While cooking and eating at home can be a source of comfort, it’s natural for you and your family to want to try out new eateries. Below are some trendy restaurants in Alexandria, Virginia, where you can expand your palate and enjoy a tasty meal in a new atmosphere.
Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge
Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge is a riverside restaurant that lets you enjoy beautiful views of the Lower Potomac River while you enjoy your meal. You can sit on the outdoor patio for the best view the establishment has to offer and watch the boats go by. If you prefer to dine inside, you can sit at one of many regular or high-top tables. The restaurant has plenty of high-rising windows so you can still see the beauty outside.
There are also plenty of seats at the bar if you want easy access to an alcoholic beverage, like their pineapple-mango sangria or strawberry daiquiri. The restaurant also has several signature drinks, including the Angry Rooster, the Sunshine & Rays, and the Love Potion. You may also order an assortment of wines by the glass or by the bottle.
When it comes time to fill up on food, you can browse the seafood-inspired menu. Begin your meal with a starter like crab hush puppies, crispy calamari, baked green torpedo oysters, or ahi tuna poke. Entree items include the lobster roll sandwich, grouper sandwich, seared shrimp tacos, fried shrimp basket, and crab cakes.
Don Taco
Don Taco is a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar. It provides a cozy and welcoming atmosphere with spacious booths and plenty of high-stool seating at the bar. Unsurprisingly, the taco section of this establishment’s menu is quite impressive. You can order tacos with traditional fillings you’d expect from a Mexican restaurant, like Mexican short rib and pork belly.
You’ll also find that Don Taco strays from tradition with delicious filling options like beer-battered grouper, blackened salmon, buffalo chicken, shrimp and bacon, and pomegranate steak. If you find yourself struggling with what to order, be sure to ask your server about the taco of the week during your next visit.
Don Taco has several menu items that are suitable for customers who adhere to gluten-free or vegetarian diets. For example, gluten-free customers can order a rice bowl with yellow Spanish rice, shredded cheese, fajita veggies, red charred beans, and their choice of meat. Vegetarians can order menu items like the classic cheese quesadilla, fried avocado taco, spicy ‘shroom taco, and cauliflower tempura taco.
End your meal on a sweet note with one of Don Taco’s irresistible desserts. Fans of fair food can order the fried Oreos with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. If you want to try a more authentic Mexican dessert, you can get the caramel tres leches or the churros with chocolate dipping sauce.
Virtue Feed & Grain
Virtue Feed & Grain is a quaint restaurant that is the site of a former 18th-century granary. Today, it’s been restored to emit a shabby chic vibe, and it has decorative elements like grain-sack pillows, Victorian-era wallboards, and barn flooring. There are booths, tables, and chairs for bar seating, as well as couches and armchairs to create a casual hangout area. You can also take advantage of seating on the outdoor patio. And with indoor dining options on the first and second floors, you can switch up your environment on different visits.
The Virtue Feed & Grain menu offers cuisine that we describe as American comfort farm food. Popular items include the umami burger, prime rib French dip, steak quesadilla, Rueben sandwich, and stuffed portabella mushrooms. You can come in for brunch on the weekends and order items like the brioche French toast, loaded avocado toast, and breakfast taquitos.
Virtue Feed & Grain is pet-friendly, so feel free to bring your pooch with you. There’s even a special dog menu, and it features items like a five-ounce grilled rare sirloin and a rice dish with beef and carrots.
Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster Barbeque
Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster Barbeque has three locations on the East Coast, and we’re lucky enough to have one right here in Alexandria. The mastermind behind this restaurant is celebrity chef Myron Mixon, and he has created a menu featuring American barbecue comfort foods that’ll leave your mouth watering. Popular sandwiches include pulled pork, pulled chicken, smoked sausage, and beef brisket. Salads and bowls are also common, including items like the boss green salad and brisket bowl.
If you come in with a group, you can order the family meal, which comes with baby back ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken, sausage links, and your choice of three sides. There are also individual meat combos that come with one or two sides. The sides at Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster Barbeque really stand out, with unique options like the peach BBQ baked beans or Brunswick stew.
Rustico
Rustico is an Italian restaurant that serves gourmet comfort food. You can order delicious wood-fired pizzas like chicken and cherry peppers, butcher’s block, the white, and vodka pie. The chefs can prepare any pizza using a gluten-free chickpea crust if you have special dietary restrictions.
If you’re not in the mood for pizza, you still have plenty of options at Rustico. Browse the sandwich section of the menu to discover delicious bites like the Rustico burger, fried chicken sandwich, smoked chicken salad sandwich, and meatball sub. You can also get a flank steak salad or mixed greens salad, or share an appetizer like the baked feta dip or cheese and herb risotto tots with the table.
If you’re visiting Rustico for an alcoholic beverage, you’ll have to take some time to study the menu. There are plenty of cocktails, wines, and spirits available, but the most impressive lineup is the beer selection. Rustico has over 400 beers available to customers, so you can try a new one on each visit or stick with your favorites, as you know the establishment will always have them ready.
While you’re exploring the divine cuisine of Alexandria, you’ll want to have a reliable vehicle to take you on your adventures. Be sure to visit Koons Tyson Toyota to check out our current inventory. We have a wide variety of certified preowned and new inventory so you can find a vehicle that fits your budget and preferences.
Calamari by stu_spivack is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0
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