New Life for an Old Haunt: Bunker Rebrands to The Loudoun Kitchen & Bar

A long popular nightlife spot in Leesburg has changed things up for the new year, with a full rebrand and new menu.

Owner Dave Park said he and his staff have slowly been making changes to the East Market Street bar and restaurant formerly known as Bunker Sports Café over the past several months. They had been trying to focus more on their culinary offerings in recent years, but Park said being known primarily as a sports bar made it difficult in attracting new customers.

“Most of our loyal customers knew it was coming,” he said. “We didn’t change everything overnight and slowly educated our [regular] guests first.”

Park said they wanted to brighten up the restaurant, updating the furniture, color scheme and look of the restaurant to attract more of the lunch and dinner crowd. The bar, of course, remains, but they have made efforts to delay the start time of entertainment or performers to allow diners to enjoy a casual dinner.

            Kitchen Manager Ben Hall describes the vibe of the restaurant and its revamped menu as “polished casual” with a fusion twist. Hall, who has been with the restaurant for four years and previously worked at Lightfoot Restaurant in a variety of positions, said some of the popular holdovers from the Bunkers’ menu remain, including favorites like the buffalo wings, quesadilla and nachos.

Hall said the new menu has the influence of several nationalities, not the least of which comes from the owner’s Korean background.

“We have the majority of our sliced ribeye we marinate in a bulgogi marinade and our tacos have that as well. We have a bulgogi bowl that is kind of like Korean bibimbap,” he said.

Other new offerings include Italian pastas, smoked sausage fettuccine, Cajun pasta, buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, and a Philly steak and cheese.

The Loudoun Kitchen and Bar is located at 510 E. Market St. For more information, go to theloudounkitchenandbar.com.
krodriguez@loudounnow.com