Alexandria Summer Restaurant Week runs August 14 through 23, and if you've lived in Old Town long enough to have a Saturday morning routine, you probably think you know how this month works. Farmers market at Market Square. A stroll down King Street. Maybe a reservation at whichever new restaurant everyone's been talking about since spring.
Here's the part that's easy to miss if you haven't been paying close attention: several of those routines have physically moved this year, one of the most-hyped restaurants of 2026 still isn't open, and even the free summer concert series got bumped from its usual spot. Restaurant Week is arriving into a neighborhood where the map itself has shifted. Treating this August like a normal one means you might show up to the wrong block for at least three different things.
The Restaurant Everyone's Been Waiting For Still Isn't Open
If Floriana was on your list for Restaurant Week, hold off on the reservation. The Northern Italian import from D.C. leased space in the Atrium Building at 277 S. Washington St. late last year, and early coverage pointed to a spring or early-summer opening. That didn't happen. As of mid-July, ALXnow reported that permitting delays have pushed the target to late August or early September, meaning Floriana's Old Town debut is likely to land after Restaurant Week ends, not during it.
Finn & Fire tells a similar story, just already resolved. The seafood and steak restaurant at 111 N. Pitt St. was first proposed to the city in October 2025, aimed for a January opening, slipped to March, and finally had its soft opening in late June, nearly eight months after it was first announced. Chef and owner Ghazal Amir, who also runs Crab Cab in Fairfax County, built a Peruvian-Nikkei menu around sushi, an oyster bar, and char-grilled steaks in the space that used to be Kismet Modern Indian.
The pattern is worth remembering the next time a new restaurant announcement makes the rounds: the timeline you read in the first article is rarely the timeline you get.
One Restaurant Did Open Exactly When It Said It Would
The Commodore is the counterexample. The D.C. Dupont Circle bar opened its second location at 220 N. Lee St. on March 12, on schedule, with a ribbon-cutting that used a trident instead of scissors. Owners Rob Van de Graaff and Steve Kim took over the space that had most recently housed Mystic BBQ & Grill, which closed the previous fall after a year and a half, and before that, Myron Mixon's Pitmaster BBQ. At roughly 6,900 square feet with 114 indoor seats and 32 more on the patio, it's more than double the size of the D.C. original, with a nautical dive-bar theme, trivia nights, and Chicago tavern-style pizza.
Two other 2025 openings round out the corridor. Valletta Port, a Mediterranean cafe and wine bar, opened at 682 N. St. Asaph St. in Old Town North late last year. And Akeno, a sushi bar, opened in Old Town in December.
| Restaurant | Address | Status as of August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| The Commodore | 220 N. Lee St. | Open since March 12, 2026 |
| Valletta Port | 682 N. St. Asaph St. | Open since late 2025 |
| Akeno | Old Town | Open since December 2025 |
| Finn & Fire | 111 N. Pitt St. | Open since late June 2026 |
| The Majestic (reopened) | 911 King St. | Open since April 10, 2026 |
| Floriana | 277 S. Washington St. (The Atrium) | Not yet open, targeting late August or early September |
The Old Guard Came Back Instead of Standing Still
The most consequential reopening this year isn't a newcomer at all. The Majestic, the Art Deco dining room that's anchored the middle of King Street since 1932, reopened on April 10 under new owner and chef Santiago Lopez, who spent 16 years as an executive chef partner across Alexandria Restaurant Partners' nine restaurants before buying The Majestic outright. The famous coconut cake, a mainstay since it won a 2009 bake-off, stayed on the menu alongside a lighter, Mediterranean-leaning refresh.
The Majestic is also confirmed for Restaurant Week this year, running a curated menu August 14 through 23. If you've been putting off a visit since the reopening, this is the ten-day window with the clearest reason to go.
Why the New Restaurant Corridor Suddenly Feels Connected
There's a structural reason Pitt Street, Lee Street, and the middle of King Street feel like one walkable loop this year instead of three separate errands. On September 13, 2025, Alexandria's City Council voted unanimously to permanently close the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic, extending the pedestrian zone that already covered the Unit and 100 blocks. The closure took effect immediately, eliminating 16 metered parking spaces along the way. It's a small ordinance with an outsized effect on foot traffic between the waterfront and the stretch where Finn & Fire and The Commodore now sit.
The Farmers Market Isn't at Market Square Right Now
Here's the detail that trips up even longtime residents. The Old Town Farmers' Market has operated at Market Square since 1753, but it isn't there this year. City Hall and Market Square are in the middle of a renovation that the city expects to take two to three years, and the Market Square Garage closed to the public on February 9. The market itself relocated in January to the 100 block of North Royal Street and the courtyard at Tavern Square, just across the street from its historic footprint. Same 70-plus vendors, same Saturday hours from 7 a.m. to noon, different spot. Free parking during market hours is now at the Courthouse Square Garage on South Pitt Street and the Tavern Square Garage on Cameron Street, since the Market Square Garage is out of commission for the duration.
If your Saturday habit is muscle memory, this is the year it'll steer you wrong.
Even the Free Concert Series Got Displaced
The City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums, the bagpipe-and-drum group known locally as Alexandria's Own that's been performing for more than 50 years, usually plays its summer concerts at Market Square. Construction pushed both of this year's shows to Waterfront Park instead. Then the first one didn't happen at all. The July 17 performance was canceled because of a Code Purple air quality alert driven by Canadian wildfire smoke. That leaves Friday, August 21, at 7:45 p.m. at Waterfront Park as the band's only remaining summer concert this year. It's free, open to all ages, and the band sticks around afterward to talk with anyone curious about joining.
What's Actually Left on the August Calendar
A few dates are worth locking in before Labor Day:
- August 14–23: Alexandria Summer Restaurant Week, with confirmed participation from The Majestic and likely more restaurants to be announced closer to the date.
- August 21: City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums' only remaining summer concert, Waterfront Park, 7:45 p.m., free.
- August 29: The Around the World Cultural Food Festival at Oronoco Bay Park, an international spread that doesn't depend on any single restaurant's opening timeline.
The Takeaway for Anyone Already Living Here
None of this means Old Town lost its rhythm. It means the rhythm reset in more places at once than usual. A permit delay took the summer's most anticipated restaurant off the table for Restaurant Week. A construction project moved the 273-year-old farmers market across the street. Wildfire smoke canceled a concert that's been running for half a century. And a single council vote made the walk between the new restaurants on Pitt and Lee streets feel like one continuous stretch instead of three separate trips.
If you're heading into Restaurant Week assuming the map looks like it did last August, check twice before you go. For more on what's shaping Old Town street by street, the Alexandria neighborhood page tracks the changes that matter beyond the dinner table.
Whether you're a longtime Old Town regular or just trying to figure out where the farmers market went, Sharron Owens is always glad to talk through what's changing here. Let's Connect. Schedule a consultation or request your free home valuation whenever you're ready.
