Amazon’s new Arlington headquarters already has a growing roster of eateries under its belt—Peruvian Brothers, Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe, and Toby’s Handmade Ice Cream, among others. On Friday, October 6, Water Park—the development’s most elaborate new food concept—has its grand opening. And a few more local restaurateurs will debut dining spots by early next year. Here’s a rundown of what’s to come.
Water Park
1601 Crystal Dr.
This landscaped outdoor area will be filled with trees, fountains, and nearly a dozen food and drink kiosks. (No water slides or wave pools, despite the name.) There’s a wide range of options: Brij, a wine bar and cafe; Bubbie’s Plant Burger, a vegan, kosher burger-and-fries spot; Cracked Eggery, a new branch of the DC egg sandwich purveyor; DC Dosa, a South Indian street food shop; Dolci Gelati, an Italian gelato place with more than 450 flavors; Falafel Inc., a hummus and falafel bowl bar; PhoWeels, a spinoff of a food truck; Tiki Thai. a Thai restaurant and tiki bar; and Queen Mother’s, James Beard nominee Rahman “Rock” Harper’s fried chicken destination,. There are also two full-sized dining spots run by an Atlanta-based restaurant group: a New York-style pizzeria called Crush Pizza, and Water Bar, a raw seafood bar with cocktails and a cascading fountain.
Mae’s Market
1400 S. Eads St.
Nicole Jones, who owns the Old Town market/cafe/sandwich shop Mae’s and its adjoining wine bar, Virginia’s Darling, will open a second Mae’s in the Metropolitan Park development early next year. Though the Amazon outpost will have grab-and-go service, it will feature the same from-scratch deli sandwiches and picnic-friendly items as the original.
Taqueria Xochi
1400 S. Eads St.
The hot-pink U Street taqueria from José Andrés restaurant alums Teresa Padilla and Geraldine Mendoza is getting a sibling at Met Park in February. Xochi’s signature item is the Pueblan-style cemita sandwich, a seeded roll layered with a thin milanesa cutlet, beans, stringy Oaxaca cheese, avocado, and smoky chipotle.
Surreal
2117 Crystal Dr.
Chef Enrique Limardo—behind the pan-Latin Seven Reasons and other high-powered DC restaurants—is set to open this glassy indoor-outdoor fusion restaurant in October. Set in a park-like green space, Surreal will open early for breakfast dishes like queso fundido shakshuka and grab-and-go pastries, and stay open late with Venezuelan-inspired cocktails and fusion dishes like swordfish carpaccio with “flaming hot totopos.”
A version of this article appears in the September 2023 issue of Washingtonian.
Ike Allen covers politics, food, culture, and transportation in DC and writes the monthly Hidden Eats column for the magazine. He grew up in DC.
