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.

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.

Great stop before flying back home. This is a small location & searing can get tight especially…read morewhen having to trail in carrying-on luggage but well worth a last yummy taste of Cuban goodness. This location has the same quality of food as their Wharf location. I was so happy to be able to get a couple of empanadas, a Cuban sandwich, sweet plantains and a couple of drinks before jetting off. The staff is super friendly but getting our drinks was a little slow. Having said that, it was during busy times so we totally get it. Didn't take pictures of the empanadas before they got in my belly. We got a chicken & beef-so good just a little on the small side so if you're sharing, keep that in mind. Cheers!!

I've never had an authentic café con leche in Cuba or Puerto Rico, since I haven't visited these…read morecountries before. And the last time I had a café con leche was at a Dunkin' Donuts near Palm Beach around a decade ago. I'm not kidding. I was so amused that they offered these at a drive-thru window and my commercialized DD version wasn't bad. But, as I've traveled, my best option for a getting something close to a café con leche is just to request one, know that it won't be exact but/and keep your fingers crossed. Or - at least - order a café au lait. I'm no coffee snob so feel free to comment here. Wiki taught me that café con leches are made with scalded milk vs. steamed. And sugar cane is used in the grounds or the brew. This actual café con leche - at Crystal City's Colada Shop - is somehow the most authentic café con leche which I could reference drinking, in awhile now. I mean, I have had a few around Florida cafes, awhile back. At the Colada Shop register, you can order a regular café con leche or a 'sweeter' version. Hmmm ... how blessedly simple vs. and the mounds of adjectives I myself use when at a Starby's. I was assured that the sweeter version she offered was more gentle than it sounded, and she was correct. My steaming Cuban coffee was strong and not overpoweringly sweet. Like, I was relieved that I had ordered it sweet because otherwise I might have not been woman enough to drink it. The flavors of this beverage were complex. Rich and deeply smoky. This coffee was not like a Vietnamese coffee with a strong French roast and sweet cream. These flavors were more like - I don't have the culinary knowledge to say - like a deep, strong Cuban brew. I know that probably doesn't help. I enjoyed the beautiful, bright colors, the music and sips of my lovely and seriously respectable coffee, to go, here. The service was excellent. Each of the three team members I spoke with were all friendly and helpful. I liked my coffee and especially appreciated being able to find an establishment which markets and serves café con leches, Cuban-style. When I asked the Colada Shop employee what the most popular hot drinks were here, she said - obviously - its namesake Café con Leche, and secondly, the Carrot Cake con Leche coffee drink. Yes, please. She said the Dulce de Leche coffee is the third most popular drink here and her description of it as fabulous with the caramel and steamed milk. Well, there are at least two reasons to go back to the Colada Shop at Crystal City!

I love all the locations. I visit Navy Yard more frequently since it is convenient. But the yummy…read moreflavors are the same at all RASA locations. If you join the free points program, you can earn food items. Yay!

I like the idea of quick make and go indian food. Deciding between chipotle, sweet greens, I came…read morehere for flavors. It was meh ok. I didn't feel like the flavors where there for when I order indian food. Maybe they make the dishes very lightly with flavor since they are serving to the masses and to get buy-off from everyone. But for me it was disappointing because it more on the bland size. There was enough food, I wasn't able to finish it. I think the spinach was the best part for me. Was very convenient off crystal drive, easy to walk into with no line and quick service to make it and check out.

Extreme pizza was one of the only restaurants open during the sleet in 2026 so I dropped by since I…read morewas from out of town and didn't have any food saved up. The workers were super nice and patient even though they had to come into work with the nasty weather. I order the chicken parm with the poppers. The chicken parm sub was delicious however the size was a lot smaller than what I expect from a normal sub. The poppers on the other hand I felt like the filling was lacking if you ate it by itself. It absolutely needed the chocolate dipping sauce that they provided to give the extra flavor profile for the dessert. Part of me wished there was just more Nutella flavoring or somehow a flavor in the middle that would be more flavor so there would be no need to dip. However, I cant deduct any points since I'm not a fan of chocolate and I believe anyone who is a fan of chocolate would be satisfied with it. The inside of the restaurant is kind of cramped but I came in when there wasn't too many people so it was spacious when it's empty. However it was cute and had seating facing the window so you can people watch outside. All in all I did give it a higher rating mainly because they were willing to stay open during the icy snow weather and provide food to all the travelers who were stranded. Thank you so much!

