Jay Bayer (left) and Adam Stull in the future Morty’s space. (Mike Platania photos)
A new restaurant is heading to Brookland Park, courtesy of two local industry vets.
Morty’s Market & Deli is preparing to open at 305 W. Brookland Park Blvd.
The new sandwich shop is from Jay Bayer and Adam Stull of Bingo Beer Co. Bayer co-owns Bingo and also previously owned Jackson Ward restaurant Saison, while Stull is a longtime Bingo employee and co-owns Cambodian concept Royal Pig, which is now a pop-up but previously operated in the now-closed Hatch Local food hall in Manchester.
Bayer said he keeps a list of restaurant ideas in a notepad and Morty’s was among them. When he and Stull came across the Brookland Park space, they jumped on it.
He said Morty’s will be a sandwich shop where everything is served on house-made focaccia bread. The restaurant isn’t named for anyone named Morty, but rather it’s a nickname for mortadella, a type of Italian cold-cut.
Bayer said Morty’s sandwiches will be Italian-, Balkan- and Central European-influenced, but that they’re not going to adhere to strict culinary traditions.
“We’re not trying to, like, exactly honor tradition from anybody. We’re just trying to make delicious things,” he said.
The building was most recently home to Brookland Park Kitchen.
Outside of sandwiches, Bayer said Morty’s will also offer some small plates as well as grab-and-go items like house-made sauces, spreads and salads.
It’ll include a bar and seating for about 30. Bayer said Morty’s is planned to have a solid wine selection as well as cocktails that he said will focus on “well-executed classics, with slight twists on them,” aligning with his overall philosophy at his restaurants.
“A thing that I think is pretty consistent in my approach to hospitality is accessibility,” Bayer said. “I think things in Saison were executed at a very high end, but the space was always a spot where you could come in (and get something) how you want it. And obviously Bingo’s focus is on approachable beer.”
Bayer and Stull recently leased the roughly 2,100-square-foot Brookland Park space, which has housed a few concepts in recent years. Brookland Park Market, another restaurant-market combo, opened there in 2020 before brothers Sean and Pat Lynch converted it to a sit-down restaurant a year later. They sold the business in 2023 to operators out of the Hampton Roads area who reopened it as Brookland Park Kitchen, which closed late last year.
The building’s recent life as a restaurant has given Bayer and Stull a lighter buildout to get Morty’s open.
“We’re talking primarily cosmetic things to make the space brighter and lighter,” Bayer said, adding that they’re hoping to have it open in late April.
The building is owned by local investor Charles Widmer of DaySpring Ventures. Thalhimer’s Danielle Beckstoffer and Katie Siegel represented Widmer in the Morty’s lease negotiations. Sperity Real Estate Ventures’ Nathan Hughes represented Morty’s.
Another sandwich shop focused on fresh-baked bread is in the works in Church Hill, as Liberty Public House’s Alexa Schuett and Austin Curtis are turning the old 8½ on East Marshall Street into Chimbo Sandwich Shoppe.
Jay Bayer (left) and Adam Stull in the future Morty’s space. (Mike Platania photos)
A new restaurant is heading to Brookland Park, courtesy of two local industry vets.
Morty’s Market & Deli is preparing to open at 305 W. Brookland Park Blvd.
The new sandwich shop is from Jay Bayer and Adam Stull of Bingo Beer Co. Bayer co-owns Bingo and also previously owned Jackson Ward restaurant Saison, while Stull is a longtime Bingo employee and co-owns Cambodian concept Royal Pig, which is now a pop-up but previously operated in the now-closed Hatch Local food hall in Manchester.
Bayer said he keeps a list of restaurant ideas in a notepad and Morty’s was among them. When he and Stull came across the Brookland Park space, they jumped on it.
He said Morty’s will be a sandwich shop where everything is served on house-made focaccia bread. The restaurant isn’t named for anyone named Morty, but rather it’s a nickname for mortadella, a type of Italian cold-cut.
Bayer said Morty’s sandwiches will be Italian-, Balkan- and Central European-influenced, but that they’re not going to adhere to strict culinary traditions.
“We’re not trying to, like, exactly honor tradition from anybody. We’re just trying to make delicious things,” he said.
