More than three years after the departure of Blackfinn Ameripub, a new restaurant appears to be filling the vacancy near the Dunn Loring Metro station.
The Vienna Lodge Bar & Grill will soon occupy the space on the ground floor of the Avalon Dunn Loring apartments at 2750 Gallows Road, according to signage now adorning the windows of the storefront.
A Great Falls location is also in the works in the Great Falls Center at 9835 Georgetown Pike, where it’s taking over the former El Tio Tex-Mex Grill storefront. Before El Tio and the short-lived Triny’s Tex-Mex Grill, the space belonged to the Tavern at Great Falls.
While limited information about both locations has been shared so far, chef and owner Neel Kamal confirmed to FFXnow that they will be part of the same family of restaurants as The Urbana Lodge and The Clarks Lodge in Maryland.
“We are [a] small group. We like to operate in family neighborhoods,” Kamal said, describing the planned interiors as inspired by a mountainous log cabin with real stone walls, leather couches, a fire place, taxidermy and more.
In the hospitality industry for over 30 years, Kamal also operates Brews & Barrels in Gaithersburg and the Indian restaurant Maharani Palace, which opened in Herndon in 2024.
No permits, which are required to renovate the space, have been filed yet for the forthcoming Vienna Lodge, according to county records. However, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority lists an application for an alcohol license permitting beer and wine as pending since early January.
The Great Falls Lodge appears to be farther along in the development process, with Kamal’s team announcing in December that they’re looking to hire “front of house staff.” A permit allowing the space to be renovated is being reviewed by the Fairfax County Health Department, as of Feb. 12.
Hours posted to the restaurant’s front door indicate it will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 3-10 p.m., with happy hours on weekdays from 3-6:30 p.m.
If the Urbana and Clarks lodges in Maryland are accurate previews, the restaurants will offer a wide variety of sports bar-style dishes.
The Urbana Lodge menu, for example, features 13 different sandwiches and wraps, as well as soups, flatbreads, salads and more. The entrees section lists nine different dishes, including herb-crusted salmon, chicken pot pie, butter chicken, and Scottish fish and chips, among others.
Kamal also noted that the restaurants will feature seasonal menus, Sunday brunch options, live music and more.
But perhaps the most eye-opening part of the offerings is the drink menu, which includes nearly 100 different spirits and 21 different wines, as well as 11 signature cocktails.
The concept doesn’t sound too different from what diners found at Blackfinn Ameripub, which served up burgers, chicken wings and other “gameday” fare until the Merrifield location closed in fall 2022.
“We are very excited to open the future location,” Kamal said.
Blackfinn photo via Blackfinn Ameripub/Facebook
