I liked both my cocktails and enjoyed the food. The short ribs was great, as were the Thai mussels and fries. The only thing we didn't care for was the flan - the sauce was bitter. We would go here again if in the neighborhood. read more

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Tried a few things at Immigrant Food in Ballston and came away feeling mixed. The cocktail I ordered was essentially a daiquiri. It was fine, but not especially well balanced. Not bad, just not particularly memorable. The Mediterranean Caesar was the low point for me. The combination of candied lemons, lemon tahini, onions, and kale just did not work. The lemon was too overpowering and made the whole salad feel overly tangy and acidic. I also thought the portioning was a bit off, only three falafel pieces for the salad felt skimpy. The gazpacho was just okay. It was neither good nor bad, but I was hoping for a stronger tomato flavor. Overall, nothing was terrible, but the food and drink did not really come together for me read more

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This meal was excellent! Service was 10/10. Ambiance was so lovely. We loved it here. All the food and drinks were so tasty. Obsessed w. The Cesar and the beignets. Highly recommend! read more

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I've heard of this restaurant in passing a few times so I was glad I got a chance to check it out. First things first, LOVE the accessibility as there's paid street parking directly in front of the restaurant as well as 2 parking garages directly next to and across as well. On the receipt it said that they do validate up to 3 hours though my friend and I did not inquire about this as we were on our way out at the time and it was only a few dollars. Service was great. We didn't end with the same server but both were warm, funny and attentive. We arrived at the tail end of happy hour into dinner so we had a chance to sample a lot more of the menu. I loved the variety of cuisines that were offered, my favorite items being the short ribs and the warm na'an bread by far. I could just eat a basket of the bread and be content. All in all, everything was good and I really enjoyed the restaurant, though I can't say I was blown away by the food to make repeat visits on my own accord outside of a friend or family member wanting to eat there. read more

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Come for the Happy Hour! And use the InKind App! Before I write my full review, I had to give these two tips. Immigrant Food's Happy Hour is unbeatable in the area. I've gotten almost everything on the Happy Hour menu, and it's delicious - their truffle oil fries, papayas, peppers, dips... all for a really affordable price! I've taken multiple rounds of friends here, and they all are impressed by the deals. On top of that, if you use the InKind app, you get a ton of cash back (20%++) and all you do is use the app to pay. It's a big incentive why I come back and bring peeps - I always get massive discounts! So if you're reading this and don't yet have the app, download it, and you'll be able to use the app to pay for the receipt using whatever credit card you want. It's so worth it! Also, the team here is super friendly and attentive, always checking in. read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

A nice place to start your day in VA. The food was good, service was excellent, and the ambiance was chill. A totally laid back place to have your brunch while you're in VA. And to top it off, all the servers had this great tee. This is what America should be about. read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - Yes, IMAG - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Our waiter, Catalina, was friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. The food was quite literally heavenly and I absolutely loved it. The fires were the best fries I've ever eaten in my whole entire life. They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and had a garlicky taste which was put on evenly. I loved the decorations but my favorite was the 'passport' in which you get the check in! It's such a clever idea and people could write comments in it! That was my favorite check ever! Also, the guacamole was tasty and delicious and so was the mezze platter. Genuinely, every single thing we ordered was perfect! Thank you so much!!!!! read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - Shakshuka and Arepa - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Updating: This is a good happy hour place. There is a good number of appetizers to choose from, and the drink choices are good. Additionally, the prices are definitely right. Dos: -Truffle Parmesan fries are a hit. -white sangria (sweet but you'll be buzzed) -margaritas -labneh -potstickers -samosas Don't: -any West Indian or Caribbean inspired/adjacent dishes I DO NOT like their entrees and lunch items. I've actually contacted them previously because the last time I was here for an entree, it was HORRIBLE. They didn't care and made excuses for why the food was the way it was, but I let it go. read more

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We went there to celebrate a birthday party . Food is delicious . Two kinds of Branzino cooked to perfection. Chicken was good loved their roasted Brussels sprouts . Liked their Thai cold noodle salad . My only complain is wish they had done hot soup . Food was like warm . Not very hot . Since it was below freezing outside wish they served the food a little warm. read more

