Chinatown Express

If you are visiting DC and you end up in China Town, you’ll find dozens of Chinese restaurants. I simply picked this particular one because I was hungry and knew nothing about any of the others. I was extremely happy with my choice. The quality of the food was excellent, portion sizes were generous and the flavor was outstanding. The prices were fair as well. I highly suggest.

Usually there is a weird separation between pork and dumpling but not at this place. So tender. Highly recommend. If you’re looking for excellent service this is probs not the place but if you’re just hungry AF before the big concert then this place will be more than acceptable. Four out of five stars!

The lady making xiaolongbao in the window caught our attention & we couldn’t resist temptation. The place was packed… good sign or so I thought… There were 5 of us. We were seated in the back in a very very tight area & we had to share a table. We ordered the xiaolongbao, pork lo mein with homemade noodles, roast pork wonton noodles, triple delight over rice (three bbq meats) & a whole Peking duck. The xiaolongbao came out first. The skins were a bit thick & uneven to my liking. The pork filling is just ok. The cabbage leaf that was on the bottom of the steamer definitely looks like it’s been recycled multiple times based on its appearance. The rice order came with roast duck, soy sauce chicken & roast pork (char sounds) along with some blanched broccoli florets. The char siu was too lean & dry plus it didn’t have any char siu flavor. The soy sauce chicken too did not have the flavor I’ve come to expect with that dish. The roast duck on the other hand was very good… well roasted & delightfully fatty. The soy sauce on top of the rice was like the chicken… bland & lacking in flavor. The roast pork lo mein was extremely salty & drowning in dark soy sauce. It also lacked the essence of wok cooking (wok hei) which I’ve come to expect with a good lo mein or good Chinese wok cooking in general. The best part was the Peking duck. The skin was crisp, fatty & juicy. The meat was tender. Overall, this is a meh experience. Grew up in NY Chinatown so the food here to me is sub par. Word to the wise… there is a language barrier. If you want ambiance, this is not the place. It is crowded, messy, chaotic. If you want good Chinese food, don’t be distracted by the window display like we were… go find a place filled with Asians. Seemed like this place was mainly tourists.

This is my favorite place to go in Chinatown. They are friendly, speedy and always making fresh dumplings in the storefront window. I like ordering the steamed leek and pork dumplings because the pan fried ones make the dough contract and get too tough. I also ordered the beef and green pepper chow goon with black bean sauce. It was awesome! The noodles were thick and chewy and she sauce had the awesome beefy fermented salty flavor.

Chinatown express is an old old favorite for me and a must-​stop when I’m in DC. I got the Duck Noodle, which is my absolute favorite of their noodle bowls and it didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately we also ordered their dumplings, which left a lot to be desired. They were quite lumpy and the home-​made dough made them very heavy, and really wet, as if they had issues staying sealed. Luckily the dumplings didn’t totally wreck the night (honestly they couldn’t next to that noodle bowl).
Important note for folks with service animals afraid of being refused service:
They also allowed in my friend’s service dog, which by law they have to do, but many restaurants turn folks away. It took them a little bit to understand what we were saying when we were describing that she was a service animal, and they asked if she was registered (which isn’t a thing) but she is an actual trained service animal so we were all okay, and she behaved as expected, so they felt more comfortable as dinner went on.

If 3.5 were an option I could easily go there.
It’s the ducks, the cooked ducks hanging in the window stopped us and in we went. I felt like that Bizarre Foods guy or Anthony Boudain (just not as cool). I was with my wife and daughter. We had made the trip down to the big city from the burbs of Baltimore to spend some time with her while she was at a conference in town. This little place with the plain, take-​out, name, is definitely a book with contents better than the cover.
It’s small, its crowded, its a bit run down, a little dinky, hinky and… perfect because of all those warts!
As opposed to say P.F. Chaing’s, so sterile, so «quasi-​chinese» that I almost half expect a Charlie Chan character to come out of the back to take my order… I don’t like that. I don’t go to places like that anymore.
So this place had a great mix of folks, actual Chinese language speaking people, hipsters (even a doufus with a man-​bun), young families, couples (including an odd January-​December assingment next to us– he was creepy and looked old «academic» monied– she was hot).
The food was very good, came out quickly. I can’t give it more stars because I can’t help but have the sneaking suspicion that we got the «american version» of the dishes we ordered. I have a sense that the flavors had been toned down, pulled back on a little bit so as not to offend our delicate little palates.
If I can make time someday, I would go back with some Chinese speakers and let the chef’s show off a bit.

My favorite place to eat in Washington, regardless of cuisine. Ambiance =. Food = ! I love their Peking duck!

