La’Baik Opens, First Thursday Returns As Spring Blooms In Del Ray

UPDATE: First Thursday has been rescheduled to Thursday, April 11.

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The spring season is blossoming in the Del Ray neighborhood with the introduction of a new business and the return of street festivals.

The Del Ray Business Association held a ribbon cutting Saturday for La’Baik, a new Mediterranean restaurant, 2309 Mt Vernon Avenue. Owned by the Abdel-Hay family, the restaurant serves gyros, chicken, falafel, pita pockets, flatbread pizza and wraps.

The location was previously home to Stomping Ground, which briefly transitioned to Rubia's Tacos under the same owner. For more information on La'Baik, visit tastelabaik.com.

Del Ray residents can visit La'Baik and other locally-owned restaurants during the returning First Thursday street festivals. The first event of the year is Thursday, April 11 along Mount Vernon Avenue from 6 p.m. to dusk. Each month features a different theme, and April's theme is "Del Ray in Bloom" in celebration of National Gardening Month.

The event will have themed activities, including children's gardening activities; an "Ask the Expert" booth with the Arlington Master Gardeners, an air plant and succulents demonstration with Amy Eggers, a neighborhood plant and bulb swap, and pop-up market with local artisans and entrepreneurs in front of Magpie Reclamations in the 2200 block of Mount Vernon Avenue.

The event is free to attend. Attendees are asked to bring individually-wrapped children’s snacks and juice boxes for the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys & Girls Club at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square, Mount Vernon and Oxford Avenues.

Here is the full 2024 schedule for First Thursdays in Del Ray:

• April 4: Del Ray in Bloom!
• May 2: Dog Days in Del Ray
• June 6: Jump Into Summer
• July 11: Red, White, and Blue
• Aug. 1: Del Ray O-lympics
• Sept. 5: Saddle Up

The next major event aside from First Thursday will be the second annual Del Ray Dog Fest on April 14.