Alexandria-Area Italian Restaurant Corso Closes For Good

Arlington VA – Italian restaurant, Corso Italian, with deep ties to the Alexandria-area dining scene has closed permanently after flooding and an extended repair process disrupted its Shirlington location.

Corso Italian, located at 4024 Campbell Ave. in the Village at Shirlington, has ended its run after 15 years in the community under owner Jill Erber. The location previously operated as Cheesetique Shirlington, also owned by Erber, before becoming Corso Italian in 2023.

The restaurant initially hoped to reopen after flooding caused significant damage in August. Corso operated for a time with part of its dining space closed while remediation and construction work continued.

Flooding Changed Corso’s Plans

The flooding occurred on Aug. 2 during construction work in the Village at Shirlington. Water affected the restaurant’s dining areas and basement, creating extensive repair and remediation needs. At first, the restaurant continued serving customers while work was underway. The situation eventually forced a complete closure.

The restaurant later planned to reopen, with staff reportedly working on recipes and schedules in preparation for welcoming diners back. Those plans changed after Corso received information indicating that the remaining repairs could not be completed on a timeline that would allow the restaurant to reopen promptly. Corso and its landlord subsequently agreed to end the lease.

Closing Announced on Instagram

Corso’s Jill Erbe announced on Instagram that, “Until very recently, we were working toward reopening on the timeline we had been given. Just this past Friday, our team was testing recipes, rebuilding schedules, and looking forward to welcoming all of you back. Later that day, we received new information from our landlord indicating that the flood remediation and repairs could not be completed on a schedule that would allow Corso to reopen in a timely fashion. Given that new reality, we and the landlord agreed to end the lease.”

They continued,  “Thank you for supporting Corso — and Cheesetique Shirlington before it. For 15 years, we have had the privilege of being part of the Shirlington community. Thank you for the dinners, brunches, glasses of wine, celebrations, date nights, and all the other moments you chose to spend with us. We thought we were preparing for a reopening, not an ending, and I wish we could have given Corso a proper goodbye.”