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

What a fantastic place to grab some delicious food and drinks!…read more Ambiance: it's like having dinner in someone's comfy kitchen. No reservations, just stop on by, grab a seat, and order your food at the counter. Service: service was pretty fast once our food was ordered. Staff were pretty good and they moved quickly to accommodate all guests. Drinks: they have a pretty solid list of local beers and ciders along with wines. Food: I ordered the Jjajangmyeon which was scrumptious! The roasted black bean sauce added some sweetness to the savory flavor oozing out of the shrimp and scallops. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the cucumber on top helped cooled the dish. I also ordered a side of cabbage kimchi which was the perfect addition to my meal. My boyfriend ordered and loved the Spicy bulgogi stir fry and I must say, it was delicious, even from the small bite that I had. Overall, this was a delectable meal and I'm looking forward to returning.

I've ordered from Chiko on Uber Eats more times than I can count, so I already knew I was a fan…read morebefore finally dining in. My go-to order is the soy-marinated brisket, smashed salmon, duck fried rice, and their incredible homemade kimchi. On my recent visit to the restaurant, I decided to branch out and try a few new things. The chicken wings were outstanding. Perfectly crispy with a delicious seasoning that had me reaching for another one immediately. I also tried the house fried rice for the first time, and it was packed with flavor and cooked perfectly. The restaurant itself has a very relax atmosphere, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn they offer a happy hour with some great deals. I didn't get a chance to take advantage of it this visit, but it's definitely given me another reason to come back soon. Whether you're ordering delivery or dining in, Chiko continues to impress. Highly recommend!

Five stars for service and takeout, well packaged and delicious dishes especially soft shell crab…read more(a pleasant surprise, done just right). Simple dishes such as the tomato egg stir fry are delicious; felt like home made 番茄炒蛋. they also have Mongolian stir fry, Thai curry, Japanese sushi, the whole range. Owner is Chinese. No ambiance to speak off as it is in a half basement; no decor; a bit sad. But I came here to pick up food, having placed my order on UberEats. They told me it's cheaper to call instead of using the app, but the app is convenient as I can multitask. They said they have their own driver and can deliver. Will keep that in mind next time.

Cucumber salad: A far cry from any of the versions I had while in China. No herbs, barely any…read morechili's and no vinegar to add a tangy flavor. These were just cut up cucumbers... Steamed pork dumplings: I've never had dumpling dough so thick. I could barely taste the pork inside. The filling was rather bland IMO. Orange chicken: Hefty portion and tasted fine. It does come with rice, which is not mentioned on the menu. Ambiance: I did take out and the interior has an odd smell. Maybe it's from the sushi counter and as someone who doesn't like seafood, I am more sensitive.

We came early on a Saturday for the all you can eat dim sum brunch. Some of our favorite dishes…read morewere the crispy duck rolls, duck bao, Mongolian beef, green beans. We loved the magnolia blossom oolong tea. Some misses on the menu for us were the chicken wonton soup that had too subtle a flavor palette for me, veggie dumplings which had a little too strong a flavor for both of us, and the charcoal bao with custard that was overall just not to our preference. Service was super fast and friendly. We ate to our hearts' content and finished in about 45 mins of the 75 available. They have runners to bring out the food as it's prepared; no carts. Despite being a big restaurant with a lot of hard surfaces, the place never got super loud and everyone was quietly conversing. The music was also a comfortable volume for having a nice conversation over a delicious meal. 20% pre-tax service fee/gratuity is automatically added to checks regardless of party size.