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I had a blast coming here for my first time! My sorority syzter and I were meeting up with another one who is down in DC for the summer before going back up to Philly so we decided to meet at Immigrant Food for dinner. The decor is absolutely beautiful! There is a bunch of street parking but I believe there is a garage nearby - Ballston metro accessible! The staff were very kind and the manager even came to check on the tables as well. The food hit every spot! And the drinks were just as good and a bit on the strong end which definitely stopped us at 2. I would definitely come back here again for another girls night or date night! read more

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A good restaurant, my rating reflects the mix of price, quality, and quantity. The braised short rib was the Star. Just like momma makes! The lomo saltado was a nice dish, exactly as advertised. Though I can only imagine what my Asian friends who call everything "salty" would say. The lamb skewers were fine by average standards, in this area it's poor. The Asian cauliflower is completely uninspired Do not order the hummus platter This was nowhere close to $130 worth of food. I try not to be a prick on here but to me a 2 star is somewhere you'd actively tell people "don't go there". That's the case here. Lots of restaurants have a nice short rib and some vegetables read more

This recent visit reminded me why it's important to always give a place a second shot especially if they have more locations. I've been to Immigrant Food in DC before and thought that it was decent. Came to the Immigrant Food in Arlington and now I'm looking forward to coming back. The VA location is a lot bigger and I felt like the customer service was top tier here opposed to the city. They also have large room in the back where they can accommodate large parties and it's pretty private. We went for a birthday and just want to note if you plan on having cake they charge a $20 cutting fee. During this visit we ordered, * fries (duhh, they are the closest things to Belgium fries that I've been able to get outside of Belgium lol. Love the sauce that comes with it--it's a must get) * mezze platter (felt like it was a small portion considering the price) * chilaquiles (pretty good, not the best I've ever had) * Cuban sandwich (GET IT, one of the best I've had, the bread was chefs kiss) My friends also said the chicken sandwich was really good but I didn't have the chance to try it. Check it out, especially on a Sunday when there is free parking read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - Chilaquiles - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Gluten free peeps... another one for you to try 100%! My friend and I went, ordered a bunch of small plates (I had a lot to choose from that were GF), and they were all soooo delicious. For tapas style, I found the portion sizes to be great too. & one of my favorite parts was the affogato dessert - drool!!! Service was wonderful - I felt like our super was attentive and helpful, but not overly checking in or overbearing. Ambiance is very cute and I love some of the smaller details - like the check comes in a fake passport book (look at the photo). Can't wait to return! read more

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Good happy hour spot, especially enjoyed the mushroom soup. The $5 HH sangria was also delicious on a warm day. Other food items on the HH menu didn't stand out as much, but everything was good still. The interior is cute and new, the outdoor patio also is a good option for nice days. The restaurant is also very metro accessible, right across the street from the Ballston metro. read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I loved Immigrant Food. For starters, the concept of the restaurant is amazing. Getting to try so many cuisines in one place was awesome, and each item was really well made. Everything tasted amazing, and the shareable were a perfect size. We had multiple people attend to our table and everyone was so kind and we never ran out of water, drinks, etc. I would absolutely return read more

