I almost never venture away from Mama's Special Dumplings - but on this Chinese New Year I wanted to try something different. Their $10.99 lunch special for Hot & Sour Soup, Mongolian Beef, and Fried Rice was amazing - not just for the price but for the quality. This is some of the best Mongolian Beef I've ever had - though I did ask for it "spicy". Their Crispy Beef is also top notch - and enough for two to share. Service is always prompt, professional, and friendly without "hovering". read more

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I've been coming to China Bistro for more than 10 years. Back in the day, when there were not so many Asian food options in Baltimore, I used to drive a long way for a homemade meal of dumplings. Indeed, recently, when I came by the store, I actually ran into one of my friends from my Baltimore days. I guess we all still come here. In the years that have passed, the restaurant has gone through significant interior upgrades and the food remains of good quality, with a reasonable prices, inflation and all. The dumplings (including the wrapper) are clearly handmade, but flavor profile wise, I do find tends to be overpowered by vinegar. If we are strict critiques of dumplings, the dumpling wrappers also lack the typical bounce that good dumplings should have. These were all factors I typically overlook, because of course, we live in America, and expecting high-quality Chinese food is not always possible. This is all good, however, the reason for my one star is from a recent experience I had, where I brought some guests from out of town and asked our server for some recommendations. She very brashly brush me off, saying the menu is large, and she cannot give recommendations in general. Incredibly rudely. At the end, I ended up tipping 15% for a lunch meal, and she very angrily came back and told me people tip 20% always. I told her 15% is customary for lunch, her service was not particularly good, not to mention tipping is voluntary. She proceeded to push me on 20%, glaring at me angrily, which made me very uncomfortable, although I held my ground and left. In sum, this was just a horrible experience, and I don't think I will be returning. I am appreciative of places that keep reasonable prices, and I understand inflation and economics have created significant stress on restaurants. In my opinion, it would be reasonable to raise prices, or even add a very clearly marked 20% service charge to the prices as a default. However, providing poor service and then guilting customers into a " mandatory" 20% tip is wrong. My guests were also aghast at this. In the end, it was only a few dollars, but it is a matter of principle and how customers are treated. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this establishment for this reason. read more

Had takeout today - the lunch special and an order of dumplings with shrimp. For my lunch special, I got kung pao chicken with fried rice, along with a hot and sour soup. Everything was delicious. The hot and sour soup was tasty and the sauce with my entree was one of those sauces you just want to combine with your rice and eat. The chicken was well prepared and the veggies crunchy. A solid lunch special for $10. The dumplings, I understand, are what people come here for. After trying a few of my shrimp dumplings (very filling) I see why they are popular. The take-out was packaged carefully by the restaurant. I'll be back, and will probably try eat in sometime. read more

Stopped at my favorite Chinese restaurant and the flavors never disppoint here. The black pepper has HUGE chunks of soft, smoky, peppery, and delicious beef morsels. The bok choy is seasoned just right. Tried the chicken and black mushroom dumpling and found them to be good. I also had their hot and sour soup which tastes exactly like it should. I love this place! Friendly service and very clean restaurant! read more

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This has been a longtime favorite of my family's. I absolutely love all their dumplings, especially steamed. I don't love them fried as much cuz the skin is too thick to be fried all the way through. They have some odd fillings, but the original is best. The restaurant is very typical Chinese interior, and service is quick. read more

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The first time I went into China Bistro was possibly before Yelp existed. Having moved away a bit down the beltway, I kinda forgot about it. I randomly went in yesterday and was filled with nostalgia. It's a classic Chinese dumpling restaurant, and it has an incredibly dated feeling, but in a charming way that screams "we've been doing this right for fifty years." The staff are attentive and friendly in a way you don't see in modern restaurants. They've got all that traditional Chinese-food menu item stuff. I got General Tsao. And it's good... but it's not special. You're in a dumpling house. Get the dumplings. They have like a dozen varieties. I got pork and the special ones. They're home made, beautiful, perfectly cooked, and delicious. This is what you're here for. Anything else is in error. read more

