The long-awaited new Stratford Beer Garden and Restaurant opened its doors for the first time late Tuesday and officially kicks off today at its 300 W. Broad St. location.
From eyesore to elegant, the addition now makes the W. Broad St. corridor of mostly new or newer retail and mixed use residential options along a dozen-block stretch of downtown virtually seamless for charming aesthetic value, accented this holiday season by festive white lights hugging its stretch of trees.
Since its closing in 2021, the Stratford Motor Lodge and the tiny La Caraquena restaurant it housed had been surrounded by a tasteless chainlink fence and was effectively gutted, appearing a sad mini-blight in the Little City’s downtown. Now all of that has changed, and instead, the community has a new, bright go-to place that can accommodate 300 beer lovers and diners, 200 fitting inside and another 100 for outdoor seating when the weather is right.
Upon receipt of its occupancy permit, the doors were unlocked and the lights turned on for the first time Tuesday night, when Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi led an entourage for a first look. Planning Commissioner Phil Duncan was on hand to perform his now regular role as social media photographer and commentator.
“Stratford Garden is open! And the place is hoppin’. Delicious dinners, tasty beverages, and good company, including Mayor Mayor Letty Hardi, with co-owner Arash Tafakor,” Duncan gushed on Facebook later that night.
Brothers Arash and Afsheen Tafakor, owners of Dominion Wine and Beer and the Brick House Butcher five blocks up the road in the 800 block of W. Broad, are co-owners. They’ve been working on their plans for its transformation since 2023.
The modern interiors, designed by Francois Frossard Design of Miami, preserve some of the structure’s original elements, such as the 1960’s exposed brick, steel ceiling beams and stained wood.
“A project’s storytelling ability—its potential to merge the old with new—is always exciting,” said Matt Lee, principal of Lee Design Studio in Falls Church, the architect. “I think the charm of those former establishments will shine through when we give the motor lodge new life.”
The restaurant will turn out classic bar fare ($13-$17) and main courses ($20-$30), from cheesesteaks and burgers to rockfish and branzino, using locally-sourced meats and seafood from Brick House Butcher up the street. The concept also includes a carry-out café serving coffee, breakfast and dinner.
The beer menu will highlight craft suds from some 20 local breweries, including crisp pilsners, hazy and West Coast IPAs and sours. Also on the beverage list are premium wines and a cocktail program.
But the Stratford is hardly the only action happening in Falls Church right now in terms of opening or soon-to-be opening eateries. According to the City’s Office of Economic Development, a wide array of new things are happening.
In the West End development, a Best Buns Bakery and Burgers in a kiosk in the median of the West Falls Station Boulevard at Mustang Alley is under review, while a building permit has been issued to the Dok Khao Thai Eatery.
At the Founders Row 1, building permits have been issued to Fish Taco, iPanda Dumplings, Playa Bowls and The Cheese Cartel, and under review is Lil Cakes and Creamery.
At the Founders Row 2, a building permit has been issued to My Home Thai Bistro adjacent to the recently-opened Tatte Bakery, and awaiting application is Ian Sushi.
The Paris Baguette in the Tower Square shopping center has just opened to a brisk business, and the Little Beast pizza restaurant next to the Whole Foods and adjacent to the Creative Cauldron is undergoing inspections.
The Koi Koi Japanese restaurant in the cul-de-sac at 450 W. Broad has been sold, and the new owners say they will come back in with another sushi-style establishment there.
Two new grocery stores are coming. The Fresh Market at the West Falls is under review and the Grocery Outlet Bargain Market at the site of the former Target on S. Washington has signage up and is slated to open in February. It is a bargain outlet that sells major brands.
Both are part of larger chains. The Fresh Market, which will come in right at the corner of W. Broad and Haycock Road, will be one of 172 locations mostly in the eastern U.S., and The Grocery Outlet has a handful of locations in Maryland, but overall has over 500 locations, the vast majority spread across California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada.
