Nashville-based Taco Bamba is set to open a new location in the Fair Lakes Promenade shopping center next week, with prizes for the first 100 guests.
The grand opening is slated for Friday, April 5, Taco Bamba chef and founder Victor Albisu announced in a press release.
The doors at 12239 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive will open at 9 a.m., with the first 100 guests receiving a free coffee tumbler and a “golden ticket” that could yield a variety of gifts, such as menu items, mezcal, t-shirts and hats. A select few will win a year’s supply of tacos, per the release.
Occupying a 2,140-square-foot space, the new restaurant will have a similar feel to its sister locations with a full bar and patio, original artwork and a menu of location-unique tacos, quesadillas, nachos, empanadas and cocktails.
With warmer weather on the horizon, the location will welcome guests and their pets to an outdoor “Taco Bamba Houndgarden” patio.
Taco Bamba has 13 locations spread out across the D.C. area, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee. This will be the 10th Taco Bamba in Northern Virginia, including eight locations in Fairfax County and two others in Arlington.
Several more plan to open in areas such as Richmond and Sterling.
“Taco Bamba has been going through a rapid period of growth in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions and while entering markets is exciting for our brand, developing new menus for our hometown neighborhoods is both challenging and rewarding,” Albisu said in the release. “Our super fans hold Taco Bamba to a high standard so we doubled down on creativity for this location.”
Menu highlights include neighborhood-specific tacos such as “Moby’s Hog” with gyro-spiced pork, the “PF Chango” with sweet and sour chicken or cauliflower, and the “Can I See A Manager” with chipotle bourbon brisket.
Beyond tacos, the menu offers ceviche, Mexican street corn, and a mixed fajita empanada, alongside a selection of mezcal-based cocktails curated by Beverage Director Amin Seddiq. Notable drinks include the “Oaxacan Tea Garden” and “In Dew Time,” according to the release.
In 2015, Albisu was named “Chef of the Year” by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. In 2020 and 2016, he was nominated for a James Beard Foundation award as “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic.”
Taco Bamba will be open in Fair Lakes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
A teenager detained for an alleged shoplifting attempt at Fair Lakes Shopping Center was responsible for a series of antisemitic flyers scattered around Fair Oaks last week, police say.
Officers determined that the teen distributed the flyers after they were apprehended at Target (13047 Fair Lakes Shopping Center) on Sunday (Aug. 20), according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“The Target Asset Prevention Team advised that the suspect was observed stealing a staple gun, sandwich bags, glue, and other miscellaneous items,” the FCPD said in a news release published last night (Tuesday).
The Target is near where some flyers were found, and the teen was caught on video by a local homeowner’s surveillance camera, FOX5 reported.
The FCPD said on Saturday (Aug. 19) that it had received numerous reports of “suspicious flyers portraying bias material” over the past two days, noting that it was talking with local religious leaders to identify safety measures but there was “no specific threat within our community.”
“We are grateful for our strong ties within this community, which help us in gathering additional information and developing long-term solutions to address instances of hatred like this one,” the FCPD said at the time.
The flyers were stuck to windshields, doors and yard signs supporting Del. Karrie Delaney’s reelection campaign, the delegate said in a statement. Delaney represents the 67th House District, which was redrawn as the 9th District and includes Fair Lakes and parts of Chantilly.
“I am deeply disturbed by the distribution of these flyers in our community,” Delaney said. “I stand unequivocally with the Jewish community, and condemn this action in the strongest of terms. There is absolutely no place for this kind of hate in Fairfax County, or anywhere in Virginia.”
The teen has been charged with petit larceny and is currently in custody at the county’s Juvenile Detention Center, according to police.
This isn’t the first time Fairfax County has dealt with antisemitic propaganda. Flyers targeting local school board members were found in Fairfax Station in 2021, and county leaders condemned a series of flyers distributed in the Wolf Trap area last year.
As many as 50 flyers claiming to be from a Virginia-based branch of the Ku Klux Klan were discovered in McLean this past February.
Image via Google Maps
Taco Bamba Taqueria’s latest location will welcome Fairfax residents through its doors this fall.
While there is no “firm date” for an opening just yet, Taco Bamba fans can expect the storefront at Fair Lakes Promenade (12239 Fair Lakes Promenade Drive) to open “before the end of the year,” award-winning chef and owner Victor Albisu told FFXnow in a statement.
With preparation for the new restaurant still in early stages, Taco Bamba has yet to release concrete details about the new location’s offerings, but Albisu says guests “can expect killer mezcal-based cocktails and a list of tacos that draws inspiration from the diverse surrounding community.”
Located next to Nothing Bundt Cakes, this Taco Bamba will be the seventh in the Fairfax County area and the second near Fairfax City, with another storefront located just five miles away in University Mall (10653 Braddock Road).
“We think there is an opportunity to bring our unique style of taqueria to this neighborhood, and we’re really excited about the space,” Albisu said.
