Middle Eastern restaurant Tawle to open at Mosaic District this summer

A buzzy restaurant team from D.C. will open a new Middle Eastern eatery at the Mosaic District in Merrifield this summer.

As the Washingtonian first reported yesterday (Tuesday), Tawle comes from Rose Previte and Mike Schuster, who own Compass Rose and Maydān. The former offers food from around the world, while the latter has drawn praise for its Middle Eastern cuisine and wood-fired grill.

The Mosaic District restaurant will be the pair’s first venture into Virginia, a Maydan spokesperson confirmed.

“We’re excited to join the Northern Virginia community, an area where many of our guests live and now work as well,” Previte said in a statement. “Bringing Tawle to their backyard and the opportunity to reach new guests was an opportunity that drew us to this project.”

The concept for Tawle, which comes from the Arabic word for “table,” was first revealed in September, when plans for a location in a new food hall at International Square in downtown D.C. were announced.

However, the Mosaic restaurant is expected to open first. It is envisioned as a casual spot with family-style meals, prix-fixe menus, and à la carte dishes available for dining in, takeout, and delivery. The venue will include a bar with cocktails, beer, and wine.

Tawle’s executive chef will be Omar Hegazi, whose resume includes stints as head chef of the New York-based Egyptian fast-casual restaurant Zooba and as sous chef at Bourbon Steak in D.C.’s Four Seasons hotel.

The new restaurant will move into the space at currently occupied by Jinya Ramen Bar (2911 District Avenue, Suite 140), but a manager at Jinya’s Mosaic location told Tysons Reporter that the noodle soup eatery isn’t closing.

Instead, it will just be moving a couple of doors down to a larger corner site, presumably Suite 170, which has been vacant since Cyclone Anaya’s Mexican Kitchen shuttered in 2019.

The Jinya manager says there is no definitive date yet for when the relocation will occur.

Fairfax County processed an application from Tawle for an interior renovations permit on Dec. 28, according to county records.