10 Must-Visit Restaurants in Falls Church, VA

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The Falls Church area is full of a lot of great things to do, from hiking trails and indoor recreational activities to a booming culinary scene. With many hotspots to choose from, the area is one of the nation’s best for enjoying fresh, local cuisine — no matter which specific food you are craving.

Whether you are trying to plan your next date night or simply looking to find the next great lunch spot to gather with friends and family, there’s something for everyone in Falls Church. This guide will help you discover some of the great area restaurants.

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Sports Bars

When it comes to unwinding with co-workers or friends, a sports bar can be the perfect destination. Many in Falls Church do double duty, offering up delicious drinks and tasty brews in a comfortable setting. Here are two that have become local favorites.

Dogfish Head Alehouse

A craft beer restaurant that has the vibe of a beach shack, Dogfish Head Alehouse features hearty, made-from-scratch food and real craft beer. The menu changes seasonally, so you can always expect fresh, handmade fare, served by friendly people. Dogfish Head Alehouse is a must-visit for anyone who loves great food and great beer.

Open Road Merrifield

Featuring live music, events throughout the year, and classic American bar cuisine, Open Road Merrifield is a fan-favorite brew pub in Falls Church. This local hotspot offers plenty of space for large parties, the ability to make reservations online, and special brunch menus on select days of the week.

Romantic Dinner

If it has been a while since your late date night, now is the perfect time to make plans for a low-key evening out at one of the upscale restaurants in Falls Church. These restaurants feature classic dining, attentive waitstaff, and plenty of elbow room.

2941 Restaurant

A stunning restaurant in the heart of Falls Church, VA, 2941 Restaurant is located at 2941 Fairview Park Drive. With a lakeside view and lush scenery — including a koi pond and waterfalls — 2941 Restaurant is the perfect place for an upscale meal. This eatery offers a vegetarian menu, chef’s specials, and perfectly matched wine pairings to create a truly unforgettable experience.

J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks and Seafood

Just a short drive outside the heart of Falls Church is J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks and Seafood is a hearty restaurant with American-style food and handcrafted cocktails. The establishment offers private dining options as well as a menu full of delicious dishes such as blue cheese potato chips and wood-grilled ribs, meaning you and your date will find a lot to love at J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks and Seafood.

french fries on parchment paper

Quick Bites and Cafes

When you need to grab a quick bite without sacrificing flavor, Falls Church has just the ticket. These family-friendly eateries feature a variety of fare in relaxed, friendly settings.

Silver Diner

A classic American diner that is perfect for kids, Silver Diner is a great spot to enjoy a handcrafted lunch. This restaurant focuses on a healthy approach to diner fare, including better-for-you side options such as fresh fruit and steamed vegetables, rather than the standard French fries with every meal — although you can always order some up, if you have the craving.

La Cote D’Or Cafe

A quaint European style cafe, La Cote D’Or Cafe, also known as “LCD Cafe” by the locals, is a must-visit in the Falls Church area. Here, you can enjoy elevated comfort food in the comfortable, cozy dining room, from sauteed frog legs and escargot to rainbow trout and chicken caesar salad. This cafe offers online ordering and regular specials throughout the week, too, making it not only delicious but convenient.

Great Outdoor Seating

Many restaurants in Falls Church have outdoor seating available, certain to satisfy your craving for great food as well as great views.

Wild Tacoz

There’s nothing better than a plate of warm tacos, fresh from the grill and bursting with flavor. Wild Tacoz is an original take on Tex-Mex with a Greek-inspired flair. This eatery offers plenty of outdoor seating, a gourmet salsa bar, and farm-to-table proteins. Kids and adults alike will love both the menu and the venue.

Yayla Bistro

A Mediterranean-inspired eatery with a dining area that is bright and full of life, Yayla Bistro is a great place to grab some lunch and enjoy the sunshine. With a full-service wine bar, handcrafted dishes, and a menu full of fresh favorites, this spot is sure to be a new favorite among Falls Church restaurants. Plus, they offer online ordering and delivery for maximum convenience.

Dog Friendly

If you want to get your furry friend out on the town, there are options in Falls Church for you. These frestaurants are dog-friendly and fun for the entire family.

Northside Social

Northside Social offers something for everyone, from a bakery full of sweet treats and espresso beverages to a wine bar. Place a to-go order and enjoy some of their Italian inspired dishes at home, or sit outside in the spacious patio with your canine companion and watch the world go by.

Liberty Barbeque

Barbeque is the ultimate comfort food, and no Falls Church restaurant does smoked meats better than Liberty Barbeque. Located on Broad Street, Liberty Barbeque has indoor and outdoor dining options available, private catering for special events, and takeaway menus for holidays and large gatherings. Plus, their outdoor seating area is dog-friendly, making it the perfect lunch or dinner stop after a walk in the park. When you are ready to make Falls Church your home and enjoy all the restaurants and attractions it has to offer, contact Nomadic Real Estate. Nomadic Real Estate can assist with property management, leasing, renting, and sales. Our experts can answer any questions you might have about finding a home here, plus give you tips on moving to or living in the area.

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Enhanced Reporting

Your portal includes a selection of extremely useful reports. Reports are available in the “Reports” section, and are distinct from the financial statements. Unlike financial statements which are static records, Reports are dynamic real-time records that will update with current data every time you view them. 

Scroll down to learn more about Reports:

Navigate to the "Reports" module in your portal:

Owner Portal Reports
  • Keep in mind, these reports are dynamic records. They will refresh to display current information every time you view them. 

