Some pretty outstanding fish soup. Don't let yourself get fooled by the slightly random / nonsensical name (even the Chinese name makes no sense to me -- what on earth does "no second / two house / family" mean?); B2J Fish Soup is home to one some of the best authentic Chinese food in the DMV. As the name implies, they specialize in fish soup, particularly a hot and sour pickled fish soup (suan cai yu) that originates from Sichuan. This dish was one of my childhood favorites, and B2J did an incredible job crafting a deeply flavorful soup that transported me right back to my family's kitchen. The soup is served in the largest bowls I've ever seen and absolutely loaded with pickled veggies and tender, flaky fish that completely soaks up all the spicy and sour flavor. I appreciate that the soup isn't overly spicy or salty, so it's possible to drink the actual soup instead of just fishing out its fillings, and it goes great with the side of white rice. Their meal combo options also come with several appetizers of choice so, in addition to the delightful suan cai yu, we also got the fried milk custard and wood ear mushroom salad. The salad was super refreshing, with a great crunch from the wood ear mushrooms and red onions. The dressing was mostly vinegar and chili-based, so it was sour, spicy, salty, and slightly sweet. It was a delightful precursor to the spicy and sour fish soup, and the leftovers also kept incredibly well over the next couple of days. The fried milk custard was a great appetizer but made an even better dessert; the milk was gooey and melty, and the fried outer shell was perfectly crispy. It was such a delightful combination of flavors and not overly sweet. This hidden gem is quite quaint, but they managed to fit a decent amount of seating inside, with several long tables lining each side of the restaurant and a narrow aisle in between. The seats are comfy and, while the tables are quite close together, there's still enough space to feel like you have a bit of privacy / separation from the other diners. I love the little bamboo light fixtures, and one of their back walls has a little semi-circle design that looks like fish scales, adding to the fun, fish-themed ambiance. read more

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This is our favorite place for fish! Okay, my family loves soup, and this is very flavorful big pot soup with awesome fish! We loved the classic flavor- just enough spicy ( plenty enough for me), to make it not overwhelm the fish and still has a good kick. We did try their spicier one - that was too much spicy in our opinion, but the level of spiciness is a personal preference. Their non- spicy tomato base is also very good! The fish itself- not fishy at all. Very fresh, goes very well with the soup. The sauerkraut is very flavorful and enhances the experience well, not overpowering anything. It all goes in harmony to creat a great experience! Loved their cold spicy chicken as an appetizer and the cucumber salad with peanuts were very well received. And one more thing - their rice - is SO good! Yeah, odd thing to specifically mention rice of any Asian restaurant- this is my first as well! But their rice was just that good! read more

Gotta give credit where it's due--the century eggs were actually really tasty, and the crispy fried fish skin was pretty good too. Those were probably the highlights of the meal. That said, I probably wouldn't come back. I felt extremely thirsty after getting home, which made me think the dishes were pretty heavy on MSG. They also forgot the wide noodles we ordered and only brought them out later. By then, they hadn't been cooked together with the tomato broth, so it completely missed the essence. In terms of value, we only ordered three set meals plus one extra wide noodles, and the total came out to over a hundred. For what we got, the value felt pretty average. We then went to another restaurant in the next day, ordered six dishes plus drinks, and still spent less --with much more variety in flavors. read more

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For starters, the hours have changed. They are open for lunch on weekdays until 3, not 3:30 pm. We came in at 2:47 and there was no one at the front of the house. The server was checking in a truck delivery at the back door. I got her attention and we ordered the fish soup mild, which just meant the chef did not throw extra hot peppers in the broth. We ordered some clear noodles extra. The soup is excellent, definitely spicy with some hot bits of spice hard to avoid. The clear noodles were wide and slippery, a little difficult to eat with the spoon or chopsticks but worth the trouble. As other people have mentioned, it is just a storefront restaurant with a small number of tables. My wife liked the Chinese music. read more

