PHOTO TOUR: Take a Sneak Peek Here of New Wegmans Opening Sunday

PHOTOS: The new Wegmans store at Hilltop Village. For the entire photo gallery, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

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The new Wegmans at Hilltop Village Center opens its doors Sunday at 7 a.m.

On Wednesday morning, the store was buzzing with employees making preparations for the big day. Patch got a sneak peek of the 126,000-square foot store, located at Telegraph Road and Beulah Street, including a stop at The Pub.

The Pub is a full-service restaurant within the Market Cafe, the first casual dining restaurant at a Wegmans in Virginia. It features a bar, plus seating for more than 80. Beverages, including local craft brews and signature cocktails, are served and chefs prepare dishes to order.

Store Manager Mike Dempsey stopped to say hello (he’s been with the company since starting as a part-time employee in 1994) and Executive Chef Joe McCarthy, who presides over the culinary creations at the Alexandria store, showed off The Pub.

From the menu, we tried the Thai-Inspired Chicken Salad, mixed-greens tossed in Thai peanut sauce with rice noodles, spiced chicken, carrot, cabbage, cilantro, roasted peanuts, edamame, lime, noodle crispies and more. (The chef will share the recipe from anything on the menu and you can buy the ingredients at the store.)

The Pub menu features sandwiches (Pub Steak Sandwich, Cubano Sandwich, Fish Tacos and more) and entrees such as Slow-Roasted Prime Rib and Macaroni & Cheese with Lobster. Hours of The Pub will be from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The overall Market Cafe features The Buzz coffee shop, Soup Station, Pizza Shop, Sub Shop, Organic Salad Bar, Sushi, Veggie Bar, Homestyle Bar, Chef’s Case, Asian Bar and more.

When you walk into Wegmans from the front entrance, the first thing you will see is the produce department, where you’ll find hundreds of different conventional and organic fruits and vegetables, plus a Fresh Cut Fruit and Veggie stand.

Some of our favorite parts of the tour:

• Craft Your Own Six Packs (take home and try six different beers -- the store features more than 700 varieties.
• Trail Mix Bar in the Bulk Foods Section (which also includes a large variety of candy)
• Family Pack: This is an opportunity to buy a lot of something at a discounted price (30 percent or more compared to regular size)
• Regional items from surrounding breweries, farms and dairies.
• Outdoor patio seating
• The Pub
• The Fine Wine Room (the most expensive item? A $1,500 bottle of 2009 Chateau Margaux)

Regular hours will be 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.