Meaza International Market/Restaurant, web site, 5440-42 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-820-2870 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo (Eve Zibart) | City Paper | Yelp]
[update December 2007: new entry and located at 5700 Columbia Pike]
Yummy in taste and original in execution, the kitfo is great here and the place even looks nice. The best Ethiopian in this entire area, every dish here is strong.
House of Biryani, 5151 Lee Highway, Arlington, 703-532-4104, 11 to 10
A hole in the wall biryani house, quite authentic, quite good. All halal, the owner is from Bangladesh. They will make it spicy if you ask. The haleem is quite soupy though still yummy. Biryani is the thing to get, goat too. This is not a perfect high quality restaurant, but if I lived nearby I would go all the time.
India Curry House, web site, 3181 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, right near Clarendon Metro, 703-527-3444 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | Yelp]
This place became crowded right after opening, and it is easy to see why. High-quality Indian buffet food, at reasonable prices. I wish they had more regional dishes, and perhaps someday they will. I've yet to try from their regular menu. This place is right near my office in Arlington, and it has rapidly become a lunch favorite. My only complaint is that sometimes the line for the buffet gets too long.
Tandoori Nights, web site (Flash), 2800 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-248-8333 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | Wash Times | City Paper | Yelp]
Remember how Clarendon was once the epicenter of good ethnic dining? Well, those days are long since gone.
Avoid the Tandoori here. Some of the vegetable dishes are not bad. Don’t think this substitutes for any of the real Indian places around. But some of you will be caught short in Clarendon, wondering where to go, and tempted to try this. What can I say? You should be in your car driving down to Minerva. But you’re not. Boo-hoo. Give Tandoori Nights a try, but don’t complain to me if you go home disappointed. The décor is nice.
Buckingham Center is located on the east side of Glebe at Pershing in Arlington, VA, a few blocks north of Rt. 50 / Arlington Blvd., and about a mile south of I-66.
Casa Mia, Lalibela, 3111 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA not too far from Glebe Road, 703-920-9500 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [openlist]
The second best Ethiopian place in Northern Virginia. Reliable, and adequately spicy. Not as good as what you find in DC, but a good introduction to the cuisine. In 2002 they moved into their larger quarters, in a former Italian restaurant. Incongruities abound, but they add to the charm of the place.
Rinconcito Chapin, 303 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA, in Buckingham Center, 703-807-0025 or 703-525-3836 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window)
The menu here is like that of an El Salvadorean restaurant, except without the Pupusas. So why go? You might want to say you have been to a Guatemalan restaurant. Otherwise this place, while not bad, is not up to the competition.
Pio-Pio, 3360 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA, 703-465-5200 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window)
Good rotisserie chicken, and look for the chicken standing outside the front, waving a large placard.
Montserrat, Glebe Road, Arlington, VA, between Rt. 50 and I-66.
I went once and found the meat too tough, though the red beans and rice were excellent. The place has potential, but still needed to work out some kinks.
Update May 26, 2006: A commenter says it is open and located at 85 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA, just north of Rt. 50, across the street from the McDonalds.
SoBe Seafood Co., web site, 3100 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-528-0033 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist]
In the trendy part of Arlington, which usually spells death for food. The Washington Post says it is “pretty good, not great.” Some of the dishes have a vaguely Caribbean tinge.
Restaurante El Salvador, 4805 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-521-3225 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper]
One of the best Salvadorean places, in a universe of dozens. Juicy pupusas, nice atmosphere. Also get the corn tamales, tamale de elote. When going to an El Salvadorean restaurant, always order the pupusas. Always order the pupusas. Always order the pupusas. A Pupusa, for the uninitiated, is a Salvadorean "pancake," made of corn-based bread, stuffed with meat, cheese, or both. Make sure you put lots of spicy cabbage on the top (called “curtido”). The cheapest good meal around, also. They have some Peruvian dishes, too.
Atlacatl & Pupuseria, 4701 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-920-3680, usually open (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | openlist | Yelp]
In decline, and no longer the best El Salvadorean in the area. The herb pupusas are still good, though. If you’ve never had this kind of food before, still good enough to be a revelation. Nice funky décor, too.
Minh's Restaurant, web site, 2500 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, at Cleveland Street, 703-525-2828, the Virginia branch of a small chain (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Along with Nam-Viet, one of the better Vietnamese places in Clarendon. More yuppie than most, a deliberate attempt at outreach. For me, this is ultimately a turn-off; although the food here is reasonably good, it is a little more expensive than it need be.