Best place for dumplings in the area, wow. Mama's special dumpling is a classic must-try, and the ji cai wonton soup is nice if you prefer wontons instead. Some appetizers I like here are the five flavors peanuts, the green onion pancake, and the tofu skin. Inside it feels casual yet cozy, with lots of tables. The staff are extremely nice, and our food came out very fast. read more

China Bistro - N10. Ji Cai Wonton Soup - Chinese Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

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I tried this place for the first time and I really enjoyed it! I visited on a weekday afternoon for late lunch and was able to be seated without a wait. The person working the counter - I'm guessing the owner - was really friendly. The restaurant is very cozy and clean. I ordered General Tso's Chicken and - based on the great reviews - an order of Mama's Special Dumplings. I was given a bowl of Hot and Sour Soup while I waited and it was tasty. My meal was prepared fresh and was nice and hot when it got to the table. The chicken was crispy, the sauce was flavorful, the fried rice wasn't dry or sticky, and the dumplings were excellent! I've been looking for a nice local place for good Chinese food and this is the one! read more

Really wanted some dumplings, and China Bistro popped up on my Door Dash feed. It's been a while, and their dumplings have always been good, so I put in an order. Got the steamed mama special dumplings and they really hit the spot. Packed with meat and so good. Unfortunately, the other items were subpar: beef fried rice and general tso chicken. Not much wok hay on the fried rice and little beef. The chicken was pretty inedible; the oil they used to fry was old and not hot enough; really gave it an unpleasant, heavy oily taste. I'll never order American Chinese food here again, but the dumplings are worth coming back for. read more

If you're looking for really good dumplings and Chinese food, come here. I wouldn't have thought to stop by if I hadn't heard good things about their dumplings. It's located in a small shopping center on Rockville Pike, but it's easy to miss. I went here with my husband for dinner on a Saturday around 5 pm. Luckily, we found a parking spot right away (the shopping center gets pretty packed). While the restaurant was busy with takeout orders, we were the first ones there for dinner. We tried the egg drop soup, Mama's special dumplings and crispy beef: - Egg drop soup ($2.95): Simple but delicious. Great appetizer to start your meal. - Mama's special dumplings (pork, shrimp, chive, napa) ($12.95): Must have! You get 12 dumplings and they are huge. They are juicy and packed with flavorful. They come out fresh, but be careful with your first bite because it's pretty hot. - Crispy beef ($16.95) - Delicious! The beef was crunchy and tossed in a sweet and sticky sauce with some green onions and carrots. Very flavorful and comes with a side of rice. While some of the other reviews say that they didn't have great customer service, our experience was quite the opposite. Our servers were nice, filled up our waters when we needed more and were quick to clear plates. No complaints from us. All in all, this place was great. Looking forward to trying out more of their dumplings. read more

China Bistro - N3. Egg Drop Soup - Chinese Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

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I have been going to China Bistro for over a decade now. I can confidently say that this place has some of the best comfort dishes and soups. A few of my favorites are their egg-tomato noodle soup, tofu dishes, sesame chicken, and of course, their famous pork Napa dumplings! I recommend this place to all my friends looking for quality chinese cuisine, and will vouch for this place to anyone. Check it out! read more

China Bistro - Chinese Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

I had no idea this place existed for the last decade Ive lived in Rockville. Despite coming to this area almost every week for groceries or pho, Ive never known this restaurant existed!! So glad my friend told me about this place though. Their dumplings taste authentic and homey. Also comes in large portions. Don't expect the BEST customer service. They aren't the most hospitable which may come off as rude but they get the work done and the food is good (in my opinion). Complimentary jasmine green tea during your stay. Very fragrant and tasty!! Mama's special dumplings were my favorite:) Cant wait to try more! The green onion pancake was also very delicious and not salty which is good. I def wanna come back and try more dishes. Cant wait!! read more