B2J Fish Soup - Updated schedule - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Great place with great food! We came on a weekday so it was quite empty- the place is actually quite small but it was fine because there were only the 2 of us. We ordered the combo for 2 and it was just enough, perfect size. My spice tolerance isn't that great so it was a bit too spicy for me (and I already did ask for even less spice) but it was still very good. Fish and beef were also really good though they could've probably put a few more pieces in there. Fish wasn't fishy so I loved that and the meat was perfectly soft and tender. I personally didn't love the stuffed lotus root with sweet rice because the lotus root was like mush- not my favorite texture for lotus root because I prefer it on the crunchier side. The fried sticky rice was alright, not the best but also not the worst. Would definitely come back for the main dish though and probably try the other sides next time! read more

B2J Fish Soup - Fish And Beef Pot Small with signature sour and spicy - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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One of the best places to go on a frigid cold winter day. Also, although David is not normally a soup person, this is just about one of the only places that he'll willingly go, which is great because my parents like it here too so we make it a family outing! For 4 of us we ordered the 3-person soup with 3 add-ons and 3 sides and the fish/beef combo. Do not underestimate the size of this soup! Halfway through we started questioning if we should have ordered the 2-person soup instead. We can never finish it all and always have a container full of soup to bring home. We do manage to finish most of the fish and beef though. We get the "mild spicy" which if you're a spice noob like me = EXTRA SPICY! Seriously, if you can't handle spice, mild spicy is too much. Next time, we'll probably have to just order the tomato based non spicy soup. I don't know how they get the beef and fish filets to cook so perfectly. The beef is SO tender and so flavorful every time. For the side dishes, we ordered the takoyaki, cucumber salad, and fried dough sticks (you tiao). For the add-ons, we got the bok choy, emoji mushroom, and noodles. Their takoyaki always surprises me, super hot and crispy although not much octopus inside and mostly dough. Today for dessert we decided to order the milk mochi which seemed new, and it was the perfect refreshing dessert. Kind of more jelly-like rather than mochi, but not too sweet and perfectly balanced with crispy almonds to stick onto it for that sweet crunch. Seriously be warned - don't get even the mild spicy if you can't handle! Lol. read more

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B2J Fish Soup was an adventure for us. We went in curious and left very full. There were 7 of us, and we ordered the combo for 2 and the combo for 3 thinking we'd be safe. We still had leftovers. Portion sizes here are absolutely no joke, so come hungry and come with a team. The cucumber salad appetizers were refreshing and addictive, and everything else landed hard: chicken wings, takoyaki, crispy pork belly, crispy fish skin. They unfortunately ran out of the house-made milk mochi, which hurt a little, but the backup desserts more than made up for it. The fried Chinese buns and house-made fried milk custards with condensed milk were unreal. Crispy, warm, and just right. The fish soup itself is comforting and flavorful, perfect for sharing, and the overall vibe feels very much like a family-style restaurant. If you're looking for a spot that encourages ordering big, sharing everything, and rolling out satisfied, B2J Fish Soup is that place read more

B2J Fish Soup - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Our party of 4 adults and 3 babies just finished our lunch here. We ordered the beef and fish large pot with 4 side dishes. The large half beef half tilapia pot with 4 included sides and 4 add-ons in total were $119 pre-tax. Honestly, it was money well spent. The side dishes were a big hit with the babies. The adults loved the intense heat from the beef and tilapia. I would recommend going for the fish only pot for future reference because I thought the flavors of the tilapia surpassed the beef by a noticeable margin. We really enjoyed this small and cozy restaurant. read more

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Generous portions, excellent flavor, loved the sides as well. Came in a large group and there was definitely enough food to go around. We got the non spicy and regular spicy options. Very authentic flavors. You will for sure walk out of here full and satisfied read more

B2J Fish Soup - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Have been meaning to come here after hearing so much about it, and we're definitely coming back soon! When entering the restaurant was a lot smaller than I expected, but it didn't feel small once we sat. The interior is cute, clean, and cozy. Came with the wifey and got their signature spicy and sour soup with fish. Their for 2 combo was massive. We had to take half of it home I'm not the biggest fan of sour flavors but I found this dish to be delicious. It wasn't overwhelming, it was savory and comforting. Next time we're trying their Szechuan base! read more

