How Lebanese Taverna’s founder made an outsize impact on D.C. dining

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Democracy Dies successful Darkness

The restaurant’s patriarch, Tanios Abi-Najm, fled war-ravaged Beirut earlier starting Lebanese Taverna successful 1979. He died past week astatine 94.

April 15, 2026 astatine 6:00 a.m. EDT30 minutes ago

Tanios Abi-Najm and his wife, Marie, circa 1980, moving astatine the archetypal Lebanese Taverna successful Arlington. (Abi-Najm family)

Money was choky erstwhile Tanios “Tony” Abi-Najm opened the archetypal Lebanese Taverna successful 1979 successful a erstwhile Greek diner successful Arlington, Virginia. The Lebanese migrant had conscionable shelled retired $150,000, via a slope loan, to instrumentality implicit the Athenian Taverna. He and his household had small near to regenerate the Plexiglass motion retired front.


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