Dear Yelpers, I woke up last Sunday with a craving for dim…read moresum, so I drove into DC to try this place because they offered an unlimited dim sum menu. Overall, I do not think I will be coming back here for dim sum. And they dont have the dim sum ladies that pushes the cart around. To me this place did not give me the real dim sum experience. See my review below. Food: Their unlimited dim sum selection is very tame. They do have some signature plates, but I felt it was lacking in many areas such as veggies, pastries, and other dumplings. The taste overall was just okay. I've honestly had better elsewhere, probably because it was unlimited. It didn't taste fresh, and everything was very greasy. The food came out neither hot nor warm. It was room temperature, which was disappointing. Nothing on their menu really stood out as different for me. Also, you have to ask for sauces and other condiments that are often placed on the table during dim sum service (e.g., chili oil, soy sauce, vinaigrette). Dim sum is part of my upbringing, and the food was definitely catered to Western palates, which contributed to it tasting just okay to me. Price: I believe it was $36 or $38 per person for their unlimited dim sum. We ordered a pot of tea that cost $12, which is insane to me. I do not believe the total price we paid matches the quality of food we received. Service: The service was pretty good. The staff were attentive and checked in throughout our meal. They were quick with our requests for sauces and refills of water and tea. Everyone was very nice, and they cleared finished plates pretty quickly. Ambiance: This place offers a quiet environment for dim sum. It felt light and airy, calm, and without a lot of hustle and bustle. This is very different from the kind of environment I am accustomed to when going out for dim sum. It is usually loud, and everyone is yelling over each other. That, to me, is the real dim sum experience.

Great Vibe... very good food…read more I am coming from LA and surprising to find this place with extremely great Thai food

A few coworkers and I stopped in to grab dinner at Sampannee Thai since it was near our hotel. The…read moreatmosphere was lively and beautifully decorated. It was pretty full but we were seated after a few minutes. We shared the curry puffs appetizer which were empanadas filled with curried potatoes with onion and carrots. It was delicious and very similar to a samosa. I settled on the chicken red curry served with white rice. It was decent, not too spicy but I felt that it could use a little more salt or maybe fish sauce. It was good but something was missing. What I should've gotten was the crab fried rice my coworker got, it was yummy. It had a generous amount of lump crab meat and had a nice smoky stir fried taste. I ordered the mango sweet rice for dessert. This was also just ok, the mango was a tad under ripe so that sweet mango taste was missing. The experience wasn't bad but I've had better.

Fantastic food, wow!…read more Sweet and Sour whole fish is crunchy out and moist tender in. The sauce is divine. Noodles with meat sauce is a must. Wonton soup is spiced perfectly. This is my new favorite Chinese restaurant. Perfection. We will definitely be back.

Sichuan Pavilion is something of an institution, providing solid Chinese food to dine in or carry…read moreout to generations in Downtown. The challenge of the menu is its size: it includes old school standards that your father may have ordered, yet has some much more interesting and tongue-tingling szechuan options also. So it behooves the diner to take time to read through thr long menu carefully and to order selectively. Service is efficient and special requests are handled with grace, rather than the eye rolling of their peers. We first ordered crispy beef, which wws well executed with the beef shreds still juicy despite their crackle coating. The sauce had a mild bit of chili heat and subtle sweetness, and was generously salted with a medley of julienned veggies. Our second dish was General Tao Chicken, which is more commonly known as General Tso. It was again, a very well executed version of what has become a popular classic, with perfectly coated and fried nuggets of tender chicken breastfeeding in a sweet and spicy sauce served with broccoli and chili peppers. Sichuan Pavilion is very snug, amd something of a "rabbit warren" with a series of rooms connected by tight pathways. Tables can be small, so try to book in advance. Also, some of the best dishes are the more traditional szechuan style, do take the time to ask your server about them and be prepared for some heat.

I have been dining at Soi 38 on and off since 2017, and everything about this restaurant keeps me…read morecoming back. The atmosphere is amazing, I love the dragon theme at the bar. If you are a dragon enthusiast in the DMV, you'd appreciate the tremendous detail from the lighting to the painting on the ceiling. The food is incredible. I've never had a bad meal here. On top of that, service is quick and friendly making everything about the experience easy and fun. And for the service, atmosphere, and food quality the pricing is incredibly reasonable. I recommend Soi 38 to anyone looking for a bite in the DC area!

