I went to Korea last summer. I had a ton of amazing food, but quite a few times, I thought, "I could get the same thing that's just as good (albeit pricier) in Centreville."
It's been like this since at least 2016 when I got a house here. Maybe even further back, so many Korean families left Annandale for Centreville in the early 2000s.
Not a unique food per se, but Taco Bamba was founded in nova. I'm amazed they've kept prices as low as they have. I can eat there for close to the same price as taco bell 😂
What's crazy is that tacos close to Mexico's border (So Cal and SOTX) honestly taste better but Taco Bamba is the only one closest to them in NOVA. Not discrediting TB, just pointing out how incredible the other taco joints are.
But they are only found in DC. You can’t find them in Nova.
Your easiest bet is any hot dog truck in DC. The most famous is the Chili half smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl on U street in DC
My local Giant Food grocery store (Centreville) sells Ben’s Chili Bowl branded Half Smokes, prepackaged. They’re not with their other hotdogs and packaged sausages, though. They’re over near the cheese and charcuterie and fresh pasta.
> The most famous is the Chili half smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl on U street in DC
"Most famous" != "Best"
Ben's is - hands down - an iconic civil rights-era destination. Tremendously important as a landmark. No question. It's a treasure.
The food itself however is ... *just ok*.
There’s a small spot inside Mustang Sally Brewing in Chantilly. Absolutely F’ing Phenomenal. I have gone there just for the half smokes on more than one occasion. Doesn’t hurt that there’s conveniently a brewery a couple steps away either.
You can pick up Ben's chili and half smokes at giant now! We love getting the half smokes and chili, then making bowls with them, onions, cheese and fritos.
found their half smokes & chili at Giant, Cascades Marketplace in Sterling
it's what's for lunch.
sans slice from Jumbo.
https://preview.redd.it/8nlhljjh655d1.png?width=550&format=png&auto=webp&s=d560db70247716261e84ead80f514387e3505188
No kidding! 2 cheeseburgers, 2 small drinks, 1 tiny fries. $44. I have to say, if it's close to you, Burger Billy's Joint in Arlington puts 5 Guys to serious shame for a LOT less $$$. Their fries are better, and the burger choices are pretty darn awesome, too. 3800 Langston Blvd, IIRC.
Tried this place recently and it is a really good (cheese)burger, top 5 for me in Arlington. It's surprisingly the amount of places around here that can't get a burger right, even the "upscale" places like green pig or burger centric places like BGR.
I like plenty of burgers in the area, but just like pizza, I find it difficult to find a basic burger that isn't some ghastly price or gussied up in someway.
I want the godlike $5 burger and fries that has been around for 50 years and hasn't changed their menu in almost as long.
I've lived a ton of places, and this burger exists in all of them. I just need to find it here. Will travel
(For pizza, a friend told me to check out Melting Pot Pizza in Front Royal).
> I want the godlike $5 burger and fries that has been around for 50 years and hasn't changed their menu in almost as long.
That's what Five Guys was, for a *long* time, but worldwide franchising turned it into a $12 burger fast-casual concept. They opened in the '80s and still had only a handful of locations in the early 2000s.
Five Guys turning into what it is now left us without our cheap no frills local burger. I used to go to the Backlick Rd one about monthly. My wife and I could eat there for ten bucks.
Yeah good luck finding a $5 burger around here. $7 for a single cheeseburger at Sloppy Mama's probably the closest you are going to get and that really does it a disservice as the double at $11 is much better.
I don't literally mean $5, but just more that OG hamburger stand type place with basic burgers.
I love the Sloppy Mama's burger but it isn't what I'm looking for either. It's really onion and special sauce forward and tastes like its own thing.
I hear you. If Bob and Edith's burger was consistent, I would rec that but it seems whomever is working makes it "their" way: sometimes good, sometimes not. Next time you order from Sloppy Mama's, tell them to make it without the other parts, meat and cheese please.
Oh man I loved Zoe's. I didn't realize that's what happened. I might get massively downvoted, but Cava is pretty mid. Roots Natural Kitchen is similar but drastically better.
Cava is obviously having growing pains. The Reston location always screws up our togo order in at least one but usually two or three ways. It’s chaos behind the counter. I’m talking forgetting drinks, swapping the bases between two people’s meals, leaving out requested ingredients… I’ll have to check out Mezeh.
Cava is just meh, and they charge high af prices. And Mediterranean food isn’t even all that expensive to begin with, can’t justify the prices they charge.
Love the guy. And that moment. Such an understated, nonchalant reaction LOL.
