Oriental Express

This is a terrible restaurant the Kung pao chicken stinked and the owner is very nasty woman after more than 15 years being a customer am never coming back this place looks filthy
Yelling at employee in front of customers

I’ve only ever ordered from here for Chinese food. It’s consistent and yummy and the lady that takes the order might be intense but she’s efficient and my food comes quickly

I typically do not touch restaurants that has below 3 stars but tried anyways and I am glad that I did. Combination fried rice came out really fast, lady was very polite, even offered hot sauce for my to go fried rice. Portion is large, and there are ton of beef and shrimp in the fried rice. For the price I’ve paid, taste, service, and portion, I think it’s one of the best in the area.

My family & I have ordered from Oriental Express for years — from trays of fried chicken, lo mein and fried rice. The food can be extremely good.
I order lunch often from here. The Hunan Chicken and the Kung Pao Chicken are my main dishes.
I used to order the General Tsos Chicken because they make it really crispy, but one day, it was super soggy and tasteless. I’ve had a few bad experiences with the rice and veggies tasting old but other than that, everything else is great here.
Service is horrible — the older lady is really rude here; I’m glad she’s not making the food.

I’m giving it 1 star bc the lady who takes your orders is extremely rude. If I didn’t have a strong recomendation for the amazing food i would have not purchased food here. She was extremely kurt and rude. She had a Bad attitude and rushed my order even though there was no one behind me to order next. When I told her that she was being rude she changed her attitude. I even left her a tip in the box to make her feel bad for the way she treated me. Hope her attitude changes bc that is a big turn off.

Poor service, horrible food. Asked for chicken with white rice and the woman said fried rice, I said no, white rice, again she said fried and I said white rice and she said ok. Guess what i got when it was delivered? chicken with fried rice. I ordered the chicken and rice, crab rangoons spring rolls and beef lomein. All the food was lukewarm and had absolutely no taste. It was as if it was cooked, refrigerated and re-​heated. The checken fried rice I got smelled as if there was a dead bird on the bottom. It could not be eaten it smelled so bad. Will never order from here again.

I am a big fan of Huan Shrimp. I like the taste of the sauce and big jumbo shrimps. Today I placed 2 orders of Hunan Shrimps at this Oriental Express for delivery. I was very disappointed of their food. The shrimps taste so bad «like rotten eggs» and very «tiny shrimps». The sauce is too sweet, like adding too much «MSG». It’s horrible!!! I will never order food at this Oriental Express again.

Whoa! Two stars??? Why no love for one of my favorite Chinese Take-​out places in the DMV, Oriental Express? This used to be my «Second Kitchen» when I was in the area. For those nights I was too tired to make dinner after a long day or if I just wanted a cheap but quality lunch, this was my joint!!!
So, I concur with what other reviewers have mentioned that the «décor» is more reminiscent of a place you would find in DC than in the suburbs of Loudoun County. Walk into the small storefront and there is a high counter with a 1970’s menu posted high on the back wall. Save yourself the eye strain and just take one of the menus near the register. And depending on what time of the day of your visit — between 11am-12:30pm and 6 – 7:30pm are the worst — the itty-​bitty parking lot is a royal pain in the ass since there might be 30 total spots for about 13 businesses.
But if you can look past the dingy floors and poor lighting, you will be rewarded with solid and consistent food. Stick with the basics like fried rice and Lo mein, or what I recommend either the Hunan Chicken or Hunan Tofu. The only difference between these two is the choice of protein. Otherwise, both dishes are prepared with a mix of vegetables like broccoli, carrots, baby corn, etc and stir fried into a tasty and only slightly spicy brown sauce. You can ask for it to be more spicy, but I usually just add some Sriracha when I get home. The twice cooked pork is also pretty good with a healthy amount of sliced pork mixed in with cabbage and sauteed in a savory brown sauce.
Either way, for about $ 6-​$ 9 (depending on the size and whether you want to add an egg roll) the portion sizes are generous and the food tasty. The best deal are their lunch box specials where you get an entrée, egg roll, and 12 oz. soda for $ 6.55-$ 7.00
Oriental Express has been in operation since 1991, and that in and of itself is quite an accomplishment. As of this review, that’s an astonishing 23 years! How many trendy Chinese and Asian restaurants/​bistros have come and gone since then? Haters will continue to hate, which is fine with Oriental Express’ loyal clientele who will continue to keep this place in business for years to come.

