Matt and Tony’s Marks 4th Anniversary Making Yelp’s Top 100 in U.S. List
Popular Del Ray restaurant known for good culture, good food, and consistency
Alexandria, VA — On its 4th anniversary, Matt & Tony’s All Day Kitchen + Bar in Del Ray is celebrating making Yelp’s Top 100 U.S. Restaurants 2026 list. Its creative approach to American comfort food classics and unique cocktails begins with its stylish “all-day brunch” setting. Owner Matt Sloan credits the restaurant’s “good culture, food, and consistency.”
Celebrating the 4th anniversary amid tasteful green and white balloon stands on Monday, March 16, Sloan credited his customers, staff, wife Tina, and their twin infant sons Jameson and Sawyer, as inspiration. Sloan collaborated with Chef Eric Brannon on the menu for its “Matt and Tony’s Turns 4” event: a champagne punch (Grand Marnier, apple brandy, Framboise, pineapple, ginger, lemon, and sparkling wine) and a $4 appetizer plate of the restaurant’s favorites featuring bites of chicken & waffle, Maryland crab dip toast, shrimp & grits cake, and a sweet potato donut with salted caramel sauce. The 90-seat restaurant (with an additional 40 seats on the front patio) virtually hummed with diners indulging in the bespoke celebration.
“Any kind of good listing is nice to be on!” said Sloan. “I go over social media reviews three or four times a day on Yelp and try to address some things—little things. There is always something to work on (when) combining food or service,” he added good-naturedly.
Upon request, Sloan retrieved the Yelp glass plaque and another smaller plaque for a chef’s award from a March of Dimes “Signature Chefs People’s Choice” (awarded to Brannon for on-site cooking at a National Building Museum event last October) from a back room and posed briefly for a photo.
While many of the popular standards remain on the menu, Sloan said he and his staff have introduced some new dishes, ending up with some permanent additions.
“We made a lot of changes to the dinner menu,” he said. “Miso Cod is a popular addition and is now a standard along with filet tips and tater tots. The crab boat appetizer is now the most popular,” he added with a hint of pride.
Though hesitating to give precise details, Sloan also shared that he and Brannon will be partnering on a new smaller restaurant at the former Benny Diforza’s Pizza location in the next few months. The plans call for a 40-seat restaurant with a 10-seat patio area, currently unnamed.
“We have to figure out exactly what the concept is over there,” he admitted. “It will be a little more casual than this (Matt & Tony’s). We’ve learned so much about the neighborhood. It is a process of finding something we don’t have here in Del Ray. As we did with this restaurant, we are trying to find something that complements the neighborhood and gives a different option.”
He is planning an 11-seat bar and a to-go counter that will open in late June or July. Sloan stressed that he is hoping to “tap into the market and add what was missing like we did with this place – and that was a welcoming brunch environment. It is a testament to cater to all kinds of people in Del Ray and those who might not ordinarily come here.”
Among those celebrating Matt and Tony’s fourth anniversary is K. J. Anderson, who joined the service team in September 2022, shortly after the grand opening, as a part-time server on weekends. She was promoted to a supervisor and then a salaried manager in 2023. In September 2024, she became an assistant general manager.
“They took a chance on me and it’s been a great opportunity,” said Anderson, an Alexandria native. “We are trying to expand our catering and events at this restaurant,” and noted a variety of events from baby showers to weddings that have been hosted there.
Congratulations to Matt and Tony’s Yelp recognition and happy 4th anniversary! Here’s to many more.