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My wife and I came in for dinner around 5-6PM over the weekend, which was about perfect because we were easily seated. The restaurant was a bit dark but the decorations were nice! The tables were clean and were well spaced our. The servers were very polite and very quick as well. They were patient and asked us if we had any questions while ordering, but it was still fast. They refilled our water consistently and the food came out quickly. We ordered egg drop soup, mama's special dumpling, and the crispy beef. Food was fresh and hot. Egg drop soup never fails in my opinion and it was delicious. The dumplings were made extremely well, more on the doughy side, but still completely filled. The crispy beef was amazing and definitely crispy and flavorful. Definitely going to come back again! read more

China Bistro - N3. Egg Drop Soup - Chinese Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

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quick place, received my food in under 15 minutes. everything was delicious and the serving was big enough i had it for 3 meals that day

I love the Vegetable Dumplings! They are vegan, so filling, and very comforting. I use up all the sauce on the side and enjoy every bite of this meal. China Bistro has other vegan items on their menu. I have heard they make the best dumplings in Rockville so I have not tried their other menu items. read more

China Bistro - 20. Vegetable Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

Faaaavorite spot in our little Rockville Chinatown for dumplings!!! Authentic Chinese food. Perfect for dine in or to go! Sadly since covid prices have gone up, but I still think it's a delicious treat! read more

Pros: Delicious dumplings - they live up to their hype; we got them fried Delicious fried rice Taiwanese noodles were flavorful Loved the Mama house special soup Reasonable prices Cons: Parking can be a challenge Very unclean interior Decor is a bit lacking and can use an update Service could be a bit better Pro tip: Go for the food only and close your eyes to the rest. Maybe carryout? read more

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So this place is a hole in a wall. Small place. Small parking lot. A single bathroom. Not the clean place you had hoped for, but the food here is unparalleled in some dishes. Their creme de La creme is the dumplings which are freshly made and made to order. The flavor always shows that. The owners are from Beijing so their flavor profile is closer to that style and they even have black vinegar on the table because that is what is usually served in Beijing. Authenticity at its core. The tofu dish though... that is what I really love from this place. I don't know how they do it, but it's crispy on the outside and the tofu is soft and intact on the inside. There is a bit of air between the breading and the tofu and fried together with chili peppers. It isn't overly spicy, but with the right about of kick, I really love this dish. There are a lot of dumpling options, but I don't think you can go wrong with the original Mama Dumplings. My advice is to expect a hole in the wall. It's not fine dining. It is in the same center as Pho 75 and Yifang and my routine is to eat here and get some bubble tea from Yifang. Parking is hectic on weekends, but I do find myself here a lot because when I can't think of a place to eat, my stomach ends up facing this place. read more

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You are not going to find many places like this that offers so much variety of Chinese dumplings like China Bistro! The different types from Shrimp, meat, fish and veggies are overwhelming for a first time guest, there are that many choices. You can't really go wrong here since they all are different and tasty. You may want to try the Mama's special dumpling, it is a safe choice with a combination of pork and shrimp. I like the different textures of the steamed and the pan fried, so I usually order a bot of both. China Bistro also offers many other traditional plates to complement your dumpling fix too! It is located in a small unassuming strip mall next to the Thai restaurant and a Philippine market, so it may be easy to miss if just driving by on the pike. Look for the flagship carwash sign or 7 Eleven sign in the same parking lot. I would recommend trying more than one variety of dumplings, I think both the chive and pumpkin combinations are quite delicious. read more

Service is atrocious. Waitress took our order. No drinks. Had to ask for water. Dropped off 2 plates of dumplings which are still the best around. Paid out check and was scolded for not leaving a 25% tip. It was a Friday evening and sad to say the place was dead. read more

