Im very shocked. Being in McLean and more expensive I thought this place might be decent. This is by far the bottom of the barrel for me when it comes to Chinese food. ZERO FLAVOR. Extremely Bland. I had to add salt pepper and soy sauce to everything just to be able to eat it and not waste my food. The only thing authentic about this place is the workers. What could improve this place? A new cook is the simple answer. Visually it looks good but that's where it stops. Im sad, I was hoping to find a spot near my house. read more

Cafe China - Lemon Chicken that tastes like cardboard. - Chinese Near Me - McLean, Virginia

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UPDATE: Cafe China has responded well to the pandemic. They closed initially for safety reasons, but then reopened as a takeout-only operation, with nobody allowed inside the restaurant. They offer window pickup, or delivery within 3 miles, for a small fee. My previous comments stand, but Cafe China's food feels blander to me than ever, and I'm afraid for that reason I can't give it more than 3 stars. read more

Love the Singapore noodles!!!! Love! I've had these for over a decade and they're always delicious and generous with their portions. I always ask for extra bean sprouts:) We also love the shrimp lobster, pork dumplings and house fried rice. read more

Cafe China - a qr code on a window - Chinese Near Me - McLean, Virginia

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Truly the worst Chinese food I've ever had. Our go-to is House of Dynasty in Alexandria, so this is a direct comparison to one of the best Chinese restaurants around. We were in the area, checked reviews and headed there. Here's what we ordered: (2) hot and sour soups. Flavorless with button mushrooms floating on top.It was neither hot (spicy) or sour (vinegar). It was just nothing. (2) vegetable spring rolls. I have never seen smaller spring rolls. As for the taste, pretty much on par with the soup. Lunch order of twice cooked pork. Pork was thick, tough and flavorless. Spouse took about two bites and just ate the rice and vegetables. Ordering was kinda weird as you speak through the plate glass window to order and get your food. One and done, as I can see no reason to go back. read more

This place was great if you're looking for yummy comfort food. Ordered here for the first time last night- I was a bit on the fence after reading some reviews but I'm glad we decided to try it AND support this small local business. I had General Tso's Chicken- delicious! It was flavorful, crispy, meaty AND they made it mild (I'm not a fan of spicy food) as I requested. The to-go box was FULL of chicken- they definitely did not skimp. Egg drop soup was yummy. Rice was fluffy and tasted great, too. The rating is closer to 4.5 stars... my husbands meal was heavy on the veggies and not enough meat but I had so much chicken that I gave him some of mine. Bonus- they gave us some almond cookies as an added treat. Nice little surprise! Please give them a try- we will go back read more

Sorry this will be short and sweet, well maybe not for this restaurant. So we had our big snow storm and a couple days later, we didnt feel like cooking or going out. The only place which delivered Chinese food was this place. We ordered the regular fried dumplings, chicken w/mushrooms in brown sauce, lo mein and fried rice. While the Americanized Chinese fried rice, lo mein were okay, the dumplings were not. The dumpling skin was very thick but the problem was the taste. Two words: freezer burn. That left a terrible taste in my mouth. How long have these dumplings been in the freezer and when were they made????? Also chicken didnt taste right of chix and mushrooms. Maybe they actually used a rubber chicken! One extra star for delivery....... read more

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Quick, timely, good quality food. Excellent combination Lo mein, not too greasy, shrimp are cooked just right. Sesame chicken was done well, could have had less breading, flavor was overall good. read more

Great food, and highly recommended for take-out! The first review pretty much hits the nail on the head. Great food, prompt preparation and a delivery to a limited radius. I would recommend the take-out or delivery options since, yeah, there are only three tables in there and it's not that great an atmosphere. Great food, though...check it out if you're in that Chesterbrook area. I recommend the crispy sesame beef! Enjoy! read more

