By the end of this month, Voodoo Brewing Company will be pouring craft beers and serving classic pub fare to customers in Herndon.
The Pennsylvania-based brewery is scheduled to open its first location in the D.C. metropolitan area on the ground floor of the Makers Rise apartment building (2311 Dulles Station Blvd) near the Innovation Center Metro station on Saturday, Oct. 24.
“[We] can’t be more excited to see you all and serve up the best food, beers, and entertainment in town,” Voodoo Herndon said when announcing its launch date earlier this month. “The wait is over, and we’re ready.”
Founded by Matt Allyn in 2005 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Voodoo Brewing currently has two corporate-owned locations in its home state, but has otherwise expanded through franchising, starting in 2017. The Herndon outpost is the second in Virginia, joining a brewpub that opened in Virginia Beach in 2024.
Herndon franchise owner John Curry Lee, a Virginia Tech graduate with seven years of experience in the brewing industry under his belt, previously told FFXnow that he had hoped to open his own brewery before the COVID-19 pandemic convinced him to rethink his approach.
He then saw an opportunity to fulfill his dream by partnering with Voodoo, whose product, company culture and aesthetic all appealed to him.
When asked about the upcoming opening by phone today, Lee told FFXnow that “it’s tough to nail down just one thing that I’m excited about.”
“Seeing it come from literally an empty space to what it is now has been amazing, and we are going to offer a lot of very fun, very cool stuff,” Lee said. “We’ve got a great team. I’m also excited about them. We’ve got some very cool merch. We are offering a ton of tasty beer, a lot of good food, so there’s a lot to be excited about.”
The approximately 3,750-square-foot restaurant and bar in Herndon will have an indoor capacity of about 143 people, with an additional 40 seats available on an outdoor patio.
While an official menu hasn’t been posted online yet, Lee and executive chef Jarroun Durrette, who previously worked with him at Fairfax’s Honor Brewing Company, told Out and About Fairfax that patrons can expect pizzas, smash burgers, chicken wings and other traditional bar food, including “some fun things” to supplement Voodoo’s mandated dishes.
Describing the cuisine as “elevated pub fare,” Lee noted to FFXnow that the pizza dough will be stretched by hand, and the burgers will be all hand-formed.
“We try to put an emphasis on good, fresh, delicious food,” he said.
Voodoo’s signature brews include the West Coast IPAs Good Vibes and Lil Vibes, the light lager Empty Calories, a fruited Belgian tripel called Voodoo Love Child, and Oh Mama, a golden American lager brewed in Pittsburgh in collaboration with the rock band Styx.
Since the restaurant features a full bar, the beverage program will also include a selection of white, red and sparkling wines as well as Voodoo’s cocktails, which are generally rolled out on a seasonal schedule.
“Right now, with the fall ones, we’re focusing a lot on flavors like apple cider and cinnamon, things like that,” Lee said. “We also offer a cocktail flight, which is six obviously smaller portions of the Voodoo house cocktails … I think no matter what you’re looking for, you’ll be able to find it.”
On top of the food and drinks, Voodoo Herndon is planning to stay busy with in-house events, entertainment, and community fundraising and outreach.
Lee says the business is already sponsoring the Loudoun Rugby Football Club men’s team, and the events calendar will kick off with trivia on Tuesdays just three days after the opening.
The team is also in the process of finalizing dates for an initial entertainment lineup, which could include live music, DJs, stand-up comedy and other acts.
“There’s going to be a lot going on,” Lee said.
Voodoo Herndon will be open on weekends from 11 a.m. to midnight, and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday through Thursday.
Once it opens, Voodoo will join a growing craft brew scene in the Herndon area, which welcomed Hawkley Brewing and NH44 Indian Brewing in March and June, respectively.
