Choices By Shawn

Fried chicken with real mashed potatoes nt box with water were on point. Deff gotta get that. Service was great if you go ask for younger guy named Daniel he was great. Only thing that i can say bad about the place is they need to get some hot sauce or tobasco because they only have siracha. Great homey feeling, check it out.

Perfect setting for Sunday Brunch! The staff was efficient and friendly. We asked for a quiet table and we had a beautiful sunny room to ourselves. Everyone enjoyed their meal! We would definitely come back!

We always dine here. But this is our 3^rd and worse time. Soup was cold (until I asked to heat it). Food wasn’t as expected based on the first 2 times we were here! Desert choices are kinda limited and they are always out of Carrot cake. I never got to try it! Waiter didn’t get bread and butter until asked and he asked me if I want the gluten free bread, and didn’t even get it. Not sure if we will be dining here again.

Love this restaurant!
It is my «go to» neighborhood restaurant for special occasions or a quiet lunch with friends!
Food is always well prepared and plentiful. You feel like your eating in a home.
The owner, Shawn is welcoming and accommodating and her wait staff follows suite.
I am going this Sunday! Hope to see you there!

Really terrible food and extremely mediocre service. Everything tastes frozen or pre-​packaged and do not expect to get drinks in any kind of timely fashion. They are obsessed with whether or not you have a gluten allergy — they SHOULD be obsessed with why their food is so terrible. Let the gluten free people skip the bread basket and start making fresh instead of frozen food. The food is gross. Really, just skip it.

The food was actually quite tasty… but…it was 100% prepackaged. At least that’s true for what I got, maybe not all the menu options. So they did a good job picking out their prepackaged foods but I can prepare that sort of thing myself at home! Started with mac and cheese bites which were perfectly triangular and most definitely not homemade (but again, not bad tasting). The rolls were kind of tasteless and I am a huge bread fan. I ordered gnocchi which was delicious but I think that’s basically because it was drowned in butter. The wine was quite tasty, I will say that. Service was fine. It was good, I didn’t hate it, but I probably won’t be back.
They do get an A+ for atmosphere/​environment but I don’t think the food matched the ambiance they were trying for.

I went here for a birthday dinner with a group of 7. We had reservations and were seated promptly. The service was good and refilled our drinks appropriately. The food for me was underwhelming. I usually don’t eat gluten free and I don’t really care when I eat out too much about the sourcing. I assume they will cook it with more oil, butter, salt, etc than I normally would so why care because its not going to be as healthy. Anyway, I had the crispy chicken and my lady had the ribeye steak. I ate mine for sustenance not for taste. The chicken breast was juicy and moist kudos for that but it was fried so it wouldn’t dry out too much. My lady said her steak was bland and didn’t meet her fancy. I didn’t eat any of it. The soup I got was a zucchini and potato and it was probably the high point of my meal. It was different and tasty. I tried my lady’s chicken and rice soup and it was pretty bland. I wanted to like this place because it was very cute and homey feeling. Unfortunately, I would not come back because although the service was great the food just didn’t make it for me.

I loved this place! It’s nice to find a restaurant that takes gluten free dining really seriously. Upon entering, the hostess asked who in my party was gluten free. I was given a red card to put on the table that noted all of my food should come on red plates. They brought regular bread for my husband and gluten free bread for me. I appreciated that there were so many choices on the menu. I’m used to having 1 or 2 things to pick from when I dine out. Service was good. Don’t come here if you’re in a hurry because the servers are not in a great hurry. They are still attentive, but not intrusive. This allowed me to enjoy my meal and not feel like they were trying to turn tables.
My husband had a soup as a starter and I had the raspberry walnut salad. The salad was under dressed and not evenly dressed. This is something the kitchen should work on. I had the crab cakes with garlic fries for dinner. This was a big treat because not many places make gluten free crab cakes or can make fries in a dedicated fryer. The portion size was big and I took the 2^nd crab cake home. My husband had the ribs and said they were quite good. For dessert, we split gluten free carrot cake with caramel ice cream. It was so delicious! The dessert menu had 4 or 5 gluten free choices, which was so nice.
They have a lot of nice outdoor seating which I would love to take advantage of sometime. There is also a breakfast/​brunch menu that I will definitely come back to try. Also, you can buy ice cream to take home.
I will most definitely come back to this restaurant!!!

