A well-regarded vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant on Columbia Pike is expanding with a second location in Chantilly, starting this week.
Chay Restaurant held a soft opening yesterday (Oct. 28) for its new Sully District location at 5005A Westone Plaza.
After opening at Barcroft Plaza in Lincolnia in 2023, Chay was named one of the 26 best new restaurants in the D.C. metro area by then-Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema. It was also selected in both 2025 and 2026 as one of Washingtonian’s “100 Very Best Restaurants” in the region, and its meatless bun bo hue was featured on the WETA show “Signature Dish.”
Thi Le, who owns the two restaurants along with his wife, chef Lan Tran, said the popularity of the Barcroft Plaza restaurant had often led to long waiting times for a seat on weekends.
It also isn’t the most convenient location for customers driving in from western Fairfax County, or Loudoun County, so the family-run business saw an opportunity to expand. This time, the team’s focus is on appealing to a weekday lunch crowd of office workers, right on the border of Chantilly and Centreville.
“Lots of people that came from, like, Herndon and Leesburg will cut their commute in half,” Thi Le said. “So, that’s why we want to move out here … Great location in Chantilly, with lots of diverse community, lots of office buildings.”
Le said the family is excited to unveil a couple dozen new dishes and more desserts at the Westone Plaza outpost, which can host roughly 85 patrons at a time. The restaurant is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and does not accept reservations.
For first-time visitors, Le recommends trying “the vegan ‘clam’ dip, which is the single best-selling dish in the whole restaurant,” or the spicy Huế noodle soup.
He also suggests visitors try the crispy fried noodles, heavenly fried rice, or the shaky beef as an entree.
“You don’t have to worry about making a mistake, you know,” Le said. “Because everything on the menu is amazing.”
In its “100 Very Best” ranking for 2026, Washingtonian praised Chay’s pho, papaya salad, ‘clam’ dip, and “fried fish that’s not actually fish,” among other dishes.
Given that it’s a family-run business whose team includes Le’s son-in-law, daughter, and cousins, it’s important for Chay to “put the best product out” for customers, he said.
“You know, half of our customers are not even vegetarian,” Le said. “They come because [of] the quality of the food.”