Pretty good $5 happy hour deal. We ordered one of everything on the food list to try and only the mushroom soup really stood out. I wanted the red sangria but somehow they ran out by like 5:45pm so I got the white sangria instead. I did like the white sangria more than I thought I would, it was stronger than it seems, and really refreshing. They also filled the glass up to the brim. Service was friendly enough, the owner (I think) came over to us a few times. He did take my plate away prematurely without asking if I was done, and seemed a bit fussed about having to get me another to-go box after he brought one. And we also felt like we were being rushed out around 7:45pm too... but besides those little hiccups everything was pretty ok. I'd maybeeee come back to try more entree type dishes (but they are a bit pricey). Would come back for more $5 sangria though and hopefully will get to try the red next time. Ambiance inside was nice, seemed like a good spot to bring co-workers. Wish we got a patio table but those were already all taken by the time we got there. read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - Happy hour bites - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Normally when I review a place, I snap lots of photos. This time, the food was so good and the company even better that I only managed ONE shot before my friend arrived and we laughed our way through lunch. Yes, this spot is on the pricier side, but you can really taste the care that goes into each dish. They clearly value fair business practices and authentic flavors, and that makes it worth it. Every dish had its own personality, but here's what I tried: * Venezuelan Toqueños - absolutely fantastic, cheesy little pockets with an addictive dipping sauce ‍ ($15) * The Heritage - not quite my taste; the pineapple felt out of place, but the portion was fair and I ate it twice ($17) * Crispy Chicken Lemongrass Dumplings - flavorful and light, I'd order again without hesitation ($10/4 dumplings) * Havana (Cuban Sandwich) - absolutely delicious! Best in town is accurate, and I've tried plenty. Fries were perfectly crispy too ($17.5) * Latin Flan - simple, silky, and irresistible, even after being full ($8) * Café Calma - dairy-free coffee option that hits the spot iced or hot ($7.5) * Piña Colada (the one pic I took) - a refreshing pandan-flavored green drink, highly recommend ($14) The restaurant itself was clean, spacious, and welcoming, with both indoor and outdoor seating. I easily made reservations on Resy, and we never felt rushed during our 90-minute stay. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and respectful of the pace and vibe of the table. Being right next to the metro makes it super convenient, and honestly, it's the kind of place you'll want to bring friends. This is more than just a great brunch spot--it's also a reminder of why it matters to support immigrant-owned restaurants in our community. The flavors, hospitality, and dedication here show how much these businesses enrich our cities. read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - Piña colada - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

My mother was having lunch at the ICU at VHC so I took my sister to this place that I like a great deal. We came at about 12:30 PM as the lunch crowd was starting to thin out. There are tables along the windows and booths in back and high tops and seating at the bar. We were seated by a stately gentleman who shared his story of growing up in New Jersey, and then being an immigrant himself in Singapore, Hong Kong and Texas ( ) before settling here in Arlington The menu is a fusion of dishes from around the world melded with influences from other parts of the world to represent the melting pot that is America. For example, I had the banh mi sandwich, which is from Vietnam, but the wrinkle is that the grilled chicken is done in a Filipino style. I personally would've liked some fresh jalapeños on the side that I could add to the sandwich and I'm sure I could've asked for them, but I didn't. Besides the chicken, the sandwich is filled with Julian and carrots and daikon and spread with a mayonnaise base sauce. I don't generally salt my food at home so it struck me as very salty, but I'm sure others will be satisfied. I ordered the sandwich as part of their set lunch, which includes a choice of fries or salad, and a soup of the day which in this case was the mushroom soup The mushroom soup was surprisingly bland, except for the Japanese mushrooms and oyster mushrooms, which I think had been soaked in a vinegar. It was a pleasant contrast. The day of our visit, the kitchen had something extra on hand, so we were presented with an amuse bouche at the table, which was a form of cheese, puff in a delicious sauce. For a small extra charge, you can have truffle oil added to your french fries and I highly recommend doing so. This is the second time I've had the fries and they are so good with that oil. My sister thought so as well. Speaking of my sister, she has the spinach salad, which is called the heritage bowl We both found the portions large enough that though we almost thought we couldn't finish what was in front of us, we finally did. read more

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Overview: Dined with my wife and infant son in February 2025. Gets the 5 stars because of good-quality, variety food at reasonable prices with excellent service. They have fantastic happy hour deals. Food: For such a variety of ethnic dishes, they hit on a surprising amount of them. Highly recommend the truffle fries with aoli sauce, Greek wings, and samosas. Everything that we ordered was good/great to decent. Service: Phenomenal for a more casual restaurant. Everyone checked in multiple times, asked to give extra dipping sauces, and were very accommodating with our infant child. Ambiance: New, modern, classy feel. read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - Filipino Fried Chicken Greek Wings - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Bartender was very nice and the ambience is great. brunch has decent variety, the poutine was surprisingly not as heavy as expected. Mushroom soup- 10/10 so so good will be even better with cooler weather Wings- good dry rub wing 9/10 Truffle fries- delish but portion size for price seems high 8/10 Bao- again totally fine but unexciting 6.5/10 Guac- 8.5/10 Poutine-9/10 the only thing that would make this better is cheese curds Drinks are 10/10 read more

