Alexandria Restaurant Makes OpenTable 100 Best Neighborhood Gems

ALEXANDRIA, VA — An Alexandria eatery is one of five D.C. area restaurants named as OpenTable's 100 Best Neighborhood Gems in America for 2021 with outdoor dining.

OpenTable, which provides online restaurant reservations as part of Booking Holdings Inc., released its 2021 list on Sept. 9., as a way to support local restaurants recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The time to 'dine on' with safety top of mind is now," said Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, in a release. "With the proper precautions, we want people to get back to their favorite restaurants and support local businesses while enjoying the last bit of summer."

Lena's Wood-Fired Pizza + Tap on Braddock Road is the only Alexandria restaurant on the list. During the pandemic, Lena's sought to offer safe and innovative dining experiences for diners. Two of the experiences have been Lena's Oasis, outdoors on the parking deck at Yates Corner and seasonal the Loft at Lena's concepts on the restaurant's top level.

Other restaurants from around the region include:

• Ruthie's All-Day, Arlington, VA
• Bistro L'Hermitage - Woodbridge, VA
• Claire's at the Depot, Warrenton, VA
• La Piquette, Washington, DC

In compiling its list, OpenTable looked at data generated from diner reviews between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Restaurants that had a certain number of reviews and a minimum "overall" score qualified for consideration. Then, the ones with the most "neighborhood gems" and "outdoor dining" tags were chosen for the list.

More information about OpenTable's 100 Best Neighborhood Gems in America for 2021 is available online.