Roggenart Bakery Bistro And Café Breaks Croissant In Ballston

BALLSTON, VA — To mark the grand opening of the new Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro and Café in Ballston, owners Neman Popov and Brody Tennant decided that it was fitting to tear apart an oversized croissant prior to the restaurant's ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday. After all, they boasted Roggenart baked the flakiest croissants around.

"We are a fusion of a bakery, cafe and a bistro," Popov told Patch on Thursday."From that perspective, it is a unique concept. It combines good food, but we also want to be really the third place. We want to be a point where people will not only come for a great coffee or a great pastry or for great sandwiches, but they come in to meet-up with with a friend. We want to just make everybody's day a little bit better."

In June 2017, Popov opened the first Roggenart cafe in Columbia, Maryland. Since then, the company has added four other locations in Maryland and one in Chicago. The Ballston location is the company's first foray into Virginia.

The company's recipe for success is simple: fresh food made from good ingredients. Kitchen staff arrive at 4 a.m. every day to bake the day's pastries and breads. Anything that's left over, employees put in plastic cartons and sell for half price the next day.

"We want to create an experience for every customer, and to provide the freshest and the best," Popov said. "Nowadays, that it's a long-gone skill to do food right and to do it fresh."

State Rep. Barbara Favola (D-Ballston) joined local business leaders on Thursday to welcome the new business to the neighborhood.

"My first thought when I walked in here was you're really trying to build community by having a place where people can comfortably come, take their time, and enjoy your wonderful homemade food," she said.

Kate Bates, president of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce presented Popov and Tennant with a plaque that signified their business' status as members of the chamber.

"We are thrilled to be welcoming them to Arlington and as Ballston's newest cafe. It's not a new concept, but it's new to Arlington," she said.

Roggenart Bakery Bistro and Café, which is located at 4401 Wilson Blvd., is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.