tldr; great Chinese kitchen nooked away in Tyson's Corner. Across from Hey Tea Hidden little Chinese kitchen tucked in Tyson's Corner mall. We heard a bit of hype about this place and decided to check it out. There are two menus, one is in full Chinese and has some pretty authentic Chinese street food dishes, the other is the canonical English menu which is also authentic american-chinese dishes by its own right. We got a mix of both considering we understand both. It's generally pretty busy throughout the day and the chefs literally cook in front of you as the kitchen is front and center. Most people seem to opt for the choose-your-own teppan-style. We might try that next time. We got spicy vinegar shredded potato, orange chicken, and beef with cabbage (idk or remember if thats what their direct translations are but its close) and they're all very well cooked - the amount and quality is much higher than what I'd expect from a mall food court. The cooking is fresh, the ratios were correct, each dish came with a side of rice. For the two of us, we definitely took quite a bit home and had leftovers the next day. read more

See all

Tried out this place while walking around Tyson's mall. It was truly pretty good. I got the chicken with green beans and I thought it was very flavorful. My husband got their pad Thai and he wasn't too happy with it. He stated it didn't have any flavor. They were pretty fast and they obviously had no seating. read more

Took my plate of food to the table and as I sat down the man beside us vomited in his drinking cup.....he did this every 5 minutes for the 45 minutes we were there. The waitress kept taking his "puke" cup from him. I was so nauseated didn't take 1 bite. I asked for a to go box and explained the situation to the waitress. We paid for 2 buffets dinners. As we were leaving she ran out into the parking lot, arms flailing, screaming in broken English that we needed to pay extra for the boxed food. WHAT? Then starts yelling something along the lines that we can't eat there again! NO PROBLEM!!!!! read more

A favorite of mine when I eat inside Tyson's mall. Great food and the flavors really come out because it's cooked on a wok with a big flame. Food comes out hot and fresh. I usually get the lo mein noodles, dry bean curd, as my favorites. Most of the chef specials are good. I don't recommend the fried rice as it's not that good, rice is dark with soy sauce I think. Service is good, you can order at kiosk or at the register. Not many seating options, just the tables outside in the mall. read more

I popped in because lunchtime at Tyson's Corner on the weekend is always a busy scene! Even with the line, I got my food pretty quickly. I ordered the fried rice, and the portion was so generous that I had leftovers to take home. The open kitchen setup let me watch the chefs prepare my meal right before my eyes. I'm really happy I decided to try something new this time. read more

Chef Lin - Fast casual - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

See all

Stir fried udon was good but a bit too salty. Also I'm surprised that even though they use wok to cook freshly, the food doesn't have a "wok" taste. There's no seats in the store. You'll need to find a place in the hallway. read more

Chef Lin - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

Ordered shrimp and broccoli. They're the tiniest shrimps I've seen. Not worth the 13 bucks they're charging. read more

Chef Lin - Where are they - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

See all

A big group of us stopped by Chef Lin for lunch this past Sunday. The wait for food wasn't too long and we ordered an assortment to family style. The ones that stood out to me were the spareribs with brown sauce, pork intestines pepper stir-fry, and the stir-fried glass noodles. We had a bunch of other entrees that were pretty good, but I wasn't the one who ordered it so I'm not sure what we ate. Overall, it's more fun to family style several options to see what you like/don't like. Each entree comes with more rice than we could eat. The food is generally pretty oily/greasy. For fast Chinese mall food, it's not bad for what it is, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. read more

For Chinese cuisine in a mall, this place is a family favorite! Very to traditional Chinese restaurants, their are many options to select from. Either off the menu, through their Mongolian BBQ option, or just explaining what you are looking for, they are able to prepare it! Located in the food court section of Tysons Mall, they can be very busy on the weekend or special dates. We opted for the lo mien noodles, add bamboo shoots, chicken, and fried tofu...and make it spicy! It was prepared perfectly and was delicious! For approximately $15, the portions were hefty and shareable. Service was friendly and helpful if you can't decide. Overall, a great experience and will be back again! Enjoy! read more

