Hank’s Pasta Bar opens dine-in service in Old Town Alexandria

Hank’s Pasta Bar is moving from pickup and delivery to full dine-in service in Old Town Alexandria, giving the upstairs Montgomery Street space a new role just as neighborhood demand for fresh pasta keeps pulling diners in. The restaurant, located above Hank’s Oyster Bar at 600 Montgomery Street, will start serving guests on Thursday, May 7, with a grand-opening celebration set for Thursday, May 14.

The new format is built to feel like an elevated casual Italian spot, with a full bar, plated service from staff and electronic ordering at the table. Jamie Leeds and chef Darren Norris are aiming for the feel of a tucked-away Tuscan trattoria without pushing the concept out of reach for regular Old Town diners. The menu centers on build-your-own pasta bowls starting at $16, with seven pasta options and nine homemade sauces, a setup that creates 63 base combinations before proteins, vegetables and toppings are even added.

The pasta itself is part of the draw. Hank’s says it is using pasta sourced from Italy’s Le Marche region, and the menu also includes gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. Signature plates include four-cheese lasagna and fusilli pesto with shrimp and pistachio pesto, blending classic Italian comfort with a few more contemporary twists that fit the restaurant’s newer, more polished dining room service.

The opening is the latest turn for a brand that has been reinventing itself around the same address for years. Hank’s Pasta Bar first launched in 2016, closed for renovations in 2019, reemerged in 2020 as Hank & Mitzi’s Italian Kitchen and then returned in August 2025 as a takeout-and-delivery operation. Earlier plans for the site included a second-story event space and rooftop bar, while Old Town North Alliance said the 2020 version would lean into pizza, pasta and shareable plates. Now, the concept is shifting again, this time toward a fuller restaurant experience.

To mark the dine-in launch, the first 50 guests from May 14 through May 17 will get a free glass of prosecco or a non-alcoholic sparkling alternative. For JL Restaurant Group, which says Hank’s Oyster Bar has been serving the Washington area for 20 years, the move turns a long-running local name into something closer to a destination, not just a takeout stop.