The building was most recently home to Brookland Park Kitchen.
Outside of sandwiches, Bayer said Morty’s will also offer some small plates as well as grab-and-go items like house-made sauces, spreads and salads.
It’ll include a bar and seating for about 30. Bayer said Morty’s is planned to have a solid wine selection as well as cocktails that he said will focus on “well-executed classics, with slight twists on them,” aligning with his overall philosophy at his restaurants.
“A thing that I think is pretty consistent in my approach to hospitality is accessibility,” Bayer said. “I think things in Saison were executed at a very high end, but the space was always a spot where you could come in (and get something) how you want it. And obviously Bingo’s focus is on approachable beer.”
Bayer and Stull recently leased the roughly 2,100-square-foot Brookland Park space, which has housed a few concepts in recent years. Brookland Park Market, another restaurant-market combo, opened there in 2020 before brothers Sean and Pat Lynch converted it to a sit-down restaurant a year later. They sold the business in 2023 to operators out of the Hampton Roads area who reopened it as Brookland Park Kitchen, which closed late last year.
The building’s recent life as a restaurant has given Bayer and Stull a lighter buildout to get Morty’s open.
“We’re talking primarily cosmetic things to make the space brighter and lighter,” Bayer said, adding that they’re hoping to have it open in late April.
The building is owned by local investor Charles Widmer of DaySpring Ventures. Thalhimer’s Danielle Beckstoffer and Katie Siegel represented Widmer in the Morty’s lease negotiations. Sperity Real Estate Ventures’ Nathan Hughes represented Morty’s.
Another sandwich shop focused on fresh-baked bread is in the works in Church Hill, as Liberty Public House’s Alexa Schuett and Austin Curtis are turning the old 8½ on East Marshall Street into Chimbo Sandwich Shoppe.
Glad that they are moving into Brookland Parkway. The whole area has great architecture and great potential. Hopefully, more businesses will move in in 2025.
Well business need to study their MARKET. Brookland Park (and neighboring HP) are MUCH less dense than the Fan or Church Hill. These are the first large lot subdivisions of RVA and density (in terms of homes per acre and persons per acre) is not that high. Factor in the smaller number of residents per home we have today and it is no wonder business on BPB do not last long especially if they are going to count on local neighbors for the majority of their revenue. Just not sure $15 sandwiches and $25 bottles of wine are going to… Read more »
This is the only business on BPB that hasn’t stuck around, and that’s entirely due to poor management. Meanwhile, other businesses on BPB are thriving and expanding—ScrapRVA and Ruby Scoops just moved into larger, brand-new spaces, and Smokey Mug is relocating to the corner of North Ave in a renovated building. While the area isn’t as dense as Church Hill, it actually serves a much larger surrounding area. Most of Northside, aside from Bellevue (due to MacArthur Ave), considers BPB local—places like Laburnum Park, Washington Park, Ginter Park, Battery Park, Brookland Park, Barton Heights, Green Park, and North and South… Read more »
Michael, when is the last time you spent significant time in Brookland park? It’s thriving and that area sees more and more foot and vehicle traffic now. This spot will do well.
I have tried but we find irregular hours (burger place closed at 7pm on a Tuesday when open until 10pm), inconsistent quality (from the new fry place over Christmas break), and many places you see the reviews, you wait a few months for new place kinks to get out, and they are closed when you finally say lets try it. I questioned when the brothers started up about Can-Can and was told between their culinary experience and years at Can-Can the Market would thrive and I was wrong too. It did not make it a year.
Wish them the best of luck. This spot deserves to become a neighborhood staple, walkable to so many.
It’s great to see that the space was leased so quickly after the old business closed. The location definitely has a lot of potential, though it seemed like the previous owners lacked the experience needed to make it work.
I’m excited to hear that experienced restaurant industry professionals are taking over with what sounds like a fantastic concept!
Congratulations! Best of luck, Can’t wait t o try it out.
I do hope they have better luck on than the other two restaurants thar opened and closed there. It’s a great space – cozy and inviting. The BPKs prices were a bit steep for the neighborhood, but the owners were really nice. I did wonder how sustainable it was form them to live in the Norfolk area and commute to RVA to run their business. It’s great these guys are local and have a great successful track record.