Though fans of the Majestic Cafe restaurant in Old Town Alexandria may have been disappointed to see its doors closed at the end of January, they now can be comforted with the news that the spot will return in the spring under the guidance of a well-known pair of restaurant entrepreneurs.
When chef Cathal Armstrong and his wife Meshelle, owners of the top-rated Restaurant Eve in Old Town, as well as Eammon’s: A Dublin Chipper and the bar PX, heard the news that Majestic would be shutting down, the group decided to take matters into their own hands, according to their publicist, Bronwyn Jacoby.
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“They didn’t want it to be a sports bar,” said Jacoby, which was one of the rumors for what would take Majestic Cafe’s place. “The restaurant dates back to 1932; it’s become an American landmark.”
The Armstrongs signed a deal in early February with the restaurant’s owners — including former governor Mark Warner — to re-open the restaurant this spring with a new menu and focus.
The restaurant will feature Virginia-style cuisine, in the same price range as the former Majestic Cafe, which had entrees ranging from $11 to $20. The Armstrongs will work with local farmers and dairy producers to use seasonal ingredients in the cooking, Jacoby said. Todd Thrasher, the bartender at the Armstrong’s trendy PX speakeasy-style bar in Old Town, will focus on making classic drinks at the new restaurant, which will be christened “The Majestic” when it reopens.
The restaurant provides a mid-priced dining option for fans of Armstrong’s cooking, falling between the upscale Restaurant Eve and the casual Eammon’s, which opened last fall.
“We’re often missing that middle-of-the-road dining option in D.C.,” Jacoby said.
The interior will be given a facelift, and will be styled art deco, similar to what the restaurant used to look like in the 1930s, Jacoby said. The Majestic’s bar will also be redone with a separate identity from the dining room area.
The opening date for the restaurant is still being decided, but it will fall either on March 31, the birthday of the Armstrong’s daughter, for which Restaurant Eve is named, or on April 19, Restaurant Eve’s third anniversary.