Came back today during my lunch break and this spot is always on point. I had braised beef over rice and it was delicious. A luscious sauce with juicy beef hit the spot. Still can't believe this place is so underrated. read more

This is a hidden gem in the tysons mall- best chinese selection in the mall and made to order. It has numerous traditional Chinese dishes, and that's what we always go for. Service is great, and they have the kiosk for quick ordering. Ambiance is the mall, so it's always busy. read more

Chef Lin - Shrimp and egg and homestyle tofu. Would say shrimp and egg bit underwhelming. - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

See all

So I actually have liked this place alot in the past, but today we FOUND A BUG IN OUR FOOD!!! I don't know what the sanitary practices are here, but buyer beware. This wasn't a tiny bug either!!! (See image). We brought it up to them and the graciously offered a refund, and we ended up going across the way to another restaurant. read more

Chef Lin - Bug. - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

We keep coming back for their vegetarian mapo tofu. It's not as tongue ticking lip, lip numbing but they gravy is amazing, tastes great always, very consistent taste since years! I am coming here since last 4 years. It's a take out Chinese place but you can find ample seating in the mall. Do get fried rice on the side, it pairs well. read more

Chef Lin - Mapo Tofu! The best dish here - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

It's solid for chinese/japanese cheap food court food! Honestly, my go-to in the lower floor of Tysons corner food. read more

Chef Lin - Tuna Avocado Roll - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

See all

This is really good food. They make a dish that's very simple and ordinary -- it's Chinese comfort food. Tomato egg is my favorite. Thank you! read more

I was really excited about Chef Lin opening, but I'm not thrilled with its location. It is near the McDonald's and Panda Express (which has ridiculous lines by the way). This area doesn't have a lot of seating in the "hallway" and the restaurant itself doesn't have any seating. Now I still like it because it's freshly made to order. They to go sushi rolls. The service is fast, giving you an order within 15-20 minutes. Would def come back but maybe take it upstairs to eat at the food court by amc. read more

The rice was overcooked and tasteless, and the General Tso's chicken tasted terrible. I couldn't finish it and threw it away. I don't recommend this restaurant." read more

I visit chef Lin every few months for their make your own stir-fry. I've been coming here for about 10 years now. This is a cost-effective meal option and only runs about $10-13 depending on what meat you add. Sometimes I'll get veggie and add meat at home. The portions are huge, it's truly however much you can fit in your bowl. They have various options such as noodles, veggies, tofu, etc. They also have tons of sauce options. I highly recommend for a good easy dinner option, you can even take out the noodles to get rid of carbs and load up on veggies if you need. The food overall from the make your own stir-fry is always tasty and I've never had an issue. This is conveniently located in Tyson's at the bottom food court near CPK. read more

See all

Order the spicy Singapore noodles....they tasted like NOTHING! I was so disappointed. You can tell they just mixed it with curry and NO SPICE. mind you it states "spicy" on the menu. I went back to let them know it tasted like nothing and she said "more spice" I'm like yes because it came with none so idk what you mean by "more". I won't lie yall....even after the extra spice it just wasn't giving for $12 and the shrimp were extremely small. This place smelled so good but I threw my entire plate in the TRASH. read more

Food is so good. Super Fast service. Friendly ambiance. Whatever I choose from the menu it never makes disappoint me.

Mall Chinese food...can be a risky proposition especially with the premade dishes that could be sitting there for 2 hours. Chef Lin is not that...they make your dish fresh to order so it takes longer to get your food but it's well worth the wait. The Chinese-American favorites are good - Sesame Chicken, General Tso's, Kung Pao Chicken, etc. but the authentic Chinese dishes are the ones to get - Pork or Chicken with dry bean curd, Jajiang noodle, mapo tofu, etc.. Out of all the mall Chinese options Chef Lin is the place to go. In addition, It can be tough finding a table in the food court so be prepared to scope out that table ahead of time. read more

Szechuan Style with beef entree served with fluffy fresh steamed white rice was prepared properly and promptly. The staff assisted me with my order and I haven't been wronged yet. I love to get the servers recommended dish to try something someone says is good. This is a get it and go place and they do it well. Self check out along with assisted checkout allows for quick order turnaround. Go with the assisted checkout and ask the server/cashier, "Are you okay?" It's amazing what will happen. read more