[https://www.mlb.com/video/taylor-s-catch-seals-game-5](https://www.mlb.com/video/taylor-s-catch-seals-game-5)
"Grain bowls" are just nihilist burritos you eat with a fork and are my generation's worst culinary contribution.
Now when I go to Chipotle and ask for a burrito, I have to deal with the attitude from the dude who has already pulled out the bowl, and is also terrible at wrapping burritos.
The mix of Central American, North African, Korean, and Ethiopian spots all being so close together is a fun staple about the area. It's impossible to get bored and their all spread around so easy to access too.
This is probably the only other place in the country besides LA Persian food is so prominent, there's like Persian fast food places here which is still crazy too me.
Why is that crazy? We have a huge Persian and middle eastern population. Same with Los Angeles. I'm middle eastern and from MI. If you want high density of Mediterranean food try Dearborn MI,
That’s why it’s crazy, we have a huge Persian population, the only other place in country like that is LA , I’m not talking about middle eastern food or Iranian food, specifically Persian.
Shamshiri in tysons, this is the Persian communities favorite because they give an absurd amount of food, Rumis kitchen in DC, this is the most expensive but imo the most authentic, Amoos in Mclean is really good aswell, "fast food" wise you have moby dicks, mama joons, and a ton of other random places, its strangely huge here, and all the places are packed. There's a moby dicks in reston I used to go too all the time but they've been bought after the original owner died, so it's not nearly as good as it used too.
joons is great , it’s the same vein as mobys where it’s a full blown chain at this point and white washed, but it blows my mind it even reached mainstream levels too be able to do that in this area
I found out about Amoo’s because I met the owner, Sebastian, at his food truck at a brewery. Really good kubideh.
Don’t forget Alborz in Vienna, or Shiraz on Tyco Road. Shiraz is a market, and they have a counter in the back for made-to-order.
I’ve know the owner of Amoos and his kids since I was a child, they’re such lovely people and amazing cooks. Shiraz I shop my groceries at , it has great food , but for actual restaurant much better around. Alborz I’ve never liked.
I get my roulettes and my mast e musir from Shiraz, and I agree about better restaurants.
So glad to hear the kind words about the owners of Amoos. The owner I met was probably the son of the owner. He was warm and friendly at his food truck, and immediately remembered me when I took my wife to the restaurant a few weeks later.
You know whats killer at shiraz, the kotlet, everytime I'm there I order one. Yes that was the son, he's actually a big time chef, went too school and everything, worked overseas, but ended up coming back here too help his father, the daughter is involved as well, super awesome too see. Although the owner is a HUGEE shah support, got pictures of him there and all hahaha
Seconding Shamshiri! An Uber driver recommended it to us and told us we HAD to get the saffron icecream - and now I also tell any and everyone to GET THE SAFFRON ICECREAM
I know you're joking, but "Thai food" as we know it actually was [intentionally created by the Thai government to make money in the US.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W09QCLmnCUU)
This is what I came here to say. I feel like any of the big regional pizza styles tend to have more than one restaurant offering them, but Ledo is the closest thing we've got to DMV-style pizza.
NoVA has no regional food. DC has unique food.
Adopted food that is popular in NoVA is Peruvian chicken, Pupusas, Korean food in general, and Kabobs. If you bring someone from outside these are the things that exist here that they should try to understand the regional culinary uniqueness.
DMV ethiopian food is low key underrated. Largest population of Ethiopians and Eritreans in the US is in our area I believe.
Shout out to to Enatye Ethipoian in Herndon. Place is fire.
Along with pizzas with black soot covered bottoms. Yuk. It's a great idea, but the pizza makers do not sweep out the "wood" (actually natural gas) ovens. Wood or even coal ovens can't put out the constant high temperatures that natural gas or electric pizza ovens are able to.
I wish I had the backing to start a pizzaria like the ones I owned in Albion and East Lansing years ago. I learned to make it from Vettes in Jackson. The pizza I made was a spicier and much better version of Domino's. Also, in my adventures in pizza making, I reverse engineered the deep dish pizzas of Detroit for a place in East Lansing in the late 1970s.
The thing about nova is that, while it doesn’t have a specific food like New York thin crust, Chicago deep dish, San Francisco sourdough, Texas bbq, etc., we have people from ALL over the world here. There are restaurants featuring authentic food from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between. No frills, no gimmicks, just real food made by people who lovingly share their beloved recipes from home with the local community. It’s awesome!
