Why go: This pretty Vietnamese dining room might not be the place for daring foodies to venture beyond, say, curried frog’s legs, but the gracious service and skilled, wide-ranging kitchen keep crowds happy.
What to get: Shrimp-stuffed garden rolls; fried-pork spring rolls; a standard-setting green-papaya salad with shrimp and pork; a soothing soup of pork, fresh tofu, and chives; sautéed clams with sesame crackers; vermicelli bun with charred pork; caramelized short ribs; sparkling Vietnamese lemonade.
Best for: A group craving a good pho, bun, and hotpot all on one table; newcomers to Vietnamese cuisine (there are forks next to the chopsticks at every place setting).
Insider tip: The restaurant plans to move this summer from the Eden Center to the new Merrifield Town Center (8190 Strawberry La., Falls Church; 703-539-8566).
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
See all 2008 Cheap Eats restaurants
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
