I crave the fresh, hand stretched noodles. Soup or regular. With veggies or meat. Add some dumplings or not. A giant bowl of yumminess for $6. Service is fine. Decor is old and dingy, but so what. Bathroom is less than optimal, but I don't go to restaurants to use the bathroom; pee before you get here. That was gross, but honest. The noodles are freaking awesome. I have yet to find anything comparable. read more

Visiting from another state and happen upon this restaurant and wanted to "give it a try" . I so lucked out. Atmosphere is not fancy and tables are relatively close together but not unhealthy. They bring you tea without asking so I assumed it was like water ( free) but it is not ($1.95- cheap for all you can drink). Menu in Chinese and English. We ate : 1 . Fresh noodles in soup with duck. The "fresh noodles " was hand made . It is very thick and is like "udon" noodles. Soft but firm, has a good taste if noodles actually would have a taste but the prize was the delicious duck that was thick chunks of meat , tender with authentic Chinese spices. It had Choy sum as an added vegetable. 2. Sweet sour chicken . Typical but chicken fresh not frozen like a lot of other places 3. Fresh noodles with meat . Typical but again good flavor 4. Steam pork appetizer appeared to be the best seller. really fresh taste. Since made by hand 5. Spear ribs. Little over cook but again tender and exceptional Chinese flavor Restroom: 3/5 only one , single gender , not fancy but not unhealthy. Usable. Enjoyed and will come back every chance I get read more

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GROSS. If the smell doesn't kill you, the food might. It is super dirty in there. Even if they had the best food on earth, I wouldn't eat there again. I had the "famous" noodles and orange chicken. The noodles were okay. It's true that noodles aren't really my favorite thing, but I have no idea why people think these are anything special. The orange chicken was BAD. The menu said they were spicy. Well, they weren't spicy in the slightest. Heck, they weren't even orange! They were brown and very unappealing. If you are forced to eat there, you should get it to go or eat on the first floor. DO NOT GO UPSTAIRS!!!! I saw things I shouldn't have seen and smelled stuff that shouldn't be smelled. read more

OUTRAGED!! Websites say they have soup dumplings but they do not!! They say the pork dumplings are like them but they are thick and doughy with little filling. Egg drop soup was bland. DO NOT COME HERE FOR SOUP DUMPLINGS, THEY DO NOT HAVE THEM read more

I recommend that the place shut down. We were walking around Chinatown on a beautiful Sunday afternoon looking for food, and seeing how packed the restaurant was, we thought that it must have amazing food. We could't have been more wrong. We ordered a few orders of dumplings and 2 orders of chicken, hoping to order more once we figured out what we loved more. The waitress couldn't be more unhelpful. When we asked to keep a menu, the waitress said no. The dumplings seemed to be made by a 5 year old. They were all dough, served cold and nearly raw. The chicken flavor was horrible. It took 5 people (who usually eat a lot) to finish one order because no one wanted to eat anything. We went there at 3pm after not eating anything the whole day (starving) and the food killed our appetite. Overall, come here if you want cold, stale, uncooked food. With an attitude. Bad service. And poor hygiene. A tragic waste of a beautiful Sunday afternoon. read more

Apparently a popular place to eat in Chinatown but we were not real impressed. Food was not hot and the Lo Mein I got was not flavorful. The duck soup lacked flavor. The table next to us sent their half duck back because it was cold and they forgot his reorder all together. My wife's egg foo young was very bland. read more

Despite all the accolades lining the walls of this true hole-in-the-wall, Chinatown Express is the definition of okay. The hand-pulled noodles that you can find in the soups have a lovely texture, but they're sadly sitting in bland broths. The soup dumplings are supposedly not bad, but not great either. Cantonese dishes, such as the eggplant and salted fish casserole, are again average. It has all the feel of a NYC Chinatown restaurant, but don't be fooled by its appearance-this is only good by DC Chinatown standards. For more authentic and tasty Cantonese/Shanghainese places, look to Rockville or Falls Church. read more