That was my initial thought too, but then I thought - aren’t most other big cities also melting pots? I guess this area is possibly more temporary/transient than other major cities because of the nature of federal government work? I also hate working but it’s often better than the alternative =p.
Nova just has so many options for all types of food and cuisine. Ask a rec for pizza, kbbq, ramen, thai, indian, pho, desserts, halal, etc and you will get multiple options to choose from.
NoVa wasn’t a major urban area until the post-WW2 era, I mean, there were cattle farms on 236 in Fairfax as recently as the late 80s. Fairfax High School was considered the ‘country’ high school in FFX up until the 70s.
There just hasn’t been enough time to develop a unique local cuisine like there has in places that have been urban centers for 100+ years.
All major cities are melting spots to a certain extent, but certain populations tend to dominate and centralize in certain cities. NOVA, LA, and Bergen County NJ have the most and best Korean. DC and St Paul Minnesota have the most Ethiopians. Minneapolis–Saint Paul has the most Somalis. DC has worse Mexican food than the west and south because we have more El Salvadorian and Hondurans. More Vietnamese than Thai in DC area.
Nova doesn’t have anything unique. It’s honestly a very recently developed suburb, and the places you’re talking about have relatively long histories that caused these things to develop there, and in many of those cases the local delicacy was connected to a working class during the industrial age, which DC lacked (and still lacks, look are pins for factories and you won’t see any). People, usually immigrants, came to those cities for work and brought heir food with them. DC didn’t have that work. It only really grew with the expansion of the executive branch post WW2 and the subsequent explosion of federal jobs in the area.
DC has half smokes, which came out in 1954. Unique, maybe, but it’s not like people think about them when they think of DC. There’s nothing really iconic about DC’s food.
Edit: at least one person is very, very upset I said this. This isn’t meant to be a dig at northern Virginia or DC, just a simple fact. The foods you mentioned have historical significance from a time when the cities they are associated with grew into prominence. Nova is growing into prominence *now.* In a hundred years, it might be known for some food, probably Korean, that developed here and became so iconic that “nova food” is associated with it. If you want to see the reason there’s no iconic nova food now, Google “Tyson’s corner 1950s,” and it will give you an idea of what the most developed part of nova looked like when all those iconic foods you mentioned were already well established.
How am I being “weirdly aggressive?”
None of those things are unique to northern Virginia at all. Of the things you listed, only mumbo sauce (debatably, but I’ll give DC credit) and half smokes are from DC, which isn’t northern Virginia.
Read the post, and stop being so weirdly aggressive when someone points out that northern Virginia is a suburb without its own distinct flavor.
Edit: your list was nonsense, so yes, downvote. You don’t get upvotes for being wrong. Tell me that pizza and cupcakes are unique to northern Virginia. C’mon, dude.
Nothing is really fully unique to anywhere anymore; things may have originated somewhere, but they have migrated and transformed so much that it’s possible to get good ‘specialty’ items outside of where they’re from. When I think of NoVA food, I think of a lot of stuff mentioned from nearby (half smokes, crab cakes, mumbo sauce, Old Bay, Roy Rogers, Five Guys, etc. - and for that matter, Marriott started as a hot dog stand in DC) but also the ‘style’ of some cuisines there - for instance, most pork fried rice I have there is char siu style w/eggs, onions, peas, and carrots, but venture to other regions and maybe it’s bean sprouts, green beans, carrots, and non-bbq pork. I’d imagine that there are plenty of local variations of dishes like that that, even if they’re not unique to NoVA.
Just to be clear, Shake Shack began in NY. Just because of how close Cava (which first opened here) and Shake Shack are in your sentence, I feel like someone is going to come along and be like “no! You’re wrong!” and tell you something you already knew, but maybe didn’t express clearly.
I wish they were more popular throughout NOVA, but I recommend trying salteñas! They are essentially soup empanadas that come with beef or chicken and are savory. I recommend salteñas from Luzmary in Falls Church. NOVA is one of the few places in the US where you can get Bolivian food.
It’s actually really good. Being from eastern Virginia, I was really disappointed not to have received white sauce with my tortilla chips when I went to a Mexican restaurant not in the area.
DC has half-smokes and Mambo Sauce, so their set.
NoVA doesn’t really have one. Eden Center you could say help the explosion of Asian joints, especially in Fairfax where there’s now two Asian grocery stores and tons of Pho and KBBQ restaurants. I actually think Breweries would be another one.
