For decades, the brick motor lodge at 300 West Broad Street seemed frozen in time, but now a metamorphosis is in the works. Brothers Arash and Afsheen Tafakor, owners of Dominion Wine & Beer and Brick House Butcher, are expanding their footprint in The Little City, transforming the vintage motel into a restaurant and beer garden. Their hope is that this adaptive reuse project will revitalize a prime piece of real estate that’s been sitting vacant for years.
Slated to open this fall, Stratford Garden will feature a 200-seat indoor dining room, as well as an expansive wrap-around pavilion with outdoor seating for 100. The modern interiors, designed by Francois Frossard Design of Miami, will preserve some of the structure’s original elements, such as the 1960s exposed brick, steel ceiling beams and stained wood.
The building’s most recent occupant, Venezuelan arepa eatery La Caraqueña, closed in early 2017.
“A project’s storytelling ability—its potential to merge the old with new—is always exciting,” says Matt Lee, principal of Lee Design Studio in Falls Church, the architect of record. “I think the charm of those former establishments will shine through when we give the motor lodge new life.”
Positioned as a neighborhood gathering place, the restaurant will turn out classic bar fare ($13-$17) and main courses ($20-$30), from cheesesteaks and burgers to rockfish and branzino, using locally-sourced meats and seafood from Brick House Butcher just up the street. The concept also includes a carry-out café serving coffee, breakfast and dinner.
The beer menu will highlight craft suds from some 20 local breweries, including crisp pilsners, hazy and West Coast IPAs and sours. (Arash Tafakor says partnerships with DMV brewers are currently in the works.) Also on the beverage list: premium wines and a cocktail program centering on timeless classics, including a rye old fashioned and a gin gimlet.
Canine friends will be welcome on dog-friendly outdoor patio areas with atmospheric lighting and greenery—and possibly fire pits. Tafakor envisions the setting as a relaxing, tree-lined urban getaway.
“We want this outdoor area to be an oasis away from the city,” he says. “We want guests to feel like they’re at a brewery or winery in the middle of Virginia where they can breathe and relax. The goal is to make this a destination spot that’s an experience.”