I wanted to try some chinese food while in DC. So I was walking around chinatown and pass by this place and saw that they were making dumplings in the store front. The windows were also plastered with newspaper clippings of this place. So I decided to give it a try. I ordered the pork and leek boiled dumpling (boiled b/c who knows whose been touching those dumplings) So out came the dumplings and this bowl of dark colored sauce with parsley and green onions. I stuck my chopsticks in to taste it but it taste anything. The waiter that brought me the dumpling pulled the tri-condiment stand close to me and lifted the lid to the ginger scallion sauce. WTH! I thought that was for steamed chicken! I did give it a try with both sauces but no thanks. I made my own soy sauce and vinegar. The skin of the dumpling was ridiculously thick and the pork and leek filling had no flavor. 1 star for the service : ) I'm sorry DC, you don't know what good chinese food is. I feel sad for DC people. : ( read more

my friend insisted we go here, after driving around for 30 mins looking for parking i'm all - let's call it a day and order pizza. so glad that i didn't, this place is freaking good. and cheap. i think it's $5.50 or something for noodle soup or fried noodles with your choice of chicken, beef, seafood, or vegetables. we ordered the veggie soup, fried noodles, and veggie dumplings. amazing. the noodles were soooo good, fresh, light, tons of good bok choy and carrots, onions, and tofu. the dumplings are good not the best but 10 for $5, a total steal. definitely follow mandie y.'s advice with the tabletop condiments, the green one is necessary - it's not spicy and i thought it added a fresh cilantro-ish taste. the setting is kitsch - but i like that, i it's sorta seedy with the overly chinese plasticware and shitty seats but the service is good, fast, and the food is really good. i love this place, will definitely be back. **best part** my fortune said, "santa claus will show you his wiener." read more

Basically, the only things i get there are made in the window: dumplings and noodles or noodle soups. The table condiments (ginger, garlic, etc) are good too. I do sometimes take people to the window to see noodles being made. read more

Don't be lured in by the "fresh noodle" display, cheap prices, or NY Times review. They were probably profiled for being a god-awful "Chinese" restaurant in what has become a manufactured Chinatown. I should have heeded the warnings about eating here and other Chinese places nearby, but my friend and I were looking for something cheap and filling before catching a movie next door. The good... they have hot tea. Everything else was poor. I ordered the beef noodle soup with fresh noodles for $6.50. Probably had to wait about 20 minutes for my food as all the other tables around me who ordered after I did got their meals. Really, for beef noodle soup? I think they forgot my order as my waitress muttered something unintelligible to a food runner. This runner happened to also have a nasty attitude - my friend was just trying to clarify his order when she delivered the food and she repeated the name of the dish again in a very bitchy tone. Rude. My soup was bland and basically void of beef. Thank God for chili sauce to help me get through half of it. Eating it made me think about all the good cheap food in Hong Kong I wish I could have been eating... As I was walking out, I watched the woman (who wasn't Chinese...) in the window display make dumplings in the most lackadaisical manner as she was chewing on something apparently appetizing. At least if you are trying to pass off as authentic play up the illusion! I will not be back. read more

don't get the complaints these yelpers must not have tried the duck noodle soup - a haiku read more

I wish i could give them zero star, i ordered the dumpling for take out, and not only the food was smelling and sour - feel like been sitting there for a long time under the sun and the skin for the dumpling was thick and unable to swallow, the sauce was sour like just got out of the trash can. will never return. read more

How this place is still in business is beyond belief. We came here for the cherry blossom festival from Philadelphia. Maybe we're used to pretty good eats or we should appreciate our food a little more. The place was shabby and after ordering the hand drawn noodle soup and trying to overlook the ambiance or lack there of, we were really ready to chow down with a nice bowl of soup. Things start to go downhill from there, we were seated upstairs and we see the waiter carrying a pail of ice water in a bucket labeled for hand washing. That was "drinking water" for us...that nearly made some of us sick to our stomach. Then the lackluster steam pork shanghai dumplings were next followed by our flavorless soup with noodles that tasted like udon noodles I can buy from an Asian market. I could not wait to get out of this place. I honestly did not understand why the place was bustling downstairs. read more

The food is terrible . I'm literally embarrassed as a Chinese to have people think that this is what Chinese food taste like. Food itself is bad!! Texture is wrong, and flavor is bland. Food are batched and cold. The steamed pork bun is cold and dry. Worst. Literally. read more

Went on a Sunday at 6pm. Service was very rude, they ignored my friend when she asked if she could use the restroom. I loved the roast beef noodles, unfortunately everyone who I was with refuses to ever go back. I had never experienced such rude service, they want clients to eat fast so they can make space in the restaurant. read more