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Came in for brunch on a Saturday. It wasn't busy at all, but we got a reservation. FYI they do charge you $20 a person via Resy if you don't show up to your reservation. Service was really slow, though they appeared short staffed. Preston our waiter was fabulous though, super funny guy! The bartender was unapproachable. I felt prices for the portion of food was outrageous. $10 for fries (add another $4 if you want Parmesan truffle fries), $14 for tiny bao buns, $5 for a bottled Diet Coke. My bill was $40 for one small entree and drink. No alcohol consumed. The interior is beautiful and they do have outdoor seating but wasn't available this date likely due to the heat and small wait staff. Don't have a strong urge to return mainly for pricing. read more

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Decent spot with solid menu items. I've been here a few times but the core of the menu is typically the same so I don't come here too often. My most recent visit was just for takeout. No complaints with the food quality, however, given its mostly small plates it can be pricey. Still an overall great spot in Ballston that looks like it has a lot of offer if you dine in or go there for brunch. read more

What a fun restaurant!! This place serves a variety of dishes and I am sure you will find something to order. My cousins and I ordered different dishes to try a bunch of items. After ordering, we were given a sample of gazpacho. I have not tried gazpacho before but I wasn't a fan of it because its cold soup. Matcha pineapple drink: (3/5) Good but I think it was stronger on the pineapple side Tequenos: (3/5) This dish was good. Its kinda like a mozzarella stick but less fried Guacomole Con Tostones: (4/5) This appetizer was one of my favorites. The platain fritter was thick but still crispy. Guacamole added a nice creaminess to it. Well seasoned and flavored Hong Kong french toast: (3/5) This is not the most traditional french toast, but still good. I recommend thus if you really like peanut butter We also shared the shakshuka and arepas and fried chicken sandwich. These dishes weren't memorable to me but my cousins enjoyed it! read more

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The dining experience is in part about story, and Immigrant Food has a good one. Two immigrants opened the original near the White House to celebrate food from around the world. There are two menus- a food one and an engagement one giving customers ideas to connect with immigrant communities. This location is the first in Virginia and may be the largest. Near the Ballston Metro, there are several dining rooms and a bar. To drink, I enjoyed both the white and red sangrias. Both are refreshing and come with an orange slice. To eat, the bao and dumplings are flavorful and filling if you aren't super hungry. For dessert, the beignets with ice cream, dulce de leche, and passion fruit cream hit the spot. Service is spot on! read more

