Top Arlington, Virginia Restaurants to Try Right Now

ByMikkel and Dan Woodruff Posted on

Food, glorious food! Arlington, Virginia, is an incredible place to try many cuisines, from Baltic to Italian to Chinese or Coastal American. Check out some of the hottest restaurants and dining to try right now in Arlington, a sprawling city just outside of Washington, DC has it all.

NiHao

Table filled with small plates with Asian food.Table filled with small plates with Asian food.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

Asian cuisine meets tapas-style serving at NiHao in Arlington’s Crystal City neighborhood. We had to stop ourselves from ordering too many dishes because so many of them sounded so good! Don’t miss the Osmanthus sweet and sour pork ribs! They’re finger-licking good. Plan on ordering a drink as well; they have a wonderful cocktail menu.

Sfoglina Pasta House

Red and white interior of an Italian restaurant in Arlington, VA.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

The attractive red and white interior of Sfoglina takes us over the Atlantic, into the Mediterranean, and to Italy! Their handmade pasta is divine but just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to quality, delicious Italian cuisine in Arlington, Virginia.

Sfoglina Pasta House

Italian dishes on the table with pasta and Arugula salad.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

One of the best salads we’ve had in years was Sfoglina’s arugula salad covered in grated Parmigiano with brined lemon zest and Sorrento Citronette – simple ingredients done incredibly well. Their cocktails are perfect no matter the time of day, but we suggest their $28 lunch menu from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm, which includes several courses.

Ambar Restaurant

Wood table with a small flatbread and two small bowls of food.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

Ambar is in Arlington’s Clarendon neighborhood. Its interior is bright and airy with a gorgeous blue bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and a ceiling covered with plants and flowers. But the best part about the restaurant is its Balkan cuisine. You can try anything from the menu for one set price during lunch or dinner.  

Ambar’s Balkan Cuisine

Square-cut piece of trout on a bed of lentils, topped with tomato salsa.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

The portions at Ambar are perfect to try a bit of everything. Don’t miss their protein dishes, flatbreads, and salads. The food is so flavorful! Accompany your meal with a glass of their house wine; they have a full bar if you desire something stronger.

Carlyle

Two plates of food on the table in Arlington, VA.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

If you love crabcakes, run to the Carlyle at the Village at Shirlington! They’re incredible yet just one thing on a vast menu of many options. Their soups, salads, and entrees were finger-licking good, and the restaurant was filled with energy. It’s fun to walk around the shops before or after a meal there and get ice cream at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream for dessert, just a block away.

Kanji Izakaya

Hand holding chopsticks with a piece of sweet potato tempura in it and Japanese plates around it.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

If you’re craving Japanese food, Kanji Izakaya is the place to go in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington. They have hot and cold appetizers, sushi and maki rolls, ramen, hibachi, and more. The interior of the restaurant is modern with design touches that will bring you to Japan, like a floor-to-ceiling photo of Mt. Fuji.

Whino

Plate with a dessert cake topped with ice cream and two drinks in the background.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

Another great Ballston neighborhood place to go is Whino. The restaurant is part gallery with framed art and small sculptures for sale, reinforcing their support of attractive street art painted on the restaurant walls. Grab dinner or dessert and cocktails and take in the creativity around you.

Surreal

Interior of a restaurant in Arlington, with green chairs, yellow booth seating and a lot of tropical plants.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

The restaurant design at Surreal is spectacular; you’ll instantly know you’re in one of the hippest restaurants in Arlington. Tropical plants fill the space’s interior, and the bright green chairs at the table seating are only second in design to the fuchsia chairs at the bar.

Surreal Bar Bites and Drinks

Gray bar with a plate of oysters and cocktail next to it, with fuchsia colored bar chairs.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

Don’t miss happy hour oysters and cocktails at Surreal, starting at 3:00 pm. Accompany your cocktails with a dozen raw oysters, Gin of the Lotus, and the inventive Time Traveler’s Tipple cocktails. 

Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe

Wood table with coffee mugs and two plates of food with breakfast sandwiches and a mini donut on one plate.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe is the place to be for breakfast and lunch in the National Landing area of Arlington. This family-owned and operated restaurant has several locations, but we went to the newer South Eads Street location, where Amazon’s HQ2 and Metropolitan Park are. Don’t let the name fool you: they have more than delectable donuts, including sandwiches and salads.

Upside on Moore Food Hall

Interior of a food hall in Arlington, VA.
Image Credit: Sometimes Home

If you’re dining with a party that wants a little of this cuisine and a little of that, try Upside on Moore. This classy food hall in the Rosslyn neighborhood is conveniently located next to the Rosslyn metro station. Inside are various cuisine options: Mexican, Asian, Hawaiian, Filipino, and Italian. There is a full bar, with a menu curated by sommelier and mixologist Elli Benchimol, owner of the acclaimed French restaurant Apéro in Georgetown.

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