Fox Restaurant Concepts plans to open its North Italia concept in Reston Town Center by early 2019.
The new restaurant, which offers a contemporarily Italian model, will take up space at 11898 Freedom Drive in the Fountain One building. The space was previously occupied by Neyla Mediterranean Bistro, which closed earlier this year.
The North Italia restaurant concept is the second in the D.C.-region. The restaurant offers pizza, salads and home-made pizzas.
Boston Properties issued the following statement about the opening on Tuesday (August 14):
“We are delighted that North Italia will become part of the Reston Town Center community this winter. Their passion for handmade Italian cuisine and heartfelt customer engagement is unparalleled. They will be a compelling addition to our vibrant tenant mix,” said Stephanie Friedman, director of retail leasing at Boston Properties.
Other new tenants expected to open by next year include lululemon, Muse Paintbar, and Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls.
File photo
Neyla Mediterranean Bistro in Reston Town Center is permanently closed, according to the restaurant’s website. A store representative was not immediately available for comment.
The restaurant was located in Georgetown prior to closing in the summer of 2014. It opened on 11898 Market St. in 2015.
The menu featured mezze with baby artichokes, roasted eggplant, stuffed grape leaves, chicken shawarma slider and middle eastern kibbeh. Main dishes included flatbreads, salads, lamp chops, a mixed grill for two, falafel and more.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
New Mediterranean spot Neyla is now open for dinner at Reston Town Center.
The former Paolo’s Ristorante at 11898 Market St. underwent a huge-but-quick interior makeover the last month and has reopened with a new name and a new menu.
The Italian specialities of Paolo’s longtime kitchen are gone. In its place are skewers and Middle Eastern-inspired salads.
The 160-seat restaurant will also have expanded outdoor seating. The kitchen is under the direction of chef Eric von Gehren.
Neyla, the new Mediterranean restaurant in the former Paolo’s space at Reston Town Center, plans to open later this week, restaurant management said.
The restaurant is having a soft opening tomorrow, general manager Souheil Moussadik said. Moussadik said Neyla should be open to the public later in the week, but the exact date is not yet known pending permits and other opening-day necessities.
Paolo’s, one of the town center’s longest restaurant tenants, closed in early April. The Capital Restaurant Group, which owns both Paolo’s and Neyla, hired top D.C. restaurant designers HapstakDemetriou+ to give the space a new look.
Neyla had been located in Georgetown prior to closing last summer. Meanwhile, the Paolo’s in Georgetown will remain.
The restaurant space was given its design makeover in just three weeks, said Moussdik.
The dark wood of Paolo’s has been replaced by shades of white and cool blue, as well as new fixtures and serving pieces.
Of course, the menu has been revamped too. Neyla will serve mezze (small plates ) as well as a regular menu. The mezze list includes baby artichokes, roasted eggplant, stuffed grape leaves, chicken shwarma sliders and middle eastern kibbeh (beef dumplings), among others.
Main dishes include flatbreads, salads, lamp chops, a mixed grill for two, felafel and more.
The restaurant is still hiring, says Moussedik. Stop by  11898 Market Street for an application.
Capital Restaurant Concepts says it has hired HapstakDemetriou+, a top Washington, DC, restaurant architecture and design firm, to remodel Paolo’s Ristorante at Reston Town Center into the new Neyla Mediterranean Bistro.
“The creative and talented team of HapstakDemetriou (is) designing a casual, elegant ambience, while chef Erich von Gheren an authentic Eastern Mediterranean menu,” Neyla General Manager Souheil Moussedik, wrote on Paolo’s Facebook page on Monday.
Moussedik said he hopes Neyla will be open at Reston Town Center in early May.
Paolo’s closed last week after 24 years at Reston Town Center. The Georgetown location remains open.
The changes are part of a reworking at Capital Restaurant Concepts, which owns Paolo’s as well as other Washington-area restaurants such as J. Paul’s and Georgia Brown’s. It also owned the former Neyla, which was located in Georgetown before closing in 2014.
Some of HapstackDemetriou’s other clients include Rose’s Luxury, Brasserie Beck, Fiola Mare and Zaytinya in D.C. and Gypsy Soul in the Mosaic District.
Photo:Â Interior at Fiola Mara designed by HapstakDemetriou+/Courtesy Fiola MareÂ