B2J Fish Soup - Signature Spicy Sour Soup - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Tldr good proportion, delicious food, good service Went for dinner on Saturday night and while we didn't have to wait, the place was consistently full the whole time we were there. Since it was our first time going, we opted for the combo for 2 with the signature soup, black fungus mushroom & bok choy as our add-ons, and cucumber salad & chinese donuts as our sides. The soup itself already had some tofu and chinese saurkraut with the fish. The chinese saurkraut in the soup can be a little strong if it's your first time having it, but overall we enjoyed both the fish soup and our sides. There are a lot of options for both the soup, add-ons, and sides so we'd love to go back and try other combinations as well! We had a ton of leftover food and will probably be able to make at least another meal out of it, which is always a plus read more

B2J Fish Soup - Signature soup with black fungus mushroom and bok choy, Fried Chinese Donut, Cucumber Salad - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Unexpected authentic Chinese place in Gaithersburg! The inside is small, with maybe 10-15 tables. Service is quick and no frills, very typical of Chinese restaurants but the flavor is amazing. We got the classic pit with fish, gizzard and thousand year old eggs as the sides. The tanginess of the soup pot was refreshing. It was spicy but makes you go back for more! The fish pieces were big and very tender. Def get the Chinese orange soda, it's like a Fanta, but a lighter classic old Chinese brand of soda that we all grew up with. Can't go wrong with any tho info on the menu! The seating area is also clean and nicely lit. Will be back! read more

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Absolutely worth to come! The fish soup here is incredibly flavorful, rich, and comforting. We ordered the signature spicy sour fish combo and every dish was fresh and perfectly seasoned. The portions are huge, great for sharing with friends or family. The staff was friendly, service was fast, and the restaurant was clean and welcoming. Even during busy hours, the food came out quickly. If you enjoy authentic Chinese-style fish soup, this place is a must-try in Gaithersburg. Definitely coming back again! read more

B2J Fish Soup - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Amazing Fish Soup! Best I've ever had in the States. I don't have pictures anymore but it was a good serving size too. We had the Classic Spicy Sour, the Housemade Fried Milk Custard, and the Fried Fish Skin. Service is amazing. The hostess is warm and friendly and there was a good vibe in general. For some reason the music was one song on loop when we went and another table requested to have it changed after like twenty minutes *never mind I have the picture read more

B2J Fish Soup - Classic Combo For Two 两人套餐 Housemade Fried Milk Custard 手作炸鲜奶 Crispy Fried Fish Skin 酥酥鱼皮 - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

like authentic Chinese food and this place has dishes that are very similar to what I had in China. It's really hard to find Chinese restaurants in the states that aren't "Americanized." The numbing picked sour fish soup was delicious, and the side dishes (marinated chicken slices and cucumber salad) was extremely flavorful. Service was great as well and they answered all our questions. We had lots of food to take home because we got a lot of food for the combo price! Ambiance was casual with some bamboo lanterns hanging from the ceiling which was neat. read more

B2J Fish Soup - Sour picked fish soup - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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B2J Fish Shop is one of the best places to get fresh seafood. The fish is always high quality, fresh, and reasonably priced. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to help with recommendations. The store is clean, well-organized, and has a great selection of seafood products. Every visit has been a great experience, and I always leave satisfied with my purchase. Highly recommend B2J Fish Shop to anyone looking for fresh fish and excellent customer service! read more

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Food here is awesome and impressive. Very good place for family and friends gathering. You won't regret it. Service is also great. Highly recommended! read more

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Food was really good. We ordered the signature flavor broth with fish and beef. also ordered the crispy pork belly (recommend) and wheat noodles which is def more traditional taste. read more

Excellent food, very quick service! Highlights are the chicken wings and the sauerkraut fish of course read more

B2J Fish Soup - Signature sauerkraut fish (for 2) - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Delicious, go to spot for fish casserole. The sides here are also fantastic - lots of variety!

