About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Wagamama. 2950 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington.
Wagamama may be the longest awaited restaurant in the DC area. Initial plans date back to 2008 when the London-born Asian noodle chain announced a location in Penn Quarter. Coming soon signs remained up for years—so long that waiting for Wagamama became a running joke in the food scene. Then without explanation, the restaurant backed out completely. Flash forward more than a decade and Wagamama is actually here—this time in Clarendon. No, really, we mean it this time! It debuts today.
CEO Richard Flaherty doesn’t have any insight into Wagamama’s past plans, but he and co-CEO Robert Cornog had their eyes on the local market since acquiring a majority stake in the US operation in early 2020. Then came the pandemic, causing more delays.
“This community in Clarendon, I fell in love with it coming down and looking at real estate sites,” says Flaherty, whose company also operates Punch Bowl Social in Arlington. “Yes, it has been a long time coming.”
The Clarendon location will be the chain’s eight in the US, following Boston, New York, Dallas, and Tampa. The chain has more than 250 locations worldwide. For the most part, the outpost will have the same Japanese-inspired menu of ramen, teppanyaki, curries, and more as its American counterparts. The offerings have evolved beyond their UK roots with fusion-y dishes like chili hoisin duck bao buns, Korean barbecue beef sweet potato fries, and ahi tuna nachos. Flaherty says some of his favorites include crispy “bang bang” cauliflower with a sweet-spicy “firecracker” sauce, ginger chicken udon, and spicy pork Szechuan ramen. The menu also includes rice dishes, salads, and wraps.
All the US locations have full-service bars serving classic and Asian-inspired cocktails such as a Thai chili margarita or a rum concoction infused with smoky lapsang souchong tea and pear syrup. There’s also sake, Japanese beers, a handful of wines, fresh-squeezed juices, and “mindful” non-alcoholic drinks like an “Asian Arnold Palmer” with calamansi juice. Flaherty says the Arlington locations has an “open, energetic” 131-seat space with several communal tables, plus two separate outdoor patios.
A ticketed grand opening event set for tonight has already sold out (there’s a waitlist). This weekend, the restaurant will open for dinner only, but expect full hours—with lunch, takeout, and catering—beginning Monday, Aug. 5.
Flaherty says the group is planning further expansion in the DC area as well. He’s already scouting real estate and has his eye on two potential sites in the suburbs. “No signed leases yet,” he says.
In other words, you’ll just have to wait.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
