Wilmington restaurant/meeting space will join Sardella Mediterranean Cantina
The new Avenue North community in Fairfax is getting another restaurant. Developer Delle Donne & Associates recently announced that The Blackwall Barn & Lodge would open a 12,000-square-foot restaurant and meeting facility on the 80-acre mixed-use campus, formerly AstraZeneca’s property.
The 400-seat restaurant, which will have a private room for up to 150, should open in fall 2025.
“This is our first Titan Hospitality concept in Delaware, and we are excited to join Avenue North and bring an upscale dining restaurant and private event space to Wilmington’s growing and thriving community,” said James King, founder and CEO of the hospitality company.
Ernest Delle Donne, chairman of Delle Donne & Associates, said the meeting space will be an asset.
“You can imagine what a great amenity this will be to all the office users not only on our site but also in the immediate area,” he explained. “We have over 14,000 employees in that quadrant.”
Those businesses include JPMorganChase , Nemours Children’s Health , AstraZeneca , Solenis and ChristianaCare .
In Good Company
Avenue North already includes a Brew HaHa! In July, well-known chef Robert Lhulier signed the lease for Sardella Mediterranean Cantina.
The 3,000-square-foot Sardella will be on one side of the building, and The Blackwall Barn & Lodge will be on the other.
Presently, The Blackwall Barn has locations in Gambrills and Columbia, Maryland. The concept is devoted to seasonal foods. “We are passionate about bringing our customers local and fresh ingredients within a 100-mile radius,” King said.
Like the other locations, the Wilmington site’s menu will sport categories for soups, salads, artisan pizzas, handhelds, entrees, vegan and gluten-free options and a kids’ menu.
Crab cakes, Maryland crab soup, cheesy grits and crab dip flambeed tableside bring a Chesapeake Bay flavor to the offerings. However, the menu casts a wide net. Consider mahi tacos, prime rib, pasta and burgers.
If the name Blackwall sounds familiar, you might be thinking of Blackwall Hitch in Rehoboth Beach. That restaurant, rebranded Blackwall at the Beach , is not part of the Titan group. However, the hospitality group does own Blackwall Hitch locations in Alexandria and Annapolis.
Moving Forward
For every lease signed, Delle Donne said his company has said no to six to eight prospective businesses.
“We want to find the right tenants, the right clientele—the ones that will provide the best services for our community, whether it’s the residential or office component.”
Delle Donne polled existing businesses for ideas, and he hints that a high-end grocery store might be in the mix.
With the new 12-story office tower complete, Delle Donne can proceed with the construction and fit out of the retail/restaurant spaces and the more than 350 apartments.
He said that when hundreds of 900-pound glass panes were in play, it was too dangerous to work under the tower’s shadow.
Delle Donne & Associates will retain ownership of the apartments, which have a 10-year fixed rent. Millennials working nearby and retirees have expressed interest.
More new stores and restaurants will be announced shortly.
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