(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Open Road Distilling Co. is officially opening its doors in Reston Town Center today (Monday).
The distillery takes over space vacated in 2020 by Balducci’s grocery store (1871 Fountain Drive). The business — which will also serve up live music and tours of its tasting room — is set to open at 3 p.m., according to its website.
Heirloom — a speakeasy-style restaurant — is also housed under the same business, although it’s technically a separate establishment. Open for dinner and happy hour starting at 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, the menu features pasta, steak, seafood and salads.
Open Road Distilling Co. sells a variety of handcrafted cocktails and entrees like fajitas, sandwiches and greens.
The business has two grill restaurants in Merrifield and Rosslyn, but the Reston location is its first distillery.
Matthew Carlin, president of Metropolitan Hospitality Group, which owns the brand, says the company initially considered industrial or more rural sites for its planned distillery, but having a location in Reston Town Center “was a dream that we were not sure was ever going to be possible.”
“When we were made aware of the space at Reston Town Center, we could not pass up the opportunity to serve the extraordinary demographics of the community,” Carlin said in a statement. “We also pay homage to the history of Reston, which used to be home to Virginia’s oldest distillery, A. Smith Bowman. We are honored to usher in a new generation of Virginia native spirits, and there is no better place to do it than at Reston Town Center.”
A Reston-based pub was voted as the best place to get a drink in the D.C. area.
A WTOP poll by readers and listeners ranked Makers Union, which is located at 1811 Library Street in Reston Town Center, as the best restaurant to get a drink. The pub beat out hundreds of other bars in the area.
Clyde’s — a chain that has locations throughout the region and is bringing a new one to Reston Station — and Bethesda, Maryland-based Caddies On Cordell came in third and second respectively.
Also named a runner-up for best brunch, Makers Union describes itself as a pub for the people. It has two new locations in the works at The Wharf in D.C. and at Metropolitan Park in Arlington, which are slated to open this summer.
According to its website, the pub uses local ingredients “whenever possible” and showcases destination drinks from local makers.
The poll also ranked restaurants and establishments across several other categories, including best bakery, brunch, burger, coffee shop, international cuisine, seafood and comfort food.
Other chains also ranked high on the lists. For example, Big Buns Damn Good Burger — which has locations in Reston, Herndon, Vienna and Fairfax — was voted as the best burger spot, and Ledo Pizza was named the best pizza spot.
Outside of Reston, Fairfax City’s High Side — an Asian street food restaurant and bar located at 4009 Chain Bridge Road — topped the list for best international cuisine. L’Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls and Our Mom Eugenia, which has restaurants in Great Falls and Merrifield, also made the top 10 for that list.
Photo via kazuend on Unsplash
More Capital Bikeshare options are coming soon to Reston Town Center.
A 12-dock station will be installed at Reston Town Square Park tomorrow (Aug. 8), marking the ninth Capital Bikeshare station around Reston Town Center.
Reston Town Center Association Executive Director Robert Goudie said the installation of the stations fulfills the policy objective of minimizing vehicular traffic.
“Increasing Bikeshare availability complements our longstanding commitment to supporting a strong pedestrian environment, the recent addition of private and secure bike-parking facilities, and the launch of our linkRTC shuttle service, recently recognized by the Washington Area Council of Governments as a region-leading best practice on how to integrate Metro into a vibrant transit station area like RTC,” Goudie said.
The location was on Capital Bikeshare’s list as a potential location for some time, according to Zach DesJardins, Capital Bikeshare program manager for the Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT).
“Town Square Park is the heart of the densest area in Reston and our data shows that Bikeshare use is highest in those types of mixed-use neighborhoods,” DesJardins said. “Finding a way to make a Bikeshare station work at that location, especially with the arrival of Metro, has been a priority, and we greatly appreciate RTCA’s assistance and cooperation in this effort.”
In a statement, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn described the location as “terrific.”
Enhancing multi-modal transportation opportunities is a significant focus of the work we have been doing on the new comprehensive plan for Reston, especially in our transit station areas. Locating this station in the heart of a dense, mixed-use (residential-office-retail) environment, and with easy access to rail, where there is also another Bikeshare station, is a terrific addition, and I’m grateful to the Reston Town Center Association for helping to make this happen.
Capital Bikeshare has more than 50 locations in Merrifield, Reston and Tysons. Dozens of additional stations are planned in the area. Across the D.C. area, the service has more than 700 stations across seven jurisdictions.
A single trip is five cents for a classic bicycle ride and 15 cents for an e-bike. A 24-hour pass is $8 a day. Annual memberships cost around $8 per month for unlimited 45-minute rides on a classic bike.
Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar opens in Reston Town Center on Monday (July 24), the company has confirmed.
The Peruvian restaurant takes over space at 1871 Explorer Street that was vacated by Vapiano in 2019. It has two locations in Florida and one in D.C.
According to its website, the restaurant will be open from 11 a.m to 10 p.m on Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight on Friday, and 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, according to its website.
While the location has not yet released its menu, the D.C. location serves ceviche, tostones, and papas a la Huancaina.
Official representatives for the company and Boston Properties, which owns Reston Town Center, did not immediately return a request for comment from FFXnow.
Another ice cream shop is coming to Reston Town Center.
Ice Cream Jubilee is slated to open its Reston in early 2024, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Laura O’Shaughnessy tells FFXnow.
“Our customers have been asking us for years to expand and offer locally made delectable treats in more locations. We found this great location and are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve more customers our locally made ice cream and to be part of the Reston…community,” O’Shaughnessy said.
It will be located at the intersection of Market and Explorer streets, the same block as the new Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Food blog The Burn first reported the news.
The company, which has two locations in D.C. and one in Arlington, started in 2014. It’s known for atypical ice cream flavors like baklava, toasted s’mores and banana bourbon caramel.
The ice cream and gelato shops in Reston Town Center are Ben & Jerry’s, Pitango Gelato, and sweetgreen.
Photo via Ice Cream Jubilee/Facebook
Pickleball fever has officially taken hold at The St. James, a sports, entertainment and wellness club in Reston Town Center.
The Reston location will now offer two separate outdoor, turf rooftop areas with four pickleball courts, in addition to strength-building and cardio equipment. There will be more than 70 weekly group classes.
The company, which also has locations in Springfield and Bethesda, says the addition of its pickleball club demonstrates the company’s commitment to the community’s needs.
“Our mission at The St. James has always been to exceed the expectations of our members and provide them with world-class training opportunities for growth within sport and in life,” said David Hoye, general manager of The St. James Performance Club in Reston.
The club opened at 11951 Freedom Drive last year. The main facility in Springfield has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, field house, rock climbing wall and other recreational amenities. It also offers 50 group classes per week, sports leagues and numerous camps.
Court use is complementary for members, but non-member rates are $10 for drop-ins and $25 per court reservations.
Locals are hunting for Waldo throughout Reston and Herndon this month.
Scrawl Books, a local bookstore in Reston Town Center, has launched a scavenger hunt that challenges individuals to find Waldo all month long at various locations around Reston and Herndon.
The scavenger hunt is a community event organized by Candlewick Press, the publishing house behind the “Where’s Waldo?” book series. Scrawl Books is one of 40 bookstores chosen to take part in the event nationwide.
“The event did happen online in 2020, but was on hiatus last year, and we’re absolutely thrilled that Waldo is back and hiding around Reston and Herndon this July,” said Leah Grover, a spokesperson for Scrawl.
Residents can get their passport stamped at 10 businesses where Waldo is reportedly hiding. Passports are available for pick up at Scrawl Books, the list of businesses, and online.
- Scrawl Books
- Art Insights Gallery
- Reston Museum
- Good Wolf Gear
- Elden Street Tea Shop
- Weird Brothers Coffee
- Lake Anne Coffeehouse & Wine Bar
- Mayflowers Floral Studio
- Reston’s Used Bookshop
- Chesapeake Chocolates
- Cinnamon Tree Dance Shop
- A Thousand Stories Herndon Books
- Pollo Peru
- Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls
- Reston Art Gallery
The scavenger hunt will conclude with a celebratory event at Scrawl Books (11911 Freedom Drive) on July 31 at 7 p.m. The event will include games, activities and a grand prize drawing.
(Updated at 11:05 a.m. on 7/13/2023) A new dual-branded hotel in Reston Town Center is expected to open in late 2024.
The first combined Marriott AC and Residence Inn in the D.C. region, the hotel includes 267 guest rooms that will be managed by Donohue Hospitality.
(Correction: This article previously said this was the first-ever dual Marriott AC/Residence Inn. The first one in the world is in Charlotte City, North Carolina, and built in 2018, according to the hotel’s director of sales.)
The building will also includes a fitness center, indoor pool, ballroom, meeting areas, a restaurant, and a rooftop lounge and bar. There is nearly 34,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space in the building.
After breaking ground in January, the project is now as tall as it will get, as the company announced Tuesday (June 27) that placement of the building’s final structural element is complete. Donohue Construction and its subcontractors celebrated the milestone at a topping-out ceremony this week.
