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.
Maizal, a chain that specializes in Latin American street food, is finally up and running in Reston.
The restaurant opened its doors in Plaza America this past Thursday (Nov. 2) — a full year later than the previously anticipated Halloween 2022 opening.
Patrick Mika, Maizal’s marketing and catering director, said he can’t comment on the delay, but the restaurant team is “just happy to be open.”
“We are so excited to finally be able to share our concept with Reston,” Mika told FFXnow. “…We have already had several people walk in from seeing our ‘now open’ banner and they were all blown away by the flavors!”
Located at 11690 Plaza America Drive, Maizal took the place of Zoës Kitchen, the fast-casual Mediterranean eatery that got swallowed up and rebranded by Cava.
A grand opening is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-8:30 p.m. Customers will be offered a free burrito bowl with any drink purchase, though the “premium meats” — grilled steak and braised brisket — will still cost an extra $2.50.
Mika says Maizal has specialty items that “set us a part from other Latin concepts,” including a variety of arepas, empandas and street tacos. The menu also includes quesadillas, nachos, chips and dips, burritos, and rice and salad bowls. The burritos, bowls and arepas can be ordered as pre-set or build-your-own dishes.
This is Maizal’s first Fairfax County location, but it’s part of the same restaurant group as Mezeh Mediterranean Grill, which can be found at Reston Town Center West, among other sites. Mika previously told FFXnow that the company’s familiarity with Reston through Mezeh led them to bring Maizal to the area.
Maizal now has five locations total, including two D.C. restaurants, one in Ballston and one in Charlottesville. Additional locations are expected to open at L’Enfant Plaza in D.C. and Pentagon City Mall in Arlington by the end of this year, Mika said.
Brown Bag, a restaurant that sells salads, sandwiches and bowls, has officially closed its doors at Plaza America in Reston.
The business closed earlier this month. The company did not return a request for comment to clarify the exact date of closure by press time.
Brown Bag originally opened its Reston store in 2016. The restaurant still has physical locations in D.C. and Bethesda, Maryland, and it delivers catering to offices in Northern Virginia, including in Fairfax, Tysons and Reston, according to its website.
Taïm Mediterranean Kitchen, a fast-casual Meditteranean restaurant, will take over the vacated 2,000-square-foot location at 11692 Plaza America Drive.
A company spokesperson told FFXnow that the restaurant will now open in late fall — a slightly more precise estimate than previously reported.
Taim kicked off in 2005 in New York City and has since expanded to 13 locations, including planned restaurants in Vienna. A location in Pimmitt Hills opened last week.
At Taim, customers build a meal with a pita or bowl base, a choice of items like falafel, meatballs, shawarma, and kabobs.
Hat tip to Adam Rubinstein. Image via Google Maps
A new Mediterranean restaurant is coming later this year to Plaza America in Reston.
Fast-casual restaurant Taïm Mediterranean Kitchen will open a nearly 2,000-square-foot location at 11692 Plaza America Drive this fall, according to company representative Becky Olson. Tentatively, an October opening date is anticipated.
Olson said the restaurant will offer fast-casual options for shoppers and nearby offices.
“Guests love having fresh and vibrant options, like our Mediterranean cuisine, that they feel good about eating multiple times per week,” she said. “Taïm customizable salads, bowls and pitas are crave-able for lunch and dinner, and we offer family meal options to enjoy in the restaurant or take home.”
The business got its start in 2005 in New York City. Since then, it has 13 locations the New York and D.C. areas — including planned locations in Vienna and Pimmit Hills.
Customers can build a meal with options like a pita or bowl base and a choice of falafel, meatballs, cauliflower shawarma, eggplant, shawarma and kabobs.
Whole Foods Market may be contemplating a move from its current location in Reston’s Plaza America.
The national grocer appears to be moving into the former Best Buy space (1861 Fountain Drive) next to The Container Store in the Spectrum at Reston Town Center, a nearly 46,000-square-foot space, according to a county permit that is currently processing.
