Tysons may not have the liveliest nightlife at the moment, but that could soon change as more late-night restaurants and places to hang out open. “Tysons After Dark” will highlight a different spot every week.

The new Whole Foods in The Boro has caught the attention of people looking for happy hour deals after work with its brand new bar High Point.

Located on the top floor inside Whole Foods, the bar offers guests 16 regional beers and ciders along with a variety of cocktails and wine. People can enjoy their drinks at the bar, anywhere throughout the store while they shop or while they play shuffleboard and various arcade games like pinball.

High Point also offers happy hour deals Monday through Thursday, including $1 off ceratin pours. For those who don’t want to commit to a full drink, the bar also offers sample size tasters for $3 — all day, every day.

Last Friday night, Tysons Reporter decided to enjoy a 16-ounce pumpkin favored Wild Hare Hard Cider from Leesburg, which cost $7, while people-watching.

By 5 p.m. the bar was getting busy and seats were scarce. Young professionals in their mid-20s’ to early-40s’ enjoyed the hangout spot.

Tysons residents Tim McCall and Miguel Barrios told Tysons Reporter that the new Whole Foods is two blocks from their apartment, so they decided to try it out as a pregame spot before they went for a night out in D.C.

“This is going to make us sound old, but it seems like a quiet place for a drink,” McCall said.

Around five different bartenders assisted customers throughout the evening, each staying busy and serving customers in rapid succession. For those who don’t want to wait for a drink at the bar, the self-serve wine and beer stations were a popular option, even though they had a narrower selection.

ESPN was playing on the flat-screen TVs scattered throughout the area for all of the sports fans.

By 5:30 p.m. there was only standing-room at the bar, and different groups were sharing nearby tables. Things began to get rowdy as people raised their voices to compete with the conversations going on around them. Laughter echoed around the room and people seemed eager to kick off their weekend. 

A bartender told Tysons Reporter that business has been extremely steady all week and the spot is pretty popular, especially around lunchtime. 

The energy in the room stayed pretty consistent until 8 p.m. Then things began to slow down, and people went about their evening.

High Point is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Tysons may not have the liveliest nightlife at the moment, but that could soon change as more late-night restaurants and places to hang out open. “Tysons After Dark” will highlight a different spot every week.

As mocktails become increasingly popular around the country, diners and happy hour-goers can enjoy alcohol-free cocktails at Tysons-area restaurants.

According to CNBC, fewer Americans are drinking alcohol. In 2018, alcohol consumption fell by 1.6% across the globe. To meet the growing demand for alcohol alternatives, many restaurants are adding mocktails to their menus so they can cater to “sober-curious” customers.

Tysons Reporter compiled a list of local places now offering booze-free adult beverages.

• True Food Kitchen (2910 District Avenue Suite 170): The Mosaic District spot offers a variety of mocktail-type drinks that offer guests refreshing beverages without the ABV. Their drinks range from $4-$7.50 and include mixed teas, fruit juices kombucha, herbal essences and soda waters. For example, the “Original Ginger” — or the “O.G.” — drink includes lime, honey and bubbly water. Another option for guests is the “Hangover RX,” which includes pineapple, orange, honey and coconut water.
• American Tandoor (7943B Tysons Corner Center): Staff at the Tysons Center Corner location on the first level offer guests eight different mocktail options, including flavored sodas and a blackberry or mango lassi.
• Earls Kitchen (7902 Tysons One Place): Located on The Plaza by the mall, Earls Kitchen has six non-alcoholic drinks. One of the first options on the menu is the “Calamansi Caipirinha,” which includes Calamansi, pomegranate, green tea and fresh lime juice. Prices range from $4-5.
• La Sandia (7852 Tysons Corner Center): Diners have a choice of seasonal mocktail or other traditional Mexican non-alcoholic drinks such as Horchata at the Mexican restaurant.
• ENTYSE (1700 Tysons Blvd): The wine bar and lounge at the Ritz-Carlton serves up seasonal mocktails. The menu currently features the “Pretty in Peach” with peach nectar, raspberry, blackberry shrub and lemon; the “Tire Swing” with strawberry, mint, lemon and club soda; and the “Kernel of Truth” with ginger, pomegranate shrub, lime and Himalayan salt. Prices range from $14-$16.
• Founding Farmers (1800 Tysons Blvd): The farmhouse-inspired restaurant offers an alcohol-free drink called “Today’s Rickey” that is made with lime juice, jerk soda and the syrup of the day for $5.50. (The raspberry version is apparently popular.) Diners can also find cold-press juices and sodas made from scratch on the menu.