I really really like their pizza. The wheel is round, so is their pie. And like the aforementioned…read morewheel, this pizza doesn't need to be reinvented. Just made the way they do it. I'll be back.

MEZ come again! Their new Honey harissa chicken was delicious. They let me sample the meat before I…read morewas able to purchase. The place was clean and well run. The staff were pleasant and seemed to enjoy the work that they do. I had problems with the app, and it does not work when I went to make an account. I also had reception issues in the store. You should eat here if you are into fast, casual quick bowls or burritos similar to Cava.

Was on a mini vacation and was walking through and everyone outside was eating from this…read morerestaurant. We had already eaten, but noted that we needed to come back tomorrow to check it out; and we did! We went around 7:30 and the line was to the door. There were only three people working so it moved fairly slow. The concept is like cava; they have bowls to pick from or you can do the create your own bowl. I ordered the chicken chicken bowl, that came with double chicken, rice, hummus, corn salsa & pickled turnips. You can choose a sauce and I chose the lemon garlic. You also receive a tortilla with it, but we ordered the pita chips also. The food was very fresh, a lot of choices to choose from. I also liked that they have a junior bowl in case you don't want a full bowl. Even if I didn't get the double chicken bowl, it was enough food for two meals. I wish we had this place in Raleigh.

Let's start with the Sunday Brunch…read more I defy anyone to find fault with that value. First round of mimosas is expensive but the next six rounds is cheeeeap. And the selection?!?! For under $70 two people can have crab cakes benedict, fried brussels, crispy French toast... I don't even remember. Like ten different things! I didn't have to eat again until 9pm. The food was great! Vinny, who was our handler (clearly he has training in special education or something because we that table. Or maybe the TIPS trainings have advanced to include messy brunch people) was fun, patient, and knowledgeable. This is THE SPOT for brunch on Sunday.

I visited Makers Union Pentagon City for a 4:45pm Thursday reservation for four. I arrived on time…read moreand was seated outside on the patio. Unfortunately, service started off on the wrong foot. There was a very large party already on the patio, and I was seated behind them. I waited about 12-15 minutes before the rest of my group arrived, but no server ever came by. We decided to head inside to get re‑seated, but couldn't find a hostess anywhere. We eventually flagged down a random server in the bar area and asked if a four‑top could be cleared so we could sit there instead. Thankfully, once we moved inside, everything improved dramatically. Service from that point on was attentive and friendly. The "Peoples Hour" menu was a highlight--great pricing without feeling "cheap." Appetizers were $6-10, cocktails $6-8, wines $6, and beers $6.50. The Down & Dirty (a vodka martini variation without vermouth) was solid, and the Out of the Office...Forever rum punch was decent. For food, we tried several items: - Makers Mini Nachos with steak -- Generous toppings but the chips got soggy quickly under all the queso, sour cream, and guac, which is not necessarily a bad thing. - Taco-bout Fish -- Crispy cod with a lemon aioli; one of the better bites of the night. - Drop It Like It's Hot -- Really good chicken tenders with a spicy Comeback sauce. - Lil B sliders -- Nicely cooked and not overdone; the Comeback sauce added a nice kick. The space has an upscale sports‑bar vibe with TVs above and around the bar. Seating can feel tight when it's busy, and the noise level definitely climbs, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a quieter meal. Despite the rocky start, the rest of the evening was enjoyable. Good food, great happy hour pricing, and solid service once we were settled inside. I'd return--just probably not to the patio during a big party.

