Vienna’s restaurant scene is an exciting mix of flavors, from classic comfort food to international delights. Whether you’re looking for a casual meal, a special night out, or an elegant dining experience, these six Vienna restaurants from our list of the 50 Best Restaurants offer something for every taste.
By Alice Levitt, Olga Boikess, Dawn Klavon, and Alyssa Langer
Price Key: Entrées = $ 15 and under | $$ 16–25 | $$$ 26–40 | $$$$ 41 and over | * = prix fixe only
Clarity
Vienna | Modern American | $$$$
Every neighborhood needs a reliable, go-to spot for any occasion, be it date-night drinks, family visiting, or an anniversary. In Vienna, Clarity has long been that place.
Servers are friendly, and the space feels upscale yet casual, the ideal middle ground for most evenings. The food follows suit, achieving a delicate balance between rustic and unpretentious, while also elevated and refined.
Take the Bolognese, a generous bowl of well-sauced pasta that’s dressed-up comfort food incarnate. Similarly, the caramelized scallop appetizer is elegant and nicely seared but dressed down thanks to a modest bed of corn-and-bacon chowder. And then there’s the pork schnitzel, pounded thin, coated in corn flakes, and crisped to perfection, alongside a rich jus and buttermilk spaetzle.
Familiar dishes can lead to disappointment if they’re not executed properly, but Clarity gets it just right. No matter the dining occasion or company, a meal here makes sense.
Eat This:
Caramelized U-8 Day Boat scallop, corn flake–crusted pork schnitzel, Seven Hills beef & Elysian Fields lamb Bolognese
Evelyn Rose
Vienna | Modern American | $$$
It’s hard to see the housemade ricotta cavatelli beneath a liberal ladle of tomato-braised brisket and pork shoulder, but your teeth will know they’re there as soon as they sink in. The likable chew of the pasta, however, is second in importance to the pile of yielding protein that includes chef Nick Palermo’s signature meatballs.
The term “elevated comfort food” has become hackneyed, but refining what feels and tastes good is exactly what Palermo and co-owner Sam Schnoebelen do at the restaurant named for their grandmothers. Imagine a combination of crisp onion rings and beefy French onion soup, and you’ve got the French onion rings that consistently grace the ever-changing menu.
Pasta, such as the cavatelli and double egg-yolk pappardelle in short-rib ragout, are highlights that lift this new neighborhood restaurant to destination status.
Eat This:
French onion rings, whole-milk ricotta cavatelli, fried Amish half chicken
Ingle Korean Steakhouse
Vienna | Korean | $$$$
Remember Clara Peller? She gained fame in the 1980s for demanding, “Where’s the beef?” in Wendy’s commercials. If only she’d lived to experience this temple of bovine goodness.
If you’re not craving wagyu cooked to its ideal, dine elsewhere. The immaculately trained staff here doesn’t fire up the grill for any old meat. In fact, diners can also order gift boxes of the coddled cattle. Beef even appears in starters and sides such as steak tartare and fried rice.
The prix fixe features four heavenly cuts, including a marinated zabuton (“little pillow,” from the chuck primal) that could be called nothing less than meat candy. Everything from the rugged tri-tip to the marbled galbi is a gustatory delight. Here’s the beef we’ve all been waiting for.
Eat This:
Corn cheese, hwe moo-chim, wagyu cuts of the day
Joon (No. 10)
Vienna | Persian | $$$
Saffron, pistachio, rose, sumac, pomegranate. The aromatic beauties of Persian cuisine could be described as the food’s life force, a concept summed up with a single Farsi word, “joon.”
In fact, this elegant restaurant, sandwiched between the Tysons locations of Rolex and Tiffany & Co., is full of that guiding frisson. From servers who feel like friends sharing a secret with you, to bursts of color on the walls and ceilings, Joon is vividly alive.
This owes more than anything to the flavors. The menu is primed for sharing, whether it’s whole roasted branzino or rotisserie duck, all served with crispy rice. Appetizers and desserts? Also worth splitting with your companions. It’s part of a life-affirming evening of flavors that awaken the senses and introduce Joon into your vocabulary — and dining rotation.
Eat This:
Lamb and pistachio meatballs, sabzi polow ba mahi, saffron and rose water ice cream
Nostos (No. 6)
Vienna | Mediterranean | $$$
You won’t even know what hit you; this charming Greek restaurant comes to Hellenic life from the moment you hear the strains of the bouzouki. Diners are ushered through the white-walled dining room, adorned with nostalgic black-and-white photos of Zorba the Greek himself, Anthony Quinn, and opera grande dame Maria Callas. Memories of a Mykonos adventure come to mind as parties converse over freshly prepared tzatziki and fava Santorinis.
Kefalograviera cheese is pan-flamed tableside for a saganaki that merits a shout of “Opa!” The simply prepared but supremely tasty grilled swordfish, steak, and chicken souvlakis are memorable for their quality and flavor.
Dessert takes the meal to the next level. Varieties of baklava abound, but our money is on the traditional version, brimming with coarsely chopped walnuts and a divine honey drizzle.
A meal at Nostos is an inspired event from the moment you step foot inside the door. Enjoy every outstanding morsel as if you’d paid for a flight to Greece to enjoy it.
Eat This:
Saganaki, swordfish souvlaki, traditional baklava
Roberto’s Ristorante Italiano
Vienna | Italian | $$$$
When a chef and restaurateur has gained Roberto Donna’s level of fame, it would be easy to sit on one’s laurels. But while James Beard Foundation Award– and Iron Chef–winner Donna may have decamped to quieter Vienna from DC, he’s not shy about continuing to challenge himself.
The menu is approachable to suburban diners, but Donna adheres to seasonality with fervor, making additions and subtractions almost daily. The results can be lip-smackingly creative. Diners shouldn’t be afraid to try a dessert of fried ravioli stuffed with tomato jam and drizzled with creamy dots of pistachio sauce. After all, it’s an appealing way to prolong the lives of summer tomatoes.
Guests feel like valued friends as they dine beneath a candy-colored Chihuly chandelier. As comfortable as they are, their chef is never one to sit still, and the meal is all the better for it.
Eat This:
Culatello e fichi, pappardelle al cinghiale, tiramisu
Feature image of Clarity by Michael Butcher
This story originally ran in our November issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
