(Updated at 9:15 a.m. on 5/25/2022) Land ho! After over two years of anticipated arrivals dashed against the rocky shores of the COVID-19 pandemic and various construction-related challenges, Shipgarten will dock at last in Scotts Run near the McLean Metro station on Thursday (May 26).
The team behind Alexandria’s Hops N Shine will introduce their new concept to the Tysons development with a soft opening for Tysons Biergarten, which will serve beer and German food out of a converted shipping container from 3-9 p.m. through Sunday (May 29).
Shuttle buses will be available to pick up visitors from the McLean Metro station and 1700 Old Meadow Road, and transport them to Shipgarten. (Update: The shuttle bus route has been corrected after this article previously stated it would travel from the McLean Metro to 1700 Old Meadow Road.)
Shipgarten thanked supporters for their patience when announcing the event on social media yesterday (Monday).
“We are just as exciting to build a community around Shipgarten as you are!” the business wrote. “We want to be your destination for a casual get together, happy hour, drink specials, corporate and private events, special occasions, sporting events, awkward first dates, proposals, and ultimately a good old fashioned good time.”
Shipgarten has been in the works since 2019, when the original Tysons Biergarten ended its run as a pop-up near the Greensboro Metro station.
The concept was supposed to open in the spring of 2020, but the rollout was prolonged by “a mix of everything,” from the pandemic to issues with getting contractors to the site, Creative Bar Concepts LLC Managing Partner Matt Rofougaran told FFXnow.
Now that Tysons Biergarten is ready, though, the community can expect 7581 Colshire Drive to get lively fast. Over the next few weeks, it will be joined by three other eateries, all inside reconfigured shipping containers:
- RollBär — Asian fusion cuisine and Japanese whiskey, coming in early June
- Salamati — fast-casual Persian food, described by Rofougaran as “Moby Dick meets Chipotle”
- Waffles & Tacos — custom Belgian waffles and street tacos
The venue will also host a kid’s playground and a music pavilion with live entertainment, trivia, comedy, arts and crafts, karaoke, and other activities.
Rofougaran says the team decided to start with Tysons Biergarten, since it has an established fanbase, and many workers from the previous pop-up have returned.
However, he’s excited to debut new concepts like Waffles & Tacos, which replaces the planned Chalkboard BBQ.
“As time went on, we kept on thinking [about] what people like,” Rofougaran said. “We want to come up with something creative and fun, so these are the ideas we came up with. We think this is what’s really going to be successful.”
More food, drinks, and events will be added over the coming weeks, with the hours of operation eventually extending from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.
Like the Greensboro Metro site, Shipgarten is a pop-up, so it won’t stick around forever. Located on currently undeveloped land opposite the Mitre 4 building, the site is part of Scotts Run’s “Taylor” block, which is planned for over 1 million square feet of primarily residential and office development.
Construction is currently underway on Skanska’s Heming apartment building, set to be completed next year. Master plan developer Cityline Partners also recently got Fairfax County’s approval to turn vacant land on Anderson Road into a temporary park.
Rofougaran says there isn’t an exact timeline yet for when Shipgarten will have to vacate the site, but it will hopefully stay for the next couple of years.
“The beauty is it’s been made out of shipping containers and tents,” Rofougaran said. “We can take everything and move it down the street.”
Photo courtesy Shipgarten/Instagram
