This is my go-to-spot for some good viet food! Broth is amazingly good. I love the variety they…read moreoffer! I have came here a handful of times and no dish has not disappointed! This place is located in where TeaDM is, just fyi. We're tried the Banh Mi (which comes in beef broth on the side), Garlic Steak on rice, Beef Pho. ALL GOOD. I just love this spot. hands down my favorite viet place. If you were to ask me "hey lets get Viet food", I will not hesitate and bring you here. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! such a hidden gem.

Bon Me Shack wasn't the easiest place to find, but it's definitely worth knowing about. It's tucked…read moreinside TeaDM, so don't waste time looking for a storefront, just head into TeaDM and you'll find the Bon Me Shack counter. Ordering is quick and easy through the iPad, and I went with the Beef Perfect Bowl over rice. The portion alone impressed me. It came piled high with grilled beef, fresh greens, rice, and even an egg roll, making it feel like a complete meal rather than just a rice bowl. The beef was flavorful, the vegetables added a nice freshness, and while I'm trying to cut back on carbs, I have to admit the sticky rice soaked up all the savory sauce and was hard to stop eating. The only thing I would do differently next time is ask for jalapeños or another spicy topping. I like my food with a little more heat, and I think that extra kick would have taken the bowl to the next level. There are a handful of tables if you want to eat there, but I grabbed mine to go. Hidden gem is an overused phrase, but in this case it actually fits. Generous portions, solid flavors, and reasonable prices for this day and age.

New packaging, same taste. It's always going to be the…read morecombo over rice with white, hot & green sauce and added bell peppers and onions for me with added side of fries. Seems like they'll be expanding their menu soon!

I love a good halal plate and heard this chain was a good place for that. I always get the standard…read morecombo plate with chicken and gyro to judge a place by. I thought the meat and seasoning was pretty good and on par with a lot of places. The thing that stood out to me were their portion sizes - there are massive! They also have a lot of different side items you can try that were pretty affordable as well. Skip the fried mac and cheese and get the cheese fries to mix with your plate. You can thank me later. Solid halal plate spot that is super affordable and generous portions. Entrees: Combo Mix Platter Sides: Cheese Fries and Fried Mac and Cheese Bites

Ivy on the Lake is a very cool Mediterranean restaurant and bar with a laid-back, hidden-gem feel…read more The space is clean and stylish, but the real draw is the huge patio overlooking a small man-made lake. It's the kind of place where you can settle in, order a few plates, grab a drink, and enjoy the atmosphere. And the food? Top-notch in option. We kept it light this time and went with appetizers instead of a full meal: shawarma bites, olives, Brussels sprouts, and Spreads with Tandoori Bread. Now, I normally don't even like Brussels sprouts. The other two people in our party were loving them, so I finally gave in and took a bite. Yeah, pretty freaking delicious. For the spreads, we chose baba ghanoush, tzatziki, and cacik. The tandoori bread was warm, incredibly soft and tender, perfect for tearing apart and dragging through the dips. Definitely one to order for the table. The shawarma bites were another decent hit and had us eyeing some of the larger dishes coming out of the kitchen. And that's when we realized we're going to have to come back. There's a mixed grill that looks like it could feed about four people, piled with grilled meats and made for sharing. Then there's the Shawarma Experience, which requires at least 24 hours' notice. Overall, Ivy on the Lake has the combination we love: great Mediterranean flavors, a beautiful outdoor setting, and a very chill atmosphere. We only scratched the surface this time.