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Immigrant Food opened up in Ballston not too long ago and a few of us stopped by a couple Tuesdays ago for dinner. We caught the happy hour pricing (before 7 PM!) right before it ended. SHRIMP CEVICHE VERDE (HH) - 10 I think there might have been 5 half pieces of shrimp and lots of tomatillo lime broth and vegetables. You could barely see the shrimp because it's covered by everything else. Shrimp was just OK and same with the flavor for the ceviche. I'd skip on this. CRISPY POLENTA FRIES (HH) - 11 Each order comes with four, which is perfect for the four of us to enjoy one each. We loved the crispy polenta fries and the tomato mostarda, goat cheese, and other flavors were good. I'd definitely recommend this one if you're here. GREEK WINGS (HH) - 11 Each order came with four wings, which is kind of pricy. I can't really tell what makes these wings different than the ones from Buffalo Wild Wings. Nothing to write home about. FILIPINO FRIED CHICKEN (HH) - 12 We got mixed reviews on this. Some people really liked the skin of the Filipino fried chicken, but I found it really tough and hard to chew, as if they fried this chicken hours ago and it's been sitting in the kitchen waiting to be served. The sweet chili sauce helped the chicken taste less dry. SARY'S PUPUSAS (HH) - 11 This order comes with one big pupusa and a side of pickled cabbage and tomato salsa. We enjoyed the pupusa here and thought it was tasty. Good balance of beans and cheese. ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS - 13 This tasted almost... healthy? I don't know, if I am getting brussels sprouts at a restaurant, I expect them to be a bit more crispy and flavorful. They felt undercooked/under-roasted and overall, pretty mid. MISO CAESAR SALAD - 14 This was fine. Instead of croutons, we had fried wonton crisps and there's shiitake bacon (? not sure what that means) and I guess this makes it Asian inspired. This salad was on the lighter side and the dressing wasn't too strong or crazy, which I prefer. Overall, not sure if it's worth the price point. WHOLE ROASTED BRANZINO - 28 This was most definitely not worth the price point. $28 for a teeny tiny branzino? No thank you. You can go to Annandale and get a roasted mackerel for half the price at one of the Korean restaurants and you get a side of rice with that too. The branzino was fine, seasoned lightly with salt and we drizzled some lemon juice on top. But paying $28 for something this small is outrageous. Overall, food was OK but very expensive. My friend used InKind to pay, and even then, we paid about 30pp after tax and tip (not to mention we were still hungry and ended up going to McDonald's afterwards). I personally didn't think Immigrant Food was worth it and neither did my friends. read more

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A gem of a restaurant! The food was delicious, loved the tequeños (baked dough balls filled with gooey cheese) and the Filipino fried chicken. Interesting selection of wines and cocktails. Excellent service and a fun atmosphere. Our group of six stayed for almost an hour after closing time, lingering over dessert and drinks, and we were never rushed! read more

I'm going to have to give them another try. I went for a happy hour with my gym and it was so hot and crowded I left within 30 minutes. Pros: location is excellent, right across from the Ballston metro. The vibe is cool and servers were very friendly. The menu looks great. Happy hour specials on drinks looked good. $10 cocktails, $5 beer and wine specials are great. Cons: I didn't see any happy hour food specials that impressed me. I had the shishito peppers, they didn't blow me away. It was so incredibly hot inside I had to leave. In their defense, it was the first 80 degree day of the year, maybe they have fans that just weren't out yet? TLDR: I didn't love my experience there but would give them another try! It might've just been the day. read more

The food here is pretty good, I liked the samosas and old Saigon chicken sliders. The cauliflower and short rib were also solid dishes. Nice staff read more

Came here for a private affair, a PTA run trivia night. It was a bit chaotic but the main server for the room, Preston did a fantastic job. The food at Immigrant Food is always great, especially the Filipino fried chicken and Greek wings. But the true star was the cauliflower. Great place, and can't wait to go back. read more

this is a great addition to the neighborhood! the ambience is really lovely and welcoming, as are the staff. it has a relaxed atmosphere that i feel is missing from the location in downtown DC and honestly, i think the food is better at this location. great food with a good mission. whats not to like? thanks for being the proof that immigrants do indeed keep and make america great! read more

This place was absolutely wonderful, decorated beautifully and seems to be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. The service was phenomenal. Our waitress was super friendly and checked in on us regularly. My friend and I shared the samosas, dumplings, shrimp ceviche and mezze platter. I know ceviche is different across countries so this isn't my type of ceviche but I did love the shrimp and veggies and suggest it if you need something cool. I loved the global dim sum, which included the dumplings and samosas. My favorite was the mezze platter and samosas. Definitely give this location a try if you're in the neighborhood!! It's wonderful! read more

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Very cool place. Interesting too. Best thing we had was the excellent Filipino Chicken. Also the Shrimp Ceviche was solid. Would pass on the crab beignet. Meat was dark and didn't taste like crab. Service was good and interesting. Agreed with slogan . "Immigrants make America great!'' read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

First I love the message of immigrant advocacy. I will say we didn't hear much advocacy from the staff. We felt rushed during the dinner. I believe our waiter was clocking out because he said the kitchen was closing but at the same time another table was just getting seated. We chucked our cocktails flight so we could wrap up our dinner. The food was fairly average. The drinks were good. The ambience was nice. I'd visit on another day around lunch to avoid feeling rushed. read more

