Retail and Restaurant Space in Arlington, Virginia

Renaud Consulting helps retailers and restaurants find and lease space in Arlington, from the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor to Pentagon City and the neighborhood shopping centers in North Arlington. We've done leases at Ballston Quarter, the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City and Williamsburg Shopping Center, from our office at 8605 Westwood Center Drive in Tysons. We serve Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland.

Arlington: Old Boxes, New Rooms

The story in Arlington is big, tired spaces getting a second life as places to eat and drink.

  • Clarendon. The longtime hardware store building at 2915 Wilson Boulevard, about 8,000 SF over several levels, reopened as The Boulevard, with a rooftop bar called Solset upstairs. It's the first Virginia project from DC nightlife operators Silvia and Antonis Karagounis. Up the block, Xi'an Famous Foods opened its first DC-area storefront at The Crossing Clarendon (2800 Clarendon Boulevard), one of the New York chain's biggest locations. In the same building, the Barnes & Noble reopened after a remodel, about 14,000 SF, and Charlottesville's Three Notch'd Brewing is building its first Northern Virginia brewpub on the ground floor. Latin supper club Cielo opened at 1137 N. Highland Street.
  • Ballston. Wilson Boulevard filled in with quick-service names: Van Leeuwen ice cream opened at 4075 Wilson, Call Your Mother at 4000 Wilson, and PopUp Bagels its first Virginia shop at 4300 Wilson. Solace Brewing opened Solace Outpost at 4201 Wilson.
  • Pentagon City. Bowl'd Masala and Mezeh opened at the Fashion Centre, months behind schedule. At Westpost, Barnes & Noble is coming soon to a roughly 11,000 SF space that a drugstore used to fill.

Sources: Arlington Magazine on The Boulevard and Solset; Northern Virginia Magazine; Washingtonian on Xi'an Famous Foods; Northern Virginia Magazine on Barnes & Noble; ARLnow (Three Notch'd, Van Leeuwen, Pentagon City mall, Westpost bookseller); Eater DC on Arlington openings and PopUp Bagels; Arlington Magazine's new restaurants list; Washington Business Journal on Barnes & Noble at Westpost.

What Tenants Should Know About Arlington

  • The site plan can decide your use. Westpost's site plan required a drugstore in that space. When the drugstore left, the landlord sought a County Board amendment to remove that condition so the space could become a bookstore. Many Arlington buildings along the Metro corridors were approved by site plan, so before you sign for a space, check what its site plan allows there.
  • Check demand through the whole day. Arlington Economic Development reports high office vacancy, and federal data show county employment has dropped. That can thin out weekday lunch, so compare lunch, evening and weekend activity around each space.
  • There's help for small shops. Arlington Economic Development's BizLaunch is launching NEXT, a retail pop-up and incubator, with the Ballston BID at Ballston Quarter.

Sources: Arlington County, 1101 S. Joyce St. site plan record; Washington Business Journal on the Westpost site plan; Arlington Economic Development Commission, January 2026 materials; ARLnow on Arlington employment; ARLnow on NEXT; Ballston BID.

Where People Actually Go in Arlington

  • Clarendon's restaurant row. Wilson Boulevard between the Clarendon and Courthouse stations is Eater's go-to strip in Arlington: Ambar's unlimited Balkan small plates at 2901 Wilson, the Green Pig Bistro across the street at 2900 Wilson, and the Liberty Tavern at 3195 Wilson. Nettie's Tavern joined them at 2854 Wilson.
  • Ballston Quarter. The remade mall at 4238 Wilson Boulevard turned its Metro-side corner into a food-and-drinks destination, home to Scolapasta's fresh-pasta counter, and it's set to host the NEXT retail pop-up.
  • National Landing. The Bar Chinois team brought its party-starting French-Chinese bar to 19th Court South in Crystal City, one sign of how Amazon's neighborhood is filling in after dark.

Sources: Eater DC's Clarendon and Courthouse guide; ARLnow on openings; ARLnow readers' best new restaurants.

Our Arlington Leases

Arlington Permits and Licenses

Arlington is a county with no towns inside it, so every address, whether it says Clarendon, Ballston or Crystal City, goes through Arlington County for zoning, building permits and the restaurant's health permit. Liquor licenses come from Virginia ABC. If the building was approved by site plan, its conditions apply too. Some changes need County Board approval; minor ones can be approved administratively.

Questions About Arlington Retail Space

Which part of Arlington is best for a restaurant? It depends on who you're feeding. Clarendon is the nightlife strip and draws big evening and weekend crowds. Ballston has dense apartments and offices and suits quick-service and family concepts. Pentagon City has the mall and Metro traffic. Our neighborhood shopping centers in North Arlington serve residents who want something close to home.

Why does Arlington's site plan matter to a tenant? Many Arlington buildings were approved through a site plan that can require or limit certain uses in certain spaces. At Westpost, the site plan required a drugstore, so the landlord sought a County Board amendment before the space could become a bookstore. We check this before you sign.

Do I need a separate town permit in Arlington? No. Arlington has no incorporated towns, so Arlington County handles zoning, permits and health inspections for the whole county. Liquor licenses come from Virginia ABC.

Who do I call about Arlington retail space? Call Andrew Poncher, SVP and Director of Leasing, at (571) 765-4430, or John Marigliano, Senior Vice President, at (571) 765-4423.

Other areas we serve: Northern Virginia, Washington, DC and Maryland.

Talk to Our Leasing Team