There are simply no good restaurants in Lorton or FFX Station. If I knew anything about the restaurant business, I'd open a nice restaurant in the area. There are thousands of nice homes and some really neighborhoods, I got to believe there is some decent disposable income in the area to spend in a restaurant like a Clyde's or Bonefish...yet not one good restaurant within 20-30 minutess.

The options are Glory Days, Fire and Ice and that Italian place next door.

Why aren't there any in the area? I would think Occaquon would have at least one good place but they all suck.

Unless you are secretly trying to solicit yourself, I would change your name.

It looks too similar to LotionGuy.

There is an excellent French resturant just inside Woodbridge/Occoquan......can't remember the name but it is excellent. They offer a pre fixe price with the chef special prior to 5 or 6.

Best Sub shop is "Sportz Steak N Cheese".....expensive but the best around on 123 just after bridge.......looks like a dive but great subs

agreed, restaurants suck around here.

that italian place is pane vino and it is the worst excuse for an italian restaurant. It is better than an olive garden type but that isnt saying much.

i doubt they ever put a nice place around here.

a nice sports bar with good food would put glory days out of business for sure but that is the best thing we can hope for.

While there are a lot of homes with solid disposable income in that area, especially since the realignment of 123, it is still pretty isolated and not that easy to access compared to places like Fairfax Corner and Reston Town Center. You might get a Carrabas (sp?) or Macaroni Grill, but that is probably about it. Surprised, however, that there is not a TGI Fridays or similar around there.

My Karma Indian Bistro in Lorton is pretty good. That’s about the only good restaurant in that area.

Part of the problem is where to put it; there's not that MUCH commercial real estate space in Lorton/Fairfax Station. For a decent sized restaurant, you need AT LEAST 2,500 sf, and you need the parking to go with it -- more parking than a comparable retail store would need (practically, AND by code). I know of at least one group that's been looking to do a brewpub/restaurant in Burke/Fairfax Station for a while now, and they're still looking for an appropriate location. And if you want to do a REAL brewpub -- with brewing on premises -- you probably need closer to 4,000-5,000 sf.

Of course, some of the landlords don't help. JBG, for instance, kicked Hopfrog out of their location in Burke Centre (by the Burke Centre Safeway) into an in-line space, and leased their building to a bank, who has never opened. That end of the center is way crowded for parking, anyway; with the Chipotle over there, you'd never get a restaurant to take the old Hopfrog again even if the bank left the picture. And I know for a FACT that JBG has been jerking other people around regarding the ex-gas-station space across from the old Hopfrog.

Landlords like tenants that pay; restaurants are risky.

TMU Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Part of the problem is where to put it; there's
> not that MUCH commercial real estate space in
> Lorton/Fairfax Station. For a decent sized
> restaurant, you need AT LEAST 2,500 sf, and you
> need the parking to go with it -- more parking
> than a comparable retail store would need
> (practically, AND by code). I know of at least
> one group that's been looking to do a
> brewpub/restaurant in Burke/Fairfax Station for a
> while now, and they're still looking for an
> appropriate location. And if you want to do a
> REAL brewpub -- with brewing on premises -- you
> probably need closer to 4,000-5,000 sf.
>
> Of course, some of the landlords don't help. JBG,
> for instance, kicked Hopfrog out of their location
> in Burke Centre (by the Burke Centre Safeway) into
> an in-line space, and leased their building to a
> bank, who has never opened. That end of the
> center is way crowded for parking, anyway; with
> the Chipotle over there, you'd never get a
> restaurant to take the old Hopfrog again even if
> the bank left the picture. And I know for a FACT
> that JBG has been jerking other people around
> regarding the ex-gas-station space across from the
> old Hopfrog.
>
> Landlords like tenants that pay; restaurants are
> risky.


Does the plaza with Chipotle in Burke Centre meet the parking requirement? It was certainly hard to find a spot when Hopsfrog was still there (and there new location is hardly any better) with several restaurants nearby. That parking lot has always seemed small when compared to something like the Safeway plaze at OKM and Lee Chapel. The same seems to be true about University Mall.

