Two things are happening on Mount Vernon Avenue at the same time this summer, and residents who have lived through a decade of Del Ray Aprils will feel the difference before they can name it. First Thursday is being run by a new organization for the first time in nearly thirty years. And the block between the 1500s and the 2000s is being rebuilt in real time, with one restaurant reopening under a new name, one opening from scratch, and one still waiting for a final inspection.
If you already live here, you don't need a primer on Pat Miller Neighborhood Square or the Saturday farmers' market. You need a map of what actually changed while you were out of town in June.
The Handoff Nobody Announced Loudly
The Del Ray Business Association founded First Thursday and produced it for almost three decades. This year, the Del Ray Citizens Association took over. The Citizens Association has taken over organizing duties from the Del Ray Business Association, which founded and produced First Thursday for nearly three decades.
That is a bigger structural change than the marketing suggests. A merchants' association runs a street festival to drive foot traffic into member storefronts. A neighborhood civic association runs it to strengthen the neighborhood. The programming reflects the shift. May 7's theme was "It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," sponsored by Alexandria Hyundai; June 4 was "Field Day," sponsored by the Del Ray Farmers Market; July 2 was "America 250," sponsored by The Jen Walker Team, all running from 5 to 8 p.m. and free to attend.
"The Del Ray Business Association is very excited that the Del Ray Citizens Association is continuing this long-time community tradition," said Lauren Fisher, president of the Business Association.
The August theme has not been posted at the time of writing. If you have been treating First Thursday as a fixed part of the summer, this is the year to check the calendar the week of, not the month of.
Three Rooms That Changed Between April and July
The restaurant story on the Avenue this summer is not a list of openings. It is a set of transitions, and the geography matters. Everything below sits within a five-minute walk of the Pat Miller square.
| Address | Was | Is Now | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1504B Mount Vernon Ave | Benny DiForza's | Little Birdie | Opened June 2026 |
| 2003 Mount Vernon Ave | Vacant | Crooked Run Fermentation (Del Ray) | Building permit issued; opening "pretty imminent" |
| Del Ray Pizzeria's building (1908 structure) | Del Ray Pizzeria | Del Ray Public House | Rebranded March 2026 |
Little Birdie sits directly across the street from Matt & Tony's. The new restaurant occupies the former Benny DiForza's space at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue, directly across the street from Matt & Tony's, which opened in 2022 and quickly became one of Del Ray's most popular dining destinations, and recognized by Yelp in their Top 100. The same team runs both, but the concepts are distinct. Brannon told ALXnow that Little Birdie will focus on chicken sandwiches made with Pennsylvania-sourced chicken and served on Japanese milk buns, with sandwiches running $15, shared plates costing $12 to $16 and entrées in the low $20 range.
The Matt Sloan résumé is worth knowing if you don't already. Sloan is the former managing partner of Alexandria Restaurant Partners, which owns The Majestic, Mia's Italian Kitchen, Ada's on the River and a number of other concepts in Alexandria. So the Little Birdie opening is less "another new place on the Avenue" and more "the Alexandria Restaurant Partners school of operating expands its Del Ray footprint by 100 percent overnight." Matt & Tony's is currently a finalist for a 2026 RAMMY Award for Best Brunch, one of the Washington region's highest restaurant honors.
The Del Ray Public House shift is the one most residents underestimate, because the sign changed on the same building. The Facebook page announcement said: "Welcome to Del Ray Public House, the institution formerly known as Del Ray Pizzeria. We're exploring new frontiers, offering high value steaks and southwest flavors alongside the legendary pizzas and other favorites we've brought the 'hood since 2010." The menu now includes a 32-ounce Four Corners Feast for Two and Country Fried Steak on Tuesday nights. Del Ray Public House will serve Country Fried Steak dinners every Tuesday, described as "a neighborhood restaurant with a roadhouse soul and a deep love for Alexandria," according to Visit Del Ray. Same team, same building, different reasons to walk in.
The Crooked Run Question
The taproom pending at 2003 Mount Vernon Avenue is the arrival that will do the most to shift the Avenue's evening geometry, and it is worth understanding why.
