Reston's New Masti Indian Restaurant Opens as Dulles Cricket Ground Faces Housing Conversion
Northern Virginia's McNair-area South Asian community is navigating two significant developments: the opening of Masti Indian Restaurant in Reston Town Center, a new venture from a well-known regional chef, and a Fairfax County proposal to redevelop the Dulles Greene Cricket Ground — long used by the area's cricket-playing Desi community — into an affordable housing development.
🍛 Masti Indian Restaurant Opens in the Heart of Reston Town Center
Masti Indian Restaurant has opened its doors at 1825 Discovery St. in Reston Town Center, occupying a space inside the Hyatt Hotel that offers views of the center's covered plaza and its seasonal outdoor ice skating rink. The restaurant takes its name from the Hindi word for 'fun,' setting an inviting and energetic tone for the new establishment. Masti is the latest venture from Chef Ram Thapa, the restaurateur behind the two Indochen restaurants in Alexandria, Virginia, who brings his established track record in South Asian dining to this new Reston setting. For this project, Thapa has partnered with co-owner Kumar KC, who is heading up the Masti operation. The restaurant offers a blend of Indian classics and inventive new dishes, positioning itself as a destination for diners looking for both the familiar comfort of traditional Indian cooking and the excitement of creative culinary interpretations. The Reston Town Center location places Masti at the heart of one of Northern Virginia's most prominent commercial and cultural hubs, well within reach of the large South Asian community concentrated in nearby McNair, Herndon, and the broader Dulles corridor. The Hyatt Hotel setting within the Town Center provides a refined and high-visibility backdrop for a restaurant built around the spirit of fun and discovery. [1]
🗳️ Dulles Greene Cricket Ground May Be Converted to Affordable Housing
The Dulles Greene Cricket Ground at 13500 Dulles Greene Drive in Fairfax County's Dranesville District is at the center of a consequential land-use decision with direct implications for the South Asian community in the McNair and Herndon area. Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust introduced a measure at a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting to formally consider replacing the cricket ground with an affordable housing development. The Board of Supervisors approved the proposal to advance the study of this potential redevelopment. The site is a 9.63-acre parcel of county-owned land that is currently used on a temporary basis as an athletic field by the county's cricket community — a population with deep ties to the South Asian diaspora of the Dulles corridor, for whom cricket is a culturally significant and socially important sport. The proposed project, if it moves forward, would create an affordable housing community designed as a transit-oriented development, reflecting the parcel's position near transit infrastructure. For Desi residents in McNair, Herndon, and the surrounding communities of Northern Virginia who rely on this county-owned ground as a primary recreational and social gathering space, the county's proposal represents a potentially significant disruption. The outcome of the county's review process will determine whether this land is repurposed for housing or preserved as athletic space for the cricket community. [2]