(Updated at 8:30 p.m. on 2/6/2024) Idylwood Plaza is shaking up its retail mix to start 2024.

The shopping center on Leesburg Pike in Idylwood will usher in its newest tenant, MIYU Beauty & Wellbeing, with a grand opening celebration at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow (Friday). Falls Church City Vice Mayor Letty Hardi and Councilmember Marybeth Connelly are expected to attend.

Miyu occupies a 2,545 square-foot space next to Whole Foods Market at 7505-P Leesburg Pike, where Honest Soul Yoga used to be. The salon offers non-toxic, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free manicures and pedicures, along with yoga and pilates classes.

The business comes from neighbors Zeina Chouman El Eid and Karen Abouzeid, who both have experience in the beauty industry and decided to combine their skills to “help individuals tap into their inner essence, promote well-being, and bring beauty into everyday chaos,” according to Miyu’s website.

“We offer a tranquil haven and safe space to empower everyone,” Abouzeid, now a managing partner at Miyu, said. “MIYU’s skilled and experienced staff will guide our clients towards self-realization and unmatched confidence, while connecting them with like-minded individuals who share a passion for holistic living.”

Later this year, Miyu will be joined at Idylwood Plaza by First Watch, the daytime cafe, and Fairfax County’s first Chicken Salad Chick.

First Watch aims for summer opening

First Watch confirmed to FFXnow in November that it was looking for a new site in the Falls Church area, but the lease hadn’t been finalized at that time. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 7501 Leesburg Pike was officially announced last week.

Known for its seasonally rotating breakfast, brunch and lunch menus, which include items like avocado toast and lemon ricotta pancakes, First Watch is expected to open its Idylwood location in late summer 2024, according to public relations manager Hunter Carpenter.

The cafe will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. for pickup, delivery and dine-in service. It will employ approximately 30 people.

First Watch can currently be found in Fairfax City, Chantilly and Bailey’s Crossroads, where it opened in 2021. Additional locations are slated to open this spring in Franconia’s Festival at Manchester Lakes and this summer in the former TGI Friday’s in Fair Lakes.

After finding success in Bailey’s Crossroads (5880 Crossroads Center Way), First Watch decided “it was about time to bring our experience closer to home for our neighbors further north,” Carpenter said.

“Though we may be relative newcomers to Fall Church, that doesn’t mean we’re strangers to Fairfax County,” Carpenter told FFXnow by email. “As we quickly approach two decades in the region, we look forward to expanding our presence not only in Falls Church but also in Fair Lakes and Franconia and inspiring a new morning routine for our customers with each new opening.”

Chicken Salad Chick makes way to D.C. area

Started in 2008 by Stacy Brown, a stay-at-home mother in Auburn, Alabama, Chicken Salad Chick announced last May that it had signed a development agreement with Devon Chamberlin and her family, who will open eight franchises in Fairfax and Arlington counties over the next five years.

The first franchise is slated to open at Idylwood Plaza this spring, according to Chicken Salad Chick Chief Marketing Officer Tom Carr.

An Arlington location is also planned. FFXnow’s sister site ARLnow previously reported that that site would open this spring, but Chick Salad Chick now says the Idylwood Plaza restaurant will be the first to open.

The 2,717-square-foot restaurant will be located at 7505 Leesburg Pike, Suite 120A, replacing Loyal Companion after the pet wellness chain shuttered all of its local shops last year, according to Federal Realty, the property manager for Idylwood Plaza.

Chicken Salad Chick sells Southern-style chicken salads made from scratch, sandwiches and pimento cheese. The company has 258 locations right now, including six in central and southern Virginia, but it has wanted to expand into new regions of the U.S., according to Carr.

“The demographics of Northern Virginia, generally, and Falls Church and adjacent areas specifically, make it well-suited for Chicken Salad Chick and its healthy menu options,” Carr said.

Noodles & Company has closed its doors in the Town of Vienna.

The fast-casual noodle chain had anchored the Vienna Marketplace shopping center at the corner of Maple Avenue and Park Street for nearly 20 years. Now, the windows at 201 Maple Avenue East have gone dark, the linguine-ladling storefront sign stripped down.

“We’re sorry to say, this Noodles location is permanently closed,” a flyer posted to the eatery’s door says. “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed serving you and appreciate all your support.”

The notice encourages customers to visit the company’s closest remaining location, which is in Idylwood Plaza at 7501 Leesburg Pike.

An employee at that location confirmed to FFXnow that the Vienna restaurant closed Wednesday, Jan. 24 due to the high rent. Press contacts for Noodles & Company and KLNB, the retail broker for Vienna Marketplace, didn’t immediately return requests for comment.