Live about a mile away, so I take-out once a week. I'm 30+ and just want comfort food. I use the Internet to order, drive over (about 10 minutes) and usually my order is waiting for me. It's a hole in wall in a small shopping strip, next to Afghan Kabob place, Domino's Pizza and a dry cleaner. Corner of Kirby Rd & Old Dominion (123), about 1.5 miles from McLean's business/shopping district. Only 3 tables there, and at dinner, the owner's children are there. I always order the same food: (1) Beef & broccoli ($10.25) -- my daughter loves the tender beef; broccoli is crisp, load of sauce overpowers it. Overall, I like it. (2) Chicken fried rice -- A-OK, good, solid but had better (but no egg, so it's soy rice w/ shredded chicken). (3) Shrimp fried rice --A-OK, good, solid, and has a reasonable amount of shrimp (also usually no egg). (4) Chicken lo mein - also A-OK, good, solid, typically greasy, but hey, what do you want for $7.50, about the price of a 5-Guys big burger. (5) Singapore rice noodle (for those who don't know, it uses a dry curry) -- all types of meats and actually very good, but a bit pricey at $9 (remember, this supposed to be cheap chinese). I get the free crab Rangoon (a cream cheese in a fried, pinched wonton wrapper) for ordering over $30. Never had lunch or sit in; I'll keep going back because of above average food and proximity, and the owner is just trying to make a living. read more

This is the closest Chinese style takeout to me (you can eat in if you want but it's mostly habitated around lunchtimes by roving packs of tradespeople). It's extremely fast in prep (around 5 mins, definitely less than 10), and similarly in service. The prices are okay and the food is okay. I'd stick with beef over chicken for your meat selection in general. Watch out for the $10 minimum on credit card. read more

MSG MSG MSG. Two stars for the initial taste and nice lady on the reception. Be aware, you will get ridiculously thirsty shortly after you consumed the food and you won't feel a thing on your tongue. read more

OK, update for Cafe China. I'm lowering my review from 4 stars to 3 stars, for a couple of reasons: 1) their spring rolls are average at best. They're small (excusable) and not very flavorful. 2) their egg rolls are even worse. No bigger than the spring rolls (not excusable) and no more flavorful. 3) I think my excitement of initial discovery caused me to overrate it slightly. That being said, it's still the best takeout I've had in McLean, and the Crispy Sesame Beef is still quite good. It's sweet instead of spicy, and the beef isn't too tough like some Chinese dishes at takeout places. We had the Lo Mein as well, and it was in the 3.5 star instead of 4 star food. Temperature on the food is still commendable, portions are good, and I'll still be going back. read more

I'm surprised this place has so many good reviews. I tried really hard to like this place because its so close to my job and school that I imagined grabbing dinner here before a night at the library. Unfortunately, everytime I get anything from here, I get sick, bloated (tmi ;)) and usually can't sleep. Regardless of what I order, this has happened enough times for me to be done with them. The food is tasty, but I assume not very fresh. And I do eat greasy chinese food from plenty of places to know this terrible indigestion is not a common denominator of all chinese take out restaurants. read more

Food is Good but price is too high now, they don't have lunch specials anymore. I used to buy food for my workers here but not anymore.

The spicy orange eggplant dish was mostly fried batter; heart attack of a dish. The veggie dumplings were underseasoned, and the spicy kung pao tofu just didn't taste good. I ended up tossing everything out. read more

Has become my favorite Chinese Delivery in North Arlington. Maybe because they offer some good rice-noodle dishes. Delivery services have been either on time or early. Definitely not exceptional food, but there is a "comfort food" factor that it achieves. read more

Very good, reasonably priced Chinese food. It is mainly designed for carry out, since there are only 2 tables in the actual building. But it does very well at carry out. The food is almost always ready in less than 10 minutes, and the people are very friendly. They do deliver for free on orders over $15 and within 3 miles. They take mastercard and visa for orders over $10, which can sometimes be annoying when I want a $8 dish. The other reason it isn't 5 stars is that when they repeat back what you ordered over the phone, you have no idea what they just said and hope it is the right thing. But in ordering at least 20 times its always been correct. The people working there are pretty nice. Open late w00t! read more

Seriously, the cashier/hostess/waitress is so embarrassing. She brings her two toddler children to work with her. I order a lunch special and then she forgets about me. the 5 spanish construction workers, who ordered after me, got all of their orders before me. Then, when she finally gives me my meal, she forgets to include an egg roll and a fortune cookie, as advertised in the menu, and she just runs into the kitchen and orders her little son to tell me that "his mom forgot to cook the egg roll so its going to be a few minutes". NEVER going back to this embarrassing catastrophe of a restaurant again. read more

Very good food and service as far as carryout goes. I am generally disappointed by the availability of good Chinese options in Tysons/McLean/N.Arlington area, but Cafe China offers decent food when I am looking for a quick fix or just some comfort food. The vegetables are always very fresh and meat is not soaked in corn starch like other places in the area. Also, I like the size and freshness of their shrimp - would recommend their shrimp/pork springrolls (comes in 2) and Shrimp with Broccoli (in white sauce). Also, ask for their dried bean curd with pork - pretty close to authentic chinese taste! I always ask them what's fresh today and they will fix something special for you - another treate at this customer-friendly place. read more

Great take out Chinese. Best in McLean! Love the chicken fried rice and general Tso's.

