Hank's Pasta Bar Sets Grand Opening Date in Alexandria

PHOTO: Logo for Hank’s Pasta Bar, courtesy of restaurant

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ALEXANDRIA, VA -- It appears the long wait is over for one of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings in Alexandria.

Hank’s Pasta Bar has set an opening date of Thursday, Feb. 4 at noon for its grand opening and ribbon cutting, which is open to the public, according to the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. The restaurant will likely not be open for dining that day until 4 p.m., according a restaurant spokesperson. Patch will update with any new opening details as the date nears.

The new restaurant, which will feature Italian cuisine, is located at the corner of Montgomery and N. Saint Asaph streets in the Old Town North neighborhood (see map below) in Alexandria. Italian restaurant Villa d’Este closed its doors at the location, as of March 31.

The restaurant is a new endeavor for Hank’s Oyster Bar chef and owner Jamie Leeds, who plans to work her magic on pasta in Alexandria.

Restaurant guide Zagat recently came out with its list of its most anticipated restaurant openings in DC in 2016, and Hank’s Pasta Bar is on the list.

Here’s what Zagat has to say:

“This new concept from Hank’s Oyster Bar chef-owner Jamie Leeds is expected to open on the northern edge of Old Town (600 Montgomery St., Alexandria) in early January, featuring handmade pastas and seasonal, rustic Italian flavors from chef de cuisine Nicolas Flores.”

Owner Jamie Leeds also posted some tempting tidbits on her Web site about her new restaurant:

There’s nothing quite like opening a restaurant and a bar in the same month to make you appreciate your management staff. Watching Megan Coyle (who was already part of the Hank’s family) take charge as the GM of The Twisted Horn and seeing Daniel Perkal’s passion for his position as GM of Hank’s Pasta Bar have been some of the most rewarding parts of this whole process. Plus, I can hardly wait to share with you the amazing cocktails that Jessica Weinstein has come up with and it has been such a joy working with Chef Nicolas Flores to prepare Hank’s Pasta Bar’s opening menu. It’s going to be exciting to see how they all lead the restaurant and the bar to success… and we’re all going to learn a lot from each other along the way!