Petty good. I feel bad for DC'ers if they think this is great. Any mediocre spot in LA is as good or better than this. But this place gets huge points for the price. $8 for noodles with duck is pretty amazing. Having said that, the noodles were very fresh and the duck was cooked perfectly. A lot of the reviews mention how plentiful the duck is, but I only had about 5 pieces and 50% of that was bone. So it's good for a fast cheap bite, but I wouldn't go out of my way. read more

The food is traditional. No one is going for the decor. It's very basic and simple inside but the staff are kind and serve you quick. You can see them making the dumplings up front and they are amazing. I got a soup with noodles that was a bit bland and my husbands chicken was normal. It's probably the best Chinese takeout in the area but not anything to rave about. The eggplant dish looks good. read more

Not the greatest.. nothing to race about. Duck noodles soup is VERY VERY MEDIOCRE... dumplings are crap.. the dough was way too thick. Had it fried and it wasn't even crispy. This is something I could've made in 10th grade. Can't even recommend this place.. the duck meat itself was very flavorful: but again nothing special. Go elsewhere. Chef needs to go back and learn how to make the fresh noodle: it was very very doughy with no bounce.: fresh made noodles are always suppose to have a nice bounce with not a doughy flavor: read more

The steamed pork bun is very bad, the bun skin is thick and bad, the pork inside is even worse. Steamed pork buns are supposed to be thin skinned and full of juice from the pork, which they don't have either. The picture they show on the menu looks nothing like what they served. Waste of money, trash place, don't even go. read more

Chinatown Express - Cantonese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Chinatown Express used to be my Mandu -- as in the place I made sure went at least once a week. (Not that I don't still love it). I've always found the service here to be really nice, sometimes a few tries for questions, but I've never had an order messed up. They do bring food out whenever it's ready, not when everyone can eat together. But hey--your entree is as fresh as it gets and costs $5.95, so no use in complaining about something like timing. Not much of an atmosphere, but the restaurant can accomodate larger groups easily and the food is excellent. Chinatown Express has very tasty dumplings with delicious ginger & scallion garnish. I really recommend the freshly made noodles either in soup form or fried if you happen to be in there on your lunch. It's made fresh and ready in 10 minutes or less. If you go a couple times a week like I did because I work in the area, the woman at the front (I think she's an owner) tells you to take a free soda. But the real treat here is the lobster. If you and your companions have $22.50 in your collective pockets you can get a whole lobster that someone takes out of the tank up front and hauls off to its fate in the kitchen in back. The lobster comes in two styles. We ordered the ginger scallion style. It's also covered in butter. And now the tasty legs story: December 1, 2006 was World AIDS day and the day before Laila took the LSATs. Alex had basically not slept for a week planning the action in front of the White House with 500 activists, some dressed up as pill bottles, doctors, and syringes (see www.dcfightsback for cool & funny photos of both events). 23 activists were arrested and needed to be bailed out, which DCFB did the same day. He hadn't eaten all day and was completely strung out from hunger and fatigue. I had been studying for months for the LSAT, but really intensely that week. I was at the point where I did not give a damn what the flaw in Roger's argument was or what Christy presumes in making her statement about American made automobiles or how many ways I could arrange a radio station's schedule. Obviously, I hadn't eaten either. I finally decide that I can study no more as the sun is starting to set, and scramble out the door to meet Alex in time for the candlelight vigil that followed the action and for some much-needed dinner. We fumble our way into Chinatown Express after the day is over and sit at one of the tables across from the crab and lobster tanks. One crab stands apart from all the others. A pile of crabs fearfully huddles in the back corner except for this one, claws up, right in front of the tank. Alex, who is facing the tank, says, "Look Laila, that one's dancing!" I turn bleary-eyed to look and I look back at him grinning. Alex holds up his arms imitating the crab, starts waving them back and forth, pinching, and says, "He's singing (the crab) 'I've got tasty legs, I've got tasty legs (calypso beat here)!' He's wants someone to eat him...." We, totally slappy with lack of calories, burst into laughs. While we're still laughing, a waitress comes over to the tank, swiftly plucks the dancing crab out of the tank, and takes him back to the kitchen on a plate. The end! But all joking aside, Chinatown express has some great stuff to bite into for very little money if you're in the neighborhood. read more

