Coffee Shop, Italian Restaurant Announced For Office-To-Residential Conversion

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Two restaurant leases will come to an office-to-residential conversion in Old Town North in Alexandria, according to developer Carr Properties.

The developer announced For Five Coffee and Grazie Nonna have signed leases on the ground floor of the 425 Montgomery redevelopment. The location is a former office building site being developed into 237 apartments.

"425 Montgomery represents a unique opportunity for Carr to contribute meaningfully to the neighborhood fabric of Old Town," said Austen Holderness, chief development officer at Carr Properties. "For Five and Grazie Nonna are two beloved concepts that will serve as exceptional amenities for our future residents while creating a new destination for our neighbors seeking a standout dining experience."

For Five Coffee is a Queens, New York-founded full-service coffee company focused on sourcing, roasting, distributing and serving artisanal coffee. The coffee shop, founded by best friends Stefanos Vouvoudakis and Tom Tsiplakos, has grown in popularity for its craft coffee paired with an artisanal bakery program and seasonal breakfast and lunch offerings. The lease for a 3,443-square-foot café at 425 Montgomery will be the brand's fourth Virginia location, which includes one by the King Street-Old Town Metro station.

"When we opened our first DMV For Five café in Alexandria with Carr Properties in 2018, we knew we were launching something extraordinary," said Vouvoudakis, the CEO and co-founder of For Five Coffee. "Now, with 12 cafés across the DC/Virginia region, we’re thrilled to deepen our roots and continue growing within the Alexandria community — while bringing a more elevated, luxury café experience to this side of the city in a way we’ve never done before."

The other new offering will be Grazie Nonna, a Washington, D.C. restaurant inspired by the cooking of an Italian "Nonna." Its flagship location had opened at Carr Properties' Midtown Center in D.C. in 2022. The restaurant specializes in New York-style pizzas, handmade pastas, and more Italian American comfort food. Its new 4,471-square-foot outpost at 425 Montgomery marks the restaurant’s first Virginia location under a 10-year lease.

"We’re excited to bring Graze Nonna to Old Town," said Casey Patten, founder of Grazie Nonna who also owns the bar Grazie Mille and sandwich shop Graze Grazie. "425 Montgomery is a perfect home for us and we look forward to providing residents and the community a memorable experience for years to come."

Construction is underway on the 425 Montgomery development, which will offer a mix of studio to three-bedroom apartments next to Montgomery Park. Along with access to the ground-floor retail, residents will have amenities like an outdoor pool, rooftop terraces, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a resident lounge and amenity suite. About a third of units will have Potomac River views. Delivery of the development is expected in late 2026, according to Carr Properties.