Jumbo Lump Crabcake Company, serving 100% jumbo crab meat, opened in March 2024 at 7541 Presidential Lane in Manassas.
Owner Brandon Frye was filming food shows along the East Coast when he visited G&M Restaurant in Baltimore, known for their crabcakes and winner of “Best of Baltimore” for many years.
“I was eating their crab cakes and realized that they were just as good as mine and I knew I was on to something”, he said.
Frye opened a commercial-based kitchen in his house in 2019 offering takeout and catering, before opening Jumbo Lump Crabcake Company in Manassas this past March. They offer carryout, delivery, and catering for Virginia, Maryland, and DC. Nationwide shipping is also available. “What sets our crab cakes apart is that they are 100 percent jumbo crab meat, the most expensive part of the crab,” Frye explained. “Most people will use half jumbo lump and half lump which is more shredded than big pieces of meat.”
They don’t stop at crab cakes, however. They also offer crab pretzels, shrimp pasta salads, sides, and cupcakes, all made in-house. One of their specialties is a special sauce to accompany the crab cakes called Boss Sauce. For an alternative to seafood, they make “The Big Bad BLT” with nine pieces of bacon.
Jumbo Lump Crabcakes is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Lil' Bowl has moved to 9121 Manassas Drive.
Lil’ Bowl, formerly in the Fresh World Supermarket on Liberia Avenue, has a new home. In May, they moved to 9121 Manassas Drive in Manassas Park.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
This summer, New York style bagels and hand-scooped ice cream are coming to Gainesville. Two foodies with bagel and scoop training are opening side-by-side restaurants for the food they couldn't find in their new town.
When Scott and Annie MacDougall relocated to Bristow from the New York, New Jersey area in 2022, they missed two things from back home: bagels and ice cream. “We couldn’t find a bagel to our liking. The other was the hand-scooped ice cream. Being foodies, they set out to bring two of their favorite foods to Gainesville with Time 4 Bagels Cafe and Mac’s Ice Shop.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
If you’re looking for a casual, family-friendly restaurant in Manassas that offers a menu that features Italian and a variety of other cuisines, consider visiting Il Faro. It is located at 7845 Sudley Road, where Mama Mia used to be. Il Faro, which means lighthouse in Spanish, opened on July 26.
One could say it was fate that the restaurant came to be. The owners, Jorge Contreras and Edin Lopez, who went to the same elementary school in Guatemala, bumped into each other at an apartment complex in Falls Church.
“As a coincidence, Jorge recognized me, even though we hadn’t seen each other since 5th grade.”, Lopez explained. They became friends and talked about opening a restaurant, as they both worked as cooks at various restaurants in the D.C. area.
“One day Jorge called me and said that Mama Mia closed after the owner retired and that we should consider opening it back up,” said Lopez. “We decided to have our main focus on Italian food since people are familiar with that from Mama Mia. We wanted to give our customers a family-oriented experience and bring the feeling of eating in Italy.”
In addition, Mexican, Greek, and American dishes are on the menu. Their vision became a reality when the restaurant opened in July.
“All of our food is made from scratch, from meatballs, pasta, sauces, salad dressings, and desserts. We’d rather sacrifice profits and deliver better quality to the customer,” explained Contreras.
The seafood bucatini pasta dish is one of their specialties, and the pizza al pastor, with pineapple, roasted pork, bacon, and jalapenos. Another specialty pizza dish is the meat affair, a meat lover’s pizza with Italian sausage, chorizo, tomato, basil, and Aleppo pepper.
Their hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. -10 p.m. They are closed on Sunday.
Gainesville has a new place to grab a cup of Joe.
GodShot Coffee, in the Shoppes at Glenkirk on 13930 Estate Manor Drive, opened this past May, in the space that was formerly Phonean.
The coffee served at GodShot is unlike what one would find at other popular establishments. “We have a very good selection of high-quality specialty beans; these are not beans you can buy from the store”, said the manager, P.K, who preferred not to use his last name.
