Dogwood Tavern Boasts New Menu, Renovations On the Way

By Ben Joyce

In a spot that has seen multiple ownership changes during the last decade, Dogwood Tavern is establishing itself as a long-term fixture in the heart of Falls Church. Now, a new menu and renovations will lead the popular restaurant into its sixth year of operation.

Sam Adkins, executive chef at William Jeffrey’s Tavern in Arlington, which along with Ragtime, Rhodeside Grill and Dogwood Tavern form a family of restaurants, spent the last eight months creating a new menu for Dogwood Tavern that was recently unveiled. 

Some of the items on the menu? Old Bay Honey Glazed Ribs, the Mac & Cheese Fritters, Buttermilk Fried Chicken Salad, Pimento Cheese & Fried Egg Burger, the Pork Carnitas Wrap, Honey Sriracha Wings, or our Justifiably Famous Cole Slaw. 

The Big Chimney Build-A-Burger remains a local favorite, and management is hoping the new additions bring even more recognition. Frequent nightly specials also add to Dogwood’s draw.

“There are people who only come in Tuesdays for the raw bar specials, or families that come in Sunday nights for the half-priced burgers, then wing night is Monday night, so around football season that’s really popular,” manager Tamara Powell said. “It’s definitely maintained a local, family friendly [atmosphere].”

As new development projects in Falls Church have driven up traffic in the area, the owners saw the need to expand their space.

“The owners are really good at keeping up with changes and making improvements,” Powell said. “They saw a need for the patio to get larger, and they’re going to expand the lower patio.”

Those improvements include new concrete, a permanent steel structure to provide cover from inclement weather, new tables, and fans to keep patrons cool in the summer. The additions to the back patio will include an open air-bar that will seat about 15 people, cocktail tables, a small stage for music, and "cooling misters."

“You can just see in the summertime when it’s nice out people want to be outside, and we’ve got to stay with the times and a lot of those changes are happening down in Arlington with rooftop [bars],” Powell said.

Dogwood has also established a repertoire of bands that perform on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.