Great Falls Lodge Bar and Grill will open its doors Monday, Sept. 7, bringing a new dinner spot to Great Falls Center on Georgetown Pike.

Owner and chef Neel Kamal told FFXnow the restaurant at 9835 Georgetown Pike is ready for a Labor Day soft launch after Fairfax County's permitting and inspection process "took longer than expected." The restaurant had originally been expected to open earlier in the summer.

Great Falls Lodge will start with dinner service from 3 to 10 p.m. Lunch and happy hours come later.

The soft-opening menu leans western: burgers, flatbreads, salads, baby back ribs, fish and chips, Maryland crab cakes and jambalaya. Over time, the full menu will blend classic American bar food with Asian and Southern flavors, including butter chicken and a chili paneer flatbread. The drink list covers wine, cocktails, a range of liquors and non-alcoholic options including tea and coffee.

The restaurant fills a 4,689-square-foot space that previously housed El Tio Tex-Mex Grill. Inside, taxidermy decor and a rustic mountain-lodge theme set the tone, FFXnow reported in June.

Great Falls Lodge is the first bar-style establishment in Great Falls Center, which already includes Village Grill, Izumi Sushi Japanese Cuisine, Toastique and Bollywood Bistro.

Kamal is a 30-year hospitality veteran who also runs Brews & Barrels in Gaithersburg and Maharani Palace, an Indian restaurant in Herndon. Great Falls Lodge is his first Virginia location for the Lodge brand, which operates as Urbana Lodge in Ijamsville, Md., and Clarks Lodge in Clarksburg, Md.

Kamal described the concept as a family-oriented, mountain-themed spot with a broad wine list and approachable American menu when he spoke to FFXnow in June. He said he is excited and grateful to the Great Falls community.

Kamal is also developing a second Virginia Lodge location, called Vienna Lodge, at 2750F Gallows Road in Dunn Loring. A commercial alteration permit for that buildout is under review by Fairfax County staff. No updated opening timeline for Vienna Lodge was available as of Friday, Sept. 4.

Kamal told FFXnow in June the restaurant hopes to offer live music on weekends once established.