This place is pretty cool because it's run by a family. They serve above average food but don't expect anything amazing. The price matches the food quality and they are pretty speedy about getting it out and to you. I order from here all the time. read more

Just moved down here from NYC, where all the chinese food is too greasy and overpriced. Knowing it's usually better in the suburbs, I was expecting good things from this place. I ordered the house lomein and egg rolls. Not only was it more money than I expected, but both dishes lacked flavor and were really greasy. Probably not coming here again. read more

I don't think all the negative reviews have merit (especially the trash rating on Google). Yes, the lady at the front desk can be a little short and has an accent, but clearly this is an immigrant family owned business and I think part of it is due to the language barrier. Asian cultures often don't put such emphasis on greetings and the small talk that Americans engage in. The restaurant is small and not the most nicely decorated, but it's a hole in the wall mainly for takeout! Who cares, the food is always good and most importantly CHEAP. It's the cheapest Chinese I've found in McLean and while it's not going to shock you with flavor, it's still good and standard Americanized Chinese. I've never found hair or had any negative experience, just don't go in expecting to mingle or make small talk. read more

Great sauces on the sesame chicken and general Tso chicken. I usually get lunch specials which is reasonably priced for the area and they never mess up the order. They've also got the EverFresh drink selection which is clutch. There's a few chairs and tables but it's definitely a To-Go place. Definitely one of the better chinese food spots in the area! read more

Cafe china surely you could do better..with such great reviews I should have been a little hesitant , but how can you screw up shrimp fried rice?! easy you don't cook the rice for more then 2 minutes you pass off sub par luke warm shrimp and you "give" me dumplings that where literally Dumpy! the tasted like dough on top of dough on top of dough on top of well you get the idea! once again I am disappointed by the food in this area. please save you money and get panda express it is just about the same. read more

Very bad service, it was so cold inside so we let them know that they Rudely told us if we don't like how cold it is to take carry out I don't recommend it at all -5 stars read more

Horrible Chinese food with the one saving grace that it's the only place nearby that does egg foo young

My favorite Chinese take-out spot. I've been a customer for many years. Large portions, generous with the meat to vegetable ratio, fresh vegetables, and excellent service. It's a family run business, which makes me love it even more. I've had the pleasure of watching the owners' children grow up and they put a smile on my face every time I pop in. They are usually quietly working on their homework in the evenings. The older they get, the more they help out- answering phones, ringing up customers, grabbing drinks from the fridge. The fifth star is just for them! Do try the crispy sesame beef. pro tip: I usually crack the top open to let the steam out, so that it doesn't get soggy on the way home. Other favorites include the Szechuan green beans, moo shu pork, shrimp egg foo young, and hot and sour soup. read more

Everything was tasty! The lemon chicken was crunchy and sufficiently lemony, the fried rice was really good with lots of chicken and veggies, and the pad Thai was also very good. I think we've found our go-to Chinese delivery! read more

HORRIBLE ! HORRIBLE ! I would never come back to this place , the lady in the front desk was really rude my chicken broccoli was dry tasteless read more

Just stopped here for dinner, was starving. Ordered chicken fried rice and it was just amazing! Just the way I like it. Giving it 3 stars to be fair to the chef, the lady and man in the front do not even understand the concept of common courtesy or customer service. Extremely rude! No hi no bye, nothing. Horrible service. read more

One of the other reviewers said "comfort" chinese food - can't disagree...but I love this place. We only do take out, but it is good, cheap, always delivered fast - crab rangoon is a hit (alright - my SO loves it) and kids love chicken lo mein (which I though was chow mein on the west coast). Food always good, great for lunch leftovers the next day and enough fortune cookies to go around. I usually order from work before I leave - I can manage payment & tip online so the babysitter doesn't have to deal with anything other than opening the door. Convenient & good. read more

Mediocre food at best, incompetent and clueless service. The sweet and sour shrimp was a lump of dough with gelatinous sauce. The so-called spicy garlic eggplant had no flavor at all. Never again! read more

I really love the general tso chicken, really love the sauce!!! And the lo mein is really good the ingredients are very fresh. Really good place for take out and delivery!!!!! read more