Superb menu selection and everything we had (and as a hungry table of four we had A LOT!) was prepared so thoughtfully and deliciously. All staff were warm and friendly -- Precious was our lovely server -- she did a great job! Favorites at our table included the lamb skewers, the shishitos, the shrimp ceviche and the polenta fries. Everything was spiced and/or sauced so uniquely -- wonderful experience overall. Cozy vibe on a cold winter's night too! Music was upbeat without being acoustically overpowering. Desserts (forgot names but one was a shortbread sandwich cookie with coconut and caramel and the other was a tropical beignet) were an outstanding cap to an outstanding meal. We live a mile away -- this was our first visit and it will not be our last! read more

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We decided on Girls' Night here due to another review. I agree with the reviewer about the Filipino Chicken (yummy), but there wasn't much else to rave about and nothing that would prompt us to return for a second visit. We went on a Saturday evening just before 6pm and took advantage of the happy hour prices for several menu items (only a few have happy hour pricing). The Belgian fries, glazed carrots and broccolini (w/ caramelized onions and bacon bits) were good. I get that the Greek wings come with a feta dip, but I wish that the flavor was enhanced to make them good on their own. My friends had a couple of martinis (fine), a sangria (fine), and a... different take... on a piña colada (too different-- had to be sent back). Service was great and they brought out an amuse-bouche sized shrimp ceviche, which was okay. Definitely a fan of the delivery of each of our checks in "passport" books where you could "stamp" it with your own signature. Parking *that* night was pretty good for Arlington as we had plenty of on-street options near the restaurant. read more

Extraordinary service and delicious food from around the world awaits you! My friend and I stopped in after work. We didn't have a reservation, but they had space for us at a small table next to the bar. Our table allowed us to see first-hand the care, precision and skill the mixologists used to every craft cocktail is exquisitely prepared and presented. Every drink was gorgeous and delicious! It is evident from our chat with them that quality and beauty are key elements of every drink served. Our waiter was pleasant, informative and kind. It was our first visit, and he gave us recommendations to curate our choice of small dishes to our preferences for a smattering of food from various cuisines and cultures. I was especially impressed that he asked if we had any food allergies. I do and he made sure the chef knew these details. Waiter and food earned a 10 out of 10! The roasted cauliflower is divine. The samosas were a favorite, too. I highly recommend Immigrant Food. It was a fun evening. Definitely will return. read more

Immigrant Food Ballston - Scrumptious food and craft cocktails - New American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Went to this cool casual place with my cousins. They do have unique options and we tried a lot of them. I tried the matcha pineapple drink, it was ok. Didn't have much matcha flavor. THe tequenos were ok, nothing special to me. Guacamole tostones were pretty good. The plantain fritters were very crispy and I love guac so thats a win. The Hong Kong french toast was good. It didn't really taste very Hong Kongish, but I am a fan of peanut butter and it had a lot of it so it was good. We also tried the shakshuka and arepas and peruvian fried chicken sandwich. The sandwich was one of my favorites. Big filling piece of chicken. Service was a little slow, especially since the restaurant was not busy when we went which was a weekend during brunch. read more

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I love the staff! We always sit at the bar, where Sergio and Connie are awesome tenders. The last time I was here, they were kind enough to get me a pitcher of water to put my flowers into (since I stopped in for 1 drink on my way home via Metro from Trader Joe's) read more

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Very cool concept where the menu is comprised of a bunch of tapas-style dishes from around the world Also have a few larger dishes as well Bar, indoor, and outdoor seating Solid menu of fun drinks as well Server was a little confused/didn't really seem like he knew what he was doing, so it took a really long time to get our check, but the food and drinks were all great. read more

The food is incredible!! We came here without a reservation and they were nice enough to find us a table - although it was in a back hallway. We tried the polenta fries, dumplings, chicken parmesan, and short rib. Our favorite was definitely the short rib. If you're in Ballston check it out for sure! read more