I’m gonna tell my kids NOVA invented Peruvian chicken and KBBQ /s
When I started living in places outside of nova I was shocked to learn that Peruvian chicken joints on every corner is not the norm anywhere else lol
And pho
There are a ridiculous amount of Korean BBQ spots in Centreville now.
I went to Korea last summer. I had a ton of amazing food, but quite a few times, I thought, "I could get the same thing that's just as good (albeit pricier) in Centreville."
Me personally I think meat project and breakers are terrible for korean bbq.
Meokja Meokja for the win
Yeah the quality of meat(s) is not that great. Better off not doing the AYCE and/or going to Annandale for KBBQ.
It'll never be just as good because charcoal can't be used here.
It's been like this since at least 2016 when I got a house here. Maybe even further back, so many Korean families left Annandale for Centreville in the early 2000s.
I was gonna say, it's been like that for a while now
It’s believable, I don’t think even Lima has such a density of Peruvian chicken places lol
They do because it's basically a "fast food" for them, haha. I love going to Lima for that and all the food they have down there.
It does. Lima has a much higher density of chicken places
I mean, Pollo Rico is pretty close to perfecting it… (mostly /s)
Korean here and kbbq yeah lotsa places out here but have u been to Los Angeles koreatown? Id say thats THE mecca of kbbq
and pho!
kbbq invented in nova is CRAZY
No. There's a reason they call it LA Galbi and not DC Galbi. Their K-town dwarfs what we have.
Not a unique food per se, but Taco Bamba was founded in nova. I'm amazed they've kept prices as low as they have. I can eat there for close to the same price as taco bell 😂
What's crazy is that tacos close to Mexico's border (So Cal and SOTX) honestly taste better but Taco Bamba is the only one closest to them in NOVA. Not discrediting TB, just pointing out how incredible the other taco joints are.
DC invented [half-smokes.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-smoke)
Thank you! This is the kind of thing I was hoping for. I will definitely be finding and eating one of those this weekend.
But they are only found in DC. You can’t find them in Nova. Your easiest bet is any hot dog truck in DC. The most famous is the Chili half smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl on U street in DC
Weenie Beenie in arlington
Arguably the BEST place to get a half smoke in the DC area.
Dave Grohl would agree.
YES! Used to go there after little league games back when I was a kid. So happy to see it's still there
My local Giant Food grocery store (Centreville) sells Ben’s Chili Bowl branded Half Smokes, prepackaged. They’re not with their other hotdogs and packaged sausages, though. They’re over near the cheese and charcuterie and fresh pasta.
Weenie Beenie has been serving half Smokes for ages. Lots of stores around here sell half smokes, it's not a rare food.
> The most famous is the Chili half smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl on U street in DC "Most famous" != "Best" Ben's is - hands down - an iconic civil rights-era destination. Tremendously important as a landmark. No question. It's a treasure. The food itself however is ... *just ok*.
There’s a small spot inside Mustang Sally Brewing in Chantilly. Absolutely F’ing Phenomenal. I have gone there just for the half smokes on more than one occasion. Doesn’t hurt that there’s conveniently a brewery a couple steps away either.
Eugene’s Sausage and Fries - colocated with Mustang Sally Brewing in Chantilly.
There's one co-located with Eavesdrop Brewing in Yorkshire, too.
I was looking for this comment, Eugenes is awesome
You can pick up Ben's chili and half smokes at giant now! We love getting the half smokes and chili, then making bowls with them, onions, cheese and fritos.
Last time I checked, even the meat section in the Leesburg WalMart carried them. I was completely surprised, but nonetheless, there they were.
found their half smokes & chili at Giant, Cascades Marketplace in Sterling it's what's for lunch. sans slice from Jumbo. https://preview.redd.it/8nlhljjh655d1.png?width=550&format=png&auto=webp&s=d560db70247716261e84ead80f514387e3505188
I don't know anything about Jumbo, but I looked it up. Is it Jumbo Pizza or Jumbo Slice? Apparently they're two separate places.
Jumbo Pizza. Across the street from Ben's
Thank you!
Both Haute Dog and Blue and White Carryout in Alexandria have them as does Weenie Beanie in Arlington
Uhh, no. BCB is great, but you can get good half smokes in NoVA.
This was bait right? 🤣
Giant Food sells Ben's Chili Bowl Original and Spicy Half Smoke Sausages.
I’ve had them at the Filling Co out in Ashburn where you can substitute any hot dog for a half smoke
Yes, you can. They are now at Giant.
And mambo sauce.
Half smoke, half gas.
I had no idea. Neat!
