I've been wanting to check this place out, and I'm so glad that I finally did! I came for lunch on…read morea Wednesday and was the first customer, so I had the place all to myself. I got the lunch special, which was a gazpacho and a choice of any bowl or sandwich for $20. What a deal! I chose the West African Gumbo and it was delectable! The gazpacho was very refreshing too on a hot summer day. Check this place out if you haven't already!

Service is great. Food is good - I ordered the Belgian Fries…read more+ Filipino Fried Chicken. Overall, perfect place to grab light bites, drinks and/or watch sports. I expected a little more from the food based on the hype but still enjoyed everything!

For lunch this past Sunday, a few of us stopped by Paramount Cafe since they actually have 卤肉饭…read more(Taiwanese braised pork over rice) here. Who knew that there would be a cafe in Pentagon City with this option? The interior is a bit cramped with many cardboard boxes piling up. We were able to order the food at the counter and waited about 5-10 minutes before the food was ready. BRAISED PORK OVER RICE (卤肉饭) - 15.49 Lots of rice, more rice than I could finish with the amount of braised pork belly they give. The pork was very fatty, which made it tasty and juicy, but it wasn't very saucy. There were two halves of a bokchoy and half of an incredibly boiled egg, which was meh. Still, I finished all the toppings and maybe a little less than half of the rice. I was full, but $15.49 for the food was not worth it. Overall, 3.5/5 but bump it to a 4/5 since there's a scarcity of food like this in the area. They sell other comfort Asian dishes too, like coconut chicken cutlet rice and Japanese eel rice.

After working for years nearby this small bodega below a Crystal City apartment building, I finally…read morewent with my eight-year-old daughter. With an impressively high Yelp rating, I was disappointed to hear the new owners say the glowing reviews are from the previous owner (though I respect the honesty). Despite that, we really enjoyed our visit. The new owners live up to the legacy. First of all, the service is excellent. An older man makes the food and who I assume is his daughter takes the orders. Both are kind. At the end, she gave my daughter a granola bar for free. The menu is a mix of Korean food and the small market in the back sells Korean products and more. It's very fun to browse and pick up some snacks and treats. My daughter loved the juicy grape fruit snacks. To eat, we ordered the Japanese curry and milk tea. Both were full of flavor and made with love. "This is my new favorite meal of all time," said my daughter. She devoured the bowl herself! There's a small parking lot in front of the cafe. It's within walking distance from the Crystal City Metro.

5pc Tenders (5/5): So much food! I should've gotten the 3 tender box. The Texas toast was toasted…read moreand buttered well, and I liked making one of my tenders into a sandwich. The waffle fries are to die for. SO GOOD. RATING SYSTEM 5 - Great (Need to get this again) 4 - Good (Would get this again) 3 - Ok (Might give this another shot) 2 - Not Good (Won't get this again) 1 - Bad (Telling people to avoid this)

One of my favorite hot chicken places in the area. Their chicken not only packs a punch, but is…read morestill juicy and flavorful. They also get a really good crunch on their chicken. The coleslaw and pickles make for a perfect sandwich. Love this spot!

AN is a typical bowl spot with both set and build your own bowl options and a variety of Southeast…read moreAsian inspired bases, proteins, and toppings to choose from. I made my own bowl and liked the topping options but the bases (vermicelli noodles, bok choy, and veg mix) and were underwhelming as was the teriyaki chicken. The best thing by far is the crispy pork belly which for a $2 up-charge you can have 3pcs. It also comes with a complimentary cup of broth which was surprisingly aromatic and flavorful. It's a large portion but not one I'd spend $20 on again.

Thanks to IG for the recommendation of trying out this spot. This spot is like a Viet Chipotle. You…read morecan choose a bowl they have set or your can make your own. The service was really great! They were patient and answered all of our questions. The vibe is very modern and cozy. It may look small, but there is a lot of seating upstairs. I made my own bowl with a side of the chicken broth. Bowl was good but what really caught my attention is the BROTH! I would come here just for the broth! lol. That's what really gives my review 5 stars. I highly recommend this spot!

Love this place!…read more Whenever I go to Earl's Sandwiches, they always serve good sandwiches. Always a decent value for the quality sandwiches they sell and everything packed within two slices of bread, especially the meats! The meats are baked--prepared in house, so you know you're in for some good eats. My all time favorite here is the House Roasted Turkey Club! When I tell you this sandwich is stacked!....its an understatement. The turkey is house roasted and piled high.....And, so tender and juicy. This sandwich is a must try and I recommend. During lunch time frames, it could get busy but it is worth it. Wait times and queuing can be a bit long but it's fine for the sandwiches I get. Also, online ordering is available which help when you don't have time to wait. Not to mention, they provide an online tracker that lets you know when your order is almost ready or available which is very helpful when picking up your order online. It's very helpful when strap for time and you are in need for something quick or planning a drive to their shop. In all, you can't go wrong with this place. The vibe is casual. The interior is minimal and seating limited, but the sandwiches are on point. Definitely try this place when in the area or in the mood for a great "sammie"....upgraded from the days when your Mom used to brown paper bag it and make them for school lunch days! lol Eating here just gives me those kind of feels...... Enjoy! I highly recommend!!