I do like this place. For the longest time, I knew it as "Cheap Eats" since that's what my friend introduced it to me as, many years ago. The prices since then have gone up about $1. The fresh noodles, either in a soup or stir fried form are now $5.95. The dumplings are about $5.50. I tend to prefer the seafood or the pork/leek dumplings. I've also ventured off the one sheet menu and dug into the full menu. I like their lean pork and perserved egg congee. The salted fish and chicken fried rice is delicious. Their bbq-ed meats are okay; I like Full Kee's better. The leek/scallion sauce provided on the table is EXCELLENT!!! read more

Well, tonight was the first and last time I'll ever eat here. For takeout I ordered handmade noodles stirfried with duck and got homemade noodles stirfried with not one shred of duck, or any other meat. Boring and very disappointing. I ordered handmade dumplings with pork inside. The noodle was thick and the filling small and unremarkable. I ordered pork buns and again the noodle casing was very thick and unappealing so I only ate the insides. What a waste of time, money and calories. read more

Mixed reviews on this place. I thought the beef noodle soup was pretty awesome. Good simple soup with tasty noodles and broth. We also got the shrimp dumplings, which I was a fan of. I really like thick dumpling skin though. Restaurant is not the cleanest place though and I'd go to the bathroom before you come. read more

Came here last weekend to try an assortment of things with the D.C. family. We had the handmade noodles with beef, Ma Po Tofu, Sautéed Watercress, Pork Fried Rice, and pork dumplings. Everything was tasty. You could tell that the food was fresh, and I liked how we got to see the chefs making the noodles in the window. The staff was super friendly, and clearly they're well-liked because at one point while my cousin and I were waiting for our take-out, a police officer stopped in "just to say hi" to the chefs and employees. It was a Friday night when we stopped in, and the place seemed to just be filling up with the dinner crowd around 6:30pm. It seemed easy enough to get a table around that time. Overall, they had decent food. I'd eat it again. read more

Had their pork buns (steamed dumplings) which were dry, seemed like they've been sitting out for a while. The hand pulled noodles were good, soft and definitely better than the typical lo mein noodles. Also ordered the half Peking duck which came with 4 pancakes.. Had to pay $1 extra for each pancake.. ridiculous!! The skin on the duck was not crispy at all but whatever, it was still good. read more

It's a slightly above average restaurant in the sad and below average Chinatown of Washington DC. Portion size is usually on the large side and prices are much better than the other places. This place is tops for roast duck, pork, and pig in the area. No complaints about the food unless you make the mistake of ordering the generic Americanized-Chinese dishes. Why anyone would order fake strip-mall Chinese food in an authentic Chinese restaurants staffed by the typical rude no-nonsense Chinese people is beyond me (though the owner is actually from Malaysia not China). If you think the food is bland, then that's probably because you've become accustomed to the overly salted dishes of the fake American food of PF Changs. Real Chinese cooking actually tries to limit salt usage. Don't come here expecting to be pampered like you're in a typical American place (i.e. TGIF, CPK, etc.), this is a real, don't waste my time, order and I'll bring it to you, blue-collar Chinese restaurant. There's no ambiance whatsoever, and this place stinks when it's raining outside (and when it's not, the place has a crappy aquarium smell). Anyway, this place beats Full Kee hands down, both in terms of taste and costs. read more

Chinatown Express - $6.55 (with tax in April'2011) for a roast duck over rice takeout. Free can of soda/water with takeout purchase. - Cantonese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I tried noodles here. I could not believe it was recommended as " a taste of Washington DC " in the New York Times of 2003. The handed vegetable soup noodles was the worst one I had in my life. read more

Simple food at reasonable prices. I had the duck noodle soup and asked if they could add tripe in as well (extra $3) the food was OK but nothing too special. All served with no smile. Don't expect great customer service but expect reasonable prices and food served quick and your bill presented to you before you have even finished your food. 4 stars in view of the price you are paying. read more

I can't even begin to say how much I like this place. Yes, it is off the beaten path and a little cramped inside. The decor is nothing to speak of and the service is efficient, but not gracious. What it lacks in those areas it more than makes up for in great, cheap food. The dumplings are all good with the seafood being outstanding. My only complaint about the pork dumplings is that the dough is a bit thick. The noodle soups are all outstanding and if you are lucky enough you will catch the noodle-maker in the window doing his magic. You have to see him separating the noodles to believe it. In fact I am still not sure how he does it. The dish that I come in for over and over is the cracked lobster with ginger and garlic. It's a piece of nirvana. The lobster is cracked and cut up (a little oddly, but it works if you use your fingers) and sauteed with scallions, ginger, garlic and served with rice. Absolutely outstanding. Pair with a beer and prepare for intense happiness. read more

My boyfriend and I had the duck noodles, spring rolls and chicken dumplings. All were delicious and affordable!

