Restaurants

The downtown bar is emerging from a nearly four-year slumber with a new twist on its old concept. 

After a few years away from the seafood industry, David Whitby is casting out yet again, this time in western Henrico. 

“As a bartender, this is what you kind of like always dream of: having a place of your own, and I’m making that a reality,” said owner Katie Jarvis. “It’s crazy but I’m very excited.”

The Lombardy Street building had been home to Bogart’s, Balliceaux and others, and was supposed to be the site for the new Sprezza Italian restaurant.

Lindsey Food Group also has signed a lease for the former Grimaldi’s space in the mall, giving it three restaurants in the works at the mall’s entrance near H&M.

“It’s a great concept and it’s doing great in the Fan,” said RRG’s Michelle Williams. “We’re just older and moving away from any business that has a drinking-focus and a post-dinner element to it.

Kline’s Dairy Bar, which has locations in the Shenandoah Valley and Lynchburg, recently bought an outparcel at Cosby Village Square, where it plans to open a new-construction store next summer.

After forging a following from behind a deli counter in Scott’s Addition, Mahmoud Farah is looking to turn his shawarma spot into a proper restaurant.

The closure comes just months after The Circuit’s owner sold its building to a local developer. The Circuit was among the first trendy, entertainment-focused bars to arrive in Scott’s Addition.

“I wanted the customer to tell me, ‘Man, that’s not just a Philly. That’s a bad-ass Philly,” founder Mohamed Salama said of the origins of the restaurant’s name.