Jade Billows Restaurant

Jade Billows will Close PERMANENTLY at end of day Wednesday July 25, 2012.

This is by FAR the best Chinese restaurant in the area. DO NOT even waste your time anywhere else!!!

My family has been eating here as long as I can remember. Hands down, my favorite Chinese restaurant. I have never branched out on the menu and been disappointed.
The restaurant is consistent and does everything from the «Americanized classics» (General Tso’s, Orange beef, seseme chicken) to more authentic dishes (Peking duck, chow foon, chicken w/​eggplant) very well. Portions are generous so two people can share most dishes, or you’re guaranteed leftovers if you get one dish apiece.
The restaurant has large table with lazy susans, making it great for groups. Thought dad was going to cry last time we went and found out they lost their liquor license and we wouldn’t be having Mai Thais.

For a Chinese restaurant in Potomac, it’ll do.
–The menu is extensive.
–Service is… just ok. They’re a little gruff, but don’t take it personally — I think they’re just constantly busy.
–Food is hit or miss — sometimes it’s super fresh and non-​greasy, other times oil pours out of my dishes.
–Portions are gigantic. Be prepared to take home leftovers or share with dining companions.
–Prices are out of control outrageous. I mean, almost 4 dollars for egg rolls? Really? I mean, really?
If you’re in the area, it’s worth a stop, but don’t trek all the way over here for it.

No Stars. Manager is very rude. Makes mistakes and doesn’t own up to them. Hangs up on you.

I think I’ve driven past this place over 50 times and I never know it was there. If you’re not looking for it, you’ll miss it. This place has lots of curtains and the sign doesn’t scream «CHINESE FOOD».
The food is possibly the best Chinese food that I’ve ever had! I had hot tea, water, veggie spring rolls, the salt and pepper shrimp, orange slices and, of course, a fortune cookie. The tea: I was expecting green tea, but I think it was Lipton. The spring rolls: tasted great but the vegetables were a bit mushy inside. The sprimp: OMG!!! I could eat it every day! Loved the fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and fresh peppers. Just excellent, excellent, excellent.
The waitress: Didn’t have a good experience here. She was more interested in having a conversation with her co-​workers than her tip. When the food came, she «sloppilly» slamed the plates on the table. She didn’t check on me again until I was practically done eating. She just wasn’t too friendly. It was quite uncomfortable.
I want to give this place more stars, but the terrible service really took away from my experience.
Food: 5 stars. Service: 1 star.

Disappointed. Kung po chicken could be spicier. Salt and pepper squid could be crisper. Chicken and corn soup could be more flavorful. Beef lo mein had too many bean sprouts. Overall, this is bland Chinese food.

Jade Billows has the best Chinese food I’ve had outside of China.
Things that come to mind when I think of 99% of Chinese restaurants in America: greasy, unhealthy, fried, covered in sauce to mask the flavor of the main ingredients, places you go when you don’t want to cook at home and you don’t want to get dressed up to eat out. Jade Billows is none of these things. Even though they are a bit on the pricey side, they literally jam pack your carton with super fresh veggies, huge shrimp, and a ton of meat. Real meat. My favorite dishes are pretty basic Chinese classics, but Jade Billows just does them so well. I usually order the Shrimp fried rice, chicken chow mein, Schezwan string beans, Mongolian Beef, Shrimp in lobster sauce, and the Salt & Pepper Squid.
In the rare event that you get a bad batch, or just order something you don’t care for, give them a call and they will take care of you. The owner is awesome. And although I am disappointed that they are no longer open on Mondays, which is usually my favorite day to order Chinese, I can’t complain too much because I know the owner only did it because he had not had a day off in like 30 years or something, so it’s well deserved.