Came here for the fresh noodles. Freakin awesome! A+ for the soup and pork buns! The soup has the fresh made noodles upon request. Service was great. Hot tea waiting on the tables. I would come back!

Went here after a Wizards game and tried the fried dumplings… it was real good while I was eating it. An hour or two later my mouth/​throat felt like the Sahara Desert…
Gotten accustomed to that feeling after eating Chinese food so no biggie. smalls.

This restaurant is the epitome of hole-​in-​the-​wall. At first glance, it looks to be the tiniest Chinese restaurant in the world and when we walked in, I thought we would have to wait at least 15 minutes for a table. However, the hostess took us to a back room that had its fair share of seating too. It’s certainly not the most immaculate of restaurants (I wouldn’t dare put my purse on the ground, that’s for sure) but the food is certainly decent for Chinese.
The food is primarily Cantonese style. I would recommend getting one of their house noodle soups. I ordered the roast pork and my boyfriend ordered the roast duck. We both asked for fresh noodles, which are house-​made, Asian wide noodles. Good and not oily. We also ordered the lobster, which is cooked Cantonese style. Fried in a skillet with cornstarch, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Soup dumplings are passable although I have a sinking suspicion they reuse the cabbage leaf.
All in all, a decent Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. It’s certainly got good business. Filled to capacity and there were at least 10 – 15 people waiting for lunch when we left. Gets to be a bit crowded inside and you may wind up having to share tables with strangers but so far, it’s the best Chinese restaurant I’ve found in DC’s Chinatown.

Honestly with the service people are rating about I do not believe it was quite fair. My hubby and I came there at a pretty busy time people were standing out the door to try this place out. No one was rude I did not get my billed slammed on the table and the waitress was me enough to let us pay with the card even though our bill was a tad bit under 20 bucks. As we left the people that worked there smiled and said thank you.
With the food we ordered the seafood dumplings and the duck noodle soup. I loved the noodle soup when you add extra chili and garlic to it. When it came to the dumplings it was a bit cold. It wasn’t the best dumplings I’ve ever had but it was mediocre.

I came here two years ago and was enamored by the noodles; however, tonight I definitely encountered some disappointment to tonight’s dinner.
My father and I swung by before the Caps game given how busy the restaurant was. We ordered veggie dumplings, Singapore noodles, and the garlic lobster.
I wouldn’t recommend the Singapore noodles only because you can taste the curry powder on the noodles. They’re not completely cooked through, unfortunately, making the garlic-​salt aftertaste a bit unbearable. Likewise, the veggie dumplings were cold when we were served.
To save the underwhelming meal, and what counts in this review, is the garlic lobster. Considering a lobster at $ 25 may seem a bit excessive, but I would trust that this is worth visiting. The chef cooks the lobster, then fries it in a garlic paste. The lobster meat is tender to perfection, and melts quickly. If you order anything here, just trust David Foster Wallace: consider the lobster.

Solid 3. We ate here before a Wizards game at the Verizon Center. We went on a rainy day so it looked a little dirtier than usual.
We both got the fresh noodle soup, one with roast pork and the other with roast duck. The meats were both good but there is less duck than pork. Next time I may get the traditional egg noodle as the fresh noodle is thick and absorbs the soup more. Food came out quick and it is a cheap meal. I’d eat here again but I would not go out of my way for it.
Credit card minimum is $ 20.

I thought this restaurant was going to be delicious and authentic, especially from the public display of how the noodles were made by hand…, but NOPE. Chinatown Express is probably one of the worst restaurants that I’ve ever tried, in almost all categories. Simply Atrocious.
When my friends and I were seated and given the plates & utensils, I was outraged in what Chinatown Express was doing. It has redefined the word ‘frugal’, or cheap, in a whole new level. The plates were fancy, but at least don’t overuse it to the point that the designs were peeling off and serve it to the customers. This shows a lot about the restaurant as a whole, and this is the wrong way to increase and maximize profits at the end of each week for any restaurant.
Service:
Service is horrendous. From all the restaurants I have been to in the past, this restaurant has the worst service I have ever seen. The waitresses didn’t even know English. In fact, when my friends and I asked a question about the menu in English, the waitress gave us the «looks» and started walking away from our table. From 5 waitresses, only one knew English. This restaurant is located in the heart of Washington DC Chinatown, where many tourists come and go. At least have people who can understand and speak some English. On top of that, the waitresses were just excessively bothering us to see if our bill was paid, and seemed like if they just wanted the money.
Food:
Where can I start? We ordered a plate of fried dumplings: 4 Pork & 4 Seafood. I thought these dumplings were going to be good, especially since it was located under the «SPECIALS» in the menu. They were disgusting. Not only that all of them came out as pork, but also the dumplings tasted literally like plastic. It was like if they came directly from the freezer. I thought the «soy sauce» that came with it would complement it, but nope. It tasted literally like water.
Like really, Chinatown Express? How can you do this to your customers?
Overall, if I have the chance, I would rate this restaurant as 0 stars, literally.
In the end, we gave no tips, and they didn’t even bother to care. At least come to us and ask what’s wrong. They didn’t care about the customers, but just the money they are receiving. All restaurants suppose to care about the customers and give a well impression to them, so they can come back in the future. Chinatown Express fails this and I will definitely not coming back. If this restaurant wants to succeed, they should start caring about us, food connoisseurs and the general public.

