Astoria completely lived up to the hype. It's one of those coveted DC reservations that's…read morenotoriously hard to get, and after having it on my list forever, I can confidently say it's 100% worth the wait. Tucked into the heart of Dupont Circle with its unmistakable bright blue awning, the restaurant is intimate, moody, and always buzzing. Inside, you'll find dim lighting, a handful of cozy wooden bar booths, seats along the bar, and a few outdoor tables. It's not a huge space, which only adds to its charm and makes every reservation feel like a win. The atmosphere is perfect for sharing dishes and lingering over dinner with friends. The food was incredible...I genuinely loved every single bite. Just be prepared: the Sichuan spice is no joke! If you aren't expecting it, it'll definitely sneak up on you (in the best way). My must-orders? The chili wontons, Dan Dan noodles, and beef noodles. Every dish was packed with bold flavor and left me wanting to come back for more. If you've been trying to score a reservation, keep at it. Astoria is one of those places that's absolutely deserving of its reputation, and I'll be thinking about those noodles until my next visit.

There was a line waiting to go in before opening and I think it's still be easy to get a seat if…read moreyou arrive right at opening time but it definitely got filled by the time we left! Inside had small tables and a kinda casual cocktail bar vibe Beef Noodles - the highlight and actually very good! The noodles are long and handmade and chewy. They hold onto the sauce very well! The sauce has a slight kick and is very savory. The beef is soft and also flavorful! I feel the price for the portion is kinda expensive though 8/10 Chili wontons - skin is silky and soft, sauce is savory with a small kick as well! Even though the sauces look similar to beef noodle they taste very different. The fillings had good flavor and overall were good but were a bit tougher and dryer than I would prefer. 6/10 Crab fried rice - crab is slightly overcooked but naturally sweet. It has a light curry taste throughout and was pretty good but didn't really stand out 5.5/10 Mapo tofu - slight kick and nice savory taste in the sauce! However I think they cut the tofu pieces way too large or the tofu they chose had way too much tofu flavor that overpowers the sauce. I'd prefer a very light silky tofu but this was a soft tofu. 6/10 Vpod - at first it just tasted like orange juice but then the other flavors peek through on the after taste and when I mixed it more. Even though it was good, it still felt very basic 5/10 Philadelphia Scotsman - it's pretty ginger forward. Technically the level of ginger spice is fine but strong but then the rest of the drink got completely overpowered and so this just wasn't that great 2.5/10

Couldn't make up my mind, so I tried the Not Your Mama's Eggplant, Crazy Fish, and Smash Cucumber…read moreSalad. Everything was delicious and came out quickly. I should've taken pictures, but it looked so good that I dove right in.

We dropped by after my wife was in the mood for ramen. I am glad we did. We arrived at 6:00 pm…read moreon a Tuesday before it got crowded. Most of the tables were taken but we were seated right away. We ordered the Edamame and House Smashed Cucumber. The Cucumber had the right amount of tanginess. The Cheng Du Spicy Wonton stood out. The spicy sauce that they came in was an excellent accompaniment. We finished off with the Reren Signature Ramen. It really hit the spot. The ambience is very casual. We were tourists but it seemed a lot of locals were eating there too. We would definitely come again.

I found this place on tiktok and I love soup dumplings, soup and boba. This place has it all!…read more Coming inside there's a counter where you can order drinks and food to go but if you plan to dine in, you just sit down at any available table and order from the QR code. The restaurant I very clean and the decorations are really pretty. We ordered soup dumplings and noodles and our food was ready really fast. I ordered the veg spicy and sour noodles and they come with an egg and crispy pieces of corn and a lot of boi hot which I love. The flavor was spicy with a hint of lime for the sour flavor. My husband ordered the beef noodle soup and he said it tasted amazing. Our chicken soup dumplings were full of flavor and a lot of broth inside. This place is really similar to Yu noodles which is one of my favorite places so if I'm ever in the area again I would go to this place for soup dumplings. Our server was really sweet as well.

Stopped by for dinner and had a good time overall. Seat yourself at an open table and place your…read moreorder using the QR code. Our order was brought out faster than I expected, with our mains coming up before the apps. Although not as spicy as I was hoping for, the spicy mapo tofu with noodles was really good. Of course I had to add ground pork for a few dollars more! To drink I had the strawberry fruit tea (50% sugar), which was good and refreshing. I also tried the pan fried dumplings and spicy wontons in chili oil. Both were just okay. I'll be back when I'm in the area to try out additional items.

Was visiting from out of town and our friends showed us this wonderful place for the happy hour…read more Was absolutely blown away, we came back 3 times in 6 days, we couldn't get it off of our minds. Now that I am back home, I still can't lol!! Great staff, atmosphere, hospitality, and thee best food!!! Will fly back just for Mecha, that's no joke either.

Loved every thing we tried! The Short Ribs are amazing, Barbecue Skewer, AMAZING…read more This whole menu and the happy hour combined is a steal. Eating like Anime Royalty and they play Anime like Naruto on the screens as well. Intimate and beautiful moments here where you're dining alone or with the crew!

good i suppose very very good. a bit expensive but that's a given in the area. otherwise, the…read moreflavors taste great and are authentic for their class. I was well nourished! the vibes were honestly run of the mill and nothing to write home about (I mean you're eating on metal tables after all) but that didn't affect the quality of the food. clean enough place !