After looking at Ivy By The Lake's menu online, we decided to give them a try. They open for…read moredinner at 4 p.m., and we showed up shortly after. While there are some good things about the place, which I will list first, there are some not-so-good things. The good --- When we arrived, the place wasn't busy at all. There were a few people sitting outside. The dining room was empty. Throughout our meal, we had the place to ourselves. Our server greeted us and seated us. Masha was very friendly, polite, and efficient. The dining room was decorated with artificial hanging plants. Also, there was a large mural of Eve holding the apple with the serpent coaxing her to eat it. Now for the not-so-good things --- getting to the entrance wasn't easy, especially for my husband, who is waiting to get his knee replaced. To reach the entrance, you had to walk down a paved path with descending steps after parking the car. Upon entry, we had to climb a somewhat long staircase. On the way out, Masha stated that there was a ramp and pointed to a door leading to the kitchen and said we could go out that way. We chose to exit the way we entered. Also, they don't have any printed menus -- just a QR code to scan for the menu. We found that to be off-putting. Fortunately, we had already decided what to order before coming here. We chose to start with "Zaytoun", which consists of "Mixed Pitted Olives Tossed In Extra Virgin Oil. GF". This was a tasty starter. There were a few different types of pitted olives. However, we didn't think that there was any olive oil in the small bowl; rather, it appeared to be brine. For our main course, we both chose "Beef Kofta" which consists of: "Beef rolls served with Lebanese Couscous, Refreshing Tomatoes, Cucumber, & Labneh". The beef kofta was very dry. Growing up, I sometimes had Kofta, and it often turned out quite dry. The kofta did have some kick, and the small amount of very tasty labneh helped mute the spiciness. The Lebanese couscous portion was huge. That, too, helped give moisture to the kofta. This was a filling meal, and we ended up taking some home. Weighing the pros and cons, the cons, alas, outweighed the pros for us.

Little gem hidden in Sterling a few mins off of route 28. The place has a few tables but it's more…read moreof a grab and go. The menu has a variety of items such as burritos, wraps, and rice platter but the focus of every item is either the chicken shawarma, beef shawarma or falafel. You really can't go wrong with any of their protein options because everything is freshly prepared and offers generous portions. We got the beef wrap which is really a mix of beef and lamb which is exactly what I wanted. It should be noted that the wrap is cut into 7-8 pieces rather than one long wrap is interesting because it makes it harder to eat. Everytbing basically falls apart after the first bite of each piece. I'd recommend getting the full wrap but not cut. It was packed with flavor and fillings so it more than made up for it. Do yourself a favor and get the spicy version. It's not crazy spicy and gives the entree another depth of flavor. I'll definitely be back again to try the other options.

The best chicken shawarma I've had in the DMV so far. Located in an unassuming small shopping…read morecenter, this place gives a hole-in-the-wall hidden gem vibe. I am a flavor fanatic and need things to be flavor packed and generally in the past, I've had many shawarmas lacking seasoning, toppings, or sauces. HOWEVER, the chicken shawarma here is nicely seasoned with plenty of toppings, sauces, and extra toum/garlic sauce on the side. I never get fries, but even their fries are well seasoned and tasty even when dipped in the garlic sauce! Affordable, filling, big portion, quick service, authentic, well seasoned, and good ingredients- what more can you ask? I'm glad I gave this place a try and will definitely come back when in the area!

Parking right outside (at least for 30 minutes) is a nice bonus and makes the visit easy…read more What stands out most about Big Buns is the pride they clearly put into both the food and the drinks. You can tell there's intention behind what they serve. I had the Hot & Hefe burger, and it delivered--great texture, well-balanced toppings, and definitely some heat. I ordered it medium well, but next time I'll go for medium to get a bit more juiciness. The truffle fries were decent, nothing standout, but the chicken sandwich was impressive--huge, flavorful, and loaded with good toppings. A fun touch: they actually serve your food to the table with a robot, which adds a bit of novelty to the experience. I also want to highlight the ginger pear drink--fresh, nicely blended, and refreshing. The ambiance sits somewhere between fast food and casual dining--hard to define exactly, but it works. Pricing is mid-range, and overall, it feels like good value for what you get. I'll definitely be back.

Got the peppercorn steakhouse burger and it was solid. Very hearty burger but my patty was a bit…read moredry and little bit overcooked. I've had their Arlington location and loved it but here was just alright.

I really like this place. I'll admit it's messy but a good messy. This is great food truck stuff…read more I'll order and have delivered. Good staff. I don't think the one piece of chicken and rice is a good value. Go here you won't regret it.

The spicy chicken shawarma was really flavorful and the portion size was pretty big! Their fries…read morehave a nice light seasoning and crispy outside which is my favorite type of fries! Definitely would come back!

