NEW: Planned Spanish restaurant put on hold at Capital One Center

Santi is no longer coming to Capital One Center — at least not in the immediate future.

Michelin-starred chef Pepe Moncayo, who recently opened Jiwa Singapura in Tysons Galleria, has paused plans to bring a new Spanish restaurant concept to Tysons, he confirmed through a public relations representative.

“The financial climate and the escalating costs of materials and construction made us take the decision to put a hold into the project waiting for a more favorable time to arrive,” Moncayo said in a statement to FFXnow.

Moncayo and his partners behind the Spanish-Japanese fusion restaurant Cranes in D.C. leased about 7,000 square feet in the mixed-use neighborhood around Capital One’s headquarters, the Washington Business Journal reported in March 2022.

While little was initially shared about the concept, a now-defunct website indicated that it would be called Santi and celebrate “Spanish culinary tradition.”

Capital One Center doesn’t list Santi among the current and upcoming dining options on its website, but Moncayo still “hopes to bring the restaurant to Capital One Center at a later point,” his representative said.

For now, Capital One workers and Tysons foodies can still look forward to the impending arrivals of Sisters Thai, Stellina Pizzeria, the steak-and-whiskey restaurant Ox & Rye, the Tex-Mex concept Ometeo, and Starr Hill Brewpub, an expansion of the beer garden currently operating at The Perch skypark.

While none of the eateries have determined opening dates, Ometeo is expected to launch this year, a Capital One Center spokesperson confirmed. The other businesses are all projected to get 2024 openings.

In addition to Starr Hill Biergarten, The Perch is home to the bar Rhum Roost and a line of food trucks next to the Perch Putt mini golf course. The development also has Wren, a Japanese restaurant that opened with the Watermark Hotel in 2021.

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