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Chef Yan

3.4 (408 reviews)
Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Updated 3 months ago

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CHEF YAN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Chef Yan

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Reviews With Photos

Suwanit T.

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!

Sweet and sour chicken
Melanie J.

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!

Dan Dan noodles
Thuy V.

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.

Appetizer and Soup Menus
Jixiang L.

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.

Vivian Z.

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

Philip L.

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.

Dani P.

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.

Spicy Shredded Cabbage
Tiger T.

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.

Garlic Eggplant
Terri D.

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.

Noah C.

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.

A very spicy potato & chicken dish
Howard F.

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.

Joanne T.

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!

Eggplant
LeAnn F.

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.

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2 months ago

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

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3 days ago

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

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3 days ago

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

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4 days ago

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

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Chef Yan Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Chef Yan

Which fish dish is literally crispy fried fish in a bed of dried chili? Is it Flounder Diced Red Pepper or Sichuan Chili Fish? Trying to remember because it's so good!

Sichuan Chili Fish. It's the bomb!

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Momo's Cafe - Definitely the place for picture!Authentic Taiwanese street food

Momo's Cafe

(217 reviews)

$$

Palisades

They are about to close at the end of the month, so a couple of friends and I came here one last…read moretime. Delicious Taiwanese sausage with sticky rice 大腸包小腸; very authentic 鐵板牛排 steak on a sizzling plate; tried their hot pot 小火鍋 for the first time which is nice on a cold evening. They offer Taiwanese popcorn chicken with basil leaves, 鹽酥雞, very good. Various bento boxes such as 滷肉飯, all very authentic. Food was good; ambiance was homey as usual. But the service (a sole waitress) was not welcoming. She just wanted to get us out of here. No smile either. Many items are already out (they probably do not restock, seeing that they are wrapping up anyway). Location is of course off the grid with no real public transportation. We got some takeout as well; beautifully packaged and presented takeout bento boxes (see my photo). For dining in, the bento box is also beautifully presented. However, for whatever reason, popcorn chicken and appetizers all came in paper boxes rather than on plates even for dining in. That takes a bit of the special feeling away.

How does this place not have better reviews? The food was delicious! My friend and I got dinner…read morehere a couple Mondays ago, and I was shocked that we were the only diners while we were there. To be fair, Momo's Cafe is a bit out of the way and hard to get to (for us, we have to drive through Georgetown on M Street), but it's worth it! TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN - 8.95 The chicken was salted and peppered perfectly, crispy but not overly so. The chicken itself was juicy and tender. This really hit on a rainy day, and I could hardly focus on the conversation with my friend because I was pre-occupied eating the chicken. I could not ask for a better Taiwanese popcorn chicken. BRAISED PORK BENTO - 11.50 This bento came with a lot of food, where 25% of it was braised pork over white rice. There were some sides like sauteed napa cabbage, a bit of pickled vegetables, steamed corn, and an odd assortment of Chinese sausage, fried tofu, and half a tea egg. Everything was good. The braised pork was fatty and juicy, and the sauce was a bit milder than I'd expect, but still flavorful. The sides were all homey and not too over-the-top, which was what I wanted. The corn was cooked with butter and clearly came from a can, but it hit home because that's how my grandma used to cook for me. So I'm not sure if anyone else would like the corn this way, but I did for nostalgia reasons. Also, the prices are actually reasonable?? I wish it was easier to get to Momo's Cafe from where I live -- I'd actually stop by quite often if that was the case. The food is homey and delicious, I'd definitely recommend it!

Maketto - Spicy cauliflower

Maketto

(1.3k reviews)

$$$

LOVED the dinner I had at Maketto the other night. I'd heard about this place for years and only…read morenow did I finally stop in while grabbing drinks at another spot on H street. First things first did you know that Maketto has been around for 11 years! That's amazing, especially for a small business. And I fully understand why, because this place is a gem. Maketto is a Cambodian, Taiwanese blend restaurant that is surprisingly open from 9 am- 10 pm most days. I love the vibes, the exposed brick, the food, drinks, and the bartender was super friendly. So my friend was telling me that the restaurant used to be half retail store and half restaurant. I'm sure I would've wanted to come in here just to browse all the time because they're definitely trendy and in tune with the culture. Now to my experience. I tried their fried chicken wings and the lo mein. Both are medium plates and large portions. Between my friend and I we were stuffed at the end of dinner and still took some food to-go. All of their dishes come family style and they are not skimping you with the portions. The food was all fresh and soooo flavorful! Kudos to chef Erik, who also owns/created Providencia up the street. I'm so excited to come back to try more because everything sounds delicious. One little word of advice is to check if the restaurant has a private event booked before heading over. I recently tried to go for an early dinner on a Saturday and there was a wedding getting ready to happen. BRAVOOO Maketto, I will be supporting frequently :)

I liked all of the savoury dishes but most surprised by the noodles - so tasty with the added…read moreflavour alongside the noodles themselves. The brisket also was unique with the buttery tasty. I saw this place was known for their fried chicken, but it wasn't anything amazing to me; worth skipping. I didn't really like the matcha banana tiramisu, not sure about the banana flavour and texture. I did like the mochi beignets!

Jumbo Jumbo Cafe - Appetizer Taiwanese Chicken

Jumbo Jumbo Cafe

(124 reviews)

$$

This humble campus restaurant still has the best Taiwanese beef noodle soup in town (and anywhere…read morein the U.S.., imo). Also, highly recommended and super tasty are the chicken with basil and ginger on rice, ground pork on rice and hard boiled egg, and the tomato shrimp on rice. Service is friendly and fast, and bubble tea is excellent, too.

I would give it a 4 just because it's local business and it's Taiwanese (satisfy my cravings for…read morehome food) but tbh it's a 3.5 probably, not the best of food and taste but it's decent. I had sooo many meals from here since I went to UMD. When I crave for rice dish or a cozy beef noodles soup, I always go to this spot. Honestly, it's not up to par as to Taiwanese restaurants in Rockville, but it's also not mediocre and it's quite good value for the price. One thing I have to give it a solid 4/4.5 is the popcorn chickens and fried snacks, it's huge in portion and taste very close to actual Taiwan flavor. It always comes out piping hot and juicy. Very satisfying. On the other hand the drinks are meh, I'd rather walk a little further for other brand's boba milk teas. It's more of a food cafe than for drinks. I would recommend for students and staffs at UMD, but I won't go there if I have to purposely drive to this place. I believe there's better somewhere else but it's very convenient and solid lunch for UMD. (UMD don't really have too much Taiwanese food options, this is about it)

Chef Yan - chinese - Updated May 2026

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