Restaurants in Germantown

At West Street Diner, retro swivel stools have served as a prime vantage point for watching line cooks fry up selections from a menu of traditional Southern comfort fare for 20 years. Fried seafood and slow-roasted meats make cameos in hot sandwiches and poboys, and nuzzle up next to 11 classic Southern sides. To answer yens for dessert, chefs bake pies on the premises rather than import them from nearby clown schools.

Mexican cuisine’s signature spices help create the first spark on a blind date or the spicy excitement of a night out with friends. Cozy up to someone as intense as cumin-coated chiles within the courtyard-like interior of Abuelo’s, where column-flanked archways divide seating sections into intimate nooks, with private booths tucked away in the glow of wall sconces. Lean back and twirl an imaginary conquistador 'stache while perusing the battle plans, which bear a suspicious resemblance to the menu. A wide variety of enchiladas ($8.99–$10.99) and fajitas ($9.99–$14.99) are available for savory grasping. Properly begin your delicious journey with a mountain of layered dip ($6.49), a stratified feast of chile con queso, roasted chiles, guacamole, refried beans, seasoned ground beef, sour cream, and diced tomatoes. To balance the indulgent dip with a fresh, light lunch that doesn’t skimp on taste-bud stimulation, try the tilapia Veracruz ($9.49), sautéed with shrimp, scallops, tomatoes, roasted poblanos, and olives. Dessert will cleanse spice-saturated palates with traditional sweets such as flan ($4.99) and margarita pie with tequila sauce ($5.49).

Like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novel, Pizza Pro's menu presents patrons with a plethora of cheese-topped avenues to pursue. Choose from hand tossed or thin crust, ranch or marinara, and finally a topping for each rotund mealwheel. Surprise your spice buds with a deluge of jalapeños, or rely on an old standby of the pizza vanguard, such as pepperoni or mushrooms, to form a peaceful alliance with cheese in pie-covering deliciousness. As the proud creator, you can either make your pizzas identical twins or bring fraternal siblings forth from the flaming womb of the Pizza Pro oven. Each 14-inch pizza has 12 slices, enabling you to assume the mantle of Kronos and gleefully devour your pizza-children whole.

People wage wars at Incredible Pizza Company—against other drivers on the go-kart track, golfers on the glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course, and the limits of their own stomachs at the buffet. The funporium’s buffet—featuring more than 100 items—centers on pizza, including original, thin, and deep-pan crust (gluten-free upon request) crowned with more than 30 toppings. Verdant greens and freshly made dressings await visitors at the popular salad bar, and the baked-potato station comes with every necessity for side-dish construction, from cheese to the bacon bits from which bacon is built. A variety of sauces enliven the buffet’s fettuccine and spaghetti noodles, and homestyle eats on offer include hot dogs and frito pie.

In the indoor adventure park, meanwhile, gamers zip around a track in two varieties of go-karts—the stock-car speed and the slower Busch speed—as announcers report each turn. Visitors also can instigate harmless car crashes in the bumper-car area or spend five frames toppling pins during mini bowling.

Like plate spinners at the circus, parents constantly race among multiple potential catastrophes. Brandy Marek, herself a mother of twin boys, established Take A Break to give parents time off from this endless balancing act and allow them to focus on their own neglected interests. Guardians unleash pent-up conversation with their grown-up peers over sandwiches and salads washed down with coffee as occasional gleeful shrieks drift to their ears from the playroom, where charges cavort under the watchful eye of Take A Break's staff. As parents take advantage of the alone time and wireless Internet to work, read, or research, kids build fortresses with blocks, assemble puzzles, and tear through a playhouse. With the jingling strains of kid-friendly music playing softly in the background, adults may reserve the café's conference room for meetings with clients, study-group sessions, or to practice setting up a new air mattress.

Grand Buffet's chefs slice fresh vegetables and sear meats in an open kitchen to craft a menu packed with more than 80 classic Chinese and Japanese favorites. The team fills huge chafing dishes with sweet, sour, and spicy buffet treats, including a spread of sushi at lunch and seafood at dinner. Though many patrons enjoy mix-and-matching, chefs also accommodate diners who want their favorite dish. House specialties include beef and scallops with garlic sauce and orange chicken, as well as traditional fare such as chow mein, fried rice, and egg foo young. Alternatively, diners can create-their-own entrees, allowing them to enjoy their favorite vegetables or edit their own fortunes.