Andy’s Pizza has applied for a Virginia ABC license to serve beer and wine in the former MOD Pizza space at Plaza America in Reston. The state’s license search tool, with data through Oct. 15, lists a pending application from Andy’s Pizza Plaza America Drive, LLC, in Fairfax County.
FFXnow first reported in July that Andy’s had signed a lease for the space, and The Burn confirmed the deal with the landlord on Aug. 24.
The ABC application is pending, meaning filed but not yet approved
ABC lists the filing as a Retail Restaurant or Caterer Application, license number 013891225, covering beer and wine. A pending status means Andy’s has applied and the state has not issued the license.
Under Virginia law, an applicant posts a notice of the application on the restaurant’s front door for 10 to 30 days and publishes a notice in a local newspaper once a week for two consecutive weeks. Anyone may object to ABC within 30 days of the first newspaper notice, Fairfax County has 30 days from the filing to object, and ABC runs a background check. Restaurants typically apply before they open, since they cannot serve beer or wine until ABC issues the license.
MOD Pizza left after nearly 10 years, and Andy’s plans a remodel
MOD Pizza, which opened at 11642 Plaza America Drive in 2016, set Sept. 30 as its final day, FFXnow and The Burn reported in July. Reston no longer appears in MOD’s Virginia restaurant directory, and its closest remaining shops are in Gainesville and Purcellville. Plaza America’s own store directory still lists MOD and does not yet show Andy’s.
Building plans under county review in July describe about 2,963 square feet, with room for about 100 people at tables, high tops and booths, according to FFXnow. As of Oct. 16, we had not found a county permit issued for the build-out, the interior construction a new tenant does to fit out a space. FFXnow reported in July that Andy’s expected to open by the end of 2026. As of The Burn’s Aug. 24 report, Andy’s had not announced an opening date.
Andy’s bakes New York-style pizza in 14 shops, the closest in Tysons and Fairfax
Cousins Andy and Emily Brown started Andy’s Pizza in December 2018 at a counter in the Tysons Galleria food hall, according to FFXnow. The company describes its pizza as New York style, baked in stone deck ovens from long-fermented dough with Wisconsin mozzarella and California tomatoes. Its plain cheese pizza won the traditional category at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas in 2021, WTOP reported. In June, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington named Andy’s its Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year.
The company’s website lists 14 shops: six in the District, three in Maryland and five in Virginia, two of them inside Atlas Brew Works taprooms in Navy Yard and Alexandria. The nearest to Reston are at Tysons Galleria and on Fairfax Boulevard in Fairfax City, which has a craft beer bar. FFXnow reported that Reston would be the chain’s 16th shop, counting a planned location at Union Station.
Lidl and Andy’s are refilling two empty Plaza America storefronts
Plaza America sits off Sunset Hills Road, just north of the Dulles Toll Road, between the Wiehle-Reston East and Reston Town Center Metro stations. CVS, Total Wine, Michaels and Five Guys are among its tenants. The center lost its grocery store when Whole Foods moved to The Spectrum at Reston Town Center in August 2025, and Lidl has signed on to fill that space. Plaza America’s directory does not list Lidl yet, and Lidl has not announced an opening date.
For households near Plaza America, including the apartment and condo towers around Reston Station, the two leases would bring a grocery store back to the center and replace MOD with a pizza place that pours beer and wine. If you are comparing homes near either Metro station, reach out and we can walk you through what sits within a short walk or drive of each.
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Top photo courtesy of Andy’s Pizza.
