Chef
Cathal Armstrong
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Washington DC, Washington DC, United States
- Venue
- Kaliwa · Restaurant
i. Biography
Cathal Armstrong’s arc runs from Dublin, Ireland, where a college job turned into a kitchen life, to Washington, D.C, where he owned Kaliwa from 2018 to 2024. Along the way came line work, Alexandria, American regional cooking, a restaurant group, and a menu that moved through Southeast Asian and Pan-Asian flavors with dishes built for the table.
Beginnings
Born in Dublin, Armstrong began his professional culinary journey at a Dublin pizzeria, first as a waiter and then as a pinch-hitting cook. His own account keeps the turn plain and sudden: "It was an accidental job. I was washing dishes as a college job, one of the chefs got sick and they asked me to cover for him. He never came back and I stayed on." That unplanned shift became a working education. He cooked at New Heights, then at Vidalia, then at Bistro Bis, moving through kitchens that shaped both technique and the larger mechanics of hospitality. Armstrong has credited two teachers in particular for those foundations: "Chef Greggory Hill of David*Gregory, formerly of New Heights, introduced me to the fundamentals and Jeffrey Buben of Bistro Bis and Vidalia taught me how to run a restaurant."
The Rise
In 2004, Armstrong co-founded Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Virginia. The restaurant’s food was identified with American regional cuisine from sustainably produced ingredients, a point of view he described in direct, ingredient-first terms: "Getting the food from the vine to the plate as quickly as possible, focusing and concentrating their flavors." He later co-founded The Eat Good Food Group in the Washington, D.C. Area. That step widened the frame from a single dining room to a broader hospitality operation, with Armstrong moving from cook to co-founder while keeping the work tied to named places and kitchens. Old Town Alexandria remained part of that map through Hummingbird, where he has been operator. In Arlington, Virginia, he founded Mattie and Eddie’s in 2021, adding another address to a career that had already crossed from Ireland into the restaurants of Washington and Northern Virginia.
Today
The Kaliwa chapter in Washington, D.C, ran from 2018 to 2024, with Armstrong as owner. Its cooking centered on Southeast Asian cuisine and Pan-Asian cuisine, giving the restaurant a different language from the American regional work associated with Alexandria. The most concrete way to read that period is through the plates. Sisig brought crisped bits of pig with rice, calamansi lime, and chili under a fried egg; it was described as an addictive Filipino dish that set the tone for the meal and was meant to be enjoyed communally. Another signature, Lumpiang Shanghai, arrived as long, thin, crispy spring rolls filled with minced shrimp and pork and served with a tangy sauce. A wood-grilled half chicken with Naam Jim Mayonnaise added a grill-driven dish to the same menu. Armstrong’s cooking vocabulary also includes a direct affection for fat as flavor and texture. "I like working with pork fat. It is very versatile, palatable when hot or cold, and it adds moisture and flavor."
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Cathal
What roles has Cathal Armstrong held?
He has been a cook at New Heights, Vidalia, and Bistro Bis; co-founder of Restaurant Eve and The Eat Good Food Group; owner of Kaliwa from 2018 to 2024; operator of Hummingbird; and founder of Mattie and Eddie’s.
What is Cathal Armstrong doing now?
He operates Hummingbird in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and his named recent work includes founding Mattie and Eddie’s in Arlington, Virginia, in 2021.
Where else has Cathal Armstrong worked?
His path includes a Dublin pizzeria, New Heights, Vidalia, Bistro Bis, Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, The Eat Good Food Group in the Washington, D.C. Area, Kaliwa in Washington, D.C., Hummingbird in Old Town Alexandria, and Mattie and Eddie’s in Arlington.
