A new seafood-and-steak destination has arrived in Old Town. Finn & Fire is now welcoming guests at 111 N. Pitt St., the former home of Kismet Modern Indian, with a globally minded menu and an interior designed to whisk diners somewhere a little more tropical.
The name says it all. Finn leans into the sea — sustainably sourced fish, sushi rolls and a raw-bar sensibility — while Fire turns up the heat with char-grilled steaks and surf-and-turf. It’s a fusion concept built for lingering dinners, and a notable step up in ambition for Old Town’s ever-growing restaurant row.
The woman behind it
Finn & Fire is the latest venture from chef and owner Ghazal Amir, the self-taught restaurateur behind Crab Cab, the crab-and-shrimp favorite she grew from a 2013 food truck into a brick-and-mortar kitchen in Fairfax County. With Finn & Fire, Amir trades the casual counter for a polished, sit-down concept — her most upscale project yet, and her first in the heart of Old Town.
A Miami-meets-Tulum transformation
The space itself is the story. The restaurant was designed by Alexandria’s own JMc Architects in collaboration with Sanctuary Room Interiors, who reworked the former Kismet restaurant into something warmer and more transporting. As the architects describe it, the build-out was conceived to “evoke an ambiance of Tulum and Miami” — think effortless coastal luxury softened with earthy, organic texture.
JMc is a small, locally focused firm with a growing footprint in Old Town hospitality; its recent neighborhood work also includes Little Birdie Cafe, Bollywood Masala and Connect & Sip Cafe. For Finn & Fire, the team gave the storefront a refreshed face — among the updates, the old aluminum-and-glass entry gave way to wood doors and a decorative wood surround, a subtle signal of the more elevated experience waiting inside.
How to visit
Finn & Fire is open for dinner, with reservations currently handled through the restaurant’s Instagram — the best place to check the latest hours, menu updates and opening news as the team settles into its new home…