A new fast-casual cafe has opened its doors in Merrifield’s Mosaic District, with a menu focused on “health-conscious living.”
Pura Vida Miami is now open, serving up all-day breakfast, acai bowls, salads and more from its new space at 8296 Glass Alley, next to the Archer Hotel where Parc de Ville once stood.
The new restaurant aims to serve food that “people can feel really good about,” Chris Tambaschi, director of operations in the D.C. area, told FFXnow.
This is reflected by the brand’s emphasis on nutrition, serving “colorful plates filled with fruits, vegetables, and proteins.” That includes dishes like a veggie-packed omelette and an avocado salmon bowl loaded with arugula, roasted corn, pickled red onion, radish, cilantro and spiced pumpkin seeds.
“They can trust the ingredients, they can trust the team that’s making it,” Tambaschi said. “We take a lot of pride in the quality ingredients that we source. We don’t cut any corners, and I’ll tell you that a lot of our ingredients, they come with a premium, and it’s something that we are very glad to bring into the restaurants, to be able to provide the very best to our guests.”
Pura Vida also serves espresso drinks, matcha and eight different fruit smoothies, including a featured Cymbiotika creatine smoothie with mango, strawberry, coconut water, dragon fruit, passionfruit and coconut yogurt.
Over the next few weeks, Tambaschi said the cafe is slated to introduce a lineup of new menu items, including a grass-fed and grass-finished Australian steak.
Founding couple Omer and Jen Horev launched the brand in Miami Beach in 2012. Since then, Pura Vida Miami has expanded to New York, New Jersey and California. The new cafe is the brand’s first location in Northern Virginia and second in the D.C. region, joining an existing cafe in Potomac, Maryland.
Tambaschi said the Mosaic District felt like a “natural fit” for the company and that the surrounding community has been welcoming since its opening. Pura Vida is interested in further expansion into the area, with an upcoming outpost planned in D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood.
“Our goal is to spread a healthy lifestyle and healthy food options to every community, so it’s only a matter of time until we reach the cities and states that you haven’t heard of us before,” Tambaschi said.
Elsewhere at the Mosaic District, rug company Ernesta and The Tox, a spa for “lymphatic body sculpting,” are coming soon. Meanwhile, signage for Hawkers Asian Street Food was removed earlier this spring, suggesting the restaurant is no longer moving forward with plans for a location in the former Four Sisters storefront.
Pura Vida Miami’s hours in Fairfax are 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday.