Absolutely a perfect meal! Service was outstanding both from a recommendation perspective to being absolutely attentive. Server apologized for things beyond her control and there was never any real reason to apologize, everything was simply perfect. Being that this restaurant has dedicated food for those who are Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian and Vegan, this is one of the few places where everything for those Gluten Free is cooked in its own kitchen and is safe. Gluten free dishes are served on ‘red’ plates so there is no confusion. They take gluten allergies seriously here and they do it right.
This is a 5 star restaurant in my book. They have an extensive wine list and their food is delicious. My wife got the daily special of shrimp and grits. We shared an appetizer of stuffed avocados. The avocados are stuffed with curried chicken or seafood salad. We decided to get one of each and they were both delicious and well seasoned. We split them for our appetizer, even though it was a dinner portion. For my dinner I chose the fried chicken. Being that it was gluten free, it was cooked differently and was much less fried than any fried chicken I’ve had in the past. The mashed potatoes that came with it were seasoned perfectly with a delicious gravy. I had a choice of side items and chose the Honey Carrots on the server’s recommendation. Unbelievably seasoned and tasty. We started our meal off with nicely recommended wine and gluten free multi-​grain hearty and wholesome bread. Delicious!
To finish our meal we decided on dessert. My wife had the gluten free carrot cake with gluten free vanilla ice cream. I opted for a non-​gluten free dessert, as I do not have a gluten allergy. The Berry Bummade (or Apple in this case) was a true winner. Normally their molten chocolate cake would be what I would try but not today. Was looking for a lighter dessert and the Berry Bummade was perfect. Served with a scoop of homemade raspberry chocolate chip ice cream, which was unusually but really had a great flavor.
Though it took us years to finally eat here, we will be going back soon. Price was certainly reasonable for the amount and the quality of the food we received. Probably will be taking others here who have gluten free allergies and also friends who are vegan and have trouble finding food to eat at other restaurants.
Keep up the good work and we’ll be seeing you soon.

Was excited to come here – great location! Great front porch– that’s the best I can say about this place. First off took long time for beverages to come — how hard is it to pour sweet tea and a glass of wine? Ordered crab cakes for app– big portion– lots of aioli – zero flavor– dinner I ordered a NY strip with garlic fries – came out over cooked had to send it back– took 5 – 7 minutes for me to catch the eye of ANYONE who worked for the place to come take care of it— my husband ordered the Greek chicken– it was over cooked and the jasmine rice was gummy– and that is being nice. He didn’t send his back– by the time he finished my redo of the steak finally came out– and as I started to eat the waitress asked if we we wanted dessert– when we said no thank you she came back with the cheek immediately– the fastest we saw her all night. The bright spot of the night was the French onion soup– and the wine (when someone could be bothered to pour it!) Would Not go back or recommend– sadly.

Not sure why my review didn’t go through this morning. We went here for breakfast and it was a little disappointing compared to the fantastic dinners we have here. The breakfast is very overpriced $ 30 for 2-​adult 1-​child without drinks. The dinner staff and food has set the bar so high that the breakfast time couldn’t compete I guess. We felt rush though we were the only table there. We will not be going back for breakfast however will continue to go and enjoy dinners here.

The burgers are amazing here. They’re sized well and come with a side. They’re properly seasoned and just a enjoyment to eat
The raspberry chicken salad is the only salad I eat in this world and it never disappointed me
The garlic French fries will change your life too
This place also has the best ice cream you can find

BEST DINING EXPERIENCE IN NOVA! Staff is phenomenal, food was incredible, price was reasonable, and atmosphere was fantastic. Great date night.

Fantastic! Food was so different and so flavorful! Service prompt, attentive and yet unobtrusive. She knew her menu! Love that. Gluten free vegan and vegetarian options galore plus plenty for the «normal» eater as well. Home made ice cream! The porch is so comfy with fans lots of tables and a view. Dog friendly on the porch. Very fun will definitely go back.

I’ve had a friend urge me to try this place several times, and I finally had the time to do so. We got there around 8 and sat on their lovely wrap around porch. Our dog was welcomed, to the point where the hostess offered to bring her a water dish (which was awesome because a number of restaurant staff seem to forget that dogs need water). :)
The waitress we had was very friendly, and she gave us several recommendations from the menu. Our group of four ordered the French Style Stuffed Eggs and Avocado Bruschetta for appetizer, which were delicious. We then ordered the Crispy Mac & Cheese, which were divine!!!
For dinner, our group had the Southern Fried Chicken with garlic fries and potatoes gratin, the special Cilantro Cod, with horseradish mashed potatoes, a salad with honey carrots, and the Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Cream sauce and smashed red potatoes. All of our meals were outstanding, and we shared a number of bites between the four of us.
We finished off the meal with their homemade ice cream and molten lava cake dessert. The lava cake was good, but the ice cream was truly delectable!
All in all, this was a fabulous experience, and we will definitely be back!

There’s something about this place… I like it. I’m honestly surprised by the low reviews. The only thing I might agree with was about the pre-​meal salads. Hardly any dressing is right. Like, BARELY any dressing. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t like a lot of dressing.
Other than that, everything else was very good. Service was attentive. I’d return, but probably not just for a normal date night. This seems to be the kind of place you take your parents when they’re in town.

