Chef Yan delivered the kind of meal that makes a celebration feel even more special. We started with the xiao long bao, which came out steaming hot with delicate wrappers and a rich, savory broth inside. Every bite had that perfect balance of soup, pork filling, and ginger-vinegar flavor that makes xlb so satisfying. The sizzling beef was easily one of the standouts of the night. It arrived still crackling on the plate, tender and packed with smoky, slightly sweet flavor. The tofu shrimp dish was another surprise favorite -- light but comforting, with silky tofu and perfectly cooked shrimp that paired really well together. For something more classic, the chicken and string beans hit the mark. The chicken was juicy, the string beans stayed crisp, and the garlic sauce tied everything together without overpowering the dish. To top it all off, the restaurant brought out dessert for my brother's birthday, which made the night feel extra thoughtful and memorable. Between the food, generous portions, and warm atmosphere, Chef Yan turned a simple dinner into a great celebration meal. Definitely a spot worth coming back to. read more

Chef Yan - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Walked in easily with plenty of seating to spare. The floors were strangely slippery but otherwise the rest of the restaurant was fine. Food was delicious though! Perfect level of Szechuan flavour, savouriness, and fullness! Service was kind and fast too. Definitely want to try this spot again if I'm in the area. read more

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Amazing food, this place has been in business forever, though they changed names. The service was great and Mia helped us with what to order. Will definitely get back if in the area read more

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Authentic and yummy Szechuan food. I think it's a great option in the area and worth supporting! Small interior but clean and newly renovated. read more

Service was nice and quick. The food is good, it is very spicy. It is a bit pricey but worth it. read more

Chef Yan - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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This place was such a delight to go too! I saw this place when I was attending a birthday party in first watch a few weeks back but saw that it was super full. I went last night and was really impressed with the food. They have two types of menus: one Chinese-American and the second one with more authentic regional dishes. A lot of tables were ordering this fish dish but we stick to sweet and sour chicken, wonton soup, and tried the glutinous rice cakes in brown sugar syrup. Everything was fried to perfection! The servers was super fast and with the food and refilling beverages. The place was also busy but not overly crowded! read more

Chef Yan - Sweet and sour chicken - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Closest and near best Szechuan style Chinese! Think spicy mala hot. We almost always get The chili chicken. Today tried "crispy chicken" which was a sweet thin pieces of chicken which was actually our favorite- must like sweet flavor. Also almost always get either the fried cauliflower or eggplant- unfortunately doesn't travel well for the texture but good flavor. Being it's not Cantonese we do miss a few Chinese take out favorites like crispy tofu and chow fun. The inside is nice and renovated. Usually i order online and orders are correct. read more

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Tonight we had a splendid meal at Chef Yan, with advice from Mia, who did a great job taking care of the five of us. We had chicken and corn soup, Mongolian beef, salt and pepper shrimp, General Tao's chicken, and dry fried string beans. read more

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Health: Genuine ingredients made by chefs that seem straight out of Sichuan. Veggies, lean meats, and great variety as well. For the cuisine, and in general, exemplary to a tee. Price: For Northern Virginia, this place has great comparable pricing per item. But for the generous portions, it's actually outstanding. They didn't skimp on quality or quantity. Look at it. Look at those bowls. Experience: You see those complicated dishes? I kid you not I have never seen them made that fast and the complimentary powdered nuts along with kimchi made the tiny wait pleasant on its own. Pleasant music and great service in a clean environment. Awesome. Taste: This food is straight up outstanding. I have never eaten food from Sichuan made just as good if not better than what I ate growing up there. Yeah my highest marks for this cuisine. The people I came with agreed too. They should know, they grew up with it longer than me. Wow. Actually wow. I'll come here again. And again. You should too. Everyone should. Honestly. Once again, that rating says 5 stars but I'd give it a 10. Unmatched. read more

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I used to be a regular at the restaurant that was here before, China Star, and I always thought it was pretty good. So I was a little unsure when it changed to Chef Yan--but after trying it, I can honestly say it's a big upgrade. Chef Yan has quickly become one of my favorite spots. The food tastes much more authentic, with richer flavors and better quality ingredients. You can really tell there's more care put into each dish. Everything I've tried so far has been delicious, fresh, and satisfying. Another big plus is the pricing. The portions are generous, and the prices are very reasonable for the quality you're getting, which makes it easy to come back often. The overall experience just feels like a step up from what was here before. If you used to like China Star, I definitely recommend giving Chef Yan a try--you'll probably like it even more. I know I do, and I'll definitely keep coming back! read more

Chef Yan - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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plenty of parking outside & indoor seating Menu has the traditional Chinese dishes and Americanized dishes -- a wide range for all that's looking for authentic food or those looking for more American catered meal. The service is fairly fast & food came out pipping hot. I got the general taos chicken & spicy beef noddle soup. The general taos chicken was super crispy! I wished it was spicier though but can't expect much with an Americanized dish. The spicy beef noodles was amazing!! Broth had a great balance of spice and beef. Indoors is decorated beautifully read more

