ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria’s waterfront is a key attraction for visitors and residents alike, so it’s no surprise the city has made upgrading the waterfront a key priority. Restaurants along the Potomac River are among the many options diners can enjoy around the city.
The newest addition to the waterfront will be Jula’s on the Potomac, a rebranding and expansion of Café 44 in Old Town North.
Owner Jula Coggins told Patch the first phase of the expansion has been under construction since November 2022. The new space and rebranding to Jula’s on the Potomac is tentatively expected in July. At that time, the current Café 44 space will close for the second phase of the project: renovation of the existing space.
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Throughout the entire renovation process, the restaurant’s balcony and terrace will remain open.
When the expansion is done, Jula’s on the Potomac will offer a 47-seat bar and lounge with views of the Capitol and river, 12-seat wine room, 74-seat main dining room, 22-seat booths called The Hideaway and the 46-seat Jula’s Vueve Lounge indoors. The current 56-seat balcony and 32-seat terrace will also remain.
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“Once the Phase 2 renovations are complete, the adjoining wall will come down to create one spectacular restaurant with a panoramic view of the Potomac River — grander than anyone can imagine,” Coggins said.
The first phase of the expansion will include a raw bar, as well as a cheese and charcuterie bar. With a new commercial kitchen, the restaurant will have new menu options like steaks, burgers, french fries, and grilled entrees like chicken and fish.
“Chef Nicki [Lewis] has always shined, but now she’ll be able to elevate the menu even further,” said Coggins.
Jula’s on the Potomac will have private event reservations available along with regular dining. The restaurant is already booking ahead for the holidays.
Stay tuned for more on the Jula’s on the Potomac rebranding and expansion at cafe44.com.
Here are other waterfront dining options to enjoy around Alexandria:
3 Restaurants from Alexandria Restaurant Partners
Alexandria Restaurant Partners ramped up its waterfront dining options with the Robinson Landing development. Ada’s on the River opened in early 2021, offering wood-fired prime steaks, fresh seafood and vegetarian dishes as well as weekend brunch. Ada’s was recently on OpenTable’s 100 most popular brunch spots in the U.S. list.
Barca Pier & Wine Bar’s opening followed in spring 2021, serving up Spanish and other Mediterranean dishes with seating on a pier and a wine bar along the waterfront. The pier dining concept is a nod to the location’s former commercial shipping pier. Today, the concept takes inspiration from Spanish beach bars called “chiringuitos.” In 2022, OpenTable named Barca one of the top 100 places in the U.S. for outdoor dining.
They joined ARP’s other popular waterfront restaurant, Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge, which overlooks the city marina. Vola’s serves seafood, tacos, American cuisine and tiki drinks with indoor and outdoor seating. Customers looking for a casual place to drink can head down the hallway from Vola’s to the Hi-Tide Lounge. If you can’t get a seat right on the water, there’s plenty of space with Vola’s expanded space at the Airstream Patio next to the Torpedo Factory.
Alexandria Restaurant Partners shared a few food and drink suggestions for the three waterfront restaurants.
Barca: You can’t miss Barca’s tapas focused on Spanish and Mediterranean cuisine. A few recommendations include gambas al ajillo (jumbo shrimp cooked with olive oil, garlic, shallots and Aleppo pepper) jamon serrano croquetas, dips and montaditos. Pair it with a wine or sangria such as the favorite Stone Fruit Sangria, rosé wine, or the cherry, peach, orange blossom water.
Ada’s: Ada’s is perfect for fine dining options. Diners tend to enjoy the wood-fired steaks served with garlic maître d’ butter and a sauce or side like coal roasted asparagus or lobster mac and cheese. Fresh seafood is another favorite with options like coal roasted oysters, prawns, and smoked swordfish. There are numerous craft cocktails to enjoy with meals, like the Lord Byron with Maker’s Mark bourbon, Averna, pour over coffee, luxardo maraschino and orange bitters, or the Fare Thee Well with Del Maguey mezcal, Olmeca Altos Plata tequila, Tres Agaves organic agave nectar, cucumbers, ginger beer and lime juice.
Vola’s: Vola’s is know for its raw bar and other seafood. Some menu items worth trying are the crab cakes made with peekytoe jumbo lump blue crab, Creole shrimp fettucine in a garlic and white wine sauce, and the various oyster options. Signature drinks include Vola’s Rum Punch with Bacardi oakheart rum, pineapple, lime & orange juices, and frozen drinks like the strawberry daiquiri and orange crush.
Chart House
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Chart House is the classic fine dining on the Alexandria waterfront. This high-end restaurant serves up panoramic Potomac River views along with seafood, steaks and more.
For dinner, you can’t go wrong with options like macadamia nut-crusted mahi with a warm peanut sauce, mango relish soy glaze and mango sticky rice Asian green beans or the herb-crusted prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes. There are also a variety of other seafood and steak entrees. If you have room for dessert, you won’t be disappointed by the chocolate lava cake.
Chart House is also well known for its weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy classics like Eggs Benedict and Shrimp and Grits along with fun twists like Not So Traditional Chicken and Waffles and Prime Rib Hash and Eggs.
Virtue Feed & Grain
Located behind Waterfront Park, Virtue Feed & Grain is named for its historic location as an 1800s feed and grain warehouse. Indoor seating is available along with outdoor seating along the brick-lined Wales Alley.
Some menu highlights include Australian lamb chops with sunchoke Parmesan mashed potatoes, asparagus, shallot butter and dijon mustard sauce; red wine-braised short ribs with sauteed mushrooms, sunchoke Parmesan mashed potatoes and vegetables; crab dip appetizer with lump crabmeat, old bay, sriracha, tortilla chips; and duck poutine with duck fat fries, roasted duck gravy, cheddar curds and fried rosemary.
Mai Thai
Get a taste of Thailand with waterfront views at Mai Thai. Along with some indoor seats facing the Potomac River, this restaurant has a few outdoor seats.
Some favorite Thai options include Drunken Noodles with chicken, beef, pork, or seafood sautéed with wide rice noodles, tomato, basil leaves and sweet pepper in a garlic sauce; Pad Thai with your choice of meat stir-fried with thin rice noodles, red bean curd, bean sprouts, scallions, eggs, and crushed peanuts in a tamarind sauce; Cashew Chicken with deep fried chicken breast sautéed with onions, scallions, carrots, and roasted cashew nuts in a sweet tamarind sauce; and Honey Ginger Duck grilled with mushrooms, scallions, and ginger sauce atop steamed spinach.
Chadwicks
You can get a glimpse of the waterfront at Chadwicks with outdoor dining on the street and balcony levels. Chadwicks is a neighborhood bar serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
For dinner, try the crab cake sandwich with jumbo lump crab, smoked tomato aioli, potato kaiser, lettuce, tomato and pickles; or shrimp and grits with jumbo shrimp sauteed in butter with bacon, tomatoes, capers and served with cheddar cheese grits.
Brunch is also popular with an abundance of options like Eggs Chesapeake, Huevos Rancheros, Steak and Eggs, Brunch Taco, the Flappy Jack burger served on pancakes, and more.
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