I'll start of by saying the tofu is 9/10. It's very crispy and salted perfectly with a touch of spiciness. However, the dumpling was nothing to write home about. I'd expect a-bit more since this place is supposedly known for their dumplings. The wrap is pretty thick even for northern dumplings and the filling is very scarce. I got the pumpkin & pork dumpling but I can't really taste the pumpkin (the bits tasted more like carrot). The service is good though, the waitress was really friendly. I'd come back but likely to skip the dumplings and just get other dishes since the tofu was pretty good. read more

China Bistro - 7. Pork Pumpkin Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

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If I can give ZERO stars and negative, I would. The owner here is a real bitch! I was listening to my phone as I'm waiting for my order and she came over to my table and rudely said "SHUSH!" Due to her lack of English, she meant my phone volume was too loud! Ok, I apologize if it was, it was unintentional. But she could have been NICER about it. Let me rate their food....just think of the lowest budget meat and the blandest sauce u can ever think of and that's how their food taste. LOW LOW QUALITY with RUDE as hell service. I will never be back. If you want to be disappointed in life, please go right ahead. I'll be the one to say I told you so. And their food is so damn oily! Bleh! This whole place is disgusting just like the owners attitude! read more

Great spot for dumplings. They are perfect, and you can even get them frozen to go and cook at home. The ambiance and service is fine. Reasonable prices, about $15 per plate of 12 dumplings- and leaves you feeling full. I enjoy the pork Napa, and pork/green bean. The black vinegar and chili oil is a great flavor companion. I also enjoy their plates of veg- green beans and bok choy. We always stop by when passing through. It's never crowded and is consistently good every time we go. I would highly recommend this location, as some of the best dumplings around the DMV. It's located in a nice strip of other food shops as well for baked goods and bubble tea. read more

When you're too lazy to make dinner and are craving some homemade dumplings, come here. The dumplings here feel like they are made with the love of an Asian mother that has not seen her children since the beginning of the pandemic. My wife has come here since she was in high school and has stayed loyal. Each order comes with 12 dumplings, and you can pick whether you want your dumps steamed or pan-fried. I like my dumps pan-friend. We usually get the mama's special dumplings and the pork sour cabbage dumplings. Both are yummy and the juices do not leak. Although the dumpling wrappers are strong to prevent leakage, they're not too thicc. The meat-wrapper ratio is solid. All good though. Not all good things have to be thicc :) Last thing to note: their chili oil is homemade! Dank! read more

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What's up foodie peeps! Today I got the chance to dine in at a yummy dumpling place in Rockville, MD called China Bistro, that I usually got to go. So much better eating dine-in (of course it is!)! Was greeted with staff friendly courtesy and complimentary hot tea. How about we skip the pleasantries and talk num nums! For appetizer, ordered the Mama special dumplings. The combination of seasoned pork, shrimp, chives, and napa cabbage paired with a side of soy sauce, black vinegar, and hot chili oil dipping condiment was a delightful start. The dumplings were juicy, savory, and happy to make our acquaintance . There are many dumplings left to try! For main entrees, ordered the Hot Pot with Tofu and Special Salt and Pepper Chicken. The hot pot with tofu was a great choice for the cooler weather now. It's more of a savory soup of smiles. The ingredients consisted of soft tender tofu, tofu-fish mix, shitake mushroom, glutton, and dried tofu skin that has very nicely absorbed the flavorful herbal-esque soup. Mix the soup with rice, you won't regret it! Saving this for last I want to highlight the special salt and pepper chicken. This was a dish that pleasantly surprised me. The chicken was slightly fried and saturated (in a good way ) with special seasoning. Pretty sure there was salt, pepper, an appropriate amount of cumin, and other seasoning that are secret. The stir fry mixed together with onion, cilantro, and red chili peppers are wonderfully tasty and aesthetically colorful too! This is a must try when you visit here! Also don't let the peppers fool you. Not spicy at all (to me at least ) So folks, hopefully everyone stays warm and healthy and gets the chance to come try this amazing place in Rockville, MD. Until next time, peace out peeps! Super NOMZ!! read more

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Great food and quick service. I've only been twice but I love the food. I'm sad I'm moving away. I'll definitely come back here when I visit. read more

China Bistro - C11. Sweet and Sour Chicken 1. Mama's Special Dumpling Lunch - Chinese Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

The mama's dumplings are outstanding. I don't live close but manage to make the drive to get these every few months.

