Are you bummed that D.C. Restaurant Week is over? Turn that frown and fork upside-down.
Fairfax City Restaurant Week returns to Northern Virginia now through Sunday, Sept. 10.
“Restaurant Week in Fairfax City is a great way to showcase the many cuisines represented by talented restaurateurs both locally grown and from around the world,” Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read said. “It’s an invitation to sample and dine in the company of friends, inside or outside, in every corner of our city. It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year.”
This year marks the sixth overall event and just the second time it’s been held in the summer.
“It was just so popular that the restaurant community asked us to do it again in the summer,” director of Economic Development Christopher Bruno told WTOP. “When we started the program, we had 14 restaurants in the mix. … Now we have 33 restaurants participating this season and many of them are Fairfax City’s finest eating destinations, which has really helped us establish Fairfax City as a regional dining destination in the area.”
First-time participants this summer include Commonwealth Brewing Company, Mackenzie’s Tunes & Tonics, My Empanadas, Ned’s New England Deck and Old Dominion Pizza Company, which Bruno said he “highly recommends.”
Returning participants include Audacious Ale Works, Baku Delicious, Bellissimo, Bollywood Bistro, Cameron’s Coffee & Chocolates, Capital Ale House, Coyote Grille, Curry Mantra, Draper’s Steak & Seafood, Dolce Vita, El Pollo Rico, Hamrock’s, Jas & Fam Caribbean Flavor, Kim’s Pho Kitchen & Bar, Marco’s Pizza, Marumen, Meokja Meokja, Merkado Mexican Grill & Bar, ONE Bar & Grill, Ornery Beer Company Public House, Patriots Pub and Grill, PJ Skidoos, Red Hot & Blue, Roots Natural Kitchen, The Auld Shebeen, The Wine House and Vivi Bubble Tea.
“Baku Delicious is one of the only Azerbaijani establishments in the region,” Bruno said. “One of my personal favorites is The Wine House, highly recommend the braised short rib. We also have Fairfax traditions: PJ Skidoos, Patriots Pub and Grill. … Some of the best chicken in our region is at El Pollo Rico, some of the best Italian food is at Dolce Vita, there’s great Indian food at Bollywood Bistro and you can’t miss the steak and seafood at Draper’s.”
Participating restaurants will offer prix fixe menu experiences serving several courses at set prices of $25 for brunch or lunch and $40 for dinner, while other specialty restaurants will offer a “Two for $10” deal.
“It provides an opportunity for people who are really invested in food, they’re foodies themselves, they’re maybe interested in the Instagrammable moments, but it’s also just a good opportunity for residents of the city to go out and have a good meal,” Bruno said. “I would really invite anyone to come into Fairfax City and connect with new restaurants that they’ve never even heard of and I can almost guarantee that they will be coming back for more.”
From the restaurants’ perspective, it means a nice late-summer boom for business.
“The reason our restaurants love this program is because they notice a significant uptick in visitors,” Bruno said. “First-time visitors are specifically great because it connects them with new diners, which is very important. As a city, generally speaking, we see upwards of a couple of million dollars of revenue generated. … That really highlights the importance of this type of program in supporting the restaurant and culinary community in our city.”
Listen to the full conversation here.