I saw horrible reviews for this restaurant but decided to give it a try anyways. I like giving places the benefit of the doubt.
Bad idea :(I should have listened to the other Unilocalers.
I just wasted $ 16 :(I ate a little and just had to throw the rest away. The spring roll was edible but the orange chicken was not. It tasted like it had been soaking in grease for a day and then dipped in batter and fried in some more grease. Why is it so hard to find a good Chinese place near sterling??? If anyone knows any please let me know!

These people are THIEVES! I did a carry-​out order that summed to $ 30. I left no tip because I was picking up the food and there was no service… other than a dirty look from the manager when I walked in the door (as if they’re doing me a favor by making me food!). I checked my credit card statement two days later and noticed they charged me $ 36 and some change. I threw away my reciept, but I’m sure there is some way to prove their thievery.
I came to Unilocal to see if anyone else had the same problem, and it looks like this is a common occurance for credit card users. I think I will contact a lawyer out of principle. I know $ 6 isn’t much, but imagine how many people they robbed by doing this scam. They need to be stopped!

I like Oriental Express and contrary to some of the reviews here, I love the «crabby lady» behind the counter! I recently let her know that her wonton soup was my «go to food» when my tummy was upset and ever since she smiles when I walk in the door.
In addition to the wonton soup, my favorite is the shrimp and scallops which include plenty of both in a slightly spicy garlic sauce. Yum-​o. My husband is a big fan of the General Tso’s chicken and the chicken fried rice so much so that he rarely orders anything else. In addition to the Shrimp and Scallops, I also love their version of triple delight which if requested, they will make spicy for you or even just beef and shrimp without the chicken upon request. All of this comes at a cost that is at least as good as anywhere else in town if not better and I think we may have tried every Chinese restaurant within a 10 mile radius.
Another important point is that for the most part, the delivery is very quick. We often hear of an expected wait time of 30 – 40 minutes but they are usually there in 20.
Considering the food quality, cost and customer service I would recommend this restaurant.

People from work order here because you get a lot of food for pretty cheap. The quality is hit and miss. If you order fried rice, it may not be the same the next time. They do probably have the best egg rolls in the area. They are real ones (in my book), not the rice paper type with weak filling. They have meat and cabbage in a real egg based shell. I don’t think it’s as bad as some of the reviews but it won’t make the Washingtonian’s Best Eats list (for sure).

Kind of a pro: Food is average, the one good thing is the hunan shrimp it’s pretty savory and delicious. The End.
Cons: The new Manager (+ her many rude tendencies)
1. I don’t know where the original owner/​manager went but they now have a very rude, impatient, and condescending lady with a bad perm (who gives one of the meanest eye rolls I have ever seen) watching over the store.
My boyfriend and I order from here occasionally, but I started to notice when I was placing my to-​go orders over the phone, the «new» voice on the other line did not seem to welcome my order — it is like she literally hates money. Our orders have been messed up several times (I did NOT order the lunch special, but since I order during lunch time, she insists on serving me the lunch special — even though I specify over the phone 3 times just to be clear) and today she just stepped over the line. On the phone, she asks if I want the lunch special — again I say «NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!» and then I ask her for 2 eggrolls and her response is to yell at me saying that egg rolls do not come with a regular order, they come with a lunch special. I totally understand that, but you are trying to tell me I can’t just order and pay extra for two egg rolls??? Lady, stop pushing the lunch special on me! Just because I order during lunch time does NOT mean I want the lunch special… woosah
2. When you DO order a lunch special — you get a soda with your meal. Even though I never order the lunch special, she always serves and charges me for one. so my boyfriend went into the sliding fridge to get our can of soda. She then proceeds to look at him like he is the spawn of Satan. My boyfriend is a great looking guy — there is no reason to even present him with that kind of face. He points to the bag and reminds her that she gave us the lunch special… again (woosah). She actually messed up my order and gave me the dreaded special when I clearly stated I did not want it… and then she forgets what she served me and thinks my boyfriend is stealing a .99 cent can of soda! It’s not even brand name!
3. Her obnoxious hand gestures… must you wave your hands in front of my boyfriend’s face to make a point?! I was sitting in the car and all I see are her hands waving in the air. She looks like one of those scary inflatable thing you see in front of car dealerships. From the car, I almost felt compelled to wave back…
I am going to stop here only because I am at work and I have actual work to do… and if i write (or hear) the words «lunch special» again, I am going to have to put my head through my computer.