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Coming from Rockville, I thought this was pretty good. We were in a group of 8 and there are two larger tables in the back. On a Saturday night, this place was super busy. You can call to reserve for a large group. They have some more authentic offerings as well as the classics like La Zi Ji and stringbeans and eggplant. I personally didn't think it was too spicy. I did feel like there were better options of the dishes in Rockville though. Afterwards, I wasn't blown away from the taste but I didn't feel entirely satisfied. I do have the say that the crispiness of the La Zi Ji is pretty crisp. I thought that was pretty good. read more

Chef Yan - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Happen to pass by this restaurant and decided to give it a try. I had a great experience, kind staff, fast seating and able to pay with Apple Pay. First thing, they give out 2 menus, one was said to be American and the other Chinese. I feel they should combine it because the menu was large in size. Secondly, I got the triple delight dish on the American menu. It comes with a small side of white rice. It came with three proteins: Shrimp, chicken & beef. I enjoyed this dish, zero complaints. The portion is enough to share in my opinion. 10/10 Thirdly, my husband got a pork dish (I forgot the name) it has a bit of broth. Flavorful and tender. My husband enjoyed his dish 10/10 Lastly, we did come across a small issue. We had ordered crab cream cheese wontons. They came super airy and upon opening they barely had any filling. We had mention this to the waitress and she took it back and had it made again, they came back out and still the same issue. Just flattened with no air pockets. I would not get those wontons again. The taste was great but the portion of the filling was laughable. 4/10 Overall the experience, environment and hospitality is excellent. The dishes are flavorful and the restaurant is very clean. The water is crispy! 10/10 restaurant would come back and recommend. read more

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I went here with friends while in town for an event. I was part of the party who made the eating location decision -- wasn't my decision. It was okay ... just OK. This isn't a place I'd come to again -- the service was slow and the place too small for the number of people who were inside. The food was brought out in a random manner, which was odd. We had a reservation and were crammed into a booth that was really rather too small for our party. Meanwhile, there was a table in the corner that would've been better for us. Meh. Keep looking. read more

I have been here more than half a dozen times. Mostly, it left me with a good food impression, good services, and a better-than-average environment. This recent time, I was a little disappointed by the two house specials(pork kidney and Stir-fried Chinese Bacon With Garlic Sprout). The Chinese Bacon was too salty, and the Garlic sprout did not meet the freshness required for this dish. As for the pork kidney dish, I could taste more of the kidney than the dish, which may be intended but just not my thing. For some reason, the servers this time were rushing us to pay when we were still working on the dishes. It was around noon on a Sunday, they are not closing anytime soon, and no one was waiting on a table. But the waiter showed up 3 times asking if we were ready to pay. I could not wrap my head around this. I hope it is just a one-time thing. I would still give this place one more chance for its food. read more

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New restaurant replacing China Star - similar concept but loads better. Small modern space, tho there is a bigger table in back for a larger group. Short "American" menu with typically dishes like General Tao, low mien, etc. The larger menu has the house Sichuan specialties. Prices are on par with more gourmet-ish Chinese but portions are generous, esp the duck - so so flavorful and crispy. Garlic eggplant was tender but not mushy, sauce drinkable. Really enjoyed our meal, late 2pm lunch but place was still busy - a testament to good eats. read more

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Amazing service and food. We came in on a rainy day, ordered several dishes and they all came out great. My favorite was the dry pot cauliflower and the egg drop soup. My friend ordered some intestine hot pot and chicken gizzards and they were delicious and flavorful as well. The servers filled our waters often and the food came out quickly. Restaraunt was not too busy and the enviroment is great for family and large gatherings. read more

Chef Yan - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

China Star is now Chef Yan, and has really stepped up its game and modernized the decor. (Notably, on a Saturday night, we were the only non-Chinese eating there.) The crabmeat and pork soup dumplings were delicious; they are made from scratch, so they take a while to make. The dried fried green beans were lovely, flavorful, and not greasy. The sweet and sour baby ribs were a bit too sweet for my wife's taste, but I dig them. And finally, we felt that the spicy chicken dry sizzling hot pot was significantly spicy, but had some good flavor. We look forward to our next visit. read more

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It's pretty quiet in here on the weekdays. But it's great place to have family dinners or lunch. It was quick service. The staff mostly keep to themselves, so put your hand up if you need them. The soup dumpling was juicy with the soup. The eggplant was really saucy. Spicy Frog in Sizzling Pot was my 1st time having it and I didn't realize it had a lot of bones (not so pretty as a 1st date). I wish they put that as a warning. It was spicy. Not sure if I would get again for how expensive it is. read more

