Look for New Del Ray Restaurant to Open in May

IMAGE: Logo for Junction Bakery & Bistro

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ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Look for a May opening for Junction Bakery & Bistro, according to Lauren Belisle of Brightline Strategies.The new restaurant will open in a space formerly occupied by a much-loved Del Ray institution, Mancini’s Cafe + Bakery.

Belisle, speaking at a Visit Alexandria marketing forum Thursday morning, said the new Del Ray restaurant will offer an American bistro menu in the front half of the building, and will be open for breakfast (look for fresh pressed juice), lunch and dinner.

A wholesale bakery will be located in the back of the building, which is located at 1508 Mt. Vernon Ave. in Del Ray (see map below).

The names behind the new restaurant: Noe Landini and Nathan Hatfield. Landini is also behind Landini Brothers, Fish Market and Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream in Old Town Alexandria. Cory Fey, who works at another Landini property, Bar Deco, will share chef duties with Landini, according to Northern Virginia magazine. Fey attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before gracing the kitchens of the Ritz Carlton Chicago and Redstone Grill. His journey with food continued after moving to Lima, Peru to explore the tastes of Peruvian cuisine. In 2008, he was hired as the Executive Chef at the Fish Market in Old Town Alexandria where he worked for 6 years.

Hatfield is a baker with a background at the award-winning Restaurant Eve, its cousin Society Fair and at Le Diplomate.

Look for a retro vibe with influences from Del Ray’s past in the design of the new restaurant. During recent renovations, a tin ceiling was discovered from the 1950s, Belisle said, from when the building served as a grocery store. The name of the restaurant is a nod to its roots when it was a stop for hungry Potomac Yard railroad workers. Look for railroad influences in the design of the new restaurant. “We’ll use a lot of the styles and architectural finishes from the old railroad family homes and bungalows in Del Ray,” Landini explained to Northern Virginia magazine recently. Old railroad denim with a custom pattern will likely cover the banquettes, he told the magazine.

The most recent occupant of the building was Barbara Mancini, who operated Mancini’s Cafe & Bakery for 20 years at the space. Mancini said she decided to retire and plans to be a customer at the new restaurant when it opens.

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