12 Arlington Bargain Restaurants

Looking for a great, affordable place to eat in Arlington?

Look no further than these 12 restaurants, all named one of the 100 best bargain restuarants by Washingtonian magazine.

• Bangkok 54 - "a serious kitchen that prizes big flavors and loves to play with textures"


• Café Pizzaiolo, Crystal City - "the crispness of the crusts lends itself to takeout"


• Delhi Club, Clarendon - "best for Indian-food fanciers who like it hot"


• Eat Bar - "attracts Clarendon's young and trendy"


• Eleventh Street Lounge - "best for cozy dates . . . [and] late-night nibbles”)


• El Pike/Pike Pizza - one of the area's best places to experience Bolivian cooking


• El Pollo Rico - "you're here for the Peruvian-style chicken, one bite of which will grab your attention"


• Guajillo - "generous plates of robust Mexican cooking"


• Minh's - "vast catalog of dishes from North and South Vietnam executed with authenticity and sophistication"


• Pho 75 - "the area's best, most nourishing fast food"


• Ravi Kabob I and II - "these tiny Pakistani cafés . . . are in a class by themselves"


• Thai Square - "'the focus is cooking, which pumps new life into familiar dishes"

January 14-20: DC Restaurant Week

DC Restaurant Week is coming up January 14-20. Participating restaurants offer 3-course meals for $20.08 and dinners for $30.08. Eric gave a rundown of some participating restaurants in Arlington during the last Restaurant Week.

Personally, I'm not a big fan:

1. The good restaurants book up fast
2. Many restaurants offer only limited menus for Restaurant Week customers (2-3 choices for each course)
3. Unless it's a pricier restaurant and you were definitely going to eat a whole appetizer, entree, and dessert, it's sometimes not a good deal (and who spends $20 plus tax and tip on lunch, anyway?)
4. Some restaurants are known to treat their Restaurant Week customers like they're sitting at the kiddie table

But many people tell me I'm nitpicking and that it's a good way to sample new restaurants. What do you think?

Restaurant Week in Arlington

It's restaurant week and there are lots of great deals to be had. Below is a list of participating Arlington restaurants. To view the whole list and the specific deals, click here.

Bin1700 Crystal Gateway Marriott1700 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, VA(703) 553-5334

Extra Virgin 4053 South 28th St.Arlington, VA(703) 998-8474

Harry's Tap Room 2800 Clarendon Blvd.Arlington, VA (703) 778-7788

Jaleo - Crystal City 2250-A Crystal Drive Arlington, VA(703) 413-8181

La Tasca Arlington 2900 Wilson Blvd.Arlington, VA (703) 812-9120

The Melting Pot - Arlington1110 North Glebe Rd.Arlington, VA(703) 243-4490

Pinzimini Westin Arlington Gateway801 N. Glebe Road Arlington, VA (703) 537-4200

Sette Bello 3101 Wilson Blvd.Arlington, VA(703) 351-1004

Tivoli Restaurant 1700 N. Moore St.Arlington, VA(703) 524-8900

Willow4301 N. Fairfax Dr.Arlington, VA(703) 465-8800

Favorite Arlington Restaurants?

Where do you like to eat?

Recently, the Arlington Insider asked people for their favorite Cheap Eats. You can click here for those responses. There's some good info there.

So, I thought I would ask you - what are you favorite places to eat in Arlington? Cheap? Expensive? Best brunch? Best place to hang out?

Feel free to comment, or if you want a full post, we can do that too.

Update: I just got this list of places to brunch in Clarendon. So, if you're looking for ideas, here's some great ideas in Clarendon:

Clarendon Grill (Sun. 11 am)
Galaxy Hut (Saturday + Sunday) 11 - 3
Java Shack (open daily 7 am)
La Tasca (Sat./Sun. 10:30 - 3)
Mexicali Blues (Sat./Sun. 11am-2)
Mister Days (Sat./Sun. 11am-1)
Molly Malone's (Sat.10:30-2/Sun. 10-2:30)
Robek's (7am daily, 8am Sat. + Sun.)
Sette Bello (Sun. 10 am to 3 pm)
Tallula (Sat./Sun. 11am-2:30pm)
Whitlow's (Sat./Sun. 9am - 3 pm)
Boulevard Woodgrill (Sat. 11am/Sun. 10am)
Earl's (Saturday 10:30 -7 pm/Sunday 10 am - 3 pm)
Kitty O'Shea's (Sat./Sun. 9 to 3)

Photo by Flickr user Luna