A new gourmet restaurant and cocktail bar is headed to a historic building in the heart of Purcellville. It’s called Bia Kitchen and it’s the culmination of a transatlantic undertaking that has stretched out for more than two years.
The new restaurant’s team has been renovating a 120-year-old, two-story building on North 21st Street, just a couple of doors off Main Street in Old Town Purcellville. The building was reportedly an iron and tin shop in the early 1900s.
More recently, it was the location of the Jack’s Run Brewing Co., which closed in 2019. Now, the space is being turned into the 100-seat Bia Kitchen restaurant.
Bia means food in the Irish Gaelic language. And indeed, it sounds like the restaurant will lean heavily on its Irish and European heritage. Owner Shane O’Connor immigrated to America from Ireland in 1987 and he’s the former proprietor and chef of the Blackthorne Inn and Restaurant in Upperville, Virginia.
The menu is still being fine tuned, but will focus on dishes inspired by cuisines across Europe. Here’s what O’Connor told us about his food.
“We put our spin on dishes found throughout Europe, while focusing on local ingredients,” he wrote. “Fresh seafood is a large focal point of our menu. The use of Virginia grain in making our own breads and pasta was integrated in our kitchen design. Our menus will change seasonally.”
According to O’Connor, the new space in Purcellville was envisioned by a team that included architects and designers both locally and in Ireland. The main floor will feature a cocktail bar and high and low top seating options. Upstairs, will be a more intimate 50-seat dining room.
The project saw delays due to the pandemic, but kept moving forward. Now, the finish line is in sight. The owners are hoping to have Bia Kitchen ready to welcome guests sometime in October if all goes smoothly here on out.
(Images: Bia Restaurant)
upstairs where the majority of dining is to be located will access there be ADA compliant
Pass by it every day walking my dog. Let me know when you open would like to be one of your first patrons. Interior looks outstanding.
Just ate there last night. Food was excellent and diverse. Interiors, upstairs and down, sophisticated but welcoming, warm, and comfortable. Wait staff friendly (but not too friendly) and attentive. And the bartender knows how to pour a drink! We are delighted that Chef Shane O’Connor and his mother Margaret, who was there last night, picked Purcellville for their new restaurant and plan to be regulars there! Kate Chamberlin
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