Small But Significant

Abay Market

This decade-old Ethiopian restaurant has an informal dining area with a scattering of tables and chairs that gets crowded quickly, thanks in no small part to the fame it garnered after being featured in a 2009 episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations.” The big draw here is meat, which you can smell before you open the door. Of particular interest is the tere zega – a raw beef dish served with spicy awaze sauce and mitmita, a fiery chili blend, for dipping. If no tables are available, try Bati or Skyline Café – both are also housed in the Build America Plaza cluster of restaurants and shops.

Build America Plaza, 3811 S George Mason Drive, #A, 703-998-5322. (No website.)

Phở Ngọc Hung 

Much of the pho love in Falls Church is heaped on Eden Center, but the noodles at this spare but welcoming spot, tucked away off Columbia Pike on the outskirts of Bailey’s, rivals anything in the Vietnamese supercenter. Ngọc Hưng offers several dozen beef and chicken soup options in three bowl sizes – small, large and “super bowl.” Cheap beer ($4 imports) and classic rock on the radio beckon you to sit and snack on a plate of crispy-shrimp spring rolls, or roast quail, while waiting for your steaming bowl.

3508 Courtland Dr. 703-347-7575. (No website).