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ALEXANDRIA — Twosome Place, the South Korean café chain, confirmed Thursday that its first U.S. store will open at 404 King St. in mid-October, ending months of speculation about the space on the ground floor of The Alexandrian.
The company said in a press release that the café will occupy about 2,604 square feet with 78 seats, including outdoor seating. Details about opening events will come in the coming weeks.
Jay (Young Joo) Moon, CEO of Twosome Place Korea, called the Washington-region debut an important milestone for the company as it looks toward further U.S. growth.
Twosome Place opened its first café in Seoul in 2002 and now has more than 1,750 locations, built around pairing specialty coffee with cake. The chain is owned by the Carlyle Group, the Washington private equity firm, which acquired it in 2021.
The Alexandria menu will include the chain's whole and sliced cakes, among them the Strawberry Chocolate Cream Cake and Ice Box Cake, alongside espresso drinks and Korean-inspired beverages such as a Dalgona Cream Top, a black sesame latte and a misugaru frappe made with toasted multigrains. An all-day food menu will feature K-Toast with bulgogi and egg, a K-Chicken panini and a bibimbowl.
The release describes the Alexandria store as the first step in a broader U.S. expansion, with two more locations set to open soon. It does not say where.
The Brief reported in August that the company had already registered Twosome Ballston LLC in Virginia, listing an address at 4300 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington — a space Compass Coffee moved to give up after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. Corporate filings show a Virginia parent, Twosome Place USA Inc., operating from the chain's Seoul headquarters, which indicates the stores are company-owned rather than franchised.
City records show Alexandria issued an alteration permit for 404 King St. in June and an outdoor dining encroachment permit in July. The company began hiring management staff for the store in July.
The opening would give the ground floor of The Alexandrian three food-and-beverage tenants in a row. Life Alive Organic Cafe opened at 402 King St. in June, followed by Van Leeuwen Ice Cream later that month. Twosome and Van Leeuwen signed a master franchise agreement in February under which Twosome operates Van Leeuwen stores in South Korea.
The Brand Guild, which is handling media for the company, said additional details on grand opening plans would be released later.
Ryan Belmore is an Alexandria resident and the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send tips, feedback, and story ideas to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