Nice atmosphere, good service. The food is solid. There wasn't a ton of seafood in my Pad See Ew. I…read moreguess it WAS only $4 more, so if you want a lot of seafood, maybe ask for double. My friend said the painkiller drink was too chunky but everyone liked the wine pours and the Manhattan drink. Slightly more expensive food than most Thai restaurants, but it's also classier than most.

This place is an absolute gem. The Lamen was incredible with chewy noodles, meaty mushrooms, and…read moredelicious broth. This feels like an authentic spot rather than a "designed" restaurant. The ambiance is chill and cozy. Of all the amazing places we tried on this trip, this is top of my list to return to.

After spending the afternoon with my friends in the area, we decided to try this place out for…read moredinner. Everything started out good. We were sat down quickly since it wasnt crowded for a sunday evening. The servers were helpful with the menu. We ordered about 10 minutes into our visit. We ordered appetizers to include Taiwanese popcorn chicken, spicy wontons, and cucumber salad. We also ordered our meals, too. A beef lamen, pork soup dumplings, crab and pork soup dumplings, and I originally wanted the fried chicken curry lamen but he talked me against it due to spice level and I opted for the sake chicken, per his recommendation. The soup dumplings came out abt 15 min later at which I was told that the cucumber salad was sold out and asked if I wanted anything else. I passed since I had ordered the popcorn chicken already. My friend wasnt a fan of her pork soup dumplings and didnt finish them at all. She stated a severe lack of flavor. The crab/pork ones were a hit for the other friend. I cant eat pork nor beef, so I was still sitting and waiting for my popcorn chicken appetizer to hold me off a bit. About another 20 minutes passed then the beef lamen came out for one friend and then an order of the curry lamen. We were confused on if this was our actual order until he realized that he wrote down the wrong dish for me after I explained that he told me to get the sake chicken instead. He apoligized but by this point, I hadnt had food in roughly 6 hours, I was starving and asked to keep the wrong order, please. He refused and said he would get me the correct item because it's just in the back. Keep in mind that the spicy won tons were still missing and so was my popcorn chicken. About 10 minutes later, the spicy won tons finally made it and she enjoyed them more than her pork soup dumplings. Then the other server comes to tell me that there is more cucumber salad. Im not sure how we go from sold out to availability nearly an hour later but I still refused since I was ready for my main entree at this point. The other friend ended up ordering it instead. She said it was good. I didn't try out of frustration of how this experience was unfolding for me. My entree finally came out after another 15 or so minutes, which meant it acrually was NOT sitting in the back and ready. Im exhausted. Im starving. Ive sat here and watched my table eat while my orders were fumbled for some odd reason. The sake chicken was okay. Its really like katsu chicken with a ton of yum yum and eel sauce over a bed of rice. Best way to explain it. I probably would have enjoyed the original curry dish more. About another 10 minutes later, my popcorn chicken arrives, which beyond upset me because I asumed this order wasnt put in at this point. It had been over an hour! I gave it to my friend instead after trying one and not enjoying the flour-heavy taste. I'm not sure if this was an off night or what but I cant say that I will return just from the sheer time it took to get our orders! An hour and half was beyond ridiculous when the place wasnt even full. No one explained the delays nor came to give us updates while we were waiting, either. I gave them a star for the food being half enjoyed by some of my party and another for pricing because it really wasnt expensive, which was a plus. If you have hours to spare and dont arrive hungry, check this place out!

I finally had the opportunity to try Planta Queen in Dupont and it did not disappoint. I'm not a…read morevegan, but I was genuinely impressed by the food, ambience and drinks. The atmosphere was lively and welcoming, making it a great spot for dinner. We decided to sample a variety of dishes, and everything was deliciously presented. Drinks: Cherry smoke show and Emperor's old-fashioned. Food: We ordered the bang, bang, broccoli, thousand layer crispy potatoes, beef, and broccoli, spicy tuna roll. Sweet ending: The sticky toffee pudding Moriah, our server was friendly and attentive, adding to the overall experience. Definitely a good time.