Find a street cart downtown. That’s where the best half smokes are
CAVA started in the DMV area, in addition to sweat green. Five Guys first opened in Arlington.... multiple fast casual joints
You need the amount of 5 guys working to buy their burgers now
No kidding! 2 cheeseburgers, 2 small drinks, 1 tiny fries. $44. I have to say, if it's close to you, Burger Billy's Joint in Arlington puts 5 Guys to serious shame for a LOT less $$$. Their fries are better, and the burger choices are pretty darn awesome, too. 3800 Langston Blvd, IIRC.
Tried this place recently and it is a really good (cheese)burger, top 5 for me in Arlington. It's surprisingly the amount of places around here that can't get a burger right, even the "upscale" places like green pig or burger centric places like BGR.
I like plenty of burgers in the area, but just like pizza, I find it difficult to find a basic burger that isn't some ghastly price or gussied up in someway. I want the godlike $5 burger and fries that has been around for 50 years and hasn't changed their menu in almost as long. I've lived a ton of places, and this burger exists in all of them. I just need to find it here. Will travel (For pizza, a friend told me to check out Melting Pot Pizza in Front Royal).
> I want the godlike $5 burger and fries that has been around for 50 years and hasn't changed their menu in almost as long. That's what Five Guys was, for a *long* time, but worldwide franchising turned it into a $12 burger fast-casual concept. They opened in the '80s and still had only a handful of locations in the early 2000s. Five Guys turning into what it is now left us without our cheap no frills local burger. I used to go to the Backlick Rd one about monthly. My wife and I could eat there for ten bucks.
Yeah good luck finding a $5 burger around here. $7 for a single cheeseburger at Sloppy Mama's probably the closest you are going to get and that really does it a disservice as the double at $11 is much better.
I don't literally mean $5, but just more that OG hamburger stand type place with basic burgers. I love the Sloppy Mama's burger but it isn't what I'm looking for either. It's really onion and special sauce forward and tastes like its own thing.
I hear you. If Bob and Edith's burger was consistent, I would rec that but it seems whomever is working makes it "their" way: sometimes good, sometimes not. Next time you order from Sloppy Mama's, tell them to make it without the other parts, meat and cheese please.
The chain is named after the portion size on their fries.
I thought Sweet Green opened in Georgetown.
It did. And was founded by Georgetown grads
that's correct, but OP was talking about sweat green
Roy Rogers (the restaurant not the cowboy) started here too.
Started in Frederick, MD....not to shit on a local brand, but I think their ingredients have gone downhill since 10-20 yrs ago sadly
Taco Bamba could be added to that list with their nearly-national expansion.
Taco Bamba is da bomb. Are we still saying that?
I'll never forgive CAVA for buying Zoe's Kitchen and then turning them all into CAVAs. One of the worst fast casual restaurant crimes of all time.
Ugh. Zoe's Kitchen was awesome
I mean, were they? granted I’m vegetarian/vegan but I just couldn’t find anything there good. It was just average.
Oh man I loved Zoe's. I didn't realize that's what happened. I might get massively downvoted, but Cava is pretty mid. Roots Natural Kitchen is similar but drastically better.
Not a big fan of roots myself. Mezeh is virtually the same thing as cava but imo tastes much better.
Cava is terrible. So is Roti, and all the "Mediterranean" fast casual spots
Cava is obviously having growing pains. The Reston location always screws up our togo order in at least one but usually two or three ways. It’s chaos behind the counter. I’m talking forgetting drinks, swapping the bases between two people’s meals, leaving out requested ingredients… I’ll have to check out Mezeh.
Cava is just meh, and they charge high af prices. And Mediterranean food isn’t even all that expensive to begin with, can’t justify the prices they charge.
I like mezeh better than Cava, but you know, it’s a roll of the dice with Mezeh
How did I forget about Zoe's kitchen?!?
I love your Michael A. profile pic! Never forget the legend
Love the guy. And that moment. Such an understated, nonchalant reaction LOL. [https://www.mlb.com/video/taylor-s-catch-seals-game-5](https://www.mlb.com/video/taylor-s-catch-seals-game-5)
Sweat green 🤢
"Grain bowls" are just nihilist burritos you eat with a fork and are my generation's worst culinary contribution. Now when I go to Chipotle and ask for a burrito, I have to deal with the attitude from the dude who has already pulled out the bowl, and is also terrible at wrapping burritos.
Mambo sauce (at least for DC, not so much NOVA)
Aka mumbo sauce
That’s a good one (and yes, running is the absolute worst!)
