Lineup of Local Eateries to Launch in National Landing Kiosks This Summer

Nine of the eateries will be new concepts by emerging local, minority- and women-led owners, and will be located in 300-square-foot kiosks, each meant to serve as incubators for up-and-coming culinary talent. They will offer a sampling of local flavors including Vietnamese dishes, Indian street food, fried chicken and kosher burgers. Additionally, STHRN Hospitality will open a 1,400-square-foot full-service restaurant and a pizza outpost.

“The revitalized Water Park will further enliven the streetscape and become one of National Landing’s most prominent outdoor gathering spaces,” Amy Rice, senior vice president of retail leasing at JBG Smith, told Commercial Observer. “We thoughtfully curated the lineup of offerings to appeal to a variety of patrons from area workers to local residents, students at Virginia Tech and other nearby institutions, as well as leisure and business travelers to the D.C. region.” 

The kiosks include Brij, a D.C.-based café and wine bar by Skyler Kelley; Bubbie’s Plant Burger, a plant-based and kosher-certified burger shop from chef Margaux Riccio and general manager Shaun Sharkey; Cracked Eggery, a food truck serving inventive egg sandwiches and bowls; DC Dosa, an Indian street food concept by Bombay-born Priya Ammu; Dolci Gelati, a gelato shop by Gianluigi and Anastasia Dellaccio; Falafel Inc., a Georgetown-based falafel eatery; PhoWheels, a family-based business featuring Vietnamese-inspired dishes; Tiki Thai, a new outpost of chef Porntipa Pattanamekar’s Thai eatery in Reston; and Queen Mother’s, a fried chicken joint by James Beard Award semi-finalist chef Rahman “Rock” Harper. 

“From the start, our strategy has been to fill Water Park with local, diverse operators looking to showcase their products and test new concepts,” Rice said. “The kiosks are platforms for these budding chefs to succeed. Our hope is that they serve as incubator opportunities that position them to grow into more traditional brick-and-mortar retail locations within National Landing.” 

The new vision for Water Park, the approximately 1.6-acre open space in the heart of National Landing, will complement the broader redevelopment efforts in the neighborhood, according to JBG Smith, which is slated to deliver more than 5,000 new multifamily units, with 1,583 already under construction. In June, Amazon will open its 2.1 million-square-foot headquarters there, which will house the more than 8,000 local employees it has hired to date. 

JBG Smith was represented by its in-house retail leasing team, while the firm’s Jackie Sammarco led the leasing of the nine kiosks.  

Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.