Reader Pick
Barbecue
Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Co.
Owner/founder John Snedden’s latest improvements at Rocklands, an Arlington institution since 1995, include newly installed solar panels, a patio garden with okra and tomatoes, and a revamped private dining space upstairs. What hasn’t changed over the years is the appeal of the signature food—fresh (never frozen) meat, smoked over a hickory blend, low and slow. Each of the restaurant’s five DMV locations has its own pit boss and specialties (like pork-belly burnt ends in Arlington). Snedden says he loves to hang out in the dining room, watching customers enjoying that first bite of barbecue and sides such as coleslaw, Texas corn pudding and minted cucumber salad. “It’s been a thrill from the very beginning,” he says, “and it’s still a thrill for me.” –Adele Chapin
Other top vote-getters:
Liberty Barbecue, Ruthie’s All-Day, Sloppy Mama’s Barbeque, Smokecraft Modern Barbecue, Texas Jack’s Barbecue
Reader Pick
Happy Hour
Lyon Hall
When 5 o’clock rolls around, a quick scan of the bar at this easygoing, French-style brasserie in Clarendon finds plenty of familiar faces. “We make new regulars often,” says general manager Dana Nyam. No wonder, when the happy-hour menu includes deals on charcuterie boards, smoked brisket dumplings, Bavarian pretzels with smoked cheddar fondue and more. Pair a frosty German Hefeweizen, a sparkling Alsatian brut or a Moscow mule with snacks like $6 frites and $1.50 oysters. The $15 pots of mussels (available in four different preparations, from smoked tomato to Thai curry) are also a fan favorite. –Adele Chapin
Other top vote-getters:
Ambar Clarendon, Ballston Local, Fire Works, Open Road Rosslyn, The Salt Line, SER, Texas Jack’s Barbecue
Reader Pick
Restaurant for Date Night
Lyon Hall
Other top vote-getters:
Ambar Clarendon, Café Colline, Green Pig Bistro, Ruthie’s All-Day, Salt, The Salt Line, SER
Reader Pick
Brunch
Ruthie’s All-Day
Fresh buttermilk biscuits emerge from the oven every 20 minutes during Saturday and Sunday brunch at Ruthie’s, a Southern-accented café that opened in 2020 in Arlington Heights and immediately became a local mainstay. But it’s not just the biscuits that have discerning diners coming back for more. “We sell a lot of everything,” says chef and co-owner Matt Hill (also a Best of Arlington 2023 winner for “Best Chef”). “There aren’t dishes that don’t really move.” Try fried-to-order apple-cider doughnuts made with local apples; brisket hash with mustard-seed cream and seasonal vegetables; or a grits bowl with pulled pork and pickled Fresno chilies, topped with a fried egg. The bar program includes classic cocktails, spritzes and kombucha on tap. –Adele Chapin
Other top vote-getters:
Ambar Clarendon, Green Pig Bistro, The Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall, Palette 22, Ted’s Bulletin
Reader Pick
Chef
Matt Hill – Ruthie’s All-Day
Other top vote-getters:
Miljohn Dimaano (Lyon Hall), Jason Johnston (Ballston Local), Brendan L’Etoile (Cafe Colline, Parc de Ville), Yo Matsuzaki (Wren), Tracy O’Grady (Green Pig Bistro), Jaime Pelayo (Buena Vida), Dane Sewlall (Open Road Rosslyn), Gabe and Katherine Thompson (Thompson Italian)
Reader Pick
Outdoor Dining
Ruthie’s All-Day
Other top vote-getters:
Buena Vida, Clare & Don’s Beach Shack, CIRCA at Clarendon, Grand Cru Wine Bar and Bistro, Lyon Hall, The Salt Line, SER
Reader Pick
Wine Shop
Arrowine & Cheese