Always great customer service and food! the crew is the best! I have lunch there at least once a…read moreweek!

I love this place! The salads are really good and you can make your own. Get the blackened chicken…read more(upcharge) and the pesto vinaigrette dressing.

located in a large shopping center with pay for parking garage…read more I was sat by the hostess right away, I had a choice of wherever I wanted to seat, plenty of seating. there is also a bar area with available seating my waiter doubled as the bartender. he was amazing, friendly, attentive and considerate. he made my drinks immediately. you're given a fresh moist towel at the table to clean noodles, soups and dessert came pretty quick, the only thing that took a little longer to arrive was my bao buns, which you have the option of having it steamed or pan fried. all were delicious. 2 separate single bathrooms

Was really looking forward to hitting this spot given hype and local coverage on PBS. Wait staff…read morewas friendly albeit the place aseemed to lack any sort of management. Staff kinda doing their own thing. Our waiter/manager (?) was also having to make drinks which took a while. (We finished our first apps before drinks even arrived.) Food was creative albeit kinda all over the place. Some items unvailable as well. The Mixian noodles were tasty but we thought too many for the soups or bowls. Apps were good but still nothing over the top. Net net is not sure if worth hitting this spot again for a drive into Pentagon with other better Chinese options in the area.

I'm a huge fan of Panera Bread! This location is brand new and recently open in the Crystal City…read moreshopping district. The location is bright, airy, and a very open space. This location is for online, mobile app, and take out orders only. There is no seating our dining area like most Panera breads. So when coming here, keep in mind that it is mainly a grab and go spot. I was in the area for a business meeting and needed something quick. This Panera Bread location delivered! The young lady that assisted me at the counter was very polite and helpful. I ordered the pick 2 meal.... Which is always my go to. On this day, I tried the new. Pecan Apple Crisp Salad and a bowl of the House Chilli. Everything was fresh, made to order and delicious. The veggies on the salad were so fresh and crisp, and the apple cider vinaigrette really complimented the salad along with the crunch of the pecans as a topping. The salad was soooo good and will definitely be on repeat! The chili was very flavorful and full of you're a typical ingredients..... 3 beans, tomato, ground beef and spices. A double thumbs up on the taste and consistency. Most of all, it was meaty and not watered down. Not to mention, this place moves fast. The order came very quick..... and securely packed for me to grab and go. I highly recommend this place, when in the area and you need something quick. The food is healthy, delicious, and the menu changes frequently with the seasons. Not to mention, the baked goods selection are great and always an added, plus!

From the owner: From focusing on quality ingredients to serving our food to you in a warm and welcoming…read moreenvironment, Panera Bread is committed to being an ally to our guests. That means crafting a menu of soups, salads and sandwiches that we are proud to feed our families. You don't have to compromise to eat well. Whether you want to come in and enjoy a coffee and our complimentary Wi-Fi, or order online using Rapid Pick-Up so you can grab something quickly, Panera Bread Crystal City is here with warmth and welcome. Panera Bread. Food as it should be.

This place is cute! Its very earthy botanical looking on the inside. They offer a variety of toast…read moreand I ordered their version of PB & Jelly. I opted to not have bananas on mine because gross! But it was really good. The blueberries and strawberries plus the whole peanuts gave good flavor and texture. I also ordered a dirty Chai with oatmilk. Made to perfection not too sweet with a perfect chai to espresso ratio. If im ever in Virginia again I will definitely be visiting here again!

I've been meaning to go to Tostique on the DC Wharf, where I live, but haven't gotten around to it…read moreyet. So I happened to be in the Pentagonal City area and decided to try there. Boy do I wish I'd made Toastique a regular place for brunch. The toast options are varied and so tasty. My daughter got a gluten free version of the Spicy Crab toast and was amazed at the flavor and adequate portion size. Toastique is designed to be counter service, so you pick out your items and order directly from a friendly server. Once ordered, grab yourself a table in the ample seating area and they'll bring your freshly prepared order to you. A very nice casual dining experience.