Alexandria — It was a surprising move for a longtime neighborhood eatery in Del Ray: Just a few days after announcing the start of her annual winter hiatus, Dairy Godmother owner Liz Davis has revised her message and announced that the venerable custard purveyor is closing for good.
“While the almost 17 years of owning The Dairy Godmother have brought me great joy, I will not be reopening in the spring,” she wrote on the restaurant’s website on Jan. 12. Davis has offered to sell the business, part and parcel, but will not be responding to communications until she returns from her hiatus abroad, she said.
What began as the Del Ray Dreamery has become a mainstay in the neighborhood for nearly two decades, offering up unique custard flavors (such as Cicada Crunch during the cicada outbursts of recent years) and adding extra zeal to the 2300 block of Mount Vernon Avenue daily, especially during the warmer months. In the summertime, it wasn’t unusual to spy a line snaking out the door, especially on the weekends, where frozen custard lends itself to languid after-dinner noshing, either in the café or on the benches out front.
While Davis is away, the Salt | Bagel pop-up shop that is set to open Friday will continue for the next six weeks as planned. The joint venture of Bagel Uprising and No. 1 Sons was already in the works prior to Davis’ announcement and will remain in residence through February.