Alexandria, VA – To understand the significance of the Royal Restaurant, one must appreciate its past. The Royal Restaurant was founded by the Pikrallidas family in 1904 at 109 N. Royal St. Nephew Charlie Euripides joined the business and eventually became a partner.
Urban renewal forced the relocation to 730 N. St. Asaph St. Charlie Euripides became synonymous with The Royal and was named an Alexandria Living Legend. After almost 120 years, The Royal sold to Alexandria Restaurant Partners and Sloan Hospitality. The location closed for renovations and the revitalized space and menu reopened in April 2024.
The Royal combines the restaurant’s historic identity with a scratch-made, modern American menu, expanded brunch offerings, dinner service, and updated dining spaces.
A New Chapter After 120 Years
The menu provides many beloved dishes from the old menu with updates. Senior Culinary Director for ARP and Chef Brandon Whitestone has added his personal signature to the menu. Whitestone said, “I wanted to honor the heritage of the Royal while building the new menu with flavors from around the world for a new generation of customers.”
Getting Started
We started with the Tuna Poke Tacos, created with ginger-marinated rare tuna, pickled Fresno peppers, sriracha aioli, avocado puree, tobiko, and toasted macadamia nuts, all nestled in a crispy wonton shell. The first bite is full of flavorful tuna and a symphony of heat, crunch, and soothing avocado follow.
Smoked Tater Tots? A cloche-covered platter comes to the table and when opened, a plume of smoke is released. The size of the tater tots can be best described as tots on steroids. The crispy cheddar-chive tots are garnished with cob-smoked bacon, and chipotle salt while luxuriating in a smoked cheddar bechamel sauce. The combination of potatoes and bacon and sauce makes a substantial bite. Definitely a must-order item. The Roasted Corn Deviled Eggs made with mayo, tajin, cotija cheese, and herbs will redefine your understanding of deviled eggs.
Dinner Time!
The dinner menu includes the classic Royal Club Sandwich and an updated Royal Smash Burger. The Lamb & Brisket Burger patty is made with a house blend of ground lamb and beef grilled to a juicy medium. The toasted onion brioche bun holds the burger, marinated cucumbers, harissa red pepper aioli, and feta. The cucumbers provide relief from the spicy harissa aioli. The burger is accompanied by hot and fresh cacio y pepe fries coated with fresh pecorino, toasted black pepper, and garlic salt.
Chef Brandon brings the heat with Smoke Beer-Braised Beef Short Rib. A glass cloche platter opens to reveal short ribs resting on roasted corn-chipotle grits with charred pineapple chutney, and garnished with crispy tortilla straws. The grits are smooth and chewy with roasted corn while chipotle brings the heat. The spicy grits with the rich tender brisket and some tortilla crisps create a perfect bite.
Pasta lovers can dig into Lobster Spaghetti Diavola. Chunks of Maine lobster nestle in fresh chitarra spaghetti (made daily at Mia’s) and dressed with a sauce of Calabrian peppers, tomatoes, basil, and lemon. The heat in the sauce is perfectly offset by the sweetness of the lobster. Vegetarians can enjoy Crispy Fried Cauliflower, enrobed in curried chickpea purée, garnished with asparagus, and sweet peas while sitting on a bed of cilantro rice and green chili sauce. Fish lovers will appreciate the Chargrilled Swordfish with bacon, chicken broth, white beans, escarole, Calabrian peppers, garlic, and shallots, served with salsa verde butter.
Wait, There’s More?
Decadence is in full view in the Dessert Menu. The pastry chef rethought grandma’s blueberry pie when creating the Blueberry Pie. The filling reminds you of blueberry jam and sits in a cream cheese crust, and topped with streusel, whipped cream, and hibiscus syrup. So lovely, so comforting.
A lighter yet equally lovely dessert is the Lemon Chess Tart. Puff pastry cradles bright lemon curd with orange blossom honey, and strawberry sauce. The lemon curd provides a refreshing tang to end the meal. If you just can’t eat another bite, asked for a take-out order of the House Made “Twix.” Shortbread is spread with salted caramel, coated with Valrhona chocolate, and topped with Chantilly cream. After one bite, your brain instructs you to eat the whole thing. The Caramelized Banana Split starts with a corn flake crunch, add dollops of vanilla ice cream, drench in chocolate syrup and caramel sauce, then swoon.
The Royal Restaurant is no longer the place to have a nice quiet dinner at 5:00 p.m. or breakfast during the week. It’s both comfort food and innovative tastes. Stop by and try the new Royal Restaurant today. I think you will love it as much as we do.
