Neighborhood Guide: Where to Eat, Shop, and Play in National Landing

The arrival of Amazon’s Northern Virginia headquarters in 2018 spurred a flurry of development in Crystal City, Pentagon City, and the northern end of Potomac Yard. It also led to a rebranded name for the Arlington neighborhood: National Landing, in a nod to nearby Reagan National Airport. Today, the area around Amazon HQ2 is home to a multitude of new places to live, shop, and dine. Here are some of our favorite recent arrivals.

Eat and Drink

Bar Colline

Restaurateur brothers Eric and Ian Hilton, the duo behind the French bistros Chez Billy Sud and Café Colline, have added yet another Gallic outpost to their H2 Collective repertoire: Bar Colline, which opened in July. The menu includes classics like steak frites and duck confit, as well as a lineup of shareable plates that will rotate weekly. At the 50-foot wraparound bar, you can celebrate happy hour daily with $6 wines.

Bar Chinois

Bar Chinois arrived in National Landing in May, a new incarnation of the vibey Michelin-recommended Gallery Place restaurant led by chef Satang Ruangsangwatana. Dine on elevated hits such as crystal-prawn dumplings and crab rangoon served with an apricot duck sauce. The RAMMY Award–winning cocktail menu is rife with creative French-inspired drinks—including the Coco Marseille, made with tequila and basil-sesame coconut cream.

Tacombi

Tacombi started as a food truck in the Mexican beach town of Playa del Carmen, expanded to a New York City garage in 2010, and arrived at National Landing in late 2021. The subtle twists on traditional Yucatán cuisine—think beer-battered-cod tacos, open-faced beef rib-eye quesadillas, and burritos stuffed with roasted sweet potato—have won a local audience and led to a second location in Bethesda.

Water Park

In 2023, when developer JBG Smith re­imagined a site next to the Metro as Water Park, the goal was to create an outdoor food hall that would double as a community gathering spot. The park features two full-service restaurants and a smattering of grab-and-go kiosks—including outposts of local favorites Falafel Inc. and Call Your Mother. The pièce de résistance is the Water Bar, which serves local oysters and refined cocktails from its perch atop a massive fountain/water sculpture. Also on the one-acre-plus site: a performance stage and art installations. The park is a “sip and stroll” zone, meaning visitors are free to roam with any alcohol purchased onsite.

Surreal

Michelin-starred Venezuelan chef Enrique Limardo, renowned for his work at the popular DC restaurants Seven Reasons and Imperfecto, migrated south of the Potomac with the opening of Surreal in late 2023. The all-day diner offers unconventional twists on American comfort classics—for example, a foot-long beef sausage topped with Oaxaca cheese and cabbage relish, plus mac and cheese served atop breaded veal. Don’t miss the weekend brunch menu, which includes standard egg plates and waffles along with beef-Saigon-and-pineapple sandwiches plus corn-cheddar quiche.

Mae’s Market

The National Landing spinoff of Mae’s Market opened just before the cafe’s original Old Town location shuttered at the start of this year. The new location sports the same selection of fresh deli sandwiches and house-baked pastries—including seasonal-fruit Danish and cinnamon-sugar-coated kouign-amann. Located in Amazon HQ2, it’s an ideal spot for a quick working lunch.

Taqueria Xochi

What started as a pandemic-era ghost kitchen, spearheaded by furloughed staff at José Andrés’s China Chilcano, has turned into a full-service Mexican street-food restaurant that’s expanding across the region. Taqueria Xochi arrived in National Landing late last year, the third iteration of the restaurant to open since 2020. Order the signature torta-like cemita: a sesame-seed-sprinkled roll stuffed with your choice of beef, chicken, or veg. Pair it with a house margarita—preferably during happy hour—or a spirit-free piña chamoyada smoothie, finished with chamoy, diced pineapple, and a tamarind-candy straw.

Peruvian Brothers

A larger alternative to its first brick-and-mortar space in Union Market’s La Cosecha food hall, Peruvian Brothers opened at Amazon HQ2 in late 2023. Brothers Giuseppe and Mario Lanzone celebrate their heritage with baked empanadas, spiced rotisserie chicken, and picarones—squash-and-sweet-potato doughnuts drizzled with chancaca honey. Pisco-sour slushies headline the beverage menu, but there are plenty more options at the full bar.