Was looking for this before I respond. Good job sir/mam
Ozzie rolls.
Fuckin Ozzie rolls. I would murder my best friend for an extra basket of those
I'll dispose of the bodies if that includes the butter with it.
Honey butter, not just any butter.
Our server gave us chocolate syrup with them once for my kid. Omg.
don’t forget the poppy seeds
Ten thousand calories per roll and worth it
Sir they are one dollar. Just order another basket.
This might be the answer as GAR is NOVA based. I believe the Sweet Water Tavern in Merrifield is HQ.
Oh marone
I believe they buy em frozen from a company in the mid west.
VINDACATION!!!
This brings a buttery tear to my eye.
Ozzie Rolls & Filet Tips are the best duo lol
Where does one acquire Ozzie rolls?
Chick-fil-a sauce was invented in Fredericksburg by a franchise owner.
And they had it in those big pump dispensers. Worth the trip to spotsy mall.
Nothing makes it worth going to Spotsylvania. Signed, someone who used to live there.
Nope. It was in Spotsylvania
Yes. Spotsy County Mall. 👍
The mix of Central American, North African, Korean, and Ethiopian spots all being so close together is a fun staple about the area. It's impossible to get bored and their all spread around so easy to access too.
I think that’s the unique thing about NOVA is the variety.
Some of the best Afghan/Pakistani kebab I've had as well.
This is probably the only other place in the country besides LA Persian food is so prominent, there's like Persian fast food places here which is still crazy too me.
Why is that crazy? We have a huge Persian and middle eastern population. Same with Los Angeles. I'm middle eastern and from MI. If you want high density of Mediterranean food try Dearborn MI,
That’s why it’s crazy, we have a huge Persian population, the only other place in country like that is LA , I’m not talking about middle eastern food or Iranian food, specifically Persian.
Most Iranians in America refer to themselves as Persian.
Really? Where are there Persian places around here? (I used to see a lot on the north shore of Long Island, as a lot of people fled to there in 1979)
Shamshiri in tysons, this is the Persian communities favorite because they give an absurd amount of food, Rumis kitchen in DC, this is the most expensive but imo the most authentic, Amoos in Mclean is really good aswell, "fast food" wise you have moby dicks, mama joons, and a ton of other random places, its strangely huge here, and all the places are packed. There's a moby dicks in reston I used to go too all the time but they've been bought after the original owner died, so it's not nearly as good as it used too.
I love Amoo's food. Their parking lot, not so much.
Joon in Tyson’s is fantastic too. It’s across the street next to Tiffany & Co.
joons is great , it’s the same vein as mobys where it’s a full blown chain at this point and white washed, but it blows my mind it even reached mainstream levels too be able to do that in this area
You're talking about Maman Joon, not Joon, and there is no Joons.
Are you talking about Joon or Maman Joon?
I found out about Amoo’s because I met the owner, Sebastian, at his food truck at a brewery. Really good kubideh. Don’t forget Alborz in Vienna, or Shiraz on Tyco Road. Shiraz is a market, and they have a counter in the back for made-to-order.
I’ve know the owner of Amoos and his kids since I was a child, they’re such lovely people and amazing cooks. Shiraz I shop my groceries at , it has great food , but for actual restaurant much better around. Alborz I’ve never liked.
I get my roulettes and my mast e musir from Shiraz, and I agree about better restaurants. So glad to hear the kind words about the owners of Amoos. The owner I met was probably the son of the owner. He was warm and friendly at his food truck, and immediately remembered me when I took my wife to the restaurant a few weeks later.
You know whats killer at shiraz, the kotlet, everytime I'm there I order one. Yes that was the son, he's actually a big time chef, went too school and everything, worked overseas, but ended up coming back here too help his father, the daughter is involved as well, super awesome too see. Although the owner is a HUGEE shah support, got pictures of him there and all hahaha
Yeah, I figured Moby Dicks was just a chain of some sort. Didn’t seem authentic. I’ll have to check out Shamshiri. Thanks for the tip!
Moby Dick’s jujeh kabob is as good as any, but Shamshiry is the best Persian restaurant around.
Seconding Shamshiri! An Uber driver recommended it to us and told us we HAD to get the saffron icecream - and now I also tell any and everyone to GET THE SAFFRON ICECREAM
Don’t forget Alborz!
Haha, I just said the same thing.
I think Thai food was invented here
I know you're joking, but "Thai food" as we know it actually was [intentionally created by the Thai government to make money in the US.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W09QCLmnCUU)
I've heard people say that Ledo's pizza is like the unique DMV style of pizza, idk if that counts
This is what I came here to say. I feel like any of the big regional pizza styles tend to have more than one restaurant offering them, but Ledo is the closest thing we've got to DMV-style pizza.