Pretty good sandwiches, always stuffed with all the fillings! I like that you can get half…read moresandwiches. The turkey cranberry and chipotle turkey are both great. The vibe is like a small family owned shop which is super cute and the service was pretty quick! A good lunch spot if you live in the area

I've come here several times. Some times for sandwiches, other times for soup. I think the menu has…read morechanged over time. I like coming here when I want an authentic ambience but am too lazy to goto Falls Church. Overall experience I think the food is good and there's not really many other choices within walking distance of this establishment. Wait times can be a bit longer here since it's a mom and pop shop, so if you're in a rush I would order ahead of time.

I walked into this spot and immediately felt like I knew what I was getting an authentic Vietnamese…read morestreet food experience. The first thing that caught my attention was a family photo displayed on the cashier counter. That detail alone set the tone and gave the place a sense of authenticity that you don't often see. I also noticed they sell Nongshim shrimp crackers in a few different flavors, along with other snacks, which added to the casual, neighborhood feel. This was my first visit, and I ordered the Banh Mi sandwich. I'd rate it a 6 out of 10. The sandwich had a generous amount of bread almost too much while the beef portion was very minimal. The vegetables, on the other hand, were plentiful and made up most of the sandwich, which I didn't mind. Flavor-wise, it was solid. The sandwich wasn't warm, but that didn't bother me much, and overall it had enough seasoning and freshness to be enjoyable. One downside was the way the sandwich was assembled the meat sat at the bottom, which caused the bread to get soggy, so I ended up eating it upside down. Not ideal, but manageable. The restaurant has a few booths available for dine-in around five from what I could tell so there is limited seating if you choose to eat there. The food itself honestly felt more like something you'd get from a food truck rather than a traditional sit-down restaurant. That said, the signage does emphasize "street food," so in that context, it makes sense. This feels like a quick-eats type of place rather than a destination dining experience. Overall, it's a straightforward, casual spot with clear roots in Vietnamese street food culture. I'd consider coming back, but I'd likely try something different next time.

I saw this online and it looked amazing. I was so happy I made the trip. The staff was great and…read morethe food was amazing! I wish this was where I lived as I'd go all the time.

Ya'll, this was my first time at Queen Mothers and that chicken sandwich was fire! It said they…read morewere black owned online but I did not see/meet the owner so I can't confirm. What I loved was the service and the food. The server was super nice and had my food ready as soon as I came to the window. I had the classic chicken sandwich which featured a huge chicken breast that was surprisingly moist and delicious! It comes on a soft brioche bun that was nicely toasted. I also had the duck fat fries that had a really good seasoning and were not greasy. They were crinkle cut, which I liked, but not crispy. They were soft, but they came out hot and had good flavor. I also highly recommend the mumbo sauce if you like it in the sweeter side with a little heat. Lastly, the Jamaican Red Drink is similar to Sorrel but not very strong. It could use more ginger and be a little sweeter for me. This actually tasted more like the Jicama/hibiscus drinks I get at Mexican restaurants than the sorrel I think they were going for, but it was good. Only issue is there is no parking. They are in the middle of several food stands. I had to park by the construction folks and hope my car wasn't towed while I ran to get my food...shhh don't tell nobody! Overall, I recommend you give them a try!

Randomly roaming around Crystal City area. Visiting what's new on our old stomping grounds. This…read morespot intrigued our appetite. Service was very friendly and accommodating! Place is very intimate and vibey at the same time. We ordered Gyoza be Boeuf, Steamed Shumai, Garlic Chives Gao, and the Char Siu Chicken Rice. We enjoyed the dumplings! Very fresh. Chicken was tender and delicious! Great spot for a date night!

As far as I'm concerned, everything on this menu is a home run. Delicious, unique, and impossible…read moreto stop taking more bites even when you're so full you can barely move. We had the chicken karage and pork XLB to start. We were too polite to fight over the four small dumplings but chopsticks certainly clashed in the karage bowl - luckily the portion for that was large enough that even my cantankerous husband declared he could have been happy with that alone. For the main I had the garlic noodles with shrimp, and oh my gosh. Think of the scene from Ratatouille (yes that one) only with buttered noodles. This dish perfectly evokes comfort-food coziness while somehow also displaying complexity and class. Delicious. The cocktails are unique but passable. I had the nimbus cloud, an interesting mix of ingredients that earns the highly coveted designation of "not too sweet." Aforementioned cantankerous husband declared his old fashioned "the worst he has ever received in his life." Though probably his fault for not choosing something from the extensive menu. The new space in Crystal City is a nice vibe with a Paris streaterie/speakeasy feel, but watch your step in the alley as it's fully open to cars and therefore always steps away from chaos. We sat indoors and had a hard time hearing each other over the loud space (who doesn't love shouting WHAT? directly in your dining companions' ears through a mouthful of garlic noodles?) but honestly, once the food arrived we sort of forgot each other existed for a time. I'll be back for sure, don't judge the solo diner in the corner with enough garlic noodles to feed a family of four.