Fresh paint and coming-soon banners have gone up on the corner building at The Spectrum at Reston Town Center, a visible sign that Guapo's Mar y Tierra is finally taking shape in the space long occupied by Not Your Average Joe's. The new restaurant marks Reston's introduction to a brand-new concept from the local Guapo's family of restaurants, one that is distinct from the company's existing lineup.
Exterior Work Signals Progress at The Spectrum
Preliminary work is now underway at the site, with exterior painting visible on the building at The Spectrum, according to The Burn. Temporary coming-soon banners have also gone up on the building walls, giving passersby their first real glimpse that change is coming to the roughly 7,600-square-foot space. The Burn previously reported that Guapo's took over the former Not Your Average Joe's building back on May 14, setting the stage for the buildout now underway.
The image accompanying this report was provided by Jason Kazi. Reston will be the first location for the Guapo's Mar y Tierra concept, per ffxnow, which reported that the team is introducing itself to Reston with a brand-new concept called Guapo's Mar y Tierra rather than one of its existing restaurant brands.
A New Menu, a New Look, Same Hospitality
The restaurant will take over the prominent corner building at 1845 Fountain Drive, which was vacated on July 15 by Not Your Average Joe's, the outlet reported. Guapo's has said the new concept will feature a new menu and a contemporary design while staying true to the hospitality its guests know and love, per the same report. New contemporary decor is also planned for the space.
The name Mar y Tierra translates to sea and land, which, as ffxnow notes, suggests an emphasis on seafood — though the company has not confirmed specific menu items. Guapo's has said it will share more information, including what kind of food will be served and an opening timeline, as it gets closer to launch, the outlet reported.
Hiring Underway, Including an Unexpected Role
Hiring is already underway for positions at the Reston location, including dishwashers, servers, cooks, food runners and, intriguingly, pizza cooks, according to the same ffxnow report. That last role hints at menu surprises still to come, even as the broader food offerings remain unannounced.
Any buildout inside the former restaurant space would also need to clear local health requirements. New food establishments and existing ones requiring renovation or construction must obtain a Food Establishment Permit from the Fairfax County Health Department.
How Mar y Tierra Fits Into the Guapo's Family
The Guapo's name traces back to a single restaurant that has operated in Washington, D.C.'s Tenleytown neighborhood since 1990. Over the years, the full-service Guapo's Cocina & Bar brand expanded into Arlington, Fair Lakes, Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Merrifield, where it opened at Gatehouse Plaza in December 2023, per ffxnow's reporting. According to the company's own website, Guapo's Cocina & Bar now operates seven full-service locations across the region, though a separate profile from TysonsToday has put that count at eight.
Mar y Tierra is a different animal altogether. Property Collective has described it as distinct from both the full-service Cocina and Bar restaurants and the fast-casual Guapo's GO concept, which is built around 24-hour-marinated charcoal chicken and now counts four locations in the region. Guapo's GO recently opened its first Maryland restaurant in Gaithersburg, joining existing locations in Herndon, Manassas Park and Woodbridge, Virginia.
It's worth noting that the Spectrum's tenant listing once pointed to a different outcome. The Burn reported in July that the development's directory had Guapo's Cocina & Bar listed as the incoming tenant, suggesting a full-service restaurant was on the way. That has since been superseded by the company's own announcement naming the concept Guapo's Mar y Tierra, though no public explanation for the shift has been offered.
For now, Reston diners are left watching fresh paint dry and banners flutter on Fountain Drive, with the specifics of the menu, decor and opening date still to come once Guapo's is ready to share them.