Chef Lin - Entrance to delightful food. - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

I ordered Teriyaki chicken and it was the worst I've ever had! The Teriyaki sauce has no flavor because it has been significantly watered down and the cabbage was under cooked. If you want tasty Teriyaki chicken, avoid this place! read more

TYSON'S CORNER MALL, MCLEAN, VA 08/02/19 LUNCH +The entree portions to price is phenomenal; especially, if you know how to stack a bowl of veggies and meat for the Mongolian Grill make-your-own dish. +You can make your own sauce. +Never crowded. -The meat quality could be better. The shrimp tends to run small. -No loyalty rewards program. The significant other foodie and I usually hit up this spot and Halal Guys, when visiting the mall with our little ones. read more

Chef Lin - Shrimp Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

I've been coming here for the Mongolian stir-fried noodles since middle school (almost 20 years!) when they had a different name, and the Mongolian bbq has been consistent during those almost 2 decades and remains an amazing value. The concept remains the same: Get a tray and bowl; load up your bowl with veggies and noodles; drizzle your own concoction of sauces like teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, and more; and then when it's your turn to have your order stir fried, tell the cook what protein you'd like with your meal. Each Mongolian bbq order also comes with a scoop of steamed jasmine rice. Somehow all this still comes out to less than $10 with tax, and will fill you up with some tasty food! read more

Chef Lin - Mongolian bbq - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

This spot is located in the food court on the lower level of Tysons Corner mall, right across from the McDonald's. It offers both traditional Chinese dishes and has a side to order and create your own Mongolian bowls. Every dish is made to order, but the food still comes out pretty fast. I had the General Tso's Chicken. This is one of my favorite Chinese meals, so I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. I asked if this meal would be spicy when I ordered, and the cashier assured me it would. Well, lo and behold, this dish wasn't spicy at all. In fact, the chicken was bland and there was barely any sauce. It also wasn't as crispy as I would have preferred, but I expected this as it was prepared in about 7 mins. Include with the dish was a side of white rice and three measly pieces of broccoli. Laughable. All in all, the meal was sufficient. I can't say I regret coming here, but I doubt I'll be back. read more

Chef Lin - General Tso's chicken - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

The food is so good and a very good price. The ppl are kind and quick and it feels like a really good hole in the wall

Excellent Chinese food. Love all the dishes offered by Chef Lin. We love the sweet and sour pork, the fish, beef with string beans, Singapore noodles...this place is a gem. read more

A curious concept since this mall food court vendor is a triptych of Chinese, Japanese, and Mongolian fare. As one would predict based on the namesake, the Chinese food is significantly better and more authentic compared to its random and less than stellar Japanese/Mongolian sidekicks, which explains the mixed reviews. If I were the business manager, I would go straight Chinese since the Japanese options (teriyaki rice plates and sushi) have competing joints less than 50 yards away and is pretty uninspiring whereas the Mongolian bbq option is a dated concept that often falls flat since most non-Asians like the customizable aspect of choosing proteins/veggies/sauce but often screw up the proportions leading to a mediocre stir fry that is only cool in theory. The Chinese food is surprisingly authentic and cooked to order on a piping hot wok so one truly gets some serious wok hay (flavor from the wok) which is damn near impossible to come by in a mall concept where Chinese food is typically ladled from a large precooked tray; and also includes dishes that are not typically found on your average Americanized Chinese takeout menu such as chow fun, the [original] zha jiang noodles (which evolved into an uber popular Korean version better known than its predecessor), scrambled egg with tomato (a classic comfort food dish), an intensely spicy dried bean curd stir fry, and some braised meats with vegetables that go beyond onions, bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots. If this place were compared to a celebrity, I would say Chef Lin is like the Lady Gaga or Aubrey Plaza of mall eateries: weirdly hot and talented, but can easily appear unattractive at any given moment, a boner enigma if you will (to borrow an eloquent encapsulation by an anonymous online commenter). For the sake of completeness, I would propose the male equivalents to be either Adam Driver or Benedict Cumberbatch. read more