Not surprised this place has bad reviews. It’s right next to my boyfriend’s house, so I got my favorite chinese food — chicken fried rice. It was so BLAND, TASTELESS — and I found a small hard white substance in it. It was a lot of food, but still, tasteless and some unknown object in the food… Never again.

Tried them today. Won’t try them again. Food has no flavor.

IT’s a Very bad experience.
I placed order online, and delivered exactly 1 hour later, $ 1.5 was charged for delivery and also over charged me more than online price which showed included tax and delivery fee already. Won’t order from it anymore and would not ever recommend to anyone!

I ordered for delivery, and paid by credit card. At delivery, I signed the slip and added a $ 5.00 tip (15%), then did the math showing the total amount. When I checked my card statement, they had increased their tip to $ 7.00 (22%).
Food is normal for chinese delivery, but the risk to your credit card just isn’t worth it.

**2.5** Stars
I usually come here because it’s the closest Americanized Chinese food to my work and the food is mediocre take-​out quality. A few of my co-​workers come here as well and you either like it or you don’t. I love that they have Ho Fun (I get the beef ho fun and it was much better after I added some soy sauce to it, yum!) here unlike a lot of other Chinese take-​outs. The $ 12.35 General Tso Shrimp with white rice was definitely not what I was expecting (see image of it on here) as the shrimp seem to shrink inside batter which remains the original size of the shrimp. It was also just too spicy for me (not the mild spicy that most Chinese take-​outs give you) and their was seriously 5 Szechuan chiles in this (I counted!).
I don’t always care for the customer service here though, I usually have to ask for a fork, etc and if I tell them I want a drink when calling in an order they don’t always tack it onto my order when I arrive which causes issues when not paying cash. $ 8 or less and they won’t accept credit, just FYI. Like another person said on here, they do tend to give out your order to other customers by mistake or something… its happened to me twice now so, they really should start taking names on their carryout orders.

For the longest time I couldn’t order from here because they didn’t deliver to my area, but now they do! yay! I used to order from here from work a few years back. Ok, so why did the point that there is no minimum delivery do some reverse psychology on me? I ended up ordering twice as much as a minimum order at other places. doh! I guess it didn’t hurt that I was starving! The order arrived a good 25mins later. They must have triple knotted my bag because it was impossible to open. I had to tear it up like a famished animal, good times.
I ordered chicken Ho Fun (too easy to insert joke here ;-). Never saw this offered at other places. It was soo tasty, like a chinese version of drunken noodles without the spice. But that’s ok b/​c I always have a bottle of sriracha at home. It was a huge portion and I should have saved half but I didn’t.
I also ordered the Hot n Sour Soup. It was loaded with tofu, egg whites, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, not too sour, spicy… delicious!
Finally I ordered Hunan Chicken extra spicy. I only ate a little bit as I was about to pass out from a food coma. It’s also packed with veggies, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, baby corn, the sauce is tasty and spicy, hello lunch! All this for $ 20!

*** 3.5 Stars ***
So, I’ve kinda been on a Chinese food kick lately. I’ve ordered lunch from here 4 times this week. 3 times last week. I think 2 times the week before.
It’s one of the better Chinese delivery places I’ve ever ordered from, and the best one amongst all of the Chinese delivery places I’ve tried in the Sterling/​Dulles area.
If you are a chicken wing ho, give their wings a try. I’ve had wings in every order that I’ve gotten from this place. Good. Really good.
I also like their Kung Pao Chicken (no peanuts), which I’ve ordered probably half the time. It’s been good every time, and pretty good portion as well. I’ve tried several stuff, but today, I remembered why I’ve never personally ordered General Tso’s Chicken. This guy here loved it, declaring it’s the best Chinese he’s ever had, so decided to try it out. Just way too sweet for my taste. Good thing I still had wings and a hot and sour soup.
I don’t see myself not ordering from this place anytime in the near future, unless Hong Kong decides to relocate itself to Dulles, VA. One thing to point out, and I verified this multiple times, is No Minimum Delivery! Woohoo!