Best Food Near Ballston, Arlington VA

Ballston is one of Arlington County's most active urban neighborhoods, centered on the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and N. Glebe Road in the heart of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. The neighborhood is anchored by Ballston Quarter, a mixed-use development that combines retail, dining, entertainment, and residential towers. The Ballston Metro station provides Orange and Silver line service, making the neighborhood a transit hub for commuters across Northern Virginia and into Washington, D.C.

The dining scene around Ballston Quarter reflects its role as a high-traffic urban center. National chains, fast-casual concepts, and bar-and-grill formats dominate the restaurant landscape. Variety exists, but most of it operates within a narrow band: prepared ingredients, standardized recipes, and volume-oriented service. What is notably absent from the immediate Ballston area is a dedicated Mediterranean and Middle Eastern kitchen that operates with proper technique -- shawarma cooked on a vertical rotisserie rather than a flat grill, falafel formed from raw chickpea batter and fried to order, manaeesh and meat pies baked in a working oven, and a fully halal menu covering the full menu without exception.

Taza Shawarma & Falafel fills that position. Located at 5820 Seminary Road (Bailey's Crossroads) in Falls Church, Virginia, the restaurant is approximately 4.5 miles south of Ballston. The most direct route follows N. Glebe Road (Route 120) south from Ballston, crossing Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) and continuing to Route 7 South (Leesburg Pike). From Route 7, turn left onto Seminary Road. Taza is on the right at the Bailey's Crossroads, on Seminary Road with free parking. The drive takes about ten minutes in normal traffic.

The centerpiece of Taza's kitchen is the vertical rotisserie. The chicken and beef turn on the vertical spit and are carved off to order, crisp at the edges and tender inside. The marinated meat is stacked in tight layers on the vertical spit with ribbons of fat between each layer. As the spit rotates against open flame, the exterior develops a caramelized crust while the fat renders downward, basting everything beneath it. When you order, the meat is carved directly off the spit into your pita, shrak wrap, or bowl. Nothing sits in a warming tray.

Beyond shawarma, the menu spans falafel (made from chickpeas, herbs, and spices, fried to order), oven manaeesh (za'atar, cheese, spinach, and lahm bil ajin), specialty pies starting at $2.95 each, creamy hummus and smoky fire-roasted baba ghanouj, fresh-blended smoothies and juices, and desserts -- rice pudding with pistachio and harissa semolina cake, and rice pudding perfumed with cinnamon. Manaeesh, pita and pies are baked in the oven at Taza.

For Ballston residents and office workers, the connection via Glebe Road makes Taza a practical option for lunch, dinner, or late-night meals. The route is direct with no highway ramps required -- just surface roads south through residential Arlington to Route 7. Free parking is right at the door. Orders typically arrive within 25-35 minutes.

Pricing at Taza stands out against the Ballston dining market. A Chicken Shawarma Pita is $9.95. A full Chicken Shawarma Bowl is $12.45. Za'atar Manaeesh from the oven is $6.95. Specialty pies are $2.95 each. These are not token portions -- they are full-sized, made-to-order items from a kitchen with a vertical rotisserie, an oven, and a commitment to preparing everything fresh that day. Open from 11 AM to midnight, seven days a week.