A Huge Tysons Food Hall Reopens With New Vendors for Empanadas, Crab Fries, and Ghanaian Eats

Urbanspace, the food hall at glitzy shopping mall Tysons Galleria, will officially reopen for the first time in two years on Tuesday, March 22.

Two long-standing concepts, Andy’s Pizza and Donburi, have served through the pandemic, dishing up New York-style slices and Japanese rice bowls, respectively. The restaurants, both of which have flagships in DC, will be joined by four new concepts—with more to come.

Longtime farmers market favorite Empanadas de Mendoza—which has already won a fan in Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera—is currently open and serving hand-made Argentinian empanadas. Husband-and-wife duo Gabriela and Tyler Steelman bake or fry the pastries, stuffed with spicy beef, honey-barbecue pork, pineapple chicken, and more. Meanwhile former food truck London Chippy is also open with a brick-and-mortar stall for chef Anthony Robinson’s freshly fried fish n’ chips, crabcake sandwiches, and crabby fries. 

All-day cafe Twelve Twenty Coffee will open in the morning for coffee drinks like maple lattes and serve grab-and-go lunch items such as chicken-salad sandwiches. Founder Victoria Smith—previously a manager of the food hall—will also offer free “caffeinated yoga” classes on Saturday in a nearby lounge through March.

DC native Candice Mensah will bring a taste of her family’s Ghanaian roots with the debut of Hedzole. The West African eatery, which has also toured around farmers markets, will serve dishes like “red red,” a chili-like dish of black-eyed peas and sweet plantains. Look for pop-up dates—weekends-only through June—to be announced. Also coming soon: Hei Hei Tiger, a Chinese barbecue and bar concept from the owners of Tiger Fork in Shaw. It briefly opened at Urbanspace for a month before closing due to Covid. 

This is a ‘third time’s the charm’ moment for the 41,000 square-foot food hall, which has been plagued with controversy since its inception in 2018 as Mike Isabella’s ill-fated, short-lived emporium. It reopened shortly after as Taste of Urbanspace, only to be hit with a lawsuit by a former real estate broker. New vendors and a positive Washington Post review helped moved things along in 2019 until the pandemic began, forcing many vendors to close.

Urbanspace. Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Dr. (third floor), McLean

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.