The Esposito's Restaurant closing after 42 years

It is an end of an era and, with it, have come unexpected expenses. The Esposito’s Restaurant at 9917 Fairfax Boulevard, Fairfax, VA, is closing permanently on Sunday, March 10th. The Esposito’s restaurant is, after 42 years in the same location, a local landmark, with the same owner, Maria Esposito, for these four-plus decades. It is the only restaurant in Fairfax City to have remained in the same location under the same owner/manager for this length of time. Over the years, the restaurant has established a loyal clientele and weathered COVID with the help of those devoted customers. Maria Esposito was told on February 28, 2024 that she had two weeks to close the restaurant because the building and land had been sold, unbeknownst to her. It came as a shock and surprise. This was the first that she heard about the sale and timeline for closing. There was little time to prepare and raise funds to give her 11 staff members severance pay, plus generate income to pay for cleaning-out and moving expenses. This GoFundMe account has the sole purpose of helping to defray the cost of supporting the entire staff and pay closing and moving expenses. Any additional funds will go to the support of the restaurant’s other expenses. The goal is to raise $20,000.

The Esposito’s restaurant continues a family legacy of authentic Italian dining in Virginia, dating back to the early 1960’s when Maria’s father came from Naples, Italy, to open a restaurant in the Richmond area. Maria, her two brothers and a sister, came to the USA as teenagers and learned the restaurant business from their father, adopting many of his signature Italian dishes. Maria and her siblings started their own restaurant in the 1970’s in Arlington and, by 1982, Maria opened own restaurant in Fairfax and stayed in the same location for 42 years.

The building, the location, and the customers have been Maria’s home for over four decades. She is very close to her customers, who have celebrated many family events at her restaurant – birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings and other milestone events – all have been shared at Esposito’s and Maria has been a part of each one. Customers are more than customers to Maria, they are family, and she is the heart and soul of the restaurant. Esposito’s feels like you are eating a great meal in a warm and cozy environment with dear friends. That is an experience that will be forever lost with the closing of this one-of-a-kind restaurant.