Nam-Viet, web site, 1127 N. Hudson Street, Arlington, VA, 703-522-7110 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Economist | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Other locations:
Maybe the best Vietnamese place in Clarendon, currently. Clarendon, however, is no longer the area’s center for Vietnamese food, Falls Church is, especially in and around the Eden Center. My favorite here is the caramel pork in ginger sauce.
Atilla's Restaurant, web site, 2705 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-920-6524 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | openlist | Yelp]
Turkish food, tied to an ethnic grocery, doner kebab on Fridays and Saturdays.
Manee Thai, web site, 2500 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-920-2030 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
An excellent Thai place, in the Columbia Pike Thai row.
Thai Square, web site, 3217 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, just east of Glebe (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | Wash Times | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
I've been going to this place quite a lot lately. It is one of the three or four best Thai places around, and probably the one most popular with Thais. Excellent atmosphere, lots of small Thai kids. The best satay around, without a doubt. The best green curry. Very original pig's knuckle dish with fragrant spicing. Very highly recommended. Not as fancy as Duangrat's but in some regards a more durable restaurant.
Bangkok 54, web site, 2919 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-521-4070 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
A reader recommends. I have yet to go.
Across the street from Rincome Thai.
Rincome Thai Cuisine, web site, 3030 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-979-0144, in the Travel Lodge (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Lately it has been too sugary. That being said, I will take the sugary Mee Krob. Attached to a hotel. One drawback: you have to take an elevator up to the second floor for the bathrooms. But not up to the other Thai places on the same road in the same area. By the way, a reader recommends Bangkok 54 across the street.
Ghin Na Ree, 2509 N. Harrison St. and Lee Highway, Arlington, VA, 703-536-1643, closed Monday lunch (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
A classic mom and pop. They even let the small child have one of the tables for her toys and crayons. Charming decor, and one of the most authentic Thai places around. Is this the best Thai place in the area? No. Is it worth going anyway? Yes. Spicy.
La Tasca, web site (music), 722 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC, right across from the MCI / Verizon Center, 202-347-9190 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp]
Also a branch in Arlington, near Whole Foods, 2900 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-812-9120
I like the cheese plate, and a few dishes, but most of the tapas are mediocre. A place where yuppies go to drink.
Costa Verde, 946 North Jackson Street, Arlington, VA, 703-522-6976, near GMU Metro campus, across from the gas station, usually open. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
A good Peruvian place that has gotten better with time. Very good ceviche de pescado and very good seafood, my favorite is the Pescado Saltado but most dishes are excellent. Recommended. Use lots of the green sauce.
El Pollo Rico, 932 Kenmore Street, Arlington, VA, 703-522-3220, near the GMU Law School, they have moved from the old location. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp]
You have to admire any restaurant that has only one item on the menu. One of the best chicken places. Maybe the best chicken. And certainly the best fries. But no yucca. On the negative side, the portions are smaller than in many places, and it doesn’t always come piping hot. Great for people-watching.
(Peruvian chicken is "pollo a la brasa')
Kabob Bazaar, web site, 3133 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA, 703-522-8999, just across from Clarendon Metro (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | openlist | Yelp]
The best ground beef kabob around, period.
The daily stews are great, too. Doesn’t look like much, but this place is excellent. Addictive. And don’t be afraid to get the ground beef kabob, which in most other places is just boring. Here it could be the best dish. With the barberry rice, if they have it that day, they usually do on Thursdays or Fridays.
Ravi Kabob House, 305 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA, 703-522-6666, a few blocks north of Rt. 50 at Pershing in Buckingham Center, a small row of shops (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | zabihah | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
The best kabob and Pakistani restaurant around. The meat here is superb. Plus the chicken and lamb karahi dishes are excellent, but don’t believe them when they say it is enough for two people, it isn’t. A hole in the wall, mom and pop sort of place, but high quality all around and very authentic.
Update May 31, 2006: They're opening an additional place across the street at 250 N. Glebe Road, next to the CVS.
