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ALEXANADRIA, Va. - Two of Old Town Alexandria's most enduring institutions are celebrating 50 years tonight, and the city is marking the occasion with an official proclamation.
The Fish Market, 105 King St., and Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream, 109 King St., are both marking 50 years Thursday evening starting at 5 p.m. Mayor Alyia Gaskins will attend to read an official proclamation on behalf of the city. The two restaurants, located four doors apart on the same block, are both managed by Rex Management Concepts, a boutique hospitality management company with deep roots in Old Town.
"Tonight, I get to do something really fun," Gaskins said in a video post Thursday morning. "I get to kick off the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Fish Market and Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream."
Both opened in 1976 and have become fixtures of the Old Town waterfront — one known for its 400-seat seafood restaurant and signature 32-ounce schooner glasses of beer, the other for the lines that stretch down the block on summer Friday and Saturday nights.
The Fish Market
The Fish Market opened in 1976 and grew quickly into a cornerstone of Old Town's dining scene, eventually expanding to sister locations in Maryland and other parts of Virginia. According to Gaskins, the Landini family took over the restaurant in 2008, completing renovations, adding new menu items and continuing to invest in the space.
The restaurant can hold more than 400 seats across five dining rooms. Its Anchor Bar has been a neighborhood sports bar for decades.
Tonight's celebration features a throwback menu of nostalgic favorites and live music with Rook Richards.
"For 50 years, Fish Market has been more than a restaurant," the restaurant wrote on social media. "It's been where celebrations started, traditions were born, stories were shared, and 'just one drink' turned into staying awhile."
Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream
Pop's story begins well before 1976. Ray "Pop" Giovanni had been in the ice cream and dessert business since the 1940s, spending much of his early career catering events at the White House — including serving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt her favorite ice cream. In 1998, he left behind his little black book of recipes, and Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream has continued that legacy ever since.
For five decades, Pop's has drawn families and children to its King Street location for ice cream cones on warm evenings, becoming as much a part of Old Town summer as the waterfront itself.
Gaskins recalled her own aide lighting up at the mention of tonight's celebration. "She was like, 'Oh my goodness, I used to have all of my birthday parties there as a kid,'" the mayor said.
Rex Management
Both restaurants are part of the Rex Management portfolio, which also includes Landini Brothers, the Italian restaurant at 115 King St. operated by Franco and Noe Landini in the traditional Tuscan style; CXIIIREX, a members-only private club in Old Town; Junction, the American bistro in Del Ray with satellite locations in Chevy Chase and Capitol Hill; and Cooper Mill at 10 Duke St. Rex Management describes itself as among the leading boutique hospitality management companies in the world, with more than 20 years of experience managing restaurants and hotels.
Tonight's celebration
The joint celebration begins at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Fish Market, 105 King St. In addition to Mayor Gaskins' official proclamation on behalf of the city, the evening will include live music, a DJ, food and what organizers described as an opportunity to connect with neighbors and share memories of both institutions.
