Written by DCist contributor Andrew Chriss

Falls Church offers a diverse array of ethnic cuisine, providing a homespun, lower cost alternative to higher-priced and better-decorated offerings in the District. That being said, it’s been a while since the days when I frequented the BBQ, kosher deli, and pho establishments in Loehmann’s Plaza. On this night, the destination was Eden Center, Falls Church’s Vietnamese epicenter on Wilson Boulevard in Seven Corners. But where to eat? The website for the Center boasts almost 30 restaurants, with a byline for each that doesn’t exactly sway the vote one way or another. A couple Google searches later, and Thanh Son Tofu came out on top. Why? Two words: homemade tofu. When a restaurant’s web presence is centered on the sentiment of, “TRY THE TOFU!!! THEY MAKE THEIR OWN TOFU!!! OMG TRY THE TOFU!!!” this is likely an experience not to be missed. (Note: Thanh Son is located at 6793A Wilson Boulevard. Oddly enough, it’s not even listed on the Eden Center website.)

The first thing one notices upon entering Eden Center is that you feel like you’re in a foreign land (just don’t look at the building supply liquidators to the right or the Guitar Center behind you). The community feeling is evident in the Vietnamese street names assigned to the parking lot rows, and the seemingly endless array of restaurants and cafes. We had a bit of difficulty finding Thanh Son (something to do with the website, perhaps?) and even had a brief flicker of “Good Lord, here I am specifically seeking out a restaurant to blog about and it’s not even open. So much for the information superhighway.” Finally, the mystery was solved once I exited the car and walked around. Turns out that Thanh Son’s facade neon sign wasn’t working, which doesn’t exactly make the storefront stand out from far away, or even as you drive right in front of it.