Noodles & Company had been in Vienna since at least 2007, the days of its earliest Yelp reviews, though one reviewer said they’d previously ordered from that location “years ago.” That makes the Vienna restaurant one of the brand’s first sites in the D.C. region after it arrived in Fairfax City in 2002 and began more rapidly expanding a decade later, according to the Washington Post.

In addition to Idylwood and Fairfax City, Noodles can still be found in Kingstowne, Mount Vernon, Chantilly, Fair Lakes, Herndon, Reston and Springfield. It has 26 Virginia locations.

Though it’s not clear yet what will replace Noodles & Company, The Burn reports that the vacated Cold Stone Creamery two doors down will be filled by the D.C. deli Call Your Mother — not Taïm Mediterranean Kitchen as previously confirmed.

According to The Burn, the deli “swooped in” to take over the 1,300-square-foot space after Taim’s deal “fell through.” FFXnow has reached out to both Taim and KLNB for confirmation.

Known for its bagels, Call Your Mother entered Northern Virginia last May when it launched a “Lil Deli” at Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean. The business is expected to move out of the mobile truck and into a permanent, brick-and-mortar location later this year.

Taim, a fast-casual Mediterranean eatery that originated in New York City, opened restaurants in Pimmit Hills last July and at Plaza America in Reston on Dec. 5.

Remaining tenants in Vienna Marketplace include Crumbl Cookies, South Block, Chipotle, AT&T and Lacrosse Unlimited.

Old Keene Mill Shopping Center is marshaling a new grocery store, multiple restaurants and other retailers to fill the void left behind by Whole Foods.

The space filled by the grocer until it opened a bigger store last October just down the road in Springfield Plaza is being subdivided into six different suites, and at least four of them have been leased, according to a site plan from property owner Federal Realty.

The confirmed newcomers will be McAlister’s Deli, Crimson Coward Chicken, Zips Dry Cleaner and European Wax Center, all opening in early 2025, a Federal Realty spokesperson says.

A chain started in 1989 by a dentist in Oxford, Mississippi, McAlister’s will open a 2,925-square-foot restaurant near the Rolling Road entrance to the West Springfield shopping center (8424 Old Keene Mill Road).

The deli serves sandwiches, salads, soups, giant spuds (i.e. baked potatoes) and a specialty sweet tea. Its 500-plus locations include ones at University Mall near Fairfax City, Worldgate Centre in Herndon and Mount Vernon Plaza in Hybla Valley.

McKaye Darling, owner of the upcoming Old Keene Mill franchise, says the company is “thrilled” to expand to West Springfield.

“Our location choice was strategic, factoring in demographics, foot traffic, and neighboring restaurants in order to elevate the West Springfield food scene,” Darling said. “Our goal is to deliver the same top-notch quality and service found across all of our locations while seamlessly integrating with the West Springfield community.”

For Crimson Coward, a growing Nashville-style hot chicken chain that started in Los Angeles, California, this will be its first location in Fairfax County. The business landed on the East Coast on Jan. 9, 2023 with an opening in Woodbridge, and Stafford and Maryland restaurants are also apparently in the works, per its website.

It will occupy 1,449 square feet in a row facing Rolling Road with European Wax Center, a national hair removal company that will open a 1,200-square-foot suite, and Zips Dry Cleaner, which will have 1,397 square feet.

The bulk of the former Whole Foods space will be turned into a new, 17,186-square-foot store for “a national grocer,” Federal Realty says, but that grocer’s identity remains a bit of a mystery.

The Washington Business Journal reported in March 2023 that Trader Joe’s had executed a lease for the space, which was previously about 24,000 square feet in size. A Trader Joe’s employee told FFXnow last July that the grocer will relocate from its current location in Springfield Plaza to Old Keene Mill Shopping Center in another “year or so.”

However, when asked if the “national grocer” is Trader Joe’s, the Federal Realty spokesperson said only that details will be shared when they’re available.

On the western end of the shopping center, a Japanese restaurant called Kanji Sushi has leased 4,843 square feet adjacent to Planet Fitness. The eatery is projected to open in mid to late 2024.

“We welcome these merchants to the Springfield community,” Federal Realty Senior Vice President of Asset Management Deirdre Johnson said in a statement. “These new, innovative dining and service providers further cement Old Keene Mill Shopping Center as a popular shopping and dining destination for the Springfield and greater Fairfax County community.”

Panera Bread, a national bakery-cafe, is reportedly opening up a new location in Reston.

