Hungry for something new? Here are a few Northern Virginia restaurants slated to open later this year in that we can’t wait to try.
Buffalo & Bergen
As we noted last year, chef Gina Chersevani is (still) working on opening her fourth location of this soda counter-meets-deli-meets-cocktail-bar. Inspired by a Brooklyn soda shop at the intersection of Buffalo Avenue and Bergen Street that conjured happy childhood memories for the chef’s mother, the D.C.-based chainlet pays tribute with a menu centering on New York water bagels, brisket Reubens, knishes and other comfort foods, plus an ingenious roster of classic and creative cocktails. 1028 N. Garfield St., Arlington (Clarendon)
The Cheese Cartel
Turophiles, rejoice! A specialty cheese and wine shop is readying to join the notable names at Falls Church’s Founders Row (including Ellie Bird, NUE and Seoul Prime). The menu is still TBD, according to the website, but expect cheese, cured meats, olives, preserves, fresh baguettes and chocolates. Gluten-free? No worries. The owner has celiac disease and will offer gluten-free options. 922 W. Broad St., Falls Church
Cup of Bliss
For the first time since Starbucks left Arlington’s Lee Harrison Shopping Center in 2019, coffee will flow here again. This particular purveyor of caffeine will take cues from Vietnamese culture when it starts filling mugs. 2439 N. Harrison St., Arlington (Yorktown)
Electric Bull
Taco Bamba founder Victor Albisu is cooking up a new concept that will open in Vienna, and his menu items are already making waves. On Feb. 21, he won the chefs’ choice award for his charred honey lamb ribs with chimi-chermoula and smoked oyster barbecue sauce at Masters of Fire, a national grill competition at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami. Those ribs will be on the menu at Electric Bull, a South American-style steakhouse and butcher shop to be led by chef Justin Severino, co-founder of Morcilla in Pittsburgh, and Adam Hoffa, a Best of Arlington 2025 winner who was most recently the executive chef at Arlington’s Pirouette Cafe and Wine Bar, which closed in October 2025. 176 Maple Ave. W., Vienna
Scapegoat Beer Garden
We teased it last year, but this Asian-street-fair-meets-beer-garden spot is still aiming to open in Crystal City. Owner Kendrick Wu is building the outdoor concept in the former Athena Pallas space behind Crystal City’s 23rd Street “Restaurant Row.” The menu will feature pan-Asian comfort foods and classic bar fare, such as crackling pork belly rice bowls, wok-fried garlic noodles and bo la lot, a traditional Vietnamese grilled beef skewer wrapped in betel leaves. 556 22nd St. S., Arlington (Crystal City)
Surfside
Dreaming of fun in the sun after a brutal winter. That’s the vibe this beach-themed eatery hopes to bring to McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center. The D.C.-based fast-casual chainlet is planning its first Virginia location. If the menus for the District spots are any indication, expect nachos, queso, tacos, fajitas and salads, plus happy hour deals on frozen passion fruit margs. 6220 Old Dominion Drive, McLean
Name TBD
A yet-to-be-named café is in the works from Fabio Trabocchi, the James Beard Award winning chef behind Sfoglina in Rosslyn and D.C.’s Fiola, which earned a Michelin star. When it opens in the former spot AHRA Café space in Rosslyn, it will feature counter ordering. 1100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Rosslyn)