One of the better beef noodle soups I had in awhile! The soup is super flavorful and savory. The…read morebeef is tender and I love the texture of the thick cut noodles. The noodles were chewy and bouncy. I am not a huge noodle soup fan but I absolutely loved this dish and ended finishing the whole bowl! I highly recommend trying the beef soup with thick cut noodles!

If I ever want Thai takeout but want to step away from my usuals, I'm ordering from the Noodle…read moreLady! The flavors are insanely delicious and I've thoroughly enjoyed everything I've ordered and tried. My favorites are the Baa Mee, fried wontons, and the Boat Noodle soup. I don't think you can find these dishes elsewhere in the city and they're always well seasoned and full of flavor. If you don't know what to get, I suggest trying something with fried chicken. I don't know how they do it but it's perfectly crispy on the outside and moist in the middle. The location is a ghost kitchen but they've added some tables outside for folks to sit at too. Otherwise, they're available on delivery apps or you can grab it yourself - look out for the Ivy City Food Works sign!

Amazing Amazing!!! Authentic flavors... Warm belly and soul…read more Boat noodles and all of the dishes are delicious. Thank you for sharing your food with all of us.

I though hard on this, and it's tough to justify anything less than 5 stars, especially for the…read moreprice point for the all you can eat brunch option. I visited with 4 friends, and we had a private booth. The food kept coming...and coming...and coming! I was genuinely surprised how fast the turn-around between ordering a dish and it arrived at our table. We visited on a Sunday so they had $1 mimosas. Yes-please-thank you! All the dishes were good-to-great. I don't recall a single one of us complaining about anything we tried. And if you don't like something - order something else!

Was walking with family and we're looking for somewhere to eat for dinner. We stumbled upon Tiger…read moreDumplings and was able to get seated immediately. Not too busy inside but a good amount of people for a Saturday at 7PM. We ordered a Thai Tea, Passionfruit Iced Tea, Scallion Pancakes, Crystal Shrimp Dumplings, Pork Shrimp Shu Mai, Cucumber Salad, Shanghai Soup Dumplings, Tiger Signature Dumplings, and Pork Chive Dumplings. Food came out as it was ready. The teas were ok, the Passionfruit was the best. The soup dumplings were disappointing. You can't avoid them breaking but there was hardly any meat, was lukewarm, and mostly fat. The Tiger Signature and Pork Chive dumplings were better, but not too much flavor. The amount of filling in there were ok. The Shu Mai and the Crystal Shrimp Dumplings were solid, not too bad at all. The Cucumber were refreshing and also a little spicy. The Scallion Pancakes were fine, nothing special. Food was ok overall. The staff is nice but it seems that they were a little slammed despite the restaurant not being too full. Hard to get the server's attention at times. I wouldn't go out of my way but I might come back if I'm in the Clarendon area again.

There's definitely a reason why Da Hong Pao Restaurant is always booked and busy…read more The food was absolutely amazing--you can really tell it's authentic Chinese cuisine. They were also able to accommodate a group of about 18 of my family members and me, which was a huge plus! The service was excellent as well; the staff consistently checked in to make sure we were taken care of. Highly recommend!

I came in for the dim sum. The place was empty which is rare. I sat at the bar and was greeted…read moreimmediately but I wasn't given instructions on how to order the dim sum and as a first timer, I was kind of stuck. The staff answered my questions quickly and took my order. I had the Chinese broccoli, soup dumpling and salt and pepper squid. The Chinese Broccoli wasn't good at all. Very bland and I didn't really like the oyster sauce. The soup dumplings were good. Not anything to write home about, but I'd order them again. The squid was really flavorful and it was a good portion. I also had a giant pot of oolong tea which was delicious. They take Apple Pay as well and for less than $40 it wasn't a bad lunch. I'll be back to give it another shot for dinner.

Food is always good. One of the few ramen places that I can actually finish my bowl. Favorite ramen…read morein the menu is the Shio, but I gave Mugi-miso a try, and it was really good. Not strong miso flavor that hurts your throat, but still has that umami flavor. Place can get packed especially at dinner. But quick turnaround. Can be a group or solo.

I had heard rave reviews about this place, which is why I finally decided to check it out. The…read morespace is small and cozy, but we went on a Monday and were seated immediately. Since there were only two of us, we shared an eight-person table with three other couples, which gave it a very authentic Japanese ramen shop vibe. Our server was attentive from the start. As soon as he finished taking our order, he asked if anyone needed a fork. I really appreciated that, since I don't know how to use chopsticks and didn't have to awkwardly ask for one myself. We started with the gyoza, which were so crispy and flavorful that we ended up ordering a second plate. For ramen, we tried the tsukemen, which comes with cold noodles that you dip into a rich, soy-forward broth. It was an interesting experience, but after a while the repetitive dipping became a bit tedious for me. We also ordered the spicy miso ramen, which was my favorite of the two. It had a nice kick without being overwhelmingly spicy. It also came with bean sprouts, which aren't usually my favorite, but they added a pleasant crunch and texture to the bowl. Overall, this was a really solid meal. It wasn't quite the mind-blowing experience I had built up in my head, but it's still one of the better ramen spots I've had in DC. I'll definitely be back to check out the izakaya upstairs.

Good was good. A little spicy, a little sour, nice chew on the noodles. I ate immediately in my…read morecar. Location was weird, chaotic, and hard to find. The pickup thing with the locker worked fine.

Spiciness: high-medium level spiciness by default: 5/5 Spicy…read morecucumber side dish - fantastic, original: 5/5 Lamb noodles - fine, but meat only average: 3/5 Lamb dumplings - fine, but meat only average: 3/5