I have been here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner a few times and have also had several takeout orders from here. While the prices are on the high side and they usually run out of a few things on the menu, the food is pretty good. Although I personally enjoy eating gluten, I have several family members who are gluten free and they love the menu here. That is why I have ended up eating at Choices by Shawn so often.

*** 3 ½ for food, 4 for service***
Easter had crept up on my family. I was fortunate enough to make a last minute reservation at Choices by Shawn. They had an 11:00 spot on the patio, which was fine. The weather was a little chilly but quickly warmed up.
We arrived a few minutes early but were told to wait as they weren’t ready for guests yet. We were seated after a few minutes and our server took our drink orders. Coffee, tea, juice, and soda were included in the price of the Easter buffet brunch. For $ 22.95, you get a decent spread of food. They had an omelette station, carving station with ham and roast beef, salad, pastries, bacon, sausage, and other brunch items. There were options, but it was not overwhelming. You also got your choice of waffles, pancakes, or French toast. I chose the french toast. They made a good batch. it was delicious! Overall the brunch items were decent and tasty.
Service was awesome throughout our brunch. Our server was very busy, but she was attentive, friendly, and checked on us as often as she could. Fun fact about this restaurant, they cater to people with food allergies, which is helpful.

We enjoyed this place quite a bit especially because of their allergy friendly menu. This spot is so beautiful and quaint especially the patio. My ONLY major gripe was the service. My mashed potatoes came cold and my server disappeared and required my husband to go and find someone. Someone else brought them out but no apologies or discussion about it or even asked if everything else was up to par. I could have let that slide but we also had to wait for our server to return to give us our bill etc. Again, no mention about not returning to our table and having to replace part of my meal.
I am HUGE on customer service so this kind of bothered me but the place is beautiful and the food is good so we will give it another go. Just crossing my fingers on our next experience.

My sister in law told me about this place but we didn’t make it here the first time because the staff was acting strange on the phone and we got confused and went somewhere else.
We returned on a Saturday around 6:30 pm without a reservation and it was easy to get a table. There is a ton of cute outside seating arrangements for a party of two or three people. The venue is quaint, relaxing, and charming — especially from the outside. Inside is a bit more formal but could be romantic later in the evening. It’s a white table cloth type establishment.
I was impressed with their menu. They immediately asked if we needed gluten free menus. The menu is very specific about dietary options — gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, etc. They can make almost ANY dish gluten free for a small surcharge. That said, meat eaters and non-​gluten free eaters should still consider coming here. They have something for everyone.
First they brought out regular bread and gluten free bread. The gluten free bread was thick, hearty, and flavorful. At most restaurants I have to skip the bread, so it was nice to be included. I was excited to see that almost all of their soups are gluten free. I love soup and I’ve been having a hard time finding gluten free soup, especially in restaurants. It was so nice to have what seemed like a million options to choose from such as chicken and rice, zucchini and potato, potato leek, and white gazpacho. I ordered the White Gazpacho made with pureed English cucumbers, garlic, scallions, almonds, and grape leaves. It was served chilled and was delicious. Sometimes white gazpacho can be overly milky with a very mild flavor. This version had a thin broth with more of a complex pickled flavor.
They offer many sides that are gluten free such as french fries, mashed potatoes, vegetable mixes, and salads. I tried the Honey Carrots made with herbed honey and garlic. Very tasty! I also ordered a Spinach Salad with goat cheese, roasted beets, walnuts, and red wine vinaigrette. This salad was a huge disappointment! It was a huge plate of spinach leaves with a tiny amount of beets and walnuts. Now that I think about it, they forgot the goat cheese. The salad was lacking in ingredients and flavor. It was a $ 13 salad and was extremely unsubstantial for the price.
My friend ordered Chesapeake Crab Cakes served with aioli. She also had the Zucchini and Corn Sauté with corn, red pepper, onion, and basil. She thought it was decent, but was not highly complimentary.
My other friend had the Duck Sliders infused with bacon and topped with pickled onion. He ordered it on gluten free bread so that others would be able to partake. He did not like the bread.
For dessert we had the carrot cake and the maple walnut ice cream. They did a nice job with the gluten free carrot cake — the cream cheese icing was delectable. Making gluten free items taste good is not easy so kudos to them for making the food taste good and for providing an establishment that is easy to order from without being confused. The staff is well versed on the items and gluten free items are delivered on a red plate to make it easier to identify.
The service was great in my opinion. I have seen other reviews that complain about the service, so it might be better to go at a less busy time. Also, the dishes are much less expensive at lunchtime.
We will be back!