Meh. Was fine. Surprisingly few vegetables in the noodle dishes. The broccoli appetizer was very…read morecrispy but drowning in peanut sauce. Food came out super fast. We got our appetizer and hadn't even finished it when our entrees came out. Our drinks from the bar (that we ordered first) came out after that. Overall the food was pretty bland. Vegan doesn't have to be boring. Our server was lovely.

Service 100% Food quality 100%…read moreYou can tell by sushi rice! It was sooooo delic and we are coming back every 4-5 months wife said.

After watching the Nobu documentary and being a huge fan of sushi and Japanese cuisine, I was…read morethrilled to find out one or their locations was only a few bocks away from my hotel. After convincing a coworker who doesn't eat fish to join me to try Nobu, we walked a few blocks in 98F weather and made it to Nobu in Washington, DC The ambience is elegant and modern, dark and moody, dimly lit by those fancy skinny LED lamps all fancy restaurants use nowadays. All staff is dressed in black from head to try trying to give an air of elegance and sophistication. The staff was friendly and made some recommendations on the menu. I was tempted by the omakese, but we didn't have long to dine and I wasn't hungry enough to order the sushi selection. I went with à la carte this time. I was very excited to try their food, however I must say I left quite disappointed. I don't know if I ordered the wrong thing, or what, but I usually judge a sushi place by their most basic dish: the humble nigiri. I ordered two tako nigiri at $8 or $9 dollars a piece (twice as much than I usually get at my local sushi joint in Japantown, for example) and a toro maki roll for $19-$20. Top top it off, I got a lychee grapefruit yuzu drink. As soon as the food arrived, I knew I was going to need more food. The portions were not only small (look at the thin and tiny slice of octopus on the nigiri! and the maki roll had 6 humble slices) , but it was completely unremarkable in every way. I know what you are gonna say: "duh, octopus is tasteless, it's more about texture" and I'll agree partly with you, but the toro was completely forgettable. No marbling or that rich, butteriness you'd expect from a high quality fatty tuna piece. Sure the fish was fresh, but nothing I couldn't have gotten at any other sushi restaurant for much cheaper and way bigger portions. I ordered more food as the first round would be maybe an appetizer, when I was expecting it to be my whole meal. I ordered the Japanese eel nigiri ( which the server promptly corrected me: "it's called Unagi". I obviously know it's called unagi, but their menu calls out the fish by the English name. Anyway, the server really recommended the jalapeño yellowtail, so I got a maki roll of that with higher hopes this time. I was equally disappointed. No spark, no distinguishing characteristics and I could not even taste the hint of jalapeño. I don't need sugary sauces and overly complicated Americanized toppings on my sushi, the fish was tasty, but nothing special unfortunately. I guess the only saving grace was the real wasabi served instead of horse radish with food coloring paste. My coworker ordered some baby corn in spicy oyster sauce as an appetizer which was very unbalanced. The dates was sweet. It nearly tasted like a dessert. Even after squirting the whole lime provided and drenching it in chilli crisp, it was at best average and uninspired. The best dish was the beef tenderloin marinated in sake and grilled with mushrooms and asparagus. It was tender and flavorful and very well balanced. I could taste the sake and char from the grill and the enoki mushrooms and asparagus were a brilliant compliment. Odd that in a sushi restaurant, the beef was the best dish of the night. For dessert I ordered a lychee strawberry panna cotta with ice cream and fresh strawberries which was delicious and playful. My coworker ordered a stuffed chocolate cream puff which was ok. For the price, and all the hype, unfortunately that's exactly what this experience was. Overpriced hype. I'll guess I'll go to some of the Michelin star sushi restaurants a few blocks away instead next time