The permit shows that building owner utility upgrades for Whole Foods will include upgraded electrical service and water and sanitary lines.
A store employee confirmed that the existing Whole Foods at Plaza America will relocate, but the closure isn’t expected to happen for another year or so.
Lerner Retail, the landlord for The Spectrum, did not immediately return a request for comment from FFXnow.
Back in November, a Whole Foods Market spokesperson told FFXnow that a Reston store was “in development” but declined to provide any further information at the time. The company did not immediately respond to a new request for comment.
Photo via Google Maps
Gym-goers will soon expect a change of scene at Gold’s Gym in Reston.
The Plaza America location is expected to close sometime this summer and relocate to 11830 Sunrise Valley Drive, according to the company.
While the company’s media department did not return multiple requests for comment, a store employee told FFXnow that an exact date for the closure of the Plaza America location has not yet been determined.
The Sunrise Valley Drive location is expected to open in the summer, according to the company’s website.
Gold’s Gym has a new resolution for the upcoming year in Reston.
The gym, which is currently at 11674 Plaza America, will relocate early next year, a gym employee told FFXnow.
It’s expected to move to space at 11830 Sunrise Valley Drive.
The company did not immediately return a request for comment on why the business is relocating.
The 165,000-square-foot plaza includes tenants like Whole Foods Market, Michael’s, and Total Wine.
The South American street food restaurant Maizal was expected to open at Plaza America on Halloween, but it’s still listed as “coming soon” on both its website and the mall directory.
The property’s retail broker lists three available, vacant spaces. The Gold’s Gym space, located between Five Guys and CVS, isn’t among them.
Hat tip to Adam Rubenstein; photo via Gold’s Gym/Facebook
A South American restaurant that specializes in street food is set to open later this year in Reston’s Plaza America.
Maizal plans to open on Halloween, according to the company’s marketing director Patrick Mika.
The 2,500-square-foot restaurant is located at 11690 Plaza America Drive. Options on the menu include burritos, street arepas, burritos, tacos, empanadas, nachos and custom bowls. It takes the place of Zoës Kitchen, a Mediterranean restaurant.
Maizal has other locations in Charlottesville, D.C., and Arlington.
“We have another restaurant in the Reston Town Center West and are very familiar with the area,” Mika told FFXnow, referring to Mezeh Mediterranean Grill. “We are excited to bring this fresh new concept to the community.”
Photo via Maizal/Facebook
The new Crumbl Cookies in Reston’s Plaza America will have some competition in the same shopping center.
MidnighTreats, a local business owned by Vienna resident Johnny Nguyen, celebrated its soft opening on Friday (May 27). A grand opening is anticipated in a few weeks.
The business is located in the the ground floor of a corporate building that is outfitted for a cafe or deli spot. The cookies are dairy-free, cruelty-free and vegan.
Nguyen said he has been looking for a good spot between Reston, Vienna, Falls Church and Tysons for some time.
“I have bootstrapped this business since the beginning, and since this location was previously a food business, I will be able to save a lot of money on construction,” Nguyen said.
He says he’s not too worried about the competition and is glad customers have lots of options to choose from.
“I’m very confidence [sic] in our cookies and we already have an awesome loyal following that will hopefully continue to grow,” Nguyen said by email. “My focus is just on our business, how we can keep improving our cookies, and how we can best serve our customers.”
Cookie options include cookies ‘n’ cream, strawberry fields, the pinna-roll, birthday bash, and the classic.
The shop is open from noon to 8 p.m. through June 4, after which a grand opening date and regular hours will be confirmed. Pickup and local deliveries are also available for customers.
MidnighTreats has its roots in Chantilly and is eyeing rapid expansion. The business also signed a lease in Springfield’s Backlick Shopping Center last year, but a construction date has not been set yet. It also plans to operate out of a ghost kitchen in D.C.
