Food Near Marymount University

Marymount University sits on North Glebe Road in Arlington, Virginia. The campus is compact, the community is tight-knit, and students look for good places to eat off campus. Taza Shawarma & Falafel in Falls Church is a 10-15 minute drive south, with halal shawarma, falafel and manaeesh made to order.

The core of the menu is built around shawarma. Chicken and beef are marinated, stacked on vertical spits, and roasted until the outside caramelizes and the inside stays juicy. Each order is carved off the spit -- not scooped from a pan that has been sitting under a heat lamp. The chicken shawarma pita ($9.95) is an easy first order. The beef shawarma pita ($9.95) is the other classic.

For vegetarian students, the falafel is the draw. Each falafel is fried to order: crispy on the outside, herb-green and moist on the inside. The falafel pita ($8.95) and falafel bowl ($10.45) are both substantial, protein-rich meals. Add hummus ($4.95) and baba ghanouj ($4.95) for a complete Mediterranean spread.

The oven-baked pies are what make Taza especially practical for students on a budget. Zaatar pie costs $2.95. Cheese pie, spinach pie, and sfiha meat pie are all $2.95 each. That is an oven-baked snack that beats anything from a campus vending machine. Two pies and a smoothie make a real meal, baked and blended to order while you wait at the counter.

The smoothie menu is another standout. Nine flavors, all blended to order. The Avocado Boost ($5.95) blends creamy avocado, honey, and mixed nuts blended into something thick enough to be a meal on its own. The Lemon Mint ($5.95) is a traditional Middle Eastern lemonade that cuts through the heat on warm days.

All meats at Taza are halal. For Muslim students at Marymount -- and for the broader Northern Virginia community -- halal is not a marketing bullet point. Every cut of chicken and beef on the menu is halal, every day, without exception.

Taza is open from 11:00 AM to midnight, seven days a week. That schedule matters for college students. Evening classes at Marymount sometimes run until 9 or 10 PM. Study sessions at the Emerson G. Reinsch Library go late. By the time students are done, most restaurants have closed. Taza has not. Drive over after class, after studying, after a late practice -- the kitchen is still running.

The choice of 14 free toppings deserves a mention. After your shawarma or falafel is prepared, you walk over to the toppings station and add pickled turnips, hot sauce, garlic mayo, fresh mint, olives, tahini, baba ghanouj, and more. No extra charge. Students who are particular about their food build exactly what they want. Students who want everything pile it on. Either way, the sandwich comes out different every time.