[удалено]
George Washington's enslaved people brought peanut soup to NOVA. And I think GW may have distilled the first batch of Virginia whiskey.
And Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved chef brought macaroni and cheese back from France. It was one of Monticello’s signature dishes.
Jack of all trades but master of none
Skoal long cut
Probably shouldn’t be eating that. Calms the shakes though!
The multi unit Franchise
Mumbo sauce. It’s DC. Not nova, but all the stuff unique to this area I know of started in DC.
They have mambo sauce at my Giant in Alexandria now..even the right plastic bottles.
NoVA has no regional food. DC has unique food. Adopted food that is popular in NoVA is Peruvian chicken, Pupusas, Korean food in general, and Kabobs. If you bring someone from outside these are the things that exist here that they should try to understand the regional culinary uniqueness.
Ethiopian/Eritrean and Vietnamese food on this list too
DMV ethiopian food is low key underrated. Largest population of Ethiopians and Eritreans in the US is in our area I believe. Shout out to to Enatye Ethipoian in Herndon. Place is fire.
I love Vietnamese, I could eat that constantly. Ethiopian is too sour, maybe? I’ve never been able to develop a taste
Virginia ham is a Virginia product. Take them to a breakfast place that has it. Note it can be very salty.
True story: the half smoke associated with Washington, DC was first introduced to the region by the Arlington-based Weanie Beanie. So there’s that.
*Weenie Beenie
Bland pizza is a NOVA staple
Along with pizzas with black soot covered bottoms. Yuk. It's a great idea, but the pizza makers do not sweep out the "wood" (actually natural gas) ovens. Wood or even coal ovens can't put out the constant high temperatures that natural gas or electric pizza ovens are able to. I wish I had the backing to start a pizzaria like the ones I owned in Albion and East Lansing years ago. I learned to make it from Vettes in Jackson. The pizza I made was a spicier and much better version of Domino's. Also, in my adventures in pizza making, I reverse engineered the deep dish pizzas of Detroit for a place in East Lansing in the late 1970s.
The thing about nova is that, while it doesn’t have a specific food like New York thin crust, Chicago deep dish, San Francisco sourdough, Texas bbq, etc., we have people from ALL over the world here. There are restaurants featuring authentic food from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between. No frills, no gimmicks, just real food made by people who lovingly share their beloved recipes from home with the local community. It’s awesome!
You can say that about NYC
Foods of all kinds, master of none.
Ozzie rolls
Ozzie rolls
Nova is one big melting pot, so not really.
That was my initial thought too, but then I thought - aren’t most other big cities also melting pots? I guess this area is possibly more temporary/transient than other major cities because of the nature of federal government work? I also hate working but it’s often better than the alternative =p.
Nova just has so many options for all types of food and cuisine. Ask a rec for pizza, kbbq, ramen, thai, indian, pho, desserts, halal, etc and you will get multiple options to choose from.
NoVa wasn’t a major urban area until the post-WW2 era, I mean, there were cattle farms on 236 in Fairfax as recently as the late 80s. Fairfax High School was considered the ‘country’ high school in FFX up until the 70s. There just hasn’t been enough time to develop a unique local cuisine like there has in places that have been urban centers for 100+ years.
All major cities are melting spots to a certain extent, but certain populations tend to dominate and centralize in certain cities. NOVA, LA, and Bergen County NJ have the most and best Korean. DC and St Paul Minnesota have the most Ethiopians. Minneapolis–Saint Paul has the most Somalis. DC has worse Mexican food than the west and south because we have more El Salvadorian and Hondurans. More Vietnamese than Thai in DC area.
OZZIE ROLLS FOR THE WINNNNNN
Nova doesn’t have anything unique. It’s honestly a very recently developed suburb, and the places you’re talking about have relatively long histories that caused these things to develop there, and in many of those cases the local delicacy was connected to a working class during the industrial age, which DC lacked (and still lacks, look are pins for factories and you won’t see any). People, usually immigrants, came to those cities for work and brought heir food with them. DC didn’t have that work. It only really grew with the expansion of the executive branch post WW2 and the subsequent explosion of federal jobs in the area. DC has half smokes, which came out in 1954. Unique, maybe, but it’s not like people think about them when they think of DC. There’s nothing really iconic about DC’s food. Edit: at least one person is very, very upset I said this. This isn’t meant to be a dig at northern Virginia or DC, just a simple fact. The foods you mentioned have historical significance from a time when the cities they are associated with grew into prominence. Nova is growing into prominence *now.* In a hundred years, it might be known for some food, probably Korean, that developed here and became so iconic that “nova food” is associated with it. If you want to see the reason there’s no iconic nova food now, Google “Tyson’s corner 1950s,” and it will give you an idea of what the most developed part of nova looked like when all those iconic foods you mentioned were already well established.