The owners of Crooked Run Fermentation say they're looking at a "pretty imminent" opening date for their new Del Ray location, announcing on Instagram that they'd gotten their building permit, a major step toward opening their new location at 2003 Mount Vernon Avenue. Crooked Run, which began in Leesburg in 2013, now has locations in Sterling and in Washington, DC, producing beers, natural wines, ciders, seltzers and more fermented products.
Del Ray already has beer. Hops N Shine sits at 3410 Mount Vernon Avenue. Aslin Beer Company is a short walk off the Avenue at 847 S Pickett Street. What Del Ray does not currently have is a taproom in the 2000 block, and the 2000 block is exactly where the Avenue thins out at night between the Pat Miller square and the restaurants clustered north. Crooked Run announced a "small, but cool" menu that will showcase buttermilk chicken tenders with house-made hot honey mustard, though they promise good eats for vegetarians as well. A taproom at 2003 fills the walking gap between First Thursday at Pat Miller and dinner further up the Avenue.
A First-Thursday-Into-Second-Saturday That Only Works This Summer
Here is the practical version, in the order a resident would actually use it. This routing was not possible last July.
- 5 to 8 p.m., First Thursday at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square. Free, sponsored programming under the Citizens Association's new format. The July theme was America 250; August's is not yet announced.
- 8 p.m., dinner drift south. Little Birdie is now open at 1504B. Its hours are approachable. The proposed hours at Little Birdie are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday to Saturday.
- After dinner, a nightcap at The Garden (1503 Mt Vernon) or a set at The Birchmere at 3701 Mt Vernon. The Happy Together Tour 2026 has been at The Birchmere featuring The Association, The Troggs, Jason Scheff, Gary Puckett, The Fortunes, and more classic acts from the golden era of pop.
- Saturday morning, farmers' market at Pat Miller. Same square you were standing in two days earlier.
- Second Saturday, add the Vintage & Flea. The Del Ray Vintage & Flea Market, named the BEST flea market in the state by Domino magazine, takes place the second Saturday of every month from 9am to 2pm, with over 50 vendors at three locations along Mount Vernon Avenue. July's Second Saturday coincided with the Del Ray Artisans Summer Art Market. The 2026 Summer Art Market is on Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12, from 10am–4pm inside Del Ray Artisans gallery at 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue.
- Saturday afternoon, wander north. The 2003 block is the interesting question for the rest of the summer. When Crooked Run's doors open, this is where the routing changes.
What Stays the Same
The scaffolding of a Del Ray summer has not moved. If anything, this year's churn makes the fixtures easier to appreciate.
- The Saturday farmers' market at Pat Miller, year-round, weekly.
- The Del Ray Vintage & Flea Market, second Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Bands & Brews Summer Bar Crawl. The 6th Annual Bands & Brews Summer Bar Crawl features live music, drink specials, summer fun, and more at 15+ Del Ray restaurants, to benefit the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.
- Weekly rhythms off the calendar: trivia at The Garden and at Dive Bar Del Ray (2312 Mt Vernon Ave), a free themed wine tasting at Planet Wine Shop, 2004 Mt Vernon Ave, from 5 to 8 p.m., with 10% off bottles of the tasting wines to take home, game night at The Company of Books at 2200 Mt Vernon Ave.
- Del Ray Hardware, the 2026 Heart of Del Ray, a walkable, dog-friendly hardware and garden shop on Mount Vernon Avenue.
What is different is the density. When Crooked Run opens at 2003, the walking distance between "an event you'd choose on purpose" and "a place you'd wander into" collapses. That is the shift underneath the summer's headlines. The Citizens Association is running First Thursday because a civic group thought the tradition was worth protecting. The Alexandria Restaurant Partners lineage is doubling its presence on the same block. A Leesburg brewery is finishing out a space three blocks north. None of these decisions were coordinated, but they are all pointing at the same conclusion, which is that Mount Vernon Avenue in August 2026 will hold more of a resident's week than it did in August 2025.
If you have been planning a project on your Del Ray home this fall, or thinking about what your block is worth right now while the Avenue is having a moment, we would be glad to talk. Reach out to Corcoran McEnearney to Request a Local Market Consultation.