We lucked out as they had just opened for dine-in yesterday. There was only one other couple when we came in. By the time we sat down, it was just us. Lots of people coming in for takeout. We ordered, tofu skin, green onion pancake, pork with pickle cabbage soup, and mama's special dumpling. All the food came out fresh and piping hot. Pancake was nicely fried and not greasy at all. Tofu skin was interesting, cold, layered with a slight sweetness. There were 12 dumplings in an order -hot and delicious. Cabbage with pork and noodle soup was decent , savory but not strong taste, was even better after I put the spicy oil and vinegar-soy sauce condiments. Hands down favorite for us was the soup dumpling, flavorful, freshly steamed, scalding hot. Would definitely go back! read more

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I ordered 3 dishes online from them. I called the restaurant to make sure they were aware of what I had indicated about a food allergy. They acknowledged it and that wasn't a problem. I've been a customer before and asked for the free fried rice over a certain dollar order. I was told it didn't apply to online orders. I said since we were speaking & we were good customers, she should give it to us. So, the order arrived without the fried rice. Whatever. But, the 3 items we did receive were terrible. The salt content was sickening. It was literally inedible. I dumped it in the trash & made an omelette for us. read more

I've been supporting this establishment for some time. Great dumplings, fried or steamed and the chinese food is very solid as well. Great cheap eats, and fast service. Fanstastic hot and sour soup. My only warning, eat the dumplings as soon as they are served. If you choose take out, I hope you live nearby. They are decent as leftovers but not nearly as good fresh. read more

Hands down my favorite restaurant in the DMV. Always kind service, haven't had better dumplings, and a completely unpretentious atmosphere. Food is the point here. We come here from Virginia for family get togethers but I need to get here more often, even though it's a little drive from me. Love it. read more

We've been visit this dumplings house for years, and they always good as we can remember. But the last order was a lil bit disappointing, the wrappers are too thick and hard and the fillings are less than usual. Our orders were 3 fish and cilantro dumplings and 1 Mama's dumplings. Maybe we ordered too many of the same item and they couldn't keep up the same standard for the same orders? We should try again next time and see if that last time was the only bad experience we had. read more

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My husband and I had a hankering for Chinese food. A coworker recommended this place to us, so we decided to give it a try. We were there in the late afternoon, so the restaurant was fairly empty, but it still took about 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged us and sat us at a table. Since it was our first time there, we weren't familiar with the menu. Not even 2 minutes after sitting down, a server came over to take our order, but we weren't ready, so we asked her to come back in 5 minutes. She came back a minute later, and when we said we still weren't ready, she gave us an attitude and walked away. She came back a couple minutes later - this time with 2 cups of water - and slammed them down on the table, spilling some of the water. I think she was annoyed that we weren't regulars and needed some time to decide what we wanted. We both felt very rushed, so I quickly ordered a fried rice dish and my husband decided to get the Black Pepper Beef. To my disappointment, my fried rice tasted very bland and there was a disgusting hair in it. That was enough to kill my appetite. My husband didn't care for his beef dish either. He said the beef was extremely chewy and hard to swallow. I wish I could say the service and food were the worst parts of our dining experience, but it wasn't. While eating, we saw a mouse chase another mouse under our table! At that point, we asked for the check and left immediately. Between the rude service, the mediocre hair-infested food, and the mice in the restaurant, we have one too many reasons to never return to this place. I would give this place 0 stars if I could. This restaurant needs work (and an exterminator). There are plenty of better Chinese restaurants in the DMV! Would NOT recommend!!! read more

