Cosmopolitan Grill owners open new restaurant in Old Town

Cosmopolitan Grill on Richmond Highway is a favorite of local food critics and Richmond Highway area residents.

The owners of the popular Cosmopolitan Grill in Hybla Valley have opened a new restaurant in Old Town Alexandria.

The Old House Cosmopolitan Grill, located in the former Sultan Kabob restaurant at 1024 Cameron Street (see map), opened for business on Monday. It features a purely German menu in contrast to the mixture of Bosnian and German specialties at the Richmond Highway restaurant.

The good news for residents of the corridor is that the Cosmopolitan Grill on Route 1 will remain open, according to Amela Svalina, who — along with her husband Ivica (“Ivan”) — own and serve as cooks at the restaurants.

“I’m staying here,” said Svalina, noting that she will run the kitchen at the local grill while her husband cooks at the new place. Svalina’s brother and daughter — longtime servers at the Richmond Highway restaurant — now will work full-time at the Old House.

The Svalinas left their native Bosnia when war broke out in 1992 and moved to Munich, where trained chef Ivan honed his German cooking skills. Eight years later, they came to the United States, briefly worked at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City and opened the “Restaurant Cosmopolitan” before selling it and opening the Cosmopolitan Bakery and Carry Out on North Kings Highway.

In 2008, the couple moved to Hybla Valley, opening the Cosmopolitan Grill at 7770 Richmond Highway. In the past 10 years, the restaurant has earned favorable reviews from prominent local food critics and made several “Best Of” lists, such as Washingtonian’s Cheap Eats 2017.

Svalina’s only regret is not being able to offer proper outdoor dining at the Richmond Highway location. Although they hold the necessary licensing, the owners were banned by Federal Realty from erecting a wooden barrier and planters to shield outdoor diners from sweaty gym visitors and frequent motorcycle traffic next door.

The restaurant will continue to offer occasional live music performances for indoor diners, however, including an upcoming jazz performance by school musicians.