According to a report by The Burn, the restaurant has signed a lease for space in Halley Rise, the mixed-use development at the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive near the Reston Town Center Metro station.

Panera Bread will take up a 3,500-square-foot corner spot near Wegmans, which opened last year at 11950 Hopper Street.

The company did not immediately return a comment request on when it plans to open up shop.

Panera Bread closed in Reston Town Center in 2019 at 1825 Discovery Street. At the time, the business announced it planned to reopen in Reston at a later point, but right now, its closest locations are in Herndon on Elden Street and at Worldgate Centre.

The cafe sells sandwiches, bakery items, pasta, soups, pizzas and other items.

Developed by Brookfield Properties, Halley Rise took over a 36-acre office park near the Metro station with plans for 3.5 million square feet of housing, retail, offices and open spaces. In addition to Wegman’s, completed elements include The Edmund apartments and an urban farm.

A pair of apartment towers called The Arbor at Halley Rise has been under construction since July 2022 and is expected to open in 2025. Panera will be on the ground floor of that complex, according to The Burn.

A new sushi experience is coming soon to Reston Town Center.

Kusshi Sushi will take up roughly 3,000 square feet of space at 11909 Democracy Drive. The news was first reported by The Burn.

The Reston location is set to open sometime in November, owner Wesley Yao told FFXnow.

“We were looking in the Sterling, Ashburn, Reston area and decided on Reston Town Center,” Yao said, adding that he looks forward to serving many sushi boats in Reston.

Another location is also slated to open in Rockville Town Center in Maryland.

The first Kusshi Ko opened at Pike 7 Plaza in Tysons in late 2022 as a smaller version of Kusshi, a sushi bar that launched in 2018 in North Bethesda. The larger, full-service restaurants can also be found in Arlington and downtown Silver Spring, and the team also owns Hanaro Sushi in Bethesda.

Kusshi Ko’s menu includes sushi rolls, sashimi, donburi and curry rice bowls, noodle dishes and tempura.

A new Uyghur restaurant is bringing some new flavors to the Town of Herndon.

Bostan Uyghur Cuisine, which also has a location in Arlington, quietly opened its doors in November at 1141 Elden Street.

A representative for the business told FFXnow that the restaurant aims to bring a different taste to Herndon.

“There is not any Uyghur food [in] Herndon,” the business representative said.

Uyghurs are a majority-Muslim ethnic group native to Xinjiang, China, where they’ve been subject to persecution for years. A sizable Uyghur community congregated in the D.C. area over the years, leading to an emerging food scene that also includes Mim’s Food and Eerkin’s in Fairfax and Dolan Uyghur Restaurant in Chantilly.

Like at its Arlington location, Bostan in Herndon serves halal food. Items on the menu include a mix of Uyghur kabobs, noodles, laghman — a mix of pulled meat, noodles and vegetables — and dumplings.

The Herndon location is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cinnamon lovers can soon rejoice as a cinnamon roll shop prepares to open in Herndon.

Cinnaholic is set for a grand opening at 2451 Centreville Road in Suite 20 on Feb. 9, according to Jessica Papa, a representative for the Herndon location.

“Customers can create their own rolls with over 20 frostings + toppings or order one of our classics. Our original founders opened the first Cinnaholic bakery in July 2010, which quickly became a local favorite — with lines out the door,” Papa wrote in a statement.

Launched in July 2010 with a bakery in Berkeley, California, Cinnaholic got a boost when it was featured on the reality show “Shark Tank” in 2014, leading it to start franchising. It now has nearly 100 bakeries across the U.S. and Canada, all of which are locally owned and operated.

However, the new, 600-square-foot location in the Village Centre at Dulles will be the company’s first in Virginia.

In addition to cinnamon rolls, which can be customized with over a dozen toppings and types of frosting, the menu includes cookie cakes and other treats that are dairy-free, egg-free and cholesterol free. Seasonal rolls include raspberry cheesecake swirl and maple mocha rolls.

(Updated at 5 p.m.) A few new tenants are making their way to Merrifield Plaza, the H Mart and Lidl-anchored shopping center at Route 29 and Gallows Road.

The newcomers will include a franchise of Shi Miao Dao, a Chinese noodle shop that can also be found in Rockville, Maryland, among other locations. The Merrifield restaurant is part of the same brand, but the operator isn’t affiliated with the one in Rockville, says a broker for TSCG, which manages and leases Merrifield Plaza.

Specializing in cuisine from the southwestern province of Yunnan, Shi Miao Dao originated in China, where it has more than 750 restaurants, before expanding in recent years to North America, according to Eater San Diego, where a franchise opened last year.

