Steps above the Rosslyn Metro station is a new food hall with hopes of becoming Arlington’s favorite destination for food, drinks and fun.
Upside on Moore debuted in late March, transforming the nearly 30,000-square-foot space of former Assembly food hall with a new slew of D.C.-area based vendors including Ghostburger, Lucky Dangr and La Michoacana.
“We changed the name, we changed the look, we changed the paint, we changed the style,” CEO Nick Freshman told ARLnow. “We changed the vibe and we completely recurated all the concepts.”
After a few months in business at 1700 N. Moore Street, within easy walking distance of corporate offices for Nestlé, RTX Corporation and now CoStar Group, Freshman said the management team is “thrilled with how things are going,” and that a whole schedule of community events has been planned for this fall.
From 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, guests make use of the hall’s spacious indoor seating and outdoor patio while ordering food virtually or in-person from any of Upside on Moore’s nine vendors.
These include two original restaurants owned by Mothersauce Partners, which operates Upside on Moore and previously operated The Freshman in Crystal City.
Lili’s serves American food “with a Mediterranean twist,” and Lightning Coffee Company offers locally roasted coffee. Its name is an homage to Lightning Motor Oil Company, a historic former fueling station in Rosslyn, Freshman said.
“We like to say Rosslyn has been fueling Washingtonians for 100 years. We’re doing it now, with espresso,” Freshman said.
The kiosk offers typical coffeehouse goodies like muffins, croissants and cookies, in addition to drip coffees, espresso drinks and teas.
Across the way from D.C.-based and presidentially enjoyed Ghostburger, you’ll find Kam & 46. It’s a Hawaiian and Filipino startup restaurant featuring ahi tuna tartare nachos and plates, kalua pork and chicken adobo. The restaurant recently won a $5,000 grant for women-owned businesses by nonprofit Regarding Her.
The patio, meanwhile, has functioned as a tiki bar all season, with a selection of summery cocktails by D.C. expert sommelier and mixologist Ellie Benchimol.
Promoting all local, “DMV born-and-bred” operators was important to Freshman, an Arlington native.
“This space was a really good chance for me to lean into my community and build something here that features other businesses that are, in some cases, already operating in Arlington or in D.C.,” he said.
The hall began programming shortly after its March debut. The schedule mostly featured wine nights and giveaways in addition to a “Cinco de Moore” celebration. Most recently, it hosted a National Oyster Day celebration on Monday.
Leading Upside on Moore presented a chance for Freshman to support a community space, but also a chance to give back.
The food hall has what Freshman called a “three-prong commitment” to community service that includes partnerships with local nonprofits, Arlington Food Assistance Center and Kitchen of Purpose.
Through these partners, Upside on Moore donates meals in addition to supporting local workforce development and job training. Surplus food is also redistributed throughout the D.C. area through Goodr to minimize food waste.
Looking ahead, visitors can expect weekly trivia nights and stand-up comedy as well as Oktoberfest activities this fall.
Upside on Moore remains a workday destination — it’s closed on weekends unless there is an event planned — but Freshman hopes to add weekend service in the future. For now, he said the food hall’s main focus is “trying to get excellent at Monday through Friday” before adding Saturday and Sunday.
“Business has been great,” Freshman said. “Our vendors are happy. We’ve started really leaning into promotions and events… and the events and promotions that we have lined up for the fall are pretty killer. We’re really excited to sort of show what we can do with this space.”