It’s been a while since I’ve had good Chinese take-​out, and Jade Billows really surprised me with the quality of their dishes.
I ordered egg rolls, egg drop soup and Mongolian Beef, and all were fresh, hot and delicious. The spring onions in the Mongolian Beef were especially flavorful.
One caveat? It’s not cheap. The entrees are all $ 12 and up, and my aforementioned order clocked in at around $ 20. Still, it’s worth it for what you get.
They don’t have a website, so if you want to order take-​out you can check out a copy of their menu over at Urbanspoon:

All in all this is a great place to get Chinese food. All of the entrees are loaded with meat and more than enough for two people to split. Some of my favorite dishes include:
Soups
Hot and Sour~$ 2.75
Wonton~$ 2.75
Egg Drop~$ 2.75
Chicken and Corn Soup for 2~$ 6.50
Appetizers
Egg Rolls~$ 3.50
Pan Fried Dumplings~$ 6.50
BBQ Spareribs~$ 7.95
Crabmeat Wonton~$ 7.95
Entrees
Hunan Shrimp~$ 14.95
Salt and Pepper Squid~$ 13.95
Shrimp and Lobster Sauce~$ 14.95
Kang Pao Chicken~$ 12.50
Orange Chicken~$ 12.95
Chicken Chow Mein~$ 11.95
Orange Beef~$ 14.95
Beef Szechaun~$ 13.95
Broccoli Beef~$ 13.95
Moo Shi Pork~$ 11.95
Mandarin Fried Rice~$ 9.50
Mandarin Lo Mein~$ 9.95
Singapore Rice Noodle~$ 11.95

Food is good and cheap at lunch time. Service is very fast!

The number of 4 – 5 star reviews for this restaurant confuses me because I have never had a good experience at the restaurant. The food quality is poor, the language barrier makes it hard to deal with the servers and the prices are higher than other area asia restaurants. I used to live by the restaurant and went at least (5) times before finally giving up on it so my feedback is not from a limited sampling.

A good selection of Americanized Chinese food. Orange chicken was not too sweet and was well fried. The chicken inside (white meat) was very tender. The pan fried dumplings were very juicy and had good texture. Food arrived in large portions and in a timely fashion.
Better than most Americanized Chinese restaurants, but nothing great.
3.5

Excellent food. Diverse menu.

My only complaint with Jade Billows is that they don’t deliver. But it’s worth getting out of the house to eat some «real» Chinese food in one of the few really good Chinese restaurants in the area. The service is friendly, food comes out fast, and the staff is very accomodating with special requests.
I especially love the beef and shrimp dishes, and could make a meal of of the appetizers alone. Their Mongolian beef is the best!

A hidden gem in Potomac. I rarely find good Chinese food outside of the larger Asian populations in the DC Metro area. Jade Billow could use a new sign as you can easily overlook this Chinese restaurant. They have a very extensive menu, and do a good job of making dishes that are not on the menu. They could use a few more noodle dishes, and the spicey dishes need a little more heat. They have an excellent seafood hot and sour soup, and the Mongolian Beef is very good also. I need to visit this restaurant more often.

My mother is Chinese and loves this restaurant! It is conveniently located and offer REAL Chinese dishes (on the Chinese menu or by request). We rarely dine-​in but the atmosphere is certainly enjoyable. The price can get pretty high when you’re feeding a large family, but everyone will leave with a full belly. Try the salt and pepper squid. The staff is extremely helpful and personable.

Pretty decent Chinese food, although it’s on the greasy side. I never had the chance to look at their menu because my cousin did all the ordering, but I liked their selection.
They have the traditional Peking duck with the flat pancakes, not the bao they use for the char siu bao.
The place wasn’t packed when we visited, so the waitstaff was attentive, despite our large group of 19 people.
When only four of us went, we were required to order one entrée per person, otherwise they would’ve charged an extra $ 3/​head. Another victim of the economy, but really? $ 3/​head?! Ridonkulous!

Best Chinese in the area. Grew up eating this and for the past decade it’s been consistently delicious and they don’t use MSG. They have never had a soda gun and they serve coke and sprite from tiny bottles (I love this about Jade Billows)

Located in the Cabin John stripmall.
Great for their lunch deals. The portions are huge — we had to doggie bag half of the food. I love their fish and spinach dish. Well worth stopping in if you are in the area.