Dirt Cheap Eats 2007: Arax Cafe

Reviewed by Cynthia Hacinli , Todd Kliman , Sara Levine , Ann Limpert , Erin Zimmer

Arax Cafe

5852 N. Washington Blvd.
Arlington, VA
Phone: 703.532.3320

Cuisines:
Middle Eastern

Opening Hours:
Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat:
General: 08:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
East Falls Church
Ballston-MU

Price Range:
Inexpensive

Dress:
Informal

Noise Level:
Intimate

Reservations:
Not Accepted

Special Features:
Kid Friendly

Best Dishes
Homemade ice cream; khorabia; baklava; cheese-filled pastries; meat pizzas; stuffed grape leaves; baba ghanoush; hummus.

Price Details:
Bakery selections, $1 to $4.75.


Cafes & Carryouts

The house-made sweets on the counter might get your attention first, but there’s more to Arax Café than meets the eye. Behind the coffeehouse façade is a kitchen that turns out delicious Armenian mezze and snacks.

Silky hummus and baba ghanoush ($4.75) come with hot, thin pita for dipping. The round Armenian pizza ($2.50), topped with a paste of beef, red pepper, and onion, is even better with a slather of plain yogurt. And while chicken in a pita ($4.95) doesn’t sound sexy, the zingy garlic sauce makes it so.

Coffee drinks such as the glasse—espresso with a blob of ice cream—and the Armenian-style coffee itself cry out for a sweet. We like the crumbly butter cookies called khorabia.