Stephanie Spear 
Owners Kaveh + Julie Safa and their business partner Andrew Cope wanted The Cellar on Seneca to be just right. The space at 1025 Seneca Road in Great Falls had long been home to BRX American Bistro, which the couple purchased in 2023. After three years of learning what longtime customers loved and figuring out how to make the restaurant their own, they unveiled a refreshed concept built around steaks, seafood, handmade pasta + the kind of neighborhood atmosphere that works for both a Tuesday night dinner and a weekend celebration. The Cellar on Seneca officially opened in August 2026. Read on for more about the Cellar on Seneca in Great Falls, VA.
Hometown Roots
Kaveh + Julie Safa both grew up in Northern Virginia; he in Great Falls and she in Reston. They now live in Great Falls with their three children. “We wanted something that would really be for the community,” Julie said. The Safas also run two other local restaurants, Court Haus Social in Arlington and Yum Yum Hibachi in Ashburn. “We live in Great Falls, and we wanted something here,” she said. Andrew Cope is also a Northern Virginia local: he and Kaveh are friends from Langley High School.
At a gala for their daughter’s elementary school, the couple won a gift card to BRX American Bistro through the silent auction. They later stopped in for dinner with their business partner from Yum Yum Hibachi. Their server that night happened to be BRX’s longtime owner. By the end of the meal, he had asked if they wanted to buy the restaurant.
The conversation moved quickly. The couple purchased both BRX American Bistro and BRX Oven, closing on the businesses in November 2023. The biggest appeal was simple: this time, they would be serving their own neighbors. The restaurant had already been part of Great Falls for roughly 16 years, so rather than rushing into a complete overhaul, the new owners spent time learning what existing customers loved, which dishes had loyal followings, and what the space could become.
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“There was a following,” Julie said. “Some people come to a restaurant every single Wednesday and order the exact same thing.” That meant keeping the things people already loved while slowly building something new around them. After spending time listening to customers, studying what worked on the menu + shaping their vision for the restaurant, the team kicked off a major refresh in summer 2026.
Cellar on Seneca
The first thing we noticed on our visit was the renewed space. It felt like your best friend’s house: cozy, tasteful + inviting, but not so precious that you’re afraid to get comfortable. Julie was inspired by old pictures + paintings of Great Falls.
Throughout the restaurant, guests will spot images of local landmarks and community institutions, including Colvin Run Mill, Great Falls, the Grange, the Potomac Canal, and Lift Me Up!, a local therapeutic horseback riding organization.
There’s also one particularly important guest overseeing it all: George Washington. While shopping at Luckett’s Market, Julie found a $20 portrait of Washington and knew she wanted to work it into the restaurant somehow. The idea became even more fitting once she started researching the history surrounding Great Falls. The portrait now hangs near the bar, positioned close to images of places connected to both the community and Washington’s history in the area.
The wine program became an important piece of the new concept, and eventually helped inspire its name. After cycling through dozens of possibilities, the couple landed on The Cellar on Seneca, a reference both to the restaurant’s existing cellar and its location on Seneca Road.
Even the logo has a little extra meaning. Its font was inspired by Cheers, another nod to the kind of restaurant the owners hope to create. The goal is for it to feel like the neighborhood spot “where everybody knows your name.”
What to Expect
The menu centers around prime steaks, seafood, and handmade pasta, with sauces and marinades made from scratch in-house. The restaurant also works with local purveyors including Lazy Hill Farm in Haymarket, which supplies much of its beef. Some longtime customer favorites have remained, while others inspired completely new dishes.
The restaurant’s popular tuna poke bowl, for example, led to one of Julie’s current favorites: ahi tuna tartare tacos. The shareable appetizer combines the fresh, slightly spicy flavors diners loved in the poke bowl in taco form, and they have already been “flying.”
Another appetizer, duck spring rolls, came directly from customer requests for duck. There’s also a wedge salad, an updated chicken piccata, and an entire lineup of housemade pastas. The lobster ravioli, filled with lobster claw meat, has already become an early standout.
Despite all of the steak, seafood, and handmade pasta happening around it, Julie admitted that the burger might actually be her personal favorite, and possibly the dish she has obsessed over the most. “I’m a sucker for a good burger,” she said.
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Dessert is getting plenty of attention, too. A chef from Court Haus Social has been working with the Cellar team to develop the restaurant’s dessert lineup ahead of the official opening.
Between the fireplace, cozy courtyard + large bar, the Safas designed The Cellar on Seneca to work for just about any occasion. “You can bring the kids after a sports game, or host a special event here,” she said. “It can be date night or family dinner here, and it’s right in the neighborhood.”
The Cellar on Seneca is now open at 1025 Seneca Road in Great Falls. It’s open on Monday from 5PM to 9 PM; Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday from 4PM to 9PM; and Friday and Saturday from 4PM to 10PM.
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