This is the perfect spot to unwind with friends--great for good conversation, relaxing vibes, and…read moreenjoying music together. The building is a bit on the older side, but it honestly adds to the charm. Every visit has been consistently enjoyable, and I always leave having had a great time. Easy 5/5 experience! DJ is always great! You cannot leave without trying their amazing Kabobs!

Sahara Restaurant and Lounge has some positives, but it also comes with major drawbacks. The food…read moreis good, and when everything is fresh it's enjoyable. Hookahs, on the other hand, are inconsistent -- sometimes smooth, sometimes harsh, and not always worth the price. The environment is decent before 9pm, when it feels like a casual spot to grab a bite and relax. Unfortunately, after 9pm, the atmosphere changes drastically. The crowd and overall vibe make it feel more unsafe than enjoyable, which takes away from what could otherwise be a great night out. If you're just here for food and an early evening, you'll probably be fine. Anything later than that, I can't recommend this place as a safe or relaxing option.

Don't let the name fool you, Ocean8 is just as much a restaurant as it is Hookah lounge, if not…read moreeven more of a restaurant! It's criminal that this place has so few reviews. The atmosphere is modern and inviting, and not overwhelming. I ordered food to-go because I did not want to deal with the Hookah smoke, and this is what I suggest for anyone else not comfortable with Hookah. The food is absolutely worth it! I ordered the Uyghur Samosa and Lamb Kabob. Uyghur Samosas are flaky, buttery pastries packed with a ground meat mixture(just like Vietnamese Pate Chaud!). Super delicious. Now, I'm not a lamb guy but the lamb kabob just blew me out of the water. Not gamy in the slightest, the meat is tender and has plenty of spice. Pickled onions and pita are a nice compliment. Could not recommend the lamb enough!! Please do yourself a favor and visit Ocean8, they deserve more recognition.

Ocean8 Restaurant went beyond our greatest expectations in food, service, & ambience. Incredibly…read moregratifying especially in the rich flavors and succulent taste & textures of the food served at dinner. Ali, Raoul, and the spectacular staff of Ocean8 for created a superb dining experience & introduction to exotic Ugyhur & Afghan cuisine. The staff and people we met there and dined with were very kind & gracious towards us. It was our first experience with Uyghur and Afghan cuisine and food we never had. All of the food was highly delicious. We had appetizers, dinner, and desserts in a buffet style. Servers came to our table and provided cups of ice and canned / bottled drinks of water and soda to us. The manager, Raoul, went from table to table to talk and provide assistance to us and all of the guests. Despite the huge crowd of diners, the staff were very professional and made sure all the guests needs were met. The appetizers we sampled were the: *Turkish Cheese Rolls The Star of all the appetizers. We loved the rich, lush, and creamy flavor. It was ideal to eat this appetizer first before sampling the other appetizers. ( Crispy, thin pastry rolls filled with creamy feta cheese and fresh parsley, lightly fried to perfection - reminiscent of the Italian version of a mozzarella stick) * Punjabi Samosa This appetizer gave an intense punch of flavor & spice in the first bite. It was the spiciest, unique, & most memorable flavor among all the appetizers served. ( A Punjabi Samosa is a crispy, golden pastry filled with a spiced blend of potatoes, peas, and aromatic herbs. Deep-fried to perfection and served with tangy tamarind and zesty mint chutneys. A classic North Indian street food favorite. * Uyghur Samosa Very easy to eat, delicious, and reminded me of a hand held version of chicken pot pie. My least favorite yet still a good appetizer. ( It is a breaded appetizer filled with seasoned minced beef and onions, topped with sesame seeds. ) This was the last appetizer I ate, and it reminded me of an Asian & Arabic smaller version of a chicken pot pie. Very tasty. ) * Afghan Homestyle Bolani I love how it was mildly flavored with spice and it was like an Afghan version of a quesadilla. ( An Afghan Bolani is a crispy, stuffed potato flatbread from Afghanistan filled with potatoes, green onion, chili peppers, and fresh herbs. It's pan fried until golden brown and crispy then cut into wedges.) * Garden Salad - A fresh and vibrant mix of cucumber, tomato, onions, and peppers. Dinner was Uyghur Pilaf Rice, Lamb chops, Uyghur Lamb Shish Kebab , a meatloaf like burger with an onion filling inside it, Ocean8 Chicken Chops, and Cacık Yogurt. The dinner entrees had more spice and intense flavors than the appetizers. My favorite entree was the lamb chop especially when eaten with the side of Uyghur pilaf rice and the cacik yogurt. The other meat dishes were superb in their flavor, spices, and presentation as well. Cacik, pronounced ja-jik is a Turkish yogurt and cucumber dish that's very common in almost all regions in Turkey. It was my favorite side & condiment to combine with the rice and dinner entrees. It reminded me of raita, and I ate the cacik with my dinner entrees the way I would eat raita. Raita is a classic Indian side dish made with cool, creamy yogurt, crisp cucumber, onions, and fresh herbs. It's a flavorful way to balance out the bold, spicy flavors of Indian food. We ordered two takeouts of the dessert we wanted to try at home after eating so much at the restaurant - the Tiramisu Cake. It was light, airy, and melted in your mouth - dessert perfection in taste and texture. I usually skip dessert but I could resist not trying this dessert. Overall, we were very highly satisfied and grateful for our dining experience at Ocean 8. We look forward to having future food experiences there.