I agree. My Karma is pretty good. Been there several times.

I agree, the Indian place near Shoppers is probably the best food in Lorton. The Japanese place next door has decent sushi but is very basic.

I'm sure the Burke Centre with the Chipotle is parking-legal; bear in mind that the big problem in that center is the Chipotle -- which is quick serve/fast food, which means that it gets treated as a normal retail store for calculating parking load. A FULL-SERVE restaurant (like the Thai place a couple of doors down) actually gets a higher parking calculation, on the theory that people might stay there for two hours for dinner. But the Chipotle is clearly what drives the traffic problems.

Not that I don't eat there all the time.

Dive Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Best Sub shop is "Sportz Steak N
> Cheese".....expensive but the best around on 123
> just after bridge.......looks like a dive but
> great subs


+1

Tokyo One is also pretty good

You mention Occoquan.... What about Madigans for some sea-food... The Dirty Chicken or a burger works if you don't do sea food.

Silverbrook/lorton rd next to the new 7-11... Italian place.... or that restaurant across the street by the hotel.

Gunston Plaza.. Polo? they try to be fancy for some reason...

Ledo Pizza - good pizza and some good beers (they had dogfish 120minute ipa!).


yea i guess you're right; they need some better restaurants. i end up at ledos everytime.

http://www.bistrolhermitage.com/

this place is great. but I do agree that the area is way underserved by good, non-chain dining.

Bonefish is in Kingstown now.

also not so far and a great Sunday brunch destination:

http://paradisoristorante.com/main.html

Madigan's? Not bad for a drink on a sunny afternoon on the deck, but the interior is pretty gloomy and the food is marginal. Do you really want to spend a January evening in Occoquan?

Kingstowne is really not Lorton/Fairfax Station.

While you will find restaurants like Villa Bella (in the Burke Centre Walmart shopping center) and almost every strip mall, I think that what is lacking is a GAR-quality and size establishment. However, I think that TMU's comment regarding the lack of zoned commercial space with adequate parking is the key issue along with the fact that restaurants are inherently risky.

The GAR properties do well, but their expansion is well-planned so that they do not dilute the brand.

LotonGuy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are simply no good restaurants in Lorton or
> FFX Station. If I knew anything about the
> restaurant business, I'd open a nice restaurant in
> the area.


Obviously people who do know something about the restaurant business have chosen not to. There could be a reason for that. You don't typically see suburban neighborhoods brimming with non-chain restaurants.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

"And I know for a FACT that JBG has been jerking other people around regarding the ex-gas-station space across from the old Hopfrog. "

Could you elaborate? Why wouldn't they want that space filled so they could be raking in rent each month? The empty lot and run down gas station are an eyesore. I hope something goes in there eventually. If not, tear it down and it least make it look nice.

Also, Panisa is really good. Nice atmosphere and good food.

Is Hopsfrog in the place where Pino's used to be at? I haven't been there in a while, but I'd heard that Pinos was gone

Tom Madison nails it -- a GAR (that's Great American Restaurants)-quality restaurant in Burke/FFStation would make so much money that you wouldn't be able to carry it away.

But where would you PUT the restaurant? An Artie's or a Coastal Flats is NOT small (although you could argue that the Artie's has DREADFUL parking), and needs very good parking.

Face it, residents of Burke/FFX might as well get used to driving for a decent restaurant meal . . .

TMU Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But where would you PUT the restaurant? An
> Artie's or a Coastal Flats is NOT small (although
> you could argue that the Artie's has DREADFUL
> parking), and needs very good parking.

I get your point, but Artie's parking seems more awkward/odd - that lot is like 1 aisle wide and 100 cars long.

Mike's American Grill gets my vote for worst GAR parking (although I have not been there in at least 5 years) with Coastal at Fairfax Corner taking a close second due to the proximity of PF Chang's and Rio Grande, especially on a Friday or Saturday night during the summer. Come to think of it, Sweetwater Tavern in Merrifield is not great, either. Parking might be the biggest negative at the GAR establishments.

In an ideal world a GAR would replace Walmart on Burke Center Parkway. Just rip the building down and put in a GAR.