On September 16th, 2025, Journalism reporters Simone Carmody and Vivien McGinn set off to Pentagon City Mall with a mission. We were set to find the best food/drink establishment in the mall. When we actually thought of this idea, we realized we had one main issue: we can’t feasibly eat from every food place in the mall. So what we did was ask the people in the mall what their favorite place to eat was.
We asked a security guard by the bottom floor escalator what his favorite place to eat was, and he responded, “Chipotle, all the time.” So that was our first stop. Vivien ordered a cheese quesadilla with pulled pork, white rice, and a large fountain coke, while Simone ordered a burrito bowl with white rice, chicken, cheese, sour cream, and a large berry agua fresca. The bowl was delicious and they put the perfect portions in it. We could tell that it was very fresh and made with love. On the other hand, Vivien’s quesadilla was classic, very cheesy and very warm. With the lime-y white rice, it tasted like heaven. The pulled pork, on the other hand, was not as good. They recently started making their pulled pork with barbecue sauce, which Vivien did not enjoy. All in all, Chipotle is a classic place to eat and it ALWAYS hits the spot in our humble opinion. Other than that, let’s move to some less well known businesses.
The next person we asked was an employee at the Slime Co store in the upper levels of the mall. The young woman we asked remarked that “Kung Fu Tea is my favorite place to catch a drink because it’s easy, you get the food fast, or the drinks, and I just really love boba overall. So ten out of ten.” After hearing this, we had no choice but to visit Kung Fu Tea. Simone ordered her usual milk tea with extra brown sugar boba. Vivien ordered a Barbie pink-ade berry popping boba drink. Vivien was so excited to try this new flavor, but she soon learned that they were out of the pink-ade and decided to go with strawberry lemonade juice. The drink was just as delicious (I hope), and both ended up being great options. The sweet strawberry lemonade juice mixed with the tart, popping berries was absolutely perfect for the humid day at hand. On the other hand, Simone’s boba was mouthwatering, sweet, and chewy. Kung Fu Tea was, in fact a ten out of ten.
Our final spot took inspiration from a man sitting in the food court eating multiple gallons of Häagen-Dazs ice cream. He had a huge bag and an even bigger spoon in hand. We decided this was our sign to visit Häägen-Dazs ice cream and give it an honest try. We ordered a small scoop of midnight cookies and cream which came out to be a whopping eight dollars and eight cents. Despite how delectable this ice cream was, eight dollars is a steep price for a half a handful of chocolate and milk. This ice cream was a rich chocolate with oreo crumbles and hidden layers of creamy chocolate fudge. This treat was very enjoyable and would’ve been better if it had lasted any longer.
Pentagon City Mall has a wide variety of options when it comes to being hungry, thirsty, or simply needing a treat. Vivien’s favorite place was Chipotle, and Simone’s favorite place was Kung Fu Tea. We would both recommend everyone to go to Pentagon City Mall whenever they get the chance. The mall food isn’t cheap, but it isn’t super expensive either. We had the time of our lives, and you will too!