Me and friend of mine came there after dinner to have a drink and hookah. We ordered a couple of…read moreMargaritas ( I asked for a tajin rim , but they only had salt) and a mix of watermelon+strawberries hookah ( we smell and taste just a bit of watermelon) They have a lowest price for hookah , but now I understand why Then, DJ came and music became louder, much louder... People who sat next to the box changed their table, we were the 2nd table close to it , but there was no place to move and was impossible to talk and hear each other. Me personally , I can't understand why the music needs to be so loud ( as it's not a club, nobody is dancing, people smoking hookah and talking ‍) My watch went crazy with notifications of too loud environment and I called the waiter/barmen( same lady) and asked if it's possible to turn the music a little bit down, but they said NO and proposed to move to the bar where it's just same loud . Then, we moved ourselves our drinks and hookah out of the main room at the small table just at the entrance because I got tired of yelling every time I wanted to say something. There is only one separate room (with the door) at the entrance where music is not that loud, but it was busy by a bigger group.

Friendly staff, great vibe, and hookah what else can you ask for!? There was plenty of free parking…read moreand plenty of seating for you and your friends. Hungry? Want a drink? They got you covered served with a smile

Service was very accommodating and friendly! At the end of our meal, I really appreciated them…read moreputting my Sweet Lassi in a to-go cup! I love the interior design and decor! The theme definitely fits the cuisine! Sorry for no pictures! We were really hungry! We ordered the Butter chicken w/ Garlic Naan & Tandoori Chicken. All was really good! The Butter chicken had a sweet and savory taste! Paired so well with the garlic naan. The Tandoori Chicken comes on a hot plate with so many veggies! Recommend coming to this spot to get your Indian craving in!

This place is in the Indian-heavy area of Northern Virginia where all sorts of interesting cuisines…read morecan be found from the subcontinent. The name, however, apparently refers to U.S. jurisdictions (despite the fact that it is near two states and one district, not three states). The menu offered variety, and I sampled a dal based on pickle spices, a mild stir-fried noodle dish, and some fried baby corn, as well as a shake which I enjoyed later. It wasn't the speediest takeout, especially considering they weren't overly busy, but I enjoyed it.

Cafe Ivy was decent overall. The views were really nice and definitely the best part of the…read moreexperience. The food and vibe were okay, but the setting makes it worth checking out at least once.

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.

Very friendly place with very accommodating staff. I'm impressed with how simple and clean the…read moreexperience is for a first timer. Drinks are good and would highly recommend.

Great atmosphere great hookah, staff was really chill just a good spot to chill at for a good price.read more

We've been coming to Nick's Taverna for some time now, and it's hands down one of my favorite…read moreplaces to eat. The biggest thing I appreciate is the consistency--the food tastes exactly the way it should every single time. You never have to wonder if you're going to get a good meal because you always do. What makes Nick's special is that it's truly family owned. The family is from Greece, and they're still very involved in the restaurant. They even come in and contribute many of the recipes, which is why the food tastes so authentic. You can tell it's made with tradition and pride, not just following a generic menu. Their happy hour is one of the best around, with great food and drink specials that are tough to beat. The service is always friendly and welcoming, and they make you feel like you're part of the family. There are plenty of places to get Greek food, but I always find myself coming back to Nick's. The authentic recipes, consistent quality, great happy hour, and genuinely caring staff set them apart. It's the kind of local family-owned restaurant every community hopes to have.

This was the first time we went to Nick's. The food was very good, our server Tim was efficient and…read moregot us everything we needed. We started with the Greek salad, feta cheese was creamy and flavorful, dressing was a nice surprise it was creamy, and flavorful. Our Greek burger was flavorful and cooked perfectly, lamb souvlaki was very good the pita tasted house made, light and delicate! A touch too much garlic on the lamb but that might be just me, I'm not a fan of a lot of garlic. Tim said the baklava was excellent. Next time we will try that. We will be back!

Bole Bole is a very comfortable atmosphere to relax and unwind after a long day…read more When you walk in, the air conditioning is nice and cool accompanied by soft music and comfortable seating. The couches have a USB connection to charge your phone which is nice to have if you are staying for a while. Lately they have had live music (jazz) on Saturday nights occasionally. The staff (Israel, Mika and Anu) are very friendly and welcoming. I like to start out with a few beers, then order some food. My favorite dish is called Derek Tibs (Tibs means "sautéed meat" in the Amharic language). This consists of small cubes of beef cooked well done which results in the edges being slightly charred, which gives it a very tasty flavor along with a good texture that is slightly crunchy. Derek Tibs also comes with peppers and onions and rice on the side. It comes out smoking, sizzling hot on a cast iron skillet. I've tried Awaze tibs which is ok, but the Derek Tibs is definitely the best in my opinion. The ratings on Yelp doesn't reflect Bole Bole accurately. As of now, Yelp only shows a rating of 3.8 based only 21 reviews, whereas Google Reviews shows a rating of 4.9 based on more than 1,100 reviews. Therefore, Google Reviews provides a more statistically significant result than Yelp does. You might want to read over those reviews to get additional opinions. If you haven't been to Bole Bole, give it a try. The atmosphere is very relaxing.

The service and ambiance are good. The food is overpriced and the portion is really small. Two of…read moreus spent $70 and left the restaurant hungry. If you go for ethiopian food, there are other better choices.