The fish was so authentic and spicy in all the best ways. My favorite has got to be the crispy fried milk that is so sweet and delicious. If you are looking for delicious food then this is the perfect place! :) read more

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Food always hits the spot. Lots of fish for the two person combo, enough for 3 people. read more

B2J Fish Soup - Fish And Beef Pot Medium 鱼牛双拼中份 - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Came for lunch, there were a few tables being occupied, but mostly empty, we wanted to side at a table that is away from the door, the waitress was reluctant about it, I am not sure why , but at the end she relented and we had our lunch, food is good enough , the sour fish soup was good, fried pork belly is great. Only the waitress continues to sit and played with her phone for a while before coming over to take orders, lousy service., very unattractive. In addition, there were two customers came in during our lunch with a small dog, the dog was practically on the table eating out of the owners chopsticks, the owner didn't intervene at all. read more

Back for the fall season. My wife and I were craving it after watching some recent cooking shows. Everything hit the spot and was as good as I remember. Service was great and the restaurant very clean. An easy 5 stars! read more

B2J Fish Soup - Updated menu - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Food are good. Service is great. I have been here couple times and always keep good quality. I like to gather with friend here. It's a small restaurant and comfortable seating. read more

Really good food. Fish soup is no doubt the best in MD. The side dishes are really good too! The serving size is also huge! read more

B2J Fish Soup - Fish Pot Small and Crispy Fried Pork Belly 小酥肉 - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Wifey and I had lunch midweek. Our first visit here based on Yelp high reviews. With water to drink and no dessert, our pre-tip meal price was $63.59. Food Small fish soup for two would have been sufficient for four normal portions. OMG! We took half home. BTW - the take home packaging was well above average in quality - double plastic bags and aluminum containers were unusual. The normal spicy level was good for us and I think would be for the average diner. Our add-ins were enoki mushrooms (fun) and pork balls (lean and tender), yet the fish dominated. The fish held together in the soup and did not disintegrate as we worried about. Not good at describing the flavor, yet it is fair to say it was complex and not something I got tired of. In fact, long after deciding to stop eating, I continued to sample the broth as it compelled me to do so. Cucumber salad was fresh and crispy. Donuts - delicious counterbalance to spicy soup and not sweet. Two bowls of fresh rice we hardly touched but took home. Service There was only one other table occupied in our time there. So, our service was good. After informing our server it was our first time, we received thorough instructions and recommendations. Dishes arrived within 10 minutes all together and hot. Ambiance Clean, neat, airy and bright while still being cozy. Two wall mounted TV screens provide ambient background. Plenty of parking in strip mall lot. I'd definitely return for this soup and likely try different elements. There were a good number of other choices that seemed interesting. read more

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Very chill, homey atmosphere. We were greeted by very friendly staff and the food quality and portions exceeded my expectations! Awesome place with a group of friends read more

Really good dinner, we select the couples dinner option. Enjoyed a nice and spicy meal. read more

B2J Fish Soup - Fish And Beef Pot Small 鱼牛双拼小份 - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

The restaurant is small, but there is decent amount of seating for small to medium parties. Based off of my take out experience, it seems like the owners do the cooking and order taking, so they were pretty busy. Service was great though! I ordered for me and my friends: Pickled Chicken Gizzards Crispy Fried Pork Belly House Made Fried Milk Custard All the dishes were really good! The pork belly was crispy, the gizzards were thinly sliced and delicious with the pickled onions, and the milk custard was mochi-like and not too sweet! I would recommend these dishes, and order them again. read more

B2J Fish Soup - Top to bottom: Pickled Chicken Gizzard, Crispy Fried Pork Belly, and Housemade Fried Milk Custard - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

If you love northern spicy Chinese food, this is the place for you! They're known for their fish soup broth (which we ordered and recommend over the beef broth). The beef broth is good too but I personally enjoyed the dish more. I also really liked their desserts (fried milk) was my favorite! Subtly sweet but eat it at the end of your meal because mixing something sweet after eating spicy was a bit weird. Service was very good. Our waitress was very attentive and told us her recommendations as well. It is a small restaurant and it's very casual. Would only recommend a maximum party of 6 because of limited space if dining in. read more