Arrowine proprietors Doug Rosen and Shem Hassen have traveled the world in search of fine wines at every price point. Thousands of bottles fill the racks of their Arlington shop, from $15 Rioja to rare vintages priced at $1,000 and up. (Rosen worked here as a teen when it was called Cheese and Bottle before returning as a partner in 1991 and buying the store in 1993. Hassen became a partner in 2004.) Shoppers can grab charcuterie, gourmet packaged goods and hundreds of cheeses, too. Just don’t expect Jarlsberg. “Everything we have is artisanal,” Rosen stresses. He takes pride in offering products you won’t find elsewhere—including choice finds from small, family-run European vineyards. “We have actually introduced quite a few wines to the United States,” he says, such as Jean-Louis Dutraive Fleurie and selections from Domaine Stéphane Magnien. “I like to say we are a neighborhood store with a national reputation.” –Stephanie Kanowitz
Other top vote-getters:
The Brew Shop, Dominion Wine and Beer, Screwtop Wine Bar, Total Wine
Reader Pick
New Restaurant
The Salt Line
If you’ve been to The Salt Line’s flagship location in Navy Yard near Nationals Park, you know this New England seafood house with a mid-Atlantic twist makes an excellent lobster roll and is a raw bar go-to. These and other classics are always on the menu at the Ballston outpost, which opened in 2021. But chef Matt Singer also has free rein to do his own thing in Arlington—where you’ll find him whipping up house-made pastas and seasonal fresh catch, from crispy-skinned rockfish with garlic and herbs to poached Atlantic halibut with roasted vegetables and dashi butter. “We really let the freshness of the fish come through,” Singer says. –Adele Chapin
Other top vote-getters:
Ballston Local, Bar Ivy, Buena Vida, Harvey’s, Hawkers Asian Street Food, Maison Cheryl, Wren
Editor Pick
Chinese-Korean Comfort Food
Chiko
Northern Virginia devotees of Chiko’s “orange-ish” chicken and cumin-lamb stir-fry let out a collective cheer when the counter-service eatery arrived in Shirlington (its fifth DMV location) in 2022. The restaurant’s easygoing, pan-Asian format defies classification: It’s not full-service, but not strictly fast-casual either. “We don’t really know what it is. We’ve been trying to figure that out for over five years,” jokes chef Scott Drewno, who owns Chiko and sister restaurant Anju (in D.C.) with fellow chef and NoVa native Danny Lee. “We’re just trying to use our many years of restaurant experience and cooking know-how to make some cool food.” The result is addictive dishes such as soy-glazed brisket with soft egg, smashed salmon with black bean butter, and pork belly-kimchi stew—plus creative offerings like a monthly cook-at-home supper club, dumpling happy hours, special dishes by guest chefs and theme weeks devoted to seasonal ingredients such as Maryland crabs. –Adele Chapin
Reader Pick
Trivia Night
Ballston Local
There’s always something happening at Ballston Local, be it live music, an open mic session or football fans gathered to watch a game. But trivia nights are one of the bar’s biggest draws. On Mondays and Wednesdays, the place reaches capacity by 6 or 7 p.m., and—this being the D.C. area—people take their trivia seriously. “It’s friendly, but it’s certainly fierce competition,” says co-owner Jonah Troth, who opened the congenial pub with co-owner/chef Jason Johnston in 2021. Beyond the glory of a correct answer, participants are lured in by the beverage specials and prizes (which can include drinks, shots or discounted bar tabs). Then there’s Johnston’s menu: The former MGM casino chef does justice to sentimental favorites, like gourmet burgers, poutine and New York-style pizza topped with chicken parm or littleneck clams. –Adele Chapin
Other top vote-getters:
The Board Room, Courthaus Social, Cowboy Café, Quincy Hall
Reader Pick
Brewery
New District Brewing Co.
Other top vote-getters:
Aslin Beer Co., The Board Room, Settle Down Easy Brewing Co., Solace Outpost
Reader Pick
Burger
Big Buns Damn Good Burgers
Other top vote-getters:
Ballston Local, BGR the Burger Joint, Cowboy Café, Elevation Burger, Five Guys