Tupelo Honey's Rosslyn-area restaurant has shut down for good after 11 years, closing permanently this week at 1616 N. Troy Street once its lease ran out. The Southern-inspired spot had quietly cut back its hours just a few months before the closure, a sign of trouble that preceded the final announcement.
The restaurant closed on Monday as its lease expired, according to ARLnow. It had opened in 2015 in a space measuring nearly 6,600 square feet, with room for more than 200 guests — big enough for the restaurant's full bar and a wide-open patio, according to the outlet's original 2015 coverage of the opening. On its way out, the Rosslyn location left behind a message of thanks, saying, “We're so grateful for 10+ wonderful years of biscuits, gravy, and good company with this community.”
A Menu Built on Southern Comfort
For over a decade, the restaurant served up fried green tomatoes, chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and butter pecan cheesecake, rounding things out with beer, wine and signature cocktails. It was the kind of menu built for lingering — and with 202 seats and an inviting patio, there was plenty of room to do just that when the doors first opened in Arlington.
The closure leaves a notable gap in the region's dining scene: the Rosslyn restaurant was the only Tupelo Honey location in the D.C. area, and one of the chain's northernmost outposts on the East Coast. With it gone, the nearest remaining locations are now in Virginia Beach and Pittsburgh — a considerable drive for anyone craving the chain's Southern fare.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Closures
Tupelo Honey's Rosslyn exit isn't happening in isolation. Northern Virginia Magazine recently tallied 19 recent restaurant, winery and brewery closures across the region, and a 2025 report from ARLnow had already flagged that economic headwinds could bring a wave of Arlington restaurant closures.
The chain has faced similar lease troubles elsewhere. In Chattanooga, Tupelo Honey's Warehouse Row location — open since 2013 — closed permanently after service on Aug. 23, also because its lease was expiring and would not be renewed, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. NewsChannel 9 reported that the company is exploring the possibility of opening another Chattanooga location, though no plans are set.
Whether a similar return could be in the cards for the Rosslyn area remains an open question. For now, Arlington diners looking for a plate of chicken and waffles or butter pecan cheesecake will have to look well beyond the D.C. area to find it.
