I wanted to give a quick shout-out to a couple of my favorite local establishments in Chantilly, VA.
First up is 5T*Ice, an Asian dessert shop at Dulles Landing. I used to frequent Tutti Frutti, owned by the same people, but 5T opened much closer to where I live. Yay! In addition to frozen yogurt and gelato (including hard-to-find durian), they serve Patbingsu – shaved ice topped with ice cream, fruits, and syrups. I really like the coconut and ube bingsu with coconut shavings, sweetened condensed milk, and ube ice cream.
They also have bubble tea, smoothies, milkshakes, and other various similar drinks. I really like the Che Thai – a Vietnamese drink with coconut milk, grass jelly, coconut jelly, pomegranate jelly, lychee, jackfruit, and toddy palm. It is crazy good. If sweet is not your thing they also have steamed pork buns, sticky rice with Chinese sausage, and other goodies. And, no, I don’t know what the name means – no one I know does!
Next up is Megabytes Eatery, a breakfast and lunch cafe owned by a local family. I love that Megabytes hours are scheduled around when the kids are in school (M-F 7-3), except that it means less tasty food for me. Once in awhile (maybe one a month?), they do a weekend brunch day, which is great – be sure to follow them on Facebook to find out when. For breakfast, I love the burritos – you can even get a pancake burrito (pictured)!
For lunch, I love the burgers and the brown rice bowls, especially when made with spam. For something extra, make sure to try the spam musubi, bacon tot bombs, and mac and cheese rolls. Then sit back and enjoy the free retro video games, free wifi, and computer themed decor.
Last, but not least, is T’kila Latin Kitchen & Bar. Sadly, I do not have photos for you from here, but you can check out other people’s photos on Yelp. This restaurant is, again, locally owned and a town favorite. We were so sad that they closed for a few weeks to renovate, but the new decor looks great! Tableside guacamole is a must, as is the queso fundido. Enchiladas are good, but the carne asada is SO good that I can’t ever order anything else. It is so tender and flavorful, and comes with a killer sweet corn tamal. Margaritas and mojitos are, of course, also very good.
So, the next time you are in Chantilly – please swing by one of my favorite spots!
Best! Favorites! Love these places.