[удалено]
How am I being “weirdly aggressive?” None of those things are unique to northern Virginia at all. Of the things you listed, only mumbo sauce (debatably, but I’ll give DC credit) and half smokes are from DC, which isn’t northern Virginia. Read the post, and stop being so weirdly aggressive when someone points out that northern Virginia is a suburb without its own distinct flavor. Edit: your list was nonsense, so yes, downvote. You don’t get upvotes for being wrong. Tell me that pizza and cupcakes are unique to northern Virginia. C’mon, dude.
Nothing is really fully unique to anywhere anymore; things may have originated somewhere, but they have migrated and transformed so much that it’s possible to get good ‘specialty’ items outside of where they’re from. When I think of NoVA food, I think of a lot of stuff mentioned from nearby (half smokes, crab cakes, mumbo sauce, Old Bay, Roy Rogers, Five Guys, etc. - and for that matter, Marriott started as a hot dog stand in DC) but also the ‘style’ of some cuisines there - for instance, most pork fried rice I have there is char siu style w/eggs, onions, peas, and carrots, but venture to other regions and maybe it’s bean sprouts, green beans, carrots, and non-bbq pork. I’d imagine that there are plenty of local variations of dishes like that that, even if they’re not unique to NoVA.
I know it might sound absurd to call it "uniquely Nova", but if I moved now, I would miss the pho and korean food
Big government pork! 🐷
DC has unique food, but I can't think of any for NoVA, no.
Five Guys
Schwarma taco
This Detroit pizza thing is so weird to me. I'm from Michigan and there was never such a thing.
Overly priced Capital Grille steaks?
Capital Grille sucks.
That's a national chain. Had it in KC then to my surprise it was out here as well.
Facts! Cava recently opened in LA and ppl there are really hyping it up 😭 Same with Shake Shack several years ago
Just to be clear, Shake Shack began in NY. Just because of how close Cava (which first opened here) and Shake Shack are in your sentence, I feel like someone is going to come along and be like “no! You’re wrong!” and tell you something you already knew, but maybe didn’t express clearly.
Not exactly nova but the “white sauce” you’ll find in a lot of Mexican restaurants was supposedly invented in the Norfolk area
Nothing in particular.
Uniquely mediocre! That’s our uniqueness
Whatever Nandos chicken is
South African.
We don’t have a cheap local beer.
I wish they were more popular throughout NOVA, but I recommend trying salteñas! They are essentially soup empanadas that come with beef or chicken and are savory. I recommend salteñas from Luzmary in Falls Church. NOVA is one of the few places in the US where you can get Bolivian food.
Steak, pepperoni, and cheese sub from Bozelli's. I've never seen that offered anywhere else around the country. (Or other countries!)
First time I had that was 30+ years ago in East Boston, MA. They called it a cheesesteak bomb. Sold all over the Boston area.
Cool! I haven't been to the Boston area in a long time but it doesn't surprise me. I know Bozelli's was family owned but not sure of their history.
BTW, a cheesesteak bomb is an excellent sandwich!
White salsa is apparently from Norfolk, but I always associated it with this area.
Have not heard of White Salsa until jow and was afraid to google it.
It’s actually really good. Being from eastern Virginia, I was really disappointed not to have received white sauce with my tortilla chips when I went to a Mexican restaurant not in the area.
DC has half-smokes and Mambo Sauce, so their set. NoVA doesn’t really have one. Eden Center you could say help the explosion of Asian joints, especially in Fairfax where there’s now two Asian grocery stores and tons of Pho and KBBQ restaurants. I actually think Breweries would be another one.
dc and nova have the best spanish food in the country
The Swole.....aka prison burrito
Maybe not native to the DMV area but the Ethiopian cuisine selection is definitely rich.
I’ve had bahn-mi sandwiches all over the US. Nova is one of places you can reliably get pate and head cheese, as the good lord intended.
Bahn mi & bubble tea - yum! 🤗
Uniquely NoVA = Pho. All the other stuff you can get anywhere, and Pho you can get in a few other places too (of course).