Wednesday, March 01, 2023

Sneak peek: The Heights food hall in Chevy Chase (Photos)


What is going on with The Heights food hall at 5310 Western Avenue in the Friendship Heights neighborhood of Chevy Chase? That's a question many have been asking. Construction is behind schedule for what had been anticipated as a late 2022 opening at The Shops at Wisconsin Place. The good news is that the interior fit-out is quite advanced, with many of the final design details now visible. 


The Heights will have all of the exposed ductwork and industrial chic you've come to expect in the early 21st century. It also has a large block-letter message on what would have been the ceiling if this ductwork wasn't exposed, that will be legible to those whose necks bend 90 degrees backward. "FIND YOUR PARADISE."


The Heights features a full-service restaurant (Urbano), a full-service bar (The Heights Bar), a speakeasy (The Turncoat), and eight food stalls populated by new concepts from prominent local chefs. These will include Saoco Cuban Eats by Chef Dario Arana-Rojas, This Deli of Ours, dc dosa by Chef Priya Ammu, Sky Lanterns: The Thai Tales, Supreme Barbeque, aunteaboba, and Mimi's Handmade Ice Cream. One final stall will be home to the winner of Urbano’s “Stall Wars” competition. No revised opening date has been announced.








7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice. Can't wait for that. FH bouncing back strong!

Anonymous said...

Never going here.

Anonymous said...

Literally no one cares

Anonymous said...

I wish them all the luck.... but unfortunately when it comes to food, these FH restaurants face an uphill climb for patrons. Rodeo Drive East never panned out and every food venue there has failed, spectacularly.

Is shopping at FH enough to drive in hungry shoppers? I doubt it. In this instance, competition breeds business and thee aren't enough eateries to do that, either. It doesn't help that that corner outside mini mall screams 'going out of business,' and the lazy private security looks like they are actually inviting more crime.

The whole area is degraded with tent camping homeless, panhandling smokers, and stores like the Gap (or Old Navy or whatever it is now), that never once clean up their sidewalks. There is a so much litter all the time.

Anonymous said...

Have you ever been to Friendship Heights? The Clydes is the most popular one in the chain. You can't get a seat at Hunters Hound on a weekend. Joy (or Seasons) is packed. Lia's is always busy. People flock from all over to go to Mei Wah. Then you have Maggianos and Cheesecake which are not my cup of tea, but are quite popular. Old skool Bethesdans still love Alfios. Alley Cat was bumping late night the other night. Junction is a solid addition to the neighborhood. Sushi-ko is one of the better sushi restaurants in the area. There is a tent on Fessenden, but that's the only one I've seen. You sound like a girl name Friendship Heights dumped you a couple weeks ago.

Anonymous said...

WHAT?! lol. I have been in Friendship Heights for 7 years living right around the metro, and I've never seen litter or a single tent. Maybe a panhandler every few months. but "so much litter" and "panhandling smokers"? You're making stuff up, and why?

I will give you that the mini mall, as well as buildings in a few block radius scream "going out of business" with the amount of closures, but you are also ignoring the new things happening... the renovations to what was Mazza Gallery, Junction and Hunter's Hound and Joy have all recently opened and seem to be doing well. Lia's and Capitol Grille thrived during COVID and are still doing well. 2020-2022 saw quite a few closures, but things are on an upswing, and this area has a LOT of apartment buildings with residents who would be an ideal target for a food hall. I have been excited about this thing opening for months now. I just wish they would open it already.

Anonymous said...

This is being built almost slow as the completely awesome and much-anticipated Purple Line spanning from beautiful PG County to now crime-ridden MOCO.