Silk Road Restaurant, Falls Church

Just like the ancient Silk Road itself, this Falls Church restaurant gives a thorough introduction to the cuisine of China and its far western reaches.

For its Chinese cuisine, Silk Road Restaurant looks to the south for its Cantonese-style lo mein noodles and egg foo young, then peers to other provinces like Szechuan and Hunan for spicy stir-fries starring chicken, seafood, and beef.

And for its Uyghur cuisine, Silk Road traverses the rugged landscape of the Gobi Desert to Xinjiang. Replicating this region's distinct food—which takes influence and inspiration from Central Asia and the Middle East—the restaurant serves chopped fried noodles and braised meatballs mixed with onions and peppers, along with other Uyghur specialties like Kashgar bean jelly and kabobs.