Coffee Republic

In 2003, Sean and Kalea Flynn opened their first coffee shop in Huntersville, North Carolina. The venture, Coffee Republic, has since expanded to our area, with the newest location opening in National Landing in March. The menu features specialty lattes, including spicy Aztec mocha and vanilla lavender, as well as all-day breakfast sandwiches and wraps; quiches and pastries; and smoothies. Shop online or in the store for beans from Nicaragua, Colombia, and Brazil.

Do and Shop

Flight Wine Shop

Before opening Flight Wine Shop in March, owners Swati Bose and Kabir Amir were two-time James Beard Award semifinalists for outstanding wine program at their now-shuttered Flight Wine Bar in Chinatown. The duo’s new venture sources 300-plus wines from more than 19 countries, with a focus on organic, sustainable, and native options from small producers. The shop hosts free weekly winetastings and special events, including a holiday wine exchange and producer meet-and-greets. If you’re not an oenophile, check out the selection of beer, pre-mixed cocktails, nonalcoholic beverages, cheese, and charcuterie.

Urban Boxing Gym

Interested in learning the finer points of boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, or Brazilian jiu-jitsu? The trainers at Urban Boxing Gym include the professional mixed-martial-arts fighters Levan Chokheli and Beka Lashkhia, both from the country of Georgia. When they’re not competing, they lead group and private workouts and organize boxing showcases, with fighters from the gym’s four area locations as well as local universities. For those looking for a little less contact in their workouts, check out Club Studio (3550 S. Clark St.), a fitness center that opened in May. In addition to exercise classes and personal trainers, the studio offers a medspa, a sauna, a pool, cryotherapy, and an organic cafe. Get a free one-day pass to try the boxing, spin, reformer-Pilates, or hot high-intensity interval-training (HIIT) sculpt classes.

Nailsaloon

Nailsaloon maximizes the pleasure of a mani-pedi with plush leather seats and cocktails. While waiting for your nail or waxing appointment, sip a complimentary bellini, mimosa, tea, wine, or beer. The salon uses nontoxic products and hospital-grade sterilized tools. It also hosts corporate and private events, including birthdays and baby showers.

Crystal Boutique

A beloved local fixture, Crystal Boutique reopened in January after its former home, the Crystal City Underground, closed last year. Founded in 1970, the shop features designer women’s clothing from brands including Hilton Hollis, Joseph Ribkoff, Nina McLemore, and Lourdes Chavez. Make an appointment with a personal shopper and browse the selection of slacks, evening gowns, and mother-of-the-bride dresses. (The boutique accommodates sizes 0 to 26.) Or drop by for one of the regular trunk shows to see collections from around the world.

Plntr

Calling all Love Is Blind fans. The reality dating show featured the Dupont location of Plntr last year. Now the shop—founded in 2020 by James Beach and DC native Caitlin Tuttle—has expanded to National Harbor. Offerings include plants, flowers, planters, terrariums, gardening tools, and books. Or attend one of the workshops: Examples include an herbalism seminar led by a hypnotherapist, a punch-needle art class, or—as Love Is Blind fans well remember—a pressed-flower workshop.

Met Park Farmers Market

Dan Hine, a marketing executive in Loudoun County, launched his first farmers market in 2017 after looking for ways to help local food producers. His latest venture, the Met Park Farmers Market, runs every Saturday and Tuesday this year through October. Find local produce and handmade goods from small businesses and farms, including flowers, candles, dog treats, jewelry, and crocheted bags. Food and drink options can include pupusas, Korean baked treats, Nepali chow mein, breakfast sandwiches, and coffee.

Hand-painted murals

Visiting the market or grabbing dinner in National Landing? Make sure to check out the hand-painted murals that have emerged in the neighborhood. Sponsored by the Business Improvement District, they include “Mural 23,” a work by local artists MasPaz, Juan Pineda, Jeff Huntington, and Cita Sadeli. Spanning a full block, it’s one of the largest collaborative murals in the DC area. Other projects include JD Deardourff’s “Waves,” which adorns the entrance to the Mount Vernon Trail by Water Park, and Lisa Marie Thalhammer’s “Harmony Mural” at the Metro plaza.

Club Volo

Real-estate company JBG Smith, Amazon’s development partner, has teamed up with Club Volo to build four beach-volleyball courts on one of its still-vacant lots in the neighborhood. Come rent some court time before a new tower rises on the site.

What’s Selling

Convenient to downtown DC, Reagan National Airport, and I-395, National Landing offers a variety of housing options for urban professionals and families alike, including high-rise condos, townhouses, and single-family homes. Here’s a sample of recent sales.

This article appears in the August 2025 issue of Washingtonian.