Maybe your kids are all about chicken nuggets, mac ‘n’ cheese, and butter noodles. Or, maybe your family always goes out to eat at the same restaurants. Either way, introducing your kids to new cuisines and ingredients is a fantastic way to expand their palate and get to know other cultures. Luckily for Ashburn families, there are many amazing ethnic restaurants in and around our hometown. Crème de la Crème of Port Potomac has put together this list of our favorite restaurants that serve international food to help get your family started.

Greek Unique

Image via Flickr by SodexoUSA Licensed CC BY 2.0

Greek food shares a lot of recipes, flavors, and ingredients with other Mediterranean cuisines. At Greek Unique, you’ll find traditional dishes like spinach pie called spanakopita, gyros, hummus, and stuffed grape leaves. But what makes this Greek restaurant special is its menu of traditional dishes with a twist. Want a Reuben and a gyro? Order the Medusa. Feeling a Philly cheesesteak? Order the gyro version, Kratos. You can order other dishes like burgers, tacos, pizzas, rice bowls, salads, and mac ‘n’ cheese with Greek-inspired ingredients and flavor combinations, too.

You’ll find Greek Unique at 44632 Guilford Drive in Ashburn. This place is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 3 to 8 p.m.

Celebration by Rupa Vira

If you’re looking for amazing Indian food, then you have to eat at Celebration by Rupa Vira. It’s consistently named one of the top 10 best restaurants in Northern Virginia thanks to the chef’s inspired takes on traditional Indian dishes. In addition, this restaurant has vegan and gluten-free dishes, so everyone in your family can find something to enjoy here.

On the menu, you’ll find your favorite Indian dishes and ingredients, including paneer (Indian cheese), chaat (Indian savory snacks), masala and curry sauces, and roti and naan. Some of the best dishes include the Bombay Toasts, which are topped with Amal cheese and spiced veggies, the lamb kabobs, tandoori chicken with rice, and butter chicken with rice.

Find Celebration by Rupa Vira at 44260 Ice Rink Plaza Suite 120 in Ashburn. They’re open Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Sense of Thai St.

Sense of Thai St. serves authentic Thai dishes as well as Thai street food inspired by the recipes of the Chumphon Province. Plus, menu items are labeled for vegetarian options, gluten-free options, and spice level for different dishes. What’s more, this restaurant is open late and serves amazing cocktails and late-night snacks, so it’s an awesome place for a night out with friends.

Start with dumplings, fried tofu, or veggie-filled spring rolls. You should try this restaurant’s curries, including the mildly spicy lamb curry, pumpkin curry, and chicken yellow curry, all served with rice and your choice of optional meat or meat substitute, like seitan. If you love noodles or rice, you’ve got to try the Chumphon Pad Thai, which has lump crab in it, the pineapple fried rice, or Chian Mai Noodles, a ramen with Thai curry spices. Finish your meal with some mango sticky rice or lychee cheesecake for dessert.

Sense of Thai St. is located at 20413 Exchange St. in Ashburn. They’re open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

A Taste of Burma

A Taste of Burma is another celebrated restaurant in Loudon County. It serves up authentic recipes from Myanmar (formerly Burma) inspired by the diverse Southeast Asian influences of India, Bangladesh, Laos, Thailand, and China. On the menu, you’ll find traditional soups, unique cabbage-based salads, flavorful noodle dishes, fried and flavored rice, and vegetarian and meat-based curries.

Start your meal with some homemade calamari that comes with a delicious soy chili dipping sauce or samosas stuffed with potatoes and mixed veggies. Order a ginger salad, yellow tofu salad, or Triple-Layered Pork Salad, and pair that with a seafood soup. For your entree, you’ve got to try dishes like yellow curry noodles, the signature pad thai, tamarind vegetable curry, shrimp and Asian pumpkin, sweet basil chicken, or lamb curry over rice. Get some semolina cake or a vanilla pudding and ice cream dessert known as Farluda.

A Taste of Burma is located at 126 Edds Lane in nearby Sterling. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Toosso Pakistani Kitchen

Toosso specializes in traditional and authentic Pakistani food served in a casual, comfortable dining setting. The menu is simple, featuring roti roll “sandwiches,” basmati rice bowls topped with deliciously spiced meats and veggies, lunch and weekend special dishes, street food sides, house entrees, and dessert favorites. You can get a roti roll or rice bowl with sauteed chickpeas, grilled chicken, grilled beef, spiced potatoes, and other flavorful combinations. Or, try one of the specials, like the Halwa Puri Pakistani breakfast combination platter, or Nihari, which is a beef shank cooked in a rich gravy served with naan.

Toosso Pakistani Kitchen is located at 20921 Davenport Drive in nearby Sterling. They’re open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m to 9 p.m. There’s also a Toosso location in Rockville, Maryland, a perfect lunch or dinner spot on a day trip from Ashburn.

Petite LouLou

If you want French crepes and pastries, then you have to eat at Petite LouLou creperie. This breakfast and lunch spot serves amazing coffee, teas, lattes, and other cafe beverages that perfectly complement the menu of sweet and savory crepes, stuffed croissants, quiches, sandwiches, and soups. Get a crepe stuffed with eggs and cheese, prosciutto and fig jam, apricot jam and whipped cream, ham and Brie, and many other delectable combinations. Grab a buttery, chocolatey, or fruit-filled croissant, a stacked sweet and savory sandwich (the Croque Madame is one of our favorites), or a slice of the day’s specialty quiche.

You’ll find Petite LouLou at 713 Main St. in nearby Purcellville, and they’re open every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

So there you have it, the six best ethnic restaurants in and around Ashburn, Virginia. Did we miss your family’s favorite place for international eats? If so, contact Crème de la Crème of Port Potomac to let us know. We’ll be happy to add it to our list!