Lamb Kabob, with salad, rice and chick peas, and bread
Food Factory, 4221 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA, 703-527-2279, usually open. Turn left at North Stuart, coming from the west on 66, and park in the back. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | zabihah | WaPo - Phyllis Richman | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Don't let the name scare you off - this is a real ethnic restaurant. The kabobs and the breads are very tasty. The chicken, of course, should be ordered on the bone; it is tenderer that way. I prefer the chicken to the lamb. And use as much of the spicy green sauce as possible, let it seep into your bread! (You should even ask them for an extra serving of the spicy green sauce.) The spicy hamburgers (chapli burgers) are not bad either. The scooped buffet dishes vary in quality, but usually you can tell by sight. Weekends they serve Haleem, a Pakistani speciality. Haleem is a move in the direction of simply ingesting the spices directly and removing the intermediary of the food. This place now draws a pretty “white” crowd, but the quality remains high.
For people-watching Food Factory is first-rate. Go Saturday at lunch time, but there is almost always something interesting going on among the clientele. Do note that they tow cars away very easily from the parking lot, so don't run off and take a walk. If they call to have your car towed, they won't be very apologetic (or very polite) afterwards.
Update: It is now a hookah bar and the old Food Factory you used to know and love is gone, gone, gone. Sorry to report this. They do still have some Pakistani food.
Cassatt's, A Kiwi Cafe, web site, 4536 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA, in the strip mall with Arrowine and Crisp & Juicy, 703-527-3330 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo (scroll down) | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
The atmosphere is amazing reminiscent of a New Zealand café, including the art for sale. New Zealand has the world’s best seafood and this place does not, but it is still above average for the area. For me it has significant nostalgia value as well (I once lived in Wellington). Monday is fish and chips night, I have been meaning to try that. This place definitely has its fans, very homey in a nice way, gets crowded for lunch.
El Charrito Caminante, 2710-A North Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-351-1177, between Pershing Drive on the north and the 7-11 on the south, on the west side of Washington Blvd. (the right side as you're leaving Arlington toward I-395) (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Yelp]
Looks, smells, and feels like a real taqueria. The goat tacos are first-rate, probably the best Mexican dish you can get in Virginia, at least outside of Oyamel. Next in line are the loroco pupusas, but many of the dishes here are no better than ordinary, noting that “ordinary” ain’t so bad. N.B.: there are four high stools and a small amount of counter space, this place is mostly take-out. I also get the passion fruit juice to drink.
Chipotle, web site, numerous area locations. [Washingtonian | WaPo | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
OK, let’s get the bad news out of the way up front. This is a chain. Even worse, it is a chain owned by McDonald’s corporation, the fount of culinary evil. That being said, it is pretty good. Fresh and relatively authentic Mexican food, you tell them how to put together your meal. The salsa is genuinely spicy. The carnitas are the best meat. Not much choice, but you don’t need it. I’d rather eat here than almost any other Mexican place on this list.
Guajillo, web site, 1727 N. Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-807-0840, near Rosslyn, by the Citgo, in the strip mall, 703-807-0840, usually open. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
It has received consistently good reviews. If you don’t know the real thing, you will be pretty happy here. If you do know the real thing, you will know they are at least making a valiant effort. A quasi-yuppie Mexican place, not a hole in the wall, the mole is probably their best dish. The sauce is excellent though the chicken ends up a bit dry. Check out the amates on the wall.
Crisp & Juicy, multiple outlets [WaPo | 10Best | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Citysearch | Gayot]
Many of my readers like these places, I have yet to go.
Layalina, web site, 5216 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-525-1170 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | Don Rockwell | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Reasonably good food, but a bit overpriced to me, not a place I am enthusiastic about.
Lebanese Taverna, web site, 5900 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-241-8681, not far from Falls Church (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Economist | Silver Chips Online | WBFN | Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Gayot]
Other locations
Very tasty Lebanese food. Draws an older, more traditional sort of Virginia crowd. Don't let them put you off. Good yogurt sauce, especially when pomegranates are involved.
Gua-Rapo, web site (flash), 2039 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-528-6500, Courthouse area (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Supposed to be Nuevo Latino. Looks like a place for poseurs. I refuse to go here.
Atami, 3155 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-522-4787, Clarendon metro area (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
NOW CLOSED. They have both Japanese and Vietnamese food, and have been in decline for some time now.
Matuba, web site, 2915 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-521-2811, also 4918 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, MD, 301-652-7449. (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]
Good sushi, though no longer dominant as it once was. Now just another good place.
Pines of Naples, 3205 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA, 703-521-5039 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | Yelp]
Quasi-Italian food, cooked by Pakistani and Brazilian owners. Not for everyone, but draws a steady crowd of regulars.