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A restaurant and lounge called Yalla is seeking a liquor license at a West End address currently occupied by a temporarily closed Ethiopian restaurant.
Yalla VA LLC filed an application with the Virginia ABC Authority on January 29 for both beer-and-wine and mixed beverage licenses at 291 S. Van Dorn St. Both are currently pending. The filing lists the establishment as a restaurant with 101 to 150 seats and on- and off-premises consumption privileges.
State corporation records show Yalla VA LLC was incorporated in Virginia on December 11, 2025. The LLC lists 291 S. Van Dorn as its principal address and names Mulugeta Tesfakiros of Fairfax Station as its registered agent.
The address is currently home to Roha Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge, which also operated under the name Flame Restaurant & Lounge. The restaurant is listed as temporarily closed on Google Maps, and its website is not currently operating.
No phone number was included in the public ABC filing. The Brief has reached out to Roha and to a Washington, D.C. restaurant operating under the Yalla name for comment.
Virginia ABC license application #013751121 is under review.
