Zandra’s owner to open 2 new restaurant concepts at old Okra’s

The owner and operator of multiple Downtown Manassas restaurants will expand his empire and open two new locations in the old Okra’s Louisiana Bistro at 9910 Center Street.

Miguel Pires, owner of Zandra’s Taqueria in Manassas and Haymarket, operator of Great Etas Hospitality, Inc., will open Zengo, an Asian food restaurant that will take up the portion of the building that used to feature Okra’s bar and a neighboring building that used to house a coin shop.

A new pub, Gadfly Gastro Pub, will open in the old Okra’s dining room space.

Great Eats Hospitality will also open a new Zandra’s Taqueria in Culpeper, according to the company’s website.

Manassas City issued this press release about the new restaurants:

Two new restaurant concepts are in the works for Historic Downtown Manassas in the former Okra’s restaurant at the corner of Center and Battle streets. Great Eats Hospitality, led by serial Manassas-entrepreneur Miguel Pires and his recently expanded City-based management team, is in the midst of extensive renovations of the building at Church and Battle streets to restore much of the historic character of the building and make way for the new restaurants.

In the former Okra’s banquet room adjacent to Zandra’s, Great Eats Hospitality will open up an Asian street food concept called Zengo’s. Featuring dishes like pot stickers, satay skewers, bao buns, and more, Zengo’s will have an approachable but upscale, trendy vibe similar to the wildly successful Zandra’s Taqueria next door (which is also a Great Eats restaurant).

The larger portion of the building – once home to Okra’s main bar and kitchen – will become the Gadfly Gastro Pub. The new restaurant, which will also encompass the former coin shop on Battle Street and include outdoor seating, will feature a rotating menu of seasonal dishes and elevated pub fare.

“With the new capabilities and team members of Great Eats Hospitality team, we’re extremely excited to bring these new concepts to Downtown Manassas,” says Pires. “Downtown is the heart and soul of Manassas and has so much going for it – we’re thrilled for the opportunity to invest in the City again and continue to revitalize this one-of-a-kind location.”

Building out Zengo’s and the Gadfly is no small task for the Great Eats Hospitality group, who thankfully brings a breadth of dining experience in Downtown Manassas to the project. The building will be extensively renovated with a new kitchen, dining areas, entrances, and other enhancements that will restore much of the original architectural elements to the historic structure as part of the expected $500,000 investment from Great Eats. The restaurants are expected to open summer 2023.