Dragon River

I love this place. The Hong you chao shou is amazing. The stag is very welcoming and friendly. I always leave with a full stomach and a smile.

Wow just when I thought Bellingham had no good Chinese to offer I gave this place a chance and I was delightfully surprised when both things we ordered for takeout were really flavorful, spicy (on request), and not too greasy. We ordered broccoli chicken asked to make it spicy and they definitely did which already earns a star in my book, we also ordered a general tso which was placed in a paper togo box unlike the broccoli chicken which I didn’t get at first then I took my first bite and it still had that fried crunch that took it to the next level. I almost never save leftover Chinese but I did this time and possibly over microwaved it and it was still was as good as the day before therefore earning a solid 5 stars for Bellingham at least. Very excited to be back for lunch and try other things on the menu.

I stumbled upon Dragon River by accident today. I must have walked past it for years without realizing it was here. Hint to owners… try different signs.
Met with a friendly greeting, a quick table, and a fresh pot of hot green tea. Nice.
Asked for suggestions and was told that everything was good. Said I was thinking about the general tso chicken and she said «people can judge a Chinese restaurant by their general tso, if its great, everything will be great. You will love our general tso, good choice». That sounded promising.
My Egg Drop soup arrived quickly. I must say it was one of the best I’ve tasted and the diced water chestnuts gave it a wonder flavor with some texture
The General Tso’s was as good as promised. I wasn’t thrilled with their version of fried rice but it worked well with the meal.
Adding this to my short list of Chinese restaurants I like!

The first time I visited this place was over a year ago. I sat down and could not decide for the life of me what to order. I asked the waitress/​owner what she recommended and she suggested the Mongolian Beef and it was nothing short of phenomenal. It is spicy, full of flavor and well priced. It is my go-​to order and it is consistently amazing.
In my almost two years of visiting this place, I’ve found the owner to be direct & succinct but not overtly rude. Sometimes she seemed rushed if there were more than 5 tables filled, since she was the only one working the front, but that seemed expected. Perhaps I just have a high tolerance for what people consider «rude» and «intolerable».

Do you remember that classic episode of Seinfeld called ‘The Soup Nazi’?
Of course you do: «No soup for you!»
Well, now B’Ham is its own proud owner of the above at Dragon River, where the service is every bit as brusque as the food is good — perpetuated by the hostess/​waitress/​owner? who could care a less about your good time. In fact, your good time gets in the damn way. It’s this «I could give a f! ck» pretense that is quickly becoming the stuff of legend (read other reviews).
But if you go here with the right attitude (i.e. Have some fun with it, my goal is to try to get her to smile — mostly unsuccessfully) then this place can be great. The eggplant for example is the real deal — as are many of the other dishes. Could be the best in Whatcom County.
If you’re not ready for service that is challenged at best, however, I would avoid this place at all costs.
After all is said and done, maybe, just maybe, this is her marketing strategy and she’s outthought us all. People might come from miles just to measure their own customer service fortitude. My guess? She’s been watching reruns of Seinfeld for years.

It was our first time visiting the Dragon River. In fact I did not know dragon River existed until a friend told me about it. I sure am happy he did. Let’s just say that Bellingham now has a Chinese restaurant I like, in fact it was fantastic. I ordered hot and sour soup which was perfect. My friend and I split an order of house fried rice which was delicious and full of meats and seafood! For my entrée I had spicy chicken. I was surprised to see that the chicken was made using a dry rub instead of a wet sauce but once I bit into it I realized I had found a hidden treasure. It was delicious. My friend had honey pork which was divine too. The woman who served our table was very friendly and helpful with the menu. We will both be coming back to enjoy more northeastern Chinese cuisine in Bellingham!

Sorry, this is a long review, but please read.
The waitress/​owner never has been particularly nice to us, but my husband & I kept going back because the food doesn’t suck & there’s not a lot of good Chinese food to choose from in Bellingham. Well, we won’t be taking our business there anymore & neither should you! My husband (who is Chinese & speaks Mandarin) has been there many times & always speaks in Chinese to the waitress & she always replies in English (which is rude in their culture). Last time we went, he ordered in English. When the waitress/​owner went to the kitchen to give the cook our order, my husband heard her speaking in Mandarin saying «Look at that Chinese guy with that white girl. And they had a baby. (Our 15 month old daughter was with us) What a disgrace!» She went on to make other derogatory comments about white people in general. We were the only people in the restaurant. So it was quiet & she was obviously talking about us. My husband was livid. I told him to give her the benefit of the doubt & ask her about her comments. When she returned to our table with some water, my husband asked her if she was talking about us. She pretended she had no idea what he was talking about. My husband then repeated in Chinese, word for word what she said in the kitchen. She immediately looked shocked & embarrassed & just walked away! My husband asked her to come back & apologize for what she said about me & our daughter & she refused. We will never go back & I encourage you all not to give your money to that business! Thanks for reading! :)

The waitress was really nice, and did her job perfectly. However, the food was not good! The quality and taste of it was mush; way too expensive for what it was. I will not be coming back.

