Food

Yona from Mike Isabella and Jonah Kim is Open and Serving Ramen

A modern Korean/Japanese restaurant for Ballston.

Yona serves Japanese/Korean noodle bowls and small plates in Ballston. Photograph by Greg Powers.

Restaurateur Mike Isabella completes his trio of Ballston eateries with the Monday opening of Yona Noodle Bar, located steps from Kapnos Taverna and Mexican cantina Pepita. The 50-seat Japanese/Korean concept is a collaborative effort with business partner Jonah Kim, most recently the executive chef at Pabu in the Four Seasons Baltimore (now closed).

True to name, noodles star on the menu. Guests at lunch and dinner (beginning December 4) can try several varieties of ramen, including kimchi-filled Korean with poached squid and pork belly, a veggie version that mixes soy milk in the broth, and a robust “miso porky.” Rounding out the menu are an ambitious lineup of small plates—think veal heart tartare and uni waffles. Lunch-goers will find dishes oriented towards quick service, such as donburi rice bowls.

Mike Isabella Concepts barman Taha Ismail is behind the beverages, which include a concise lineup of Japanese beers, whiskeys, and sakes.

Yona Noodle Bar. 4000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington;703-465-1100. Open daily for lunch, 11:30 to 3; dinner starting December 4.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.