New sports bar plans to open on GMU campus in Va. Square

A sports bar with three locations around the state’s capital is planning to make the trip up I-95.

Richmond-based Wood & Iron is expected to open up in Virginia Square next year, on the ground level of a new mixed-use building planned for George Mason University’s Arlington campus.

“I lived in NoVA and Arlington for five years after college and loved it,” co-owner Steve Rogge told ARLnow. “It’s always been a goal of ours to open a restaurant there and we had an opportunity at The Fuse so we decided it was the right time and fit for us.”

Fuse at Mason Square , a nine-story building, has a targeted “substantial completion date” of May 2025, with the restaurant expecting to begin serving diners later that year.

“We should be able to get into the building soon,” Rogge said. “We are currently finalizing design and engineering for our space. It’s a brand new building so we will be doing a full build-out from scratch.”

Wood & Iron offers classic bar favorites, with dishes including jumbo pretzels, smoked jalape ñ o poppers, burgers and wings with almost a dozen different sauces.

The spiciest wing sauce, “Waiver Wire Fire,” requires a customer’s signature for the restaurant to serve it.

Rogge aims for a “fun, exciting environment” that matches “the vibe currently going on in Arlington.”

“It’s not as heavy on the traditional sports bar theme as you would expect,” Rogge said. “While we will have a great view of TVs from every seat and it will be the perfect place to cheer on your team, we pride ourselves on being a restaurant that caters to everyone even when a game’s not on.”

Rogge plans to open the restaurant for lunch and dinner during weekdays, with extended weekend hours including brunch and a 2 a.m. closing time.

“It will be exciting to see it all come together,” Rogge said. “The building itself has an incredible design so we are looking forward to building off of and being a part of that.”