Enjoy Five Days Of Cinco De Mayo At Relaunched Buena Vida In Arlington
ARLINGTON, VA — With a new menu that offers Mexican food for all, Buena Vida Gastro Lounge is reopening its newly renovated restaurant in Clarendon this week, serving lunch and dinner and brunch on weekends.
Buena Vida, at 2900 Wilson Blvd., also has a new executive chef, Jaime Pelayo, and a new décor created by CORE architecture+design.
Buena Vida serves meat and fish dishes, along with delicious menu items for vegetarians and vegans. Lunch is priced at $25 per person, dinner is $44.99, and brunch is $39.99.
"We are optimistic that spring is going to be a season of revival for the dining scene, and now is the time to bring Buena Vida back to life," said Ivan Iricanin, founder and CEO of Street Guys Hospitality, owner of Buena Vida.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Buena Vida became a more take-out friendly establishment called Tacos, Tortas & Tequila. Earlier this year, the restaurant closed for renovations.
"Street Guys Hospitality pivoted this restaurant, letting the first-floor concept of Mexican-inspired street food, TTT, take over the reins during the pandemic to be a fast casual, grab-and-go option as it is what our patrons needed from us at this location," Iricanin said. "As we see increasingly repeat customers visiting the restaurant and requesting a more adventurous dining experience, it is time to bring our unlimited tasting menu here and revive Buena Vida."
Buena Vida plans to celebrate five days of Cinco de Mayo with a different flavor margarita featured each day leading up to May 5. One flavor a day will be available at a price of $5 each. For Cinco de Mayo on May 5, the festivities will include select beers, wines and a featured cocktail that will be available for $5 at each bar on both the first and second floor of the restaurant.
- Sunday, May 1 — Mango Margarita, Tequila Blanco, house-made mango puree, fresh squeezed lime juice
- Monday, May 2 — Spicy Margarita, Tequila Blanco, jalapeño syrup, fresh squeezed lime juice
- Tuesday, May 3 — Al Pastor Margarita, Bacon & serrano washed tequila, pineapple, agave, jalapeño smoked salt
- Wednesday, May 4 — Strawberry Margarita, Tequila Blanco, house-made strawberry puree, fresh squeezed lime juice
- Thursday, May 5 — Classic Margarita, Buena Vida Lager and Pacifico (draft only), Sangria, (both red and rose), Rail Drinks with vodka, rum, gin, and whiskey, and the Raspberry-Mint Fizz. House Wines, (red, white, and sparkling), are all priced at $5 each for guests enjoying the bars of the first and second floor and for those patrons dining caat Buena Vida for the Unlimited Tasting Menu for lunch and dinner service.
The $5 price on May 5 is also available to customers who come to dine at Buena Vida's Unlimited Tasting Experience Menu for lunch, which is $25 per person and for dinner is priced at $49.99 per person.
Parking for Buena Vida is available in the nearby Colonial Parking Garage at 1303 North Filmore Street.
Buena Vida serves lunch Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. and dinner Monday-Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday from 3:30 pm. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Brunch is available on Saturday and Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The first floor of Buena Vida has 66 seats in the dining room, nine at the bar and outdoor patio seating for 31. On the second floor, Buena Vida has a total of 97 seats, with 10 at the bar and a private dining room seating 18 guests.
Buena Vida's 124-seat rooftop lounge also was upgraded during renovations. Scheduled to open in May, the rooftop lounge will be a place where customers can enjoy craft cocktails, with a la carte menu options.