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This place is authentic and upscale to Szechuan cuisine. You know it's the real deal when they gave us warm water when we sat down, instead of iced. (They also have iced water if you ask) This was my second time here and it doesn't disappoint! My parents love it. If I were to rank the dishes we got from best to worst: - Spicy and sour fish fillet: this is one of the milder spices, it comes with glass noodles, and the soup is delicious. - Beef dry pot: it comes out sizzling and I really loved how the meat is cooked. The beef is first fried in oil and then stir fried. This is delicious, there's onions and green/red peppers. - Double cooked pork: This is one of szechuan's most popular traditional dishes. It's pretty good. - Crab and pork soup dumplings: I enjoyed the soup dumplings with the crab, but there was not as much soup in the dumplings. - Beef and beef tripe appetizer: Pretty standard if you have had fu qi fei pian 夫妻肺片, it's a cold appetizer that is popular in China. Every single dish hit. There was not a single thing we ordered that's been disappointing here. Not to mention, the service is extremely fast. The dishes came out within 10 minutes of ordering. The soup dumplings took longer (15-20) which they warned us about because they make it fresh. Everyone is exceptionally friendly here with fast service, and the ambience of the place is great. Peaceful music, clean bathroom, nice interior. read more

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AMAZING experience. We got the tofu skin in chili oil, cumin lamb, fish/beef in chili oil, spicy chicken, and sizzle beef. All were so delicious and flavorful. Probably one of the best Sichuan restaurants I've been to. I am so surprised that it is not rated better on Yelp, I highly reccomend it! read more

Chef Yan - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Like Peter Chang restaurants but more homey. Food was incredible. Excited to find this place and already looking forward to going back. read more

Chef Yan - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I've been very excited about shrinking this place out, and it did not disappoint. Great service, a nice variety of southern Chinese dishes, and solid flavors. I recommend all three dishes that we tried. read more

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The service was minimal. The waitress rushed us by telling saying "people were waiting to be seated". We stayed a total of 55min. She was rude. The food was brought out randomly. The taste of the food was okay. Not worth going back! read more

I usually order from them and it's pretty good but yesterday I ordered take out shrimp with mixed vegetables and told them I didn't want any added salt if possible. I couldn't even eat it because it had red pepper flakes that were so hot it started to really affect me. I don't know if it was an accident or a new chef but it was a waste of $18. read more

Really good food, clean and nice placer. Everyone here Really nice.I come very often.​

Good food, good servers,really nice restaurant! Come everyday! Good experiance here! Very fast!

Great food, great service, great ambience, what else could you ask for? Healthy authentic Sichuan food. Amazing!!! read more

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Good food and good service! Nice environment! I come here very often, we all like eat here!

Two Haiku Review: An improvement from The old China Star restaurant, Authentic Sichuan And American Chinese fare. If you are In Fairfax, try this out. read more

Formerly China Star. Great food, nice and quick service, new and revamped dining area. I decided to go here for lunch and took advantage of the lunch special that ends at 3pm. I'll be back. read more

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Foods amazing, it's always consistent. I have tried stuff from their regular and Chinese menu and everything is delicious. The service is nice, however they always bring whatever is ready first. I would like my soups and apps first l, followed by main course. Staff sometimes has difficult in understanding but the as long as they get the order right, I'm happy! The redid the whole restaurant and the new seating arrangement is good! read more

Went here on Friday night with some friends and we had a great time! I haven't been to this area in years, but this place really made it worth the trip. The service was super friendly and our food was seriously impressive. Will definitely come back more! read more

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Had a great authentic meal here! Food arrived quickly and service was friendly. Favorite dishes: Mashed pepper, preserved egg, and eggplant app was unique and refreshing. Stir fried beef (chef special) was cooked perfectly. Very tender beef Reservations: you might need a reservation if you go around 7pm. We went on a Sunday at 6pm, and were seated immediately. After 6:30 all the tables were filled. Fyi, your clothes will probably smell strongly of Sichuan peppercorns when you leave. So just beware. read more

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First time here and came with a bigger group. Ordered several dishes to share: spicy boiling fish, shredded potato w/ salted egg yolk, lamb sizzling pot, Szechuan chili diced tofu, and Szechuan chili chicken. All of it was pretty good, but probably won't order both the chili chicken or tofu since it was really the same dish, just different protein. Pretty large portions except for maybe the lamb dry pot. Would come back to try more dishes, but nothing really stood out. read more

This place is seriously so good. If you're looking for szechuan chinese food, this is the place! Some of my favorite dishes are the Sichuan-style cold chicken and the stir fried cabbage. They're super nice and super fast. Definitely coming back. read more

FOOD was amazing and services was very good everything was serve in the matter of a couple of mins and the song choices were nice and gave a good atmosphere read more

I ordered the braised beef noodle, and it was so flavorful and delicious. The server May and Mia were very quick and kind. The smell and atmosphere of the place made my mouth water. read more

My family used to go to China Star regularly. When Chef Yan took its place, we were a bit worried; however, it hasn't skipped a beat. Chef Yan is easily the best Szechuan-style Chinese restaurant in the DMV (Mama Chang's doesn't hold a candle to Chef Yan). Pretty much everything we order is fantastic and the sheer number of menu items makes it that much more impressive. There are easily 20-30 amazing dishes on this menu. During our most recent visit, we stuck to the seafood, ordering the Chongqing fish and the fish and tofu in chili oil. Both were excellent -- very spicy -- and right up there with the dishes we normally order here. Anyone giving Chef Yan less than 4 stars doesn't have a clue! read more

Chef Yan - Chongqing fish - Chinese Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Best Sichuan Chili Chicken in VA! Super friendly staff too- it's always a pleasure to come here.