possible November opening): Founded in 2011 by plastic surgeon Fadi Nukta, the Ashburn clinic will provide “expansive menu of treatments and the latest in cosmetic technology” at 1640 Boro Place, Suite 201, above Fava Pot.
- Game Show Battle Rooms (winter 2025): This will be the first location in Virginia for the entertainment concept, which was started by two college friends in Minneapolis in 2017 and now has more than 20 locations operating or in the works. The 3,505-square-foot venue at 1640 Boro Place, Suite 207, promises “an immersive game show experience” with live hosts, bar service and catering options.
- TileBar (early 2026): The home improvement business will open a two-floor showroom where customers can peruse “premium surfaces, from Italian marble to genuine terracotta,” and get advice from experts. This will be TileBar’s fourth location, joining its original showroom in New York City, an expansion in New Jersey and an upcoming one in D.C.’s Logan Circle.
- California Closets (early 2026): Started by a college student in 1978, California Closets has more than 140 showrooms across North America and the Caribbean. The Tysons site will be located next to Whole Foods Market and offer custom storage options “for the whole home,” from closets and office storage cabinets to bookshelves, kitchen pantries and more.
“Our forthcoming lineup of immersive entertainment, local success stories and lifestyle design will add to the vibrancy of The Boro,” Charlie Schwieger, vice president of asset management at The Meridian Group, said. “These retailers align perfectly with our vision of an energetic walkable destination that offers something for everyone.”
Looking further into the future, the Meridian Group previously confirmed that CVS Pharmacy has signed a lease for space in its expansion of The Boro.
Approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 2021, the expansion will bring 1.1 million square feet of mixed-use development to the north side of Westpark Drive. The first building in this second phase of development — The Trillium, a 15-story, 181-unit apartment building for seniors — opened in August 2024.
CVS will be located at the intersection of Westpark Drive and Greensboro Drive on the ground floor of one of three planned residential buildings. However, the Meridian Group has no established timeline right now for when it anticipates starting construction on the buildings.
