Darna Restaurant, Arlington

The word "darna" is an Arabic word meaning "our home," and the owners of Darna Restaurant have taken the phrase "el dar darak"—our home is your home—to heart. They encourage diners to treat their restaurant as if it was their own home, and settle in for a meal of authentic food that, no matter your heritage, feels familiar and comforting. Head Chef Michel Dawaliby takes the best traditional cuisines from North Africa to the Gulf to construct his menu of Middle Eastern dishes, such as charcoal grilled salmon kabobs, traditional bazella lamb with peas and tomato, and desserts of halawite el jibne, or sweet cheese and pistachios. Guests can also sip creative libations from a craft cocktail list devised by beverage director Eric Tollar. Upstairs, sensuous mood lighting, soft music, and plumes of hookah smoke illuminate a lounge.