Enhanced Rent Roll Report:

Enhanced Rent Roll Report
  • The Enhanced Rent Roll Report will show the rent amount, last payment date, move-in date, lease expiration date, and security deposit amount for each of your tenants. 
  • It will also show a portfolio summary with occupancy percentage, vacancy loss, and more!

Unit Comparison Report:

Unit Comparison Report
  • If you own multiple units (or buildings) with Nomadic, you’ll get access to the Unit Comparison Report. 
  • This report enables you to quickly compare financial performance between your units at a glance without toggling between individual reports. 

Income Statement Month-Over-Month:

Income Statement by Month Report
  • The Income Statement Detail – Monthly Report serves as a month-over-month record of portfolio performance. You’ll see itemized income and expense categories and can track monthly. This report will update with fresh data every time you view it. 

Financial Statements

Financial statements will be published to your portal on a monthly basis. The statements are found in your Documents library, and provide a historical record of all financial performance. The statements serve as a snapshot of financial performance over a given period, and are static documents (unlike Reports, the statements do not update/change in real-time). 

Scroll down for more info about the Financial Statements in your Documents library:

The Documents area contains monthly financial statements:

Owner Portal Documents
  • The statements in the Documents are are static documents. They are posted to the portal once a month to serve as a historical record of financial performance. 

Download a statement to see month and YTD financials:

Owner Portal Property Statement

You'll also find a month-over-month operating statement:

Month over Month Statement

Portal Communication Tool

You can use your owner portal to communicate with our team. Any messages you send through the portal will go straight to your Account Manager. When we reply, you’ll get an email notification and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

Here’s an overview of using the communication platform:

Click "Communications" and navigate to "Conversations":

Commincation Dashboard Screenshot
  • The communications module will contain a record of all messages that you create through the portal. 

Click the "New Message" button and send your message:

Owner Portal New Message Screenshot

Responses will show up in the conversation ticket:

Portal Conversation Response Screenshot
  • You’ll get an email notification whenever you get a response, and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

You can reply in-line using the comment box:

Owner Portal Comment

Each conversation will be logged in its entirety:

Portal Conversation Snapshot

Understanding the Ledger

Your portal includes a ledger with all transactions. The ledger is populated with data in real-time as transactions flow through our accounting software. Much of this information is also available in the Reports area, as well as the Statements in your Documents library, but the ledger is the most comprehensive resource for diving into the details. 

Please scroll through the sections below to get a better understanding of how to interpret the ledger. 

By default, transactions are sorted chronologically:

Owner Ledger Dates
  • The date reflected in the lefthand column is the actual transaction date, not the “bill date”. This is the date the transaction was actually processed. 

If you have multiple properties with Nomadic, you'll see the address for each transaction in the "Location" column:

Ledger Property Column
  • You can filter the ledger to look at just one property, all properties, or specific sets of properties. 
  • If you only have one property with us, you’ll just see the ledger for that property. 

The Description column displays the transaction type:

Owner Ledger Description Column
  • BILL: this is an expense transaction, such as for repair costs or management fees.
  • CHARGE: this is a transaction  billed to the tenant, most typically a rent payment. 
  • NACHA EXPORT: this is a credit we processed to your distribution account. This type of transaction is how you get paid! 

The Amount column shows the dollar value of each transaction:

Owner Ledger Amount Column
  • Positive Amounts: if an amount is positive, it reflects a transaction that is payable to you. Typically, this will be a rent payment that we collected from your tenants. On occasion, a positive number could also signify a journal entry or credit adjustment. 
  • Negative Amounts:  if an amount is negative, this is a transaction that is either payable to Nomadic or is an amount that has already been paid to you. Typically this will be for repair costs or management/leasing fees. Owner draws (net distributions into your checking/savings account) also reflect as negative amounts, since they have already been paid to you. 

The Account Balance column shows a sum of positive/negative transactions at a given point in time:

Owner Ledger Account Balance Column
  • Account Balance should always equal zero after a net distribution has been processed. When the balance is zero, this means that all expenses have been paid and you’ve received the remainder as net operating income, leaving a balance of zero (meaning: no one is due any money, as all funds have been distributed appropriately). 

Navigating the Propertyware Owner Portal

Your portal includes some extremely useful features that help you understand your property’s financial performance at a new level, with real-time transparency into every transaction.

Scroll through the snapshots below for an overview of portal navigation! If you need more help or have specific questions about using the portal, you can reach out to your Account Manager any time for a screen share. 

You can filter all info by date range or property:

PW Portal Filters

View a snapshot of income and expenses on your dashboard:

PW Owner Dashboard View

See every transaction in real-time on your ledger:

Owner Portal Ledger View

Statements and forms will be posted to your documents library:

Owner Portal Document Library

View a suite of real-time financial reports:

Portal Reports View

See a running list of all bills, and drill down for more detail:

Owner Portal Bills View

Under Bill Details, you'll find dates/descriptions/amounts and more:

Portal Bill Details

You can also communicate with your Account Manager through the portal:

Owner Portal Communication Tools

How do net distributions work?

Net distributions keep your accounting clean and simple. Each month we’ll collect rent from the tenants, deduct any repair expenses for the previous month and any management/leasing fees for the current month, and credit the remaining net operating income to your account. 

Net Distribution

You’ll receive a statement via email each time a net distribution is processed, and can view all transaction details in your Propertyware owner portal.