Their duck is really good. Except when you take it home and eat it like a week later. Then it is not so good.
Had their hand pulled noodles with pork which were pretty good.
I went with my girlfriend and we tried to order too much food and the waitress was like that’s enough. LOL. I’m glad she did, because otherwise I’d have taken home even more boxes.
Do not get the xiao long bao they’re not worth it. head to bob’s in maryland instead or something.

Good noodles – hand pulled and dunked in a savory broth. I had the duck one, which was extra great because who doesn’t love duck? (If you don’t, there are a variety of other options as well)
The steamed pork buns (xiao long bao) are not great. Would not recommend. The fried dough (you tiao) is good, too.
The location and atmosphere are fairly typical – it’s tucked away on a corner, not much to look at in terms of décor. Simple, cheap, and fast.
The service was also quick, and the woman was gracious when we complained about the xlb.
I’m not sure this can compete with anywhere in NYC, but it’s about as good as DC gets.

The food is extremely oily and tastes very saltyz.
I got chicken fried rice and lou mein! Both are EXTREMELY oily and salty. Would not come here for food again

I realize my one-​star review stands out from the majority, but my food experience with this establishment was terrible. The positives? The food was hot, and the plain white rice was fine.
The sweet and sour chicken was made of dark meat fried in crispy leather strips until almost unrecognizable. I found virtually all of the meat inedible (as did my cats). As for the veggies? Well, there weren’t any. There was A veggie, and A piece of pineapple, but that was it. They were both floating in the pseudo sauce.
My wife ordered the orange chicken, but it came minus anything orange. The meat was instead covered in barbecue sauce and the dish was void of all veggies. The chicken was cooked to a stringy, dry mess that made it difficult to just chew.
In the end, I ate a bit of white rice with the pseudo red sauce while my wife ate a little of my chicken (we shred into bits) with plain rice. We then ate every last packaged fortune cookie in hopes of getting closer to being full. I would never return.

We ended up here with a group of 6 Saturday night and it only took about 10 minutes to get a seat. Apparently the restaurant is deceptively large! I ended up watching the chef in the window making soup and dumplings and found the 10 minutes went very quickly though.
We were seated in a side room, and given menus and brought tea. Most everyone there had been here before, so we ordered quickly and got lots of shareable things.
We got dumplings and steamed pork buns and I was surprised with how bland both were. If it weren’t for the accompanying sauce, I would not have liked either very much. I think it also bears mentioning, that they brought things out in waves. I didn’t expect that, but at one point half us had food and half of us did not, so that was a little awkward.
I ordered the Schezuan shrimp as my main and once it arrived I really liked it. I especially loved how big the shrimp were and thought the veggies were perfect; they were still crunchy but nicely coated in spicy goodness. My husband was also very happy with his noodle soup, although I would argue the noodles were too doughy for my taste, he thought they were great. He said you could tell they were freshly made.
Everyone else split an assortment of other dishes and I think the overall consensus was that everything was good. In fact, I’m pretty sure my brother’s fiancée mentioned this being her favorite Chinese food restaurant in the area. I guess I can see that, honestly, the place is kind of a dive, but it’s also kind of charming too.

Overall: 3.5
If you are looking for traditional chinese food, this is the place to go. Craving duck — come here!
Dumplings (pan fried) — not a fan. Bland and too dough-​y. I do not recommend them.
Duck — yes! Would order this again!
Beef chow fun noodles — yum. I’d suggest this item.
The condiments on the table are great to add for extra flavor. Highly suggest trying them.

Unser «Highlight» in Washington. Der Laden befindet sich in einem Keller und so sitzt man da auch. Zwischen Aquarium (ja, der Fisch ist frisch…) und Küche. Dort kann man genau beobachten, wie die Enten frisch zubereitet werden.
Also, für ein Dinner im Anzug ganz sicher nicht das richtige Ambiente. Für ein Erlebnisessen in ChinaTown perfekt.
Das Restaurant wirbt mit der Entensuppe mit hausgemachten Nudeln. Die ist auch tatsächlich und wirklich sehr lecker (und reichhaltig). Eine klare Empfehlung.