Let me preface this by saying we moved here from NJ and we are spoiled when it comes to pizza and…read morewings. This place hit the spot after craving some good classic pizza and wings! We ordered the pepperoni pizza and mild buffalo wings with blue cheese on the side and it was GOOD!! The pizza dough was perfect. Texture and thickness was spot on. The sauce to cheese to dough ratio was great and there was pepperoni in every bite. The pizza wasn't too oily or dry either. If you're looking for a classic pizza this is it. I was pleasantly surprised by the wings. They were really big and meaty! Again if you're looking for classic buffalo wings this is it! Service was great. We ordered through grubhub and they included thick paper plates that actually hold the weight of the pizza and wings which was appreciated since we had a movie night and had to pass the plates out.

In the mood for pizzas for takeout in the area, this Champ's in Sterling caught my eye…read more Ordered Champs Tandoori Pizza, medium size for a little over 20$. It came with tandoori chicken (Indian style dish) with Onion, jalapeños, and banana peppers. Food was pretty good. I will say a bit overpriced. However it fed 2-3 people. Still had leftovers in the end. Will probably order another kind of pizza eventually. I'd like to try something else on the menu. I liked that there was sufficient protein on the pizza, and was kind of springy taste, also somewhat spicy. I'll give it a pass.

The food here was really amazing. I've been back quite a few times for their hearty bowls.read more

I don't usually leave negative reviews, but this was my second poor experience with the same…read moreserver, so I felt it was worth sharing. I'm a local customer and live just a minute away, so I've visited more than once. I came in for lunch today with my wife and our 1.5-year-old son. After placing our order and sitting down, the server loudly yelled from behind the counter for us to come get our water. It felt uncomfortable and unprofessional, especially with a young child. When I placed my order, I asked for extra white sauce, and I asked again when the food came out. Both times, the request was ignored. I also mentioned that we hadn't received our drinks, but instead of addressing it, the server again yelled for us to get the drinks ourselves from the cooler. The food itself was okay, but the bread was very poor--hard and barely edible. I even called the restaurant later in the evening to share my concerns, but was told the server was off at that time. Overall, very disappointing experience, mainly due to the customer service. I hope this feedback is taken seriously and leads to improvement.

Ordered as my ifar meal. Unfortunately experience was…read moreunderwhelming. Based from the explanation on the menu, I expected more. I also received 1 side of sauce for all of this food. Decent taste, fair price. Maybe I'll order again. They are halal & the price is great. Maybe I'll go in next time.

I've been to a few Mediterranean and Middle Eastern places in my travels, so I am a slightly…read morefamiliar with a few things. I know baba ghanoush so of course I ordered it and it was amazing. Tasty and comforting with a nice zing at the end. I've never had shawarma and really enjoyed the chicken with the garlic sauce. My server was great and very nice, I can't exactly remember his name and I will get it wrong for sure ... Mousaz I think. Friendly and happy to explain anything I wasn't familiar with. This was a fun place to try something new if you aren't familiar with this sort of fare.

If you want to enjoy delicious soul food AND support an amazing small business owner -- don't sleep…read moreon C & E Southern Bites! It may be hidden away in Data Alley, but it's well worth the drive. Owned by a sweet Black American couple who deeply understand the ins and outs of Southern cuisine, you will feel the warmth of home at this simple storefront restaurant. They feature a menu replete with St Louis Ribs, gumbo, catfish, whiting, Mac n Cheese, Greens w Smoked Turkey, candied yams, banana pudding, homemade sweet potato pie and more! This was such a find. We had the 1/2 pound catfish platters and the batter was seasoned so perfectly. Additionally, the candied yams were cooked with just the right mix of sweet and savory and I could have had second. Greens are difficult to nail, and C & E nailed the texture and flavor. So good -- just add a little hot sauce and you're ready to eat! The potato salad and fried okra are also tasty options. Next time, we'll try the Mac n cheese. To finish the meal, we really enjoyed the special dessert: peach cobbler cinnamon roll. My spouse loved the banana pudding as well. 10/10 recommend! Spread the word and support small businesses. There are a lot of chain soul food restaurants out there, but Southern Bites deserves its flowers. Total class of its own!

When the whole menu looks good, just get everything!!…read more Mr. Evan's' cookout worthy entrees are prepared with passion and southern sensibilities and range from seafood platters with catfish to pork smoked ribs. The banana pudding and sweet potato pie are definitely the exclamation point on this meal.