“We celebrate this significant milestone thanks to all the builders and stakeholders involved,” said Ralph Choueiri, development director for Donohoe Development. “We are grateful to our strong, dedicated team, project partners, the Reston community, and Fairfax County for their support through this journey.”
A spokesperson for the company told FFXnow that the project is valued at $110 million.
Construction on a new JW Marriott is underway at Reston Station.
The work of a Haitian American artist who explores historical and contemporary imagination will expand horizons at Reston Town Center, starting this week.
“Flare,” an exhibit by Charles Phillipe Jean-Pierre will be on display at Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art‘s satellite gallery in the Signature apartments (11850 Freedom Drive) from Thursday (June 29) through Oct. 15.
An exploration of how memory, color and light shape imagination, his mixed-media paintings aim to shed light on the lack of synergy between social perceptions and reality.
The Signature gallery, which is dedicated to regional artists, is a perfect location for the exhibition, Tephra ICA Associate Curator Hannah Barco says.
“I see it as a wonderful opportunity to look across an artist’s practice and find connections between the different ways an artist is making work,” Barco said. “Jean-Pierre’s upcoming exhibition is another great example of this, and I am so excited to see how the conversation unfolds around his abstract painting, his mono-print collage portraits, and his new series of photographs of found objects that he has painted black.”
According to Tephra, Jean-Pierre is a Haitian American artist who was raised in Chicago. His other work has explored the intersection of community, spirituality and socio-political systems. He is also an adjunct professor at American University and a U.S. State Department Art in Embassies Artist.
The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the lobby of the Signature apartments. An opening reception and talk with the artist will be held there this Thursday at 6 p.m.
Here’s more from Tephra on Jean-Pierre’s background:
His works are featured the U.S. Embassy in Benin, Malawi, and Niger. He also serves as a guest curator for exhibitions at The Embassy of Haiti. He has been featured in three Smithsonian exhibitions and was a Barack Obama invitee to the White House to speak on the role of the arts in youth justice. In 2021, he was an invited featured artist for the 2021 Atlantic Festival.
His collaborations include: Alvin Ailey, Boys & Girls Club, DC Commission on the Arts, International Monetary Fund, Inter-American Development Bank, Minnesota State Arts Board, Something In Water Music Festival, and West Elm, among many others. His works have been featured in The Atlantic, Black Enterprise, BET, Ebony Magazine, NBC, Netflix, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Jean-Pierre’s public art has been featured in South Africa, New York, Chicago, DC, Istanbul, Panama, Port-au-Prince, London, and Paris. Jean-Pierre holds a Master of Arts from Howard University, and his atelier & Galerie D’Art is located in Washington, DC.
Barnes & Noble has officially opened a new chapter in Reston.
The national bookstore opened its newest location today (Thursday) at The Spectrum at Reston Town Center — space formerly occupied by Office Depot. The store opened at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting by author Tania James, who also signed copies of her latest book “Loot.”
The opening marks a comeback for the bookstore, which had a store in the same shopping center nearly a decade ago.
Elisabeth Swift, the store manager of the Reston location, said opening the Reston location was an “obvious choice.” While working at other Barnes and Noble locations in the D.C. area, Swift said she frequently heard from customers lamenting the closure of the Reston store in 2013.
“Reston has been a community that has been passion about books and reading books forever,” Swift said.
When asked to comment on what the bookstore adds to the local mix — local bookstore Scrawl Books has a location in Reston Town Center — Swift said that the company is used to being in communities with other bookstores.
“The more bookstores the better, in my opinion,” she told FFXnow.
The nearly 28,000-square-foot store features a B&N Cafe, along with books, toys and gifts.
In a statement, the company noted that Reston’s location is the first to open in Fairfax County since 2019. The store was originally expected to open yesterday (Wednesday).
The Reston location will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m on all other days.
Grand opening day featured other events like storytime with Pete the Cat at 11 a.m. and book signings with author Liz Lawson. The store will host additional story times, author signings, and other special events over the next month.
One customer who recalled frequenting the old Reston Barnes & Noble said the new store is bigger, both in physical size and the amount of materials being sold. A self-described bibliophile, he was particularly interested in the history and current events sections.
“I’m quite pleased. I’ll hang out here sometimes,” he said while sitting at the cafe.
Reston resident Nicole Harker stopped by the grand opening with her two kids, who were drawn to the Legos in the children’s area.
“It’s a nice thing to have in Reston,” she said. “It’s a place I might take the kids to during the day. During the hot summer or if it’s too cold out for winter, we could come hang out here.”
Angela Woolsey contributed to this report.