Good news: we didn't have to wait in line. Bad news: Everything else. We LOVE Mongolian BBQ. Getting it at the mall seemed like an awesome idea! Mixing your own ingredients, choosing your own sauces. Watching the cook grill your food was all great fun. But that's where the fun stopped. We were disappointed that we couldn't detect which sauces were which by their smell, they must have been watered down, but thankfully they were labeled. We thought the amount of meat they rationed to the orders seemed small. It seemed like about 3 ounces of chicken and about 2 ounces of shrimp. The cook literally "dumped" the food into compartmentalized styrofoam containers, and an assistant smeared a spoon of stale long grain rice on top. We lost our appetites. So we ordered fountain drinks. All the fountain drinks were drained of flavor syrup! I usually water it down anyway, but there was nothing to water down! We complained, and they allowed us to take bottled drinks instead. BOTTOM LINE: We ate the food because we were hungry, but we will NEVER go back. read more

Most disgusting food I've ever had and they were super rude on top of it. Don't do it.

Genuine food poisoning from sushi. Do not recommend the sushi, have been in bed for last two days.

Given the price range and location, pretty good value for a quick Chinese meal. Nothing fancy, portions are alright, varieties are good, cuz they also have specials change frequently in store. Styles include both that of authentic and fusion. I know quite few friends ordering their take outs on the regular basis. read more

I really like this place, my favorite is string beans with beef. My boyfriend likes to order from the Chinese menu. The food here is really delicious. Haven't tried Mongolian grill but I rather stick with the string beans and the Chinese menu. Pretty quick, doesn't offer free soda refills, but pretty solid for quick Chinese food read more

The first bite was a revelation--authentic traditional Chinese food that exceeded all my expectations! Truly a hidden gem. The service was also excellent. read more

I've been eating at chef Lin since I started working at the mall a couple years ago. Always liked it especially because they make traditional Chinese dishes like my boyfriend makes at home ordered tonight and there was a roach cooked into my food.. took the food and Roach back and showed an employee who simply said "Oh....you want your money back?" No apology or anything. He didn't seem shocked or like he cared. Told my co worker who had just ordered the to eat after I had and he quickly cancelled his order because he was grossed out that I had found a roach in my food. I've worked in the food industry, and I get that bugs happen occasionally, but to not seem shocked or like they cared makes me think they already know there's a problem and don't care. I wish I hadn't already eaten a bunch before I discovered the roach read more

I went to his restaurant on July 7, 2020 for lunch. The cashier put my order in a bag with napkins and plastic ware but was not wearing gloves! This hygiene is unacceptable in light of the COVID-19 pandemic because if he was contagious I may have been exposed to the germs transferred from his hands to the plastic fork and knife and napkins!!! The health dept. should shut the place down! Also the teriyaki chicken was mediocre. read more

Wonderful! Chef Lin gave me a generous portion of orange chicken! The food here is delicious. It's authentic Chinese food cooked fresh at a reasonable price. They give you your money's worth. My spring rolls came hot and delicious, they were freshly prepared. Crispy and yummy!!! Steamed white rice was cooked perfectly. The food is filling and satisfying. I even saved some for later. Definitely give this amazing restaurant a try as you will not be disappointed! My bottled water was ice cold and refreshing too. I will be back soon with my mom as she also loves your orange chicken! I may have to try the teriyaki combo with the chicken, beef and shrimp next time as that sounds really good too. Sending you thanks for all you do for your customers read more

By far exceeded my expectations for Chinese cuisine found in a shopping mall. Chef Lin food is made to order which is difficult to find in malls. His food selection included Mongolian BBQ which is hopefully making a comeback nationwide. He also has a selection of sushi for take away. Just great food. read more

Chef Lin - Sesame chicken - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

See all

Ordered a #19 with beef & a teriyaki combo. The #19 was really good basically lots of curry with onions and a little carrot. read more

Chef Lin - 19 with beef - Chinese Near Me - Tysons Corner, Virginia

See all