Translating roughly to “ready in 10 seconds,” the name refers to the time it takes to dump the ingredients of the restaurant’s signature, DIY noodle soup into the accompanying pork broth, the Washington Post said in a review of the Rockville location that calls the dish “exquisite.”

Shi Miao Dao will occupy 1,200 square feet at 2833 Gallows Road, per TSCG.

Also coming to Merrifield Plaza is La Mexicana, an expansion of the bakery and taqueria that has operated at 2907 Arlington Drive in Hybla Valley since 2002.

According to its website, the eatery was started by a couple who wanted to “share our Mexican heritage and love for baking” and specializes in traditional Mexican dishes, like tacos and tamales. Washingtonian designated it as one of the D.C. area’s best cheap eats in 2017 and 2018.

“From mouthwatering tacos to traditional enchiladas, La Mexicana promises to be a haven for lovers of Mexican cuisine,” TSCG said.

La Mexicana’s second location will be at a 2,000-square-foot space at 2855 Gallows Road next to Lidl. Owner Carlos Benitez estimates that it’ll be four to five months before the restaurant opens, since they’re waiting for Fairfax County to approve the necessary permits to start construction.

Finally, Merrifield Plaza will add Sou the Spa, a South Korean beauty and skin care clinic that can currently be found in Annandale. The spa has leased 1,200 square feet at 2851 Gallows Road.

TSCG says Shi Miao Dao is expected to open sometime in March, but there’s no estimated opening date for Sou the Spa yet.

“We are thrilled to welcome La Mexicana, Sou the Spa, and Shi Mao Noodles to Merrifield Plaza Shopping Center,” TSCG Executive Vice President Billy Orlove said. “These establishments add a unique and diverse dimension to our current offerings, providing something for everyone in the community. We know that Merrifield Shopping Center will continue to be a great source of retail stores.”

Taim Mediterranean Kitchen has officially opened its doors at Plaza America.

The restaurant opened at 11692 Plaza America Drive in Reston on Dec. 6. To celebrate, Taim offered a feast on the house that was attended by over 800 people, according to a company representative.

“We’ve received many requests to bring authentic Mediterranean food to the area and are excited to bring taim to the Reston community so they can experience the many great flavors and dishes from the Mediterranean,” said Phil Petrilli, the D.C.-based founder of Untamed Brands, which owns Taim.

The opening in Reston was first reported by The Burn.

Known for its falafels, Taim kicked off in New York City’s West Village in 2005 and has since expanded to several locations in New Jersey, Maryland and D.C., including Pimmit Hills and Fairfax.

The chain is in line to take over Vienna’s former Cold Stone Creamery, but the company representative said they had no updates on when that location is expected to open.

Customers can build a bowl, pita and salad. Sides include hummus and seasoned pita, baklava and tzatziki.

Pupatella is now popping out pizzas at its newest location in Fairfax County.

The regional chain officially opened at 13619 Route 50 in Chantilly yesterday (Tuesday). Located in Chantilly Plaza, the roughly 3,000-square-foot restaurant is Pupatella’s ninth overall and fourth in Fairfax County.

“The team is thrilled about expanding into this new market in Virginia, and looks forward to continuing investing in the communities that have supported them for years,” a public relations representative said.

Started as a food truck in 2007, Pupatella opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Ballston in 2010. Since raising $7.5 million to fund an expansion in 2021, the business has launched locations in Reston, the Mosaic District in Merrifield and Springfield, among other sites.

Last May, Pupatella managing partner Michael Berger told FFXnow that the company’s research indicated that it had many fans living in Chantilly, suggesting it would be a good area to add to its roster.

“Chantilly is a wonderful and growing community with many residents who were already loyal guests at our other pizzerias, so it made a ton of sense to bring Pupatella to the neighborhood, Berger said in a new statement. “It’s also a very nice partner location to our nearby Leesburg and Reston pizzerias, so operationally we feel very equipped to ensure that our Chantilly location will serve the top quality pizza that our guests have come to know and love at Pupatella.”

Occupying a standalone building in Chantilly Plaza’s parking lot, Pupatella can seat 86 people inside and 24 people on an outdoor patio. The menu features the chain’s usual Neapolitan pizzas, along with paninis, salads and small plates, Napoli street snacks and Italian desserts.

The restaurant operates from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, though it closes on all major holidays.

Anchored by Gold’s Gym, Chantilly Plaza is also home to a Dollar Tree, the restaurant Sagar Asian Fusion and a Sunoco gas station. A leasing site plan shows two vacant suites in the corner of the strip mall once filled by the pizza shop King’s Bite.