About Eat Great Cheap 2019
This article is a part of Washingtonian’s Eat Great Cheap feature, our annual list of where to eat (and not break the bank) right now. Our food editors put together the best new restaurants around DC where you can find Detroit-style pizza, Japanese egg-salad sandwiches, chicken-nugget-filled tacos, and more—for $25 or less per person.
If anything can liven up the quiet top floor of Tysons Galleria mall, it’s Seng Luangrath and Bobby Pradachith’s vivacious Laotian corner of the Urbanspace food hall. The menu will look familiar to fans of the chefs’ Thip Khao and Padaek: an abundance of herbs, curries, and fish sauce, plus searing heat (if you ask). Beyond tasty spring rolls and crispy-rice salad, dishes fall into two camps: entrées with sticky rice or noodle bowls. Crunchy lemongrass catfish and fiery chicken wings were favorites in the former, while Laotian pho is punchier and more complex than its Vietnamese cousin.
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.
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.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