Food is fantastic! I really enjoyed the pan fried Mama's dumplings and the pan fried fish & cilantro Dumplings . Service has been friendly snd quick. Ambience is not fancy. Casual but very clean. read more

FIVE STARS!!!! Out of this world. BEST DUMPLINGS IN THE DC AREA BEST GENERAL TSOS IN THE DC AREA (Dine in!) Seriously this place is AMAZING! Consistently good food. I will say though if you really want the general tsos done RIGHT you need to get it dine in. The container ends up steaming the general tsos and the crispiness that makes it so good is not halfway there. I've eaten it to go in the parking lot in my car and it was definitely not as crispy as when I've gotten it dine in. Same with the pan fried dumplings but less so. read more

China Bistro - CRISPY general tsos - Chinese Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

Decent food. Tons of free parking in front of restaurant. Good customer service. Takes both cash and credit card. Came here on the weekend and ordered their Kung pao fish. The fish was lightly battered with a sweet / spicy sauce. Their Beijing noodles was okay, but very hearty. Their dumplings were the star dish and would order more if I have the space for it. The sitting area is a bit cramped, but it gets the job done. Can be noisy at times, but this is common for many restaurants. Worth giving this place a try if you are in the area. read more

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Ordered the crispy beef and dumplings. The crispy beef has got to be one of the worst orders I have ever tasted.

These five stars are for my TOFU! Yes, I said my but you can try it too. A couple months back, I have went out for lunch with staff and remembered this dish. I ordered it and it was horrible. Came out looking and tasting disgusting and nothing like how it was supposed to. China Bistro is a dumpling place so I knew I couldn't go there by myself and a group would be best especially if I wanted to try some additional dumplings. So I gathered some friends and we finally met up here on Sunday afternoon. The day before was already perfect weathe. One of the first things I ordered was my tofu. None of my friends had tried it before but I'm happy they were open. I was so giddy when she brought the food out I couldn't contain myself. I couldn't believe that I would once again have this amazing spicy and tasty tofu. The tofu is fried crispy and the perfect companion to the salty fried cilantro with crunchy peanuts. I do not like peanuts in my food and this is the only dish I actually eat them in. You know how sometimes you just can't say enough about a dish but you also can't say much either LOL. That's this dish. It is so great. If it wasn't so far, I would be there more often. But 45 minutes for this tasty spicy tofu is way more than worth it. Now about the rest: Yes, our waitress wasn't friendly at all and seemed extremely impatient. I found myself engaging her in conversation so my friends weren't offended. I have no idea what her problem was, I really don't. The dumplings were diversely flavored. Each having their own distinguished flavors. We ordered the Mama's Special & Shrimp w/ chive-fried. I do agree the fried are a lot better but if I know I'm not going to eat all of that dough on the outside and save room in my belly, I'm going to order them steamed. We also tried the Pumpkin and the Squash w/pork dumplings. I was surprised at the flavor I got from the pumpkin. I'm not typically a pumpkin person but I'll do it in my dumplings now lol. The Squash had it's own unique flavor but I wasn't a big fan. All were very juicy. I know I don't have to say this, but for those of you who do not know, make sure you order the soup dumplings! If you can stand steamy dripping hot food, make sure you enjoy these soup dumplings! Xiaolongbao are awesome! We also ordered the Green Onion pancake but besides the crispiness, not much else to mention. read more

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Pork and chive dumplings- great! Mongolian Beef- great, but sweeter than I'm used to. Salt and pepper chicken- excellent. And the simple cucumber dish is just great! read more

the worst dumplings ever. stale and old, found 2 pieces of hair in my hot and sour. greasy lo mein with zero veggies and just a few pieces of shrimp. this place use to have the best dumplings. I want to call them and get my money back! read more