Fairfax County had a strong showing in this year’s round-up of the 50 Best Restaurants in the region by Northern Virginia Magazine.
Unveiled in full at noon today (Wednesday), the annual tribute to Northern Virginia’s top dining establishments features a total of 24 eateries in Fairfax, including five that made the ranked top 10 released last Friday (Oct. 16) and seven that are making their first-ever appearances on the list.
“It’s no surprise that so many of our best restaurants come from Fairfax County,” Northern Virginia Magazine contributing food critic Alice Levitt said. “Whether it’s fine dining destinations or neighborhood spots with international flair, it’s one of the best regions in the country for great eats.”
In addition to Fairfax City’s Elyse, which landed in the no. 4 spot behind Tysons’ Ingle Korean Steakhouse, the Fairfax-based newcomers to the magazine’s 50 Best list include Kogiya, La Bonne Vie, Lassan Indian Restaurant and Bar, Naja Mediterranean, Smyrna and Sorn Thai.
Though it’s making its 50 Best debut, Kogiya has been dishing out all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue in Annandale for over a decade now, drawing attention from the likes of Washingtonian, PBS and Northern Virginia Magazine itself, whose readers named it the best Korean barbecue spot in 2017.
The family-run restaurant got a spin-off in 2017 with the opening of So Korean BBQ, which is still going strong in Centreville.
“Come hungry. Leave happy. You’ll have so much fun, you won’t care that you smell like a bonfire,” Northern Virginia Magazine said of the dining experience at Kogiya, whose recommended dishes include the “velvety” galbi, spicy dwaeji bulgogi and haemul pajeon (seafood pancake).
La Bonne Vie opened in July 2024 as a French rebranding of Russia House, which had operated under owners Ali and Homeyra Darugar in downtown Herndon since 1992. Naja Mediterranean at the Mosaic District in Merrifield is also a rebranding, succeeding Kirby Club in September 2025 with former employee Tariq Alaeddin taking the reins.
Describing La Bonne Vie’s menu as focused on “hearty, traditional fare,” Northern Virginia Magazine recommends that customers try the French onion soup, chocolate mousse and magret de canard, a dish featuring Canadian duck breast “seared to melt-in-your-mouth precision.”
Naja Mediterranean’s highlights, meanwhile, include the havuç made with roasted carrot, Naja cauliflower and chicken shish touk.
“At Naja, nothing feels overly fussy; instead, the focus is on bold seasoning, generous portions, and the pleasure of sharing,” the magazine says.
Located in Burke’s Rolling Valley shopping center, Lassan began serving traditional Indian dishes inspired by family recipes, including tandoor kabobs and Punjabi curry, in 2024, while Smyrna has been showcasing chef Zeynep Güngören’s heritage with a fusion of Greek and Turkish cuisines in Hayfield since 2022.
“This is the place for familiar dishes that undergo thoughtful tweaks without losing sight of what makes Indian cuisine so appealing,” Northern Virginia Magazine said of Lassan, recommending the biryani, palak chaat and crème brûlée mango kheer.
At Smyrna, the dolmas, branzino in parchment and “juicy and flavorful” çöp şiş (grilled beef on a stick) are standouts, according to the magazine, which says the restaurant’s “cozy setting and hearty, homecooked dishes encourage lingering and sharing.”
Sorn Thai, meanwhile, opened at McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center in March 2025. Conceived by owner Supisa “Boom” Teawboot as a tribute to her late grandmother, the southern Thai restaurant was previously recognized as one of the D.C. region’s 40 best in fall 2025 by retiring Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema.
“Each dish reveals chef Wym Teawbut’s deft craftsmanship, and her reimagined Thai classics leave diners practically applauding between bites,” Northern Virginia Magazine says, recommending the Thai dumplings, banana blossom salad and fried whole fish.
As Northern Virginia Magazine editor Amy Ayres observed in a statement to FFXnow, several businesses featured on the 50 Best Restaurants list have expanded since the 2025 edition was released — a promising sign for Northern Virginia’s dining scene at a time of reported challenges for the industry in D.C.
After a decade in Vienna, the fine-dining restaurant Clarity opened a second location at Reston Town Center in July, and Arlington favorite Ruthie’s All-Day added a Fairfax Corner outpost in April.
“While we’ve seen difficulties in the restaurant industry as a whole, it’s good news for NoVA diners that these independent businesses were able [to] expand this year,” Ayres said.
Joining Ingle, Elyse, Nostos (no. 6), 2941 (no. 7) and Mama Chang (no. 9), the unranked Fairfax restaurants featured on the 50 Best Restaurants list are below, appearing in alphabetical order.
- Agora (7911 Westpark Drive, Tysons)
- Clarity (locations in Vienna and Reston)
- Evelyn Rose (111 Church Street NW, Vienna)
- Joon (8045 Leesburg Pike, Suite 120, Tysons)
- Kogiya Korean BBQ (4220-A Annandale Road, Annandale)
- La Bonne Vie (724 Pine Street, Herndon)
- Lassan Indian Restaurant & Bar (6413A Shiplett Blvd, Burke)
- L’Auberge Chez François (332 Springvale Road, Great Falls)
- Maharani Palace (1030 Elden Street, Herndon)
- Naja Mediterranean (2911 District Avenue, Suite 140, Fairfax)
- Ometeo (1640 Capital One Drive North, Tysons)
- Osteria Marzano (6361 Walker Lane, Suite 140, Franconia)
- Roberto’s Ristorante Italiano (144 Church Street NW, Vienna)
- Ruthie’s All-Day (11951 Grand Commons Avenue, Fairfax)
- Smyrna Restaurant (7588 Telegraph Road, Hayfield)
- Sorn Thai (6224E Old Dominion Drive, McLean)
- Trattoria Villagio (7145 Main Street, Clifton)
- Trummer’s (7134 Main Street, Clifton)
- Wren (1825 Capital One Drive, Tysons)
Northern Virginia Magazine’s full 50 Best Restaurants round-up for 2026 can now be found on its website and will be available in print as part of its November issue this Friday (Oct. 23).