Taco Bamba was initially launched in 2013 by Albisu and his parents as a reflection of Albisu’s “Cuban and Peruvian roots as well as his unique take on Mexican fare.”
Since then, Albisu has grown Taco Bamba into a wildly popular Mexican chain with 12 locations across the D.C. region and Tennessee. It plans to open five new storefronts by the end of 2023 and into 2024.
“Every new opening is exciting because we challenge ourselves to come up with unique food and cocktail menus,” Albisu wrote.
Crumbl Cookies officially lands in Fair Lakes Shopping Center on Friday (Feb. 10).
The cookie chain will open at 8 a.m. at 13075 Fair Lakes Shopping Centers. Store owners Natalie and Dovy Paukstys, and Maureen Wolthuis are behind the latest location in Fairfax County.
“As local business owners, we are looking forward to sharing delicious cookies with our neighbors,” the company wrote in a statement.
The store, which offers a weekly rotating menu of freshly baked cookies, will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8-12 a.m. on Friday and Saturdays.
Only in-person purchases will be available for the first five business days after the grand opening. Curbside pickup, catering, delivery and nationwide shipping will be available beginning Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The cookie company stated in 2017 in Utah. Since then, it has expanded to more than 500 locations across the country. The business has been rapidly expanding in Fairfax County as well, with locations that recently opened in Reston, Leesburg, Falls Church and Chantilly.
County planners need more time to work through an application for a new Popeyes in Fair Lakes Shopping Center (13060 Fair Lakes Shopping Center).
At a meeting on Oct. 19, the Fairfax County Planning Commission voted unanimously to defer a decision on the application to Nov. 16.
Popeyes is seeking the county’s permission to build a 2,265-square-foot restaurant to the shopping center in space that was previously home to United Bank.
The motion was made with little to no discussion.
At-large member Timothy Sergeant said the decision would “allow more time for the applicant to improve their application.”
Since a fire broke out in the single-story bank in 2018, the site has remained undeveloped with pavement and some trees. The company plans to install a one-lane drive-thru at the 42-seat restaurant.
UNIQLO opened its first location in an open-air mall at Fair Lakes Shopping Center today (Friday).
The Japanese brand will open a 9,000-square-foot store at 13041 Fair Lakes Shopping Center. The company has other locations at Tysons Corner Center, Union Station in D.C., and Pike & Rose in Bethesda, Maryland.
“Fair Lakes is a great location to help extend this mission to new customers, while building on the success we’ve seen in the region, with three other existing stores in the D.C. metro area,” said Nakasuji Masahiko, Uniqlo’s North American marketing director.
Masahiko said the Fair Lakes location offers conveniences similar to Uniqlo’s original location in Japan, where it was built as a roadside store.
“Fair Lakes Center offers a similar convenience, as well as a real sense of community where people can live, work, and gather,” Masahiko said. “As our first store opening following the pandemic, we’re proud to be bringing people back together again at a location that resonates so well with the brand.”
The Fair Lakes location is the company’s 44th store. In celebration of its grand opening, the store will offer special offers and giveaways through Sept. 29.
Another Fairfax County location for Crumbl Cookies is baking in the oven.
Crumbl Cookies is opening at Fair Lakes Shopping Center in the third quarter of this year, which runs through Sept. 30, according to a company spokesperson.
The shop will be located at 13075 Fair Lakes Shopping Center, according to county permits.
Crumbl has been rapidly expanding in Virginia. Local locations include Reston, Vienna, Chantilly and Ashburn.
The company was started by two cousins — Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley in 2017. Crumbl offers a weekly rotating menu, which features a weekly chilled pink sugar cookie and its chocolate chip cookie. New flavors are added frequently.
Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo is inching closer to opening its second location in Fairfax County.
Uniqlo plans to open this fall at Kirkland’s former location, which was 13041 Fair Lakes Shopping Center, according to representatives for Peterson Cos., which owns the center. The business already has a locations in Tysons Corner Center.
Uniqlo did not return multiple requests for comment from FFXnow over the last several weeks.
The business was founded in Yamaguchi, Japan first as a textiles factory in 1949. The first store opened in 1984 with a unique element: the manufacturer retail model controlled the entire process from product planning to marketing. Since then, the company has cemented a global presence.
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware is opening a new location in Fairfax County.
The hardware and woodworking shop plans to open up at 12975 Fair Lakes Shopping Center. It will be the business’ first location in Virginia.
A company representative tells FFXnow that the shop is expected to open this summer.
“Unfortunately, we do not have an exact date but the location is expected to open around late June,” the representative wrote in a statement.
Rockler takes the place of Golf Galaxy, a shop for golf clubs, apparel and equipment. The sporting goods shop is permanently closed.
The business originated in 1985 when Norton Rockler started the Minnesota Woodworkers Supply Company in Minneapolis. It now has stores and independent resellers across the country.
The store also offers free demonstrations on Saturdays and in-store classes.