I have now been to this restaurant three times. What this says is, there is something wrong with me and waitress but not so much the food.
The first time I went to this restaurant with my wife, we were the only one’s in the place. The waitress/​owner was pretty slow to warm up to us, but I really didn’t think much of it. The food was good, liked the chow mein and crab rangoon. Liked it enough to come back a few days later.
Came back within the week with more family in tow. I usually chat up the waitresses, I commented that we came back. She said, «I don’t remember you» and walked off. The equivalent of a backhand. The family enjoyed my humiliation, and we proceeded to order spicy chicken, honey pork, orange chicken and chow mein. The food was good and warm, the waitress cold.
Friday night we came back again with more of our family. Part of the allure of coming is the waitress’s treatment of the customers, reminiscent of a certain episode of Steinfield. As we walked in, four of us plus an infant, the waitress looks at us and audibly sighs as if her life has just been ruined. She places us at a table, takes drink orders from some, but not all of us and leaves. Meanwhile she moves a group of four that made the mistake of sitting at a table for six. Brings us someone else’s egg rolls, which we refused. Finally got one more of our drink orders in. Then took someone at another table the wrong beer. Finally our food came, some of the same things we have ordered previously. Which I really enjoyed. My daughter in law needed her water refilled, we all cowered in fear to ask for a refill, finally one of us got the courage and did so.
I really like the food here. But, half of my coming here is to see how we and the other customers are treated. Since I am somewhat sick and twisted, I must somehow enjoy being treated this way, or I am just amazed a restaurant can stay open treating their customers this way. From the other review’s I see were not the only ones.
I give a three star rating, 0 for service, three for the food. If they had a different server, it would have been 4 or 5.

Dragon River has become our easy «Yes» when my husband and I are trying to decide where to go for a good, interesting meal. The variety of items on the menu is appealing, as well as the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. The hostess/​server/​owner is a vegetarian herself and can make some good recommendations. Many of the items on the menu are unique in our town, though there are many familiar dishes too if you’ve got a Mu Shu, Chow Mein or Wonton hankering. I’m an omnivore myself, but I’ve fallen in love with the Di San Xiang — an eggplant, bell pepper and potato dish in a sauce that is balanced with sweet, salty and umami yumminess.
I also think the location is great. I love dining in Downtown Bellingham.

I ate there for lunch today and I still feel sick to my stomach. Better Chinese food can come in a TV dinner or out of a jar. I had to beg for water and the server was rude. She acted as though she had a hundred better things to do but I was the only one in the place. Won’t go back.

Good service, great price, plenty of food, great taste. Great for a regular lunch stop.

Good food but beware the «Dragon Lady»! Sometimes nice, sometimes she wants to eat your face off!

I returned to Dragon River recently with a friend. We sneaked in the back door (from Parkade) and caught the server off guard… that was a good start!
I’ve written about the server in the past and her gruff manner. I am glad to report that she seems to be working on her serving skills. She smiled and was friendly. Wow, what a nice change!
The food was great as usual, it was hot and fresh and came quickly. I am still a Dragon River fan, particularly for the good food.

Food continues to be OUTSTANDING! Unfortunately though, if you need super cute waitresses and smiley service to enjoy a meal, you’ll likely not like Dragon River. Food came in under 10 minutes today during a super busy lunch hour. Yum!

Why do people who hate working with the public work at a restaurant? Fair food and awful service. This is my second visit because I just knew that the first time must have been a fluke. It wasn’t! I won’t be back again.

Terrible but hilarious service, and lower than average Chinese food.
Pros: Decent location. Inside seemed clean enough. Food served hot. Good basic Tea.
Cons: Service was surprisingly rude. Food is very bad.
General Tso– Was burnt (rare for this dish), and had built up such a crunch shell that it was almost impossible to chew.
Chinese sausage with cabbage– Almost all cabbage, and basically very mild and boring. When I say mild, I mean general taste, as in «this dish lacks taste.»
Best– or worst depending on how you look at it– part of dragon river? The server aka «Dragon Lady.»
She is mean, she is rude, she is the honey badger of Bellingham Chinese food.
It’s almost worth having the shitty food just to hear this woman. Seriously. Ask her about the menu, ask her about a dish, anything. Her reply will be awesome.
You will be in awe at the simple ferociousness spewed towards you and your loved ones.
Final thoughts: Same old Chinese food except for a few specialty plates, rude to the point of funny service, and nothing special.
Probably won’t be returning for the food, but may go back just to hear the server go hostile once more.

Tried this chinese restaurant after a long work day in Bellingham, since I had heard it had authentic Sichuan food. I ordered the Liu Yu Pian: cod, chinese cabbage, and some interesting chinese mushrooms in a thick clear broth. I think it had to be the best chinese food I’ve had in this lifetime! Even the tea (an oolong, I think?) was excellent.
The waitress was polite and attentive; the restaurant was quiet inside with only two other tables occupied, and the food was served very quickly. I highly recommend it if you’re interested in trying *authentic* chinese food.

Yummy!!! Could be partly because I’ve only been here after a week in the hospital eating hospital but hey…
Pros?
–Best broccoli beef I’ve ever had… not only was it not chewy but the broccoli wasn’t avoided ;-)
–Delicious sweet and sour pork
–Sweet and sour soup definitely up to par
Cons?
–Only one server helping lots of tables… didn’t effect the service much though, so that was good!

Ugh. Bellingham still awaits the arrival of a decent Chinese restaurant.. . My son and I waited by the door for probably a good 5 minutes, despite the fact that two women were standing at the register in conversation and only two tables were occupied. Red, white and blue vinyl tableclothes seemed like an incongruous decorating idea and it felt like we were seated in a long hallway.. .I also really hate the way that even in an almost-​empty restaurant we were seated immediately across from the one other party in our section.
The food was bland, white and greasy — my son and I shared chow mein and fried rice. The chicken was unpleasantly soft and gummy and vegetables were in scarce supply in both dishes. We had to ask for water and then ask for refills. There’s not much more to say other than save your money.