Some of the best Chinese food ice ever had. The Sautéed Lobster and Honey Walnut Prawns are full of flavor and cooked to perfection. Fun to watch the noodle pull I. The front window. I can't imagine a DC visit without a stop at Chinatown Express. read more

This place seriously serves one of the worst Chinese food I have ever tasted in my life!!! I even made an account in Yelp just so I can warn people of this place. Normally you would expect a small Chinese restaurant with a shop full of Chinese customers to serve good tasting authentic Chinese food but it serves food which is far worst than Chinese fast food places. Plus the service was horrible. If so many people go to eat here then the Chinese food quality in DC must be horrible. I stayed away from Chinese food the rest of the trip in DC because of this place. read more

This hole-in-the-wall eatery in the midst of Chinatown serves great dumplings, soups, an array of no-frill Chinese dishes, and even ventures into lobster and harder to find seafood plates depending on availability. Service is efficient although at times borders on the edge of not-so-courteous, depending on who is waiting on you. This may be a cultural thing, but you can't deny the genuine Chinese fare in a place that is consistently of good quality at very good prices. The ambiance isn't noteworthy, but one does not come here for wood-paneled walls and high-end lighting. read more

Great dumplings, excellent noodles, aggressive service. Our waitress looked downright hostile when she came by to collect our plates and we asked if we could order more. I'm used to this treatment, though. I don't mind staring right back. If you can stomach this kind of service, the food is pretty good and the prices are dirt cheap for DC. The fried dumplings are FAR better than the steamed ones. Bathrooms are bordering on illegal. read more

I love this place! Chinatown Express has the best noodles in DC! There's even a guy making the noodles in the front window of the place so you know they are fresh! Stick to the appetizer menu, the noodle dishes, soups, dumplings, and buns are all you need. They also have awesome toppings, hot peppers, some ginger stuff, and more! I ordered off the regular menu once and my entree came with a bunch of celery...celery doesn't go in Chinese food! Anyway, the fried noodles with beef are just freakin' awesome and at $6.50 a plate it's probably the value in Chinatown, nay the entire city! read more

Greasy as hell. Very cheap and fast. It's a classic Chinese spot if u want to take it to Chinatown and get something that feels like it came out of a dragon. Plus you can buy a live chicken! read more

You can't really ask for much more than cheap, handmade noodles. You can choose between stir-fried (comes with a little bit of veggies) or soup and your choice of protein. Their pork and leek dumplings are also really good, and you can get them steamed or fried. To be honest, I haven't tried anything else here but it's a great, simple place for food in Chinatown. Pretty quick if you're just grabbing a bite before a concert or Caps game. read more

I love this place for their noodles. Unlike Kam L (who by the way asked HOT & SOUR soup to be NOT SPICY (are you kidding me?) I really liked their soup. It's not trying to be a fancy 5 star restaurant, but it's awesome for what it is- a Chinese hole-in-the-wall noodle shop. Also, the many little sauces they give you are fantastic :) Especially for $6? Heck yes, Im coming back. read more

Unfortunately we must have stumbled in to this place on the wrong day. The reviews and Washingtonian ratings definitely tricked us. Place stunk like wet rag immediately upon entering. We braved through it and the claustrophobic crowded dining area, giving it the benefit of the doubt. We ordered their two signature most raved about dishes, the duck noodle soup and pork dumplings. The dumplings were dry, Luke-warm, and burnt. Nothing special at all. The soup was greasy and the duck was so gristly we couldn't eat it. Thankfully the price was cheap, so we weren't fuming when we left. Save yourself the few extra dollars and go to one of the more upscale Asian fusion restaurants in the same neighborhood. read more