Photo via True Food Kitchen/Facebook

Anyone in Tysons missing the old O’Malley’s Pub at the DoubleTree Hilton in Tysons might be pleased to go back and find a new bar in its place.

The new “Tysons Social Tavern” at 1960 Chain Bridge Road opened last Friday (April 5). So far, manager Joanna White said the business has mostly been driven by hotel guests, but as the bar and restaurant gets its footing it will start reaching out to the community at large.

White said that while O’Malley’s Pub was popular, when the rest of the DoubleTree was renovated to become a more full-service hotel they were left with a pub that still very much had a late-20th-century vibe.

“We wanted to keep the tavern feel but update it,” White said.

The restaurant offers a range of bar staples, from sandwiches like Reubens and Philly cheesesteaks to meals-to-share, like wings or pizzas. So far, White said the local favorite has been the tavern’s rockfish.

The bar also offers an array of local craft beers, like several selections from Alexandria’s Port City Brewery.

While local nightlife and bar options can still be scarce, Tysons Social Tavern is part of a growing trend of more locally-oriented watering holes to cater to the residential and working communities around Tysons, as opposed to chain restaurants mostly serving mall-goers.

On May 1, White said Tysons Social Tavern is planning to start its Grubhub service to deliver food around the region, which she said will hopefully help boost its profile in the local community.

(Updated 9:30 a.m.) Bars in Virginia can now legally advertise their happy hour specials, so here’s a look at what some of the local bars have to offer.

The law had previously allowed bars to advertise the hours but not the prices, but a lawsuit from Chef Geoff’s in Tysons led to the state legislature to amend the law.

So in honor of Chef Geoff’s success, here are some of the happy hours around Tysons:

• Chef Geoff’s Tysons (8045 Leesburg Pike): Wednesday-Sunday from 3-7 p.m. and all day Monday and Tuesday until 9 p.m. The happy hour specials include $7 wines, $8 cocktails, and $1 off all draft beers. In addition to discounted bar snacks, all pizzas are $4 and burgers are half priced.
• Paddy Barry’s (8150 Leesburg Pike): Monday-Friday from 3-7 p.m. Domestic beers are discounted by $2, with $3 off all appetizers. House red and white wines are $5.
• BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse (8027 Leesburg Pike): Monday-Friday from 3-7 p.m. and from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Specials vary by day.
• Eddie V’s (7900 Tysons One Place): Monday-Sunday from 4-7 p.m. Cocktails and wine glasses are $8 and there are discounts on oysters and other small seafood dishes.
• La Sandia (7852 Tysons Corner Center): Sunday-Friday from 4-9 p.m. Margaritas are available normal or frozen from $5 to $7. Tacos are three for $8 and a sampler platter of guacamole, quesadilla, wings, taquitos and Mexican corn is available for $15.
• Gordon Biersch (7861 Tysons Corner Center): Sunday-Friday from 3-6:30 p.m. All beers, wines and cocktails are $2 off.
• Earls Kitchen and Bar (7902 Tysons One Place): Every day from 3-6 p.m. and Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 p.m.-closing. Most food is discounted and drink discounts vary by day.
• Wildfire (Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Dr): Weekdays from 3-6 p.m. Staff at the restaurant said the restaurant offers half-price appetizers, $7 cocktails and “a couple dollars off” wines and beers.
• ENTYSE Wine Bar and Lounge (Tysons Galleria/Ritz Carlton, 1700 Tysons Blvd): Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. Drinks and fries are $5, with a flight of rare wines available for $55.
• Greenhouse Bistro (2070 Chain Bridge Road): Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m. Cocktails, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio for $6. Sangria and draught beers are $5. Appetizers, pizzas and fries range from $5-10.
• Xtreme Wings and Bar (8119 Watson St): Monday-Friday from 3-7 p.m. Staff said all beer and food is 15 percent off the regular price.
• Ten Penh (7900 Westpark): Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m. A variety of beers, wines, cocktails and snacks are $5.

The Tysons Biergarten also offers a happy hour on weekdays from 3-9 p.m. but the payment system operates differently. Friday happy hours are 3-9 p.m. with a Tyson’s Lager and Eggenberg Pilsner, in addition to a 5-9 p.m. happy hour on all American draft beers, all for $5. On Monday’s, the bar features $2 Lionshead all day. On Sunday’s, it’s $5 Tyson’s Lager from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Photo via Facebook