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New concept in franchise Chinese dinning - fish soup with sides. Friendly service but be prepared to wait in line or be served due to limited seating. We had both none-spicy and regular Chinese cabbage based tilapia, served in a huge bowl (sized for 2, , 4, and 6 servings). It's like eating steak in a steak house, you order how the food is supposed to be done - steak is medium rare and fish is hot & spicy. The sides are appetizing - fried chicken, pork belly, fried donut, lotus roots etc. simple stuff or something that made out of a central kitchen. The milk mochi is definitely worth a try. read more

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This is a small and warm cozy restaurant. It has a great atmosphere where you can dine and talk in here and have nice conversations without noise. The food is excellent was nice large portions. read more

A small little gem of an authentic Guangzhou specialty restaurant hidden away in the Gaithersburg suburban strip mall. Don't take it's plain facade for granted until you get to sit and appreciate the ambience of a gourmet café creatively decorated with fisherman weaved basket lights and graphics announcing the owner's affection for the dishes being served. This is not a typical Chinese restaurant. You will learn very quickly once the appetizers arrive and nicely presented each of its own delectably delicious origin. The main event appears when the server cradles a humongous bowl of sour cabbage fish soup to your table. This dish is more fun when you have a group of people dining with you. Don't forget to order the plum drink and cooling desserts to complement the soup. This one of a kind place may have planted a Chinatown seed in the midst of Montgomery County for others to follow - which is by the way fitful of its "B2J" title literally translated as "No Two Other" by our server. read more

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The food is really good, especially their Old Pot Pickled Fish, the restaurant's signature dish. I've been here many times. read more

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Delicious and very comforting! Definitely will come back to try the Szechuan soup! Very fast service, will recommend people to try if they haven't had anything like this! read more

B2J Fish Soup - Signature Sour Fish soup - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Service is bad, keep your expectations low when coming. The first time we tried to dine here, they turned us away 30 mins before closing time. This time, they made us move tables after ordering because they wanted to accommodate a larger party. Nothing outrageous, just not a common experience. There's also only one waitress, so expect to wait longer for service especially when it gets busy. Tables are super close together and can barely squeeze by without my butt getting uncomfortably close to the other table's food. Fried milk custard was not bad, slightly sweet, kind of greasy Spicy sour fern starch noodles were not sour or spicy at all, and were actually sweet, which was disappointing. The noodles were nice and bouncy. The fish soup was awesome, I've been craving sauerkraut fish soup ever since having it for the first time in New York. It wasn't uncomfortably spicy, and the combo for 2 came with 2 toppings and 2 sides, which I thought was well priced. I would definitely come back for it. read more

B2J Fish Soup - Spicy sour fern starch noodles, house made fried milk custard - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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We ordered two people set for the lunch gathering with friends. The fish is very tender and the desserts are good. Will definitely come again. read more

B2J Fish Soup - Fish And Beef Pot Medium - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

The restaurant is a little small, but the food was so good. It is definitely pricey, our bill came out to about $60 for two people but we were very full and it was so authentic and delicious. it definitely doesn't look aesthetic or pretty, but the flavor was perfect! they played a video about where the fish was sourced from which was nice! service was very quick too. read more

B2J Fish Soup - 酸菜鱼 Fish Pot Small - Szechuan Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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It's an unorthodox location for this type of cuisine, but it works. It's a rather small location, but the lighting makes the place a bit larger than usual as it spotlights the huge bowl in the middle. The $60 option for two people is plenty of food as it contains the big bowl with fish and two toppings and then two appetizer items. It's quite filling. I recommend the spicy chicken appetizer and the crispy wings. Add more protein in the mix and you will leave full! The service is good and doesn't require a lot of attention. They bring the food to you and it is all yours to devour. So far, everyone that I had the pleasure of serving us has been nice and down to earth. Never felt rushed. read more