Northern Virginia remains a hot spot for Asian cuisine, judging by the five local establishments that found spots on the Washington Post’s annual ranking of the top 40 restaurants in the D.C. region.
Released yesterday (Wednesday), the 2026 list is the first compiled by new food critic Elazar Sontag, who took over the position in November 2025 following the retirement of longtime reviewer Tom Sietsema.
As in past years, the top spots are dominated by the District, but Northern Virginia still made an impression with three Fairfax County restaurants, a familiar name from Fairfax City, and a solo representative for Falls Church City:
- No. 10 — Truong Tien (6763 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church)
- No. 22 — Lighthouse Tofu (4121 Chatelain Road, Annandale)
- No. 27 — Mama Chang (3251 Blenheim Blvd, Suite 101, Fairfax)
- No. 35 — Chef Tan (132 Branch Road SE, Vienna)
- No. 36 — Chaatwala (1050 Elden Street, Herndon)
Located in the Eden Center, Truong Tien emerged as a “personal favorite” of the many eateries available in the historic hub for the Vietnamese business community, Sontag said, highlighting the banh beo — rice cakes with dried shrimp — and bun bo Hue — a beef shank and pork hock noodle soup — as menu standouts.
Opened in 2023, the restaurant was conceived by owner Thanh Huong Thi Truong as a showcase for the Hue imperial dishes enjoyed by Vietnam’s Nguyễn dynasty in the 19th and early 20th centuries, according to the Post’s original review by Tim Carmen. Truong Tien expanded this spring with the opening of a second location inside Maryland’s Live! Casino in Hanover.
“It’s good news for gamblers, but I’m all-in on the Eden Center,” Sontag wrote.
Lighthouse Tofu, meanwhile, has been a mainstay of Annandale’s dining scene since 2002, when it was started by longtime nail salon owner Paul Shin. It serves bulgolgi, bibimbap and other Korean barbecue staples, but its specialty is the sundubu-jjigae or tofu stew — a dish that Sontag says is destined to send “all who eat it into a happy stupor.”
“Its broth is delicate but assertively peppery, powered by a spice blend Shin whips up in the secrecy of his home,” the food critic wrote. “The tofu that floats beneath its surface … is so soft that a tap of the spoon sends shards floating off like the edges of an iceberg.”
Mama Chang was also a favorite of Sietsema’s, appearing on his final top 40 ranking for the Post. Like his predecessor, Sontag views the Fairfax City outpost as the pinnacle of Chinese restaurateur Peter Chang’s ever-growing empire in the D.C. region.
Featuring an all-you-can-eat option and dim-sum brunch on weekends, the extensive menu’s highlights include the lion’s head meatballs and a seafood stew identified in English as “seafood with crispy rice,” according to Sontag.
“My only real advice, based on personal experience, is to plan date night elsewhere and come with as many friends as you can muster,” he wrote. “Mama Chang is too much for two diners to possibly digest.”
Opened to crowds at Danor Plaza at the end of July 2025, Chef Tan is the first D.C.-area outpost of a chain that started over a decade ago in Fords, New Jersey, and had previously stayed close to the New York tri-state area.
A focus on the unique flavors of China’s Hunan cuisine, still a relative rarity in the region, garnered Chef Tan a spot on Sontag’s list of the 10 best new restaurants in the D.C. area this past spring. He advises diners unfamiliar with Hunan food to heed servers’ recommendations, “which might include strips of lamb stir-fried with cilantro and tame red peppers, or a hypnotizing mash of velvety eggplant and ‘century’ eggs.”
Finally, Sontag praises Chaatwala as a standout of the abundant options for Indian and South Asian fare offered in the Herndon area.
Located in the Dulles Park shopping center, the eatery serves an array of Indian street foods, such as chaat and gol-gappa (also known as panpuri), that are “modest enough to put back in a few bites and substantial enough to hold you over until the next meal,” Sontag said. His highlights include the dahi bhalla, a type of lentil dumpling, and the chole bhature, puffy bread served with chickpeas.
“Jaisimha Jaithirth, the restaurant’s genial owner, has aspirations to franchise and go big,” Sontag wrote. “I’m rooting for him, if it means a Chaatwala for every weary traveler.”
According to Sontag, his 2026 top 40 ranking emerged as he surveyed 189 different restaurants across the region over the past 10 months, resulting in a variety of price ranges and types of cuisine.
In a change from the past, the Post says Sontag will update the list on a regular basis, rather than once a year, as the region’s dining scene evolves. The release was accompanied by tips from the food critic for ensuring a quality dining experience.
