I love this place. Simple gruff service & delicious flavor bomb food makes this spot my go-to lunch when I am in DC. No bells & whistles. Not Americanized. Simple & tasty. Squid with Sour Cabbage is my fave. Dumplings are a must. read more

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

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Hilariously terrible! So bad it's an experience! Come for entertainment! My parents and I were strolling through DC Chinatown and figured it would be fitting to have a traditional meal... we were quickly very amused by how horrible the food was! Their steamed dumplings have some of the thickest skin I've ever seen on a dumpling and took quite a bit of effort to chew. The pan fried dumplings were edible. We ordered some pan fried wide noodles that were literally soaked in grease. The chili sauce and ginger sauces were bland & could not do a good job masking how bland the food was! The seating is cramped and uncomfortable. The bathroom is a little dungeon with a hobbit door and a space heater next to the toilet. This place has... character! read more

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Very decent joint so far. 5 star service. Waiting for the food. This place is packed. Must be off the chain, don't even have to wait for the food to come out to leave this review read more

Was at Sushi Capitol night before so I thought I'd try Chinatown Express after watching people make dumplings in the front window. Ordered signature roast duck noodle soup. The roast duck was tasty but the noodle soup part wasn't very flavorful. Even adding the chili oil didn't help. I'd just order the roast duck or Peking Duck in its own. Also ordered the pork buns I had previously watched being made. They are thick skinned dumplings. Also kind of so so... All in all decent late night eats but wouldn't go out of my way to visit especially as a tourist. read more

Chinatown Express - Roast duck noodle soup - Cantonese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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No no no... There are far better food options in DC that this one is NOT worth going to, especially for good tasting, authentic, Chinese food. We were thoroughly disappointed with the $22 BBQ combo (meat) plate - consisting of chicken, pork, squid, maybe others, - the chicken and squid were barely edible. Very hard to chew, not flavored or marinated well, took only a few minutes of sitting out for it not to taste fresh. The lo mein was less than average. Could make better at home, taste even more Americanized than ordering from a mom and pop chinese delivery service. Greasy-ish food that is not worth the not-so-cheap prices. Anyone who walks in can tell the quality is not even close to high-end. Sorry, not sorry. read more

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

Decent Chinese food. The steamed pork buns were dry on the inside, although tasty. The peking duck's texture and skin were good, but the flavour wasn't as robust as other restaurants in the DMV area. The beef chow foon was perhaps the best item we ordered for this meal. Everything about it was good: the texture, taste, and amount and there wasn't anything bad about the dish. The service was good, with many waiters coming to check on us when we needed and provided us with whatever utensils or extra condiments that we needed. Although, when we had a mistake with our order they insisted that we eat the dish they brought out rather than the one we intended to order. The seating area is your typical chinatown seating area, tables on a half-floor down from street level sort of crammed together, but it isn't anything against the restaurant. Despite that the area was clean and homey. read more

I'll give this place a 4 stars... even though I think the food is a 3star... I came here for the infamous Duck Noodle Soup & ordered a side of Fried Pork Dumplings. Duck Noodle Soup: i absolutely did not like it, i couldn't even finish it. there was no flavor in the broth. no complexity... It needed something more, so lacking. The duck was lacking too. I expected it to be a sweeter glaze on the duck... maybe marinated with oyster sauce?? it tasted so bland. i had to pack my bowl with random condiments i found on the table. I guess the only great thing about the noodle soup was the noodles. i could tell they were handmade, which i appreciated. imagine Japanese udon noodles, if u have ever tried that... Fried Pork Dumplings: i didn't really like it. they served it room temperature to me. i wanted it hot... the outside dough a chewy, rice flour texture. usually dumplings are made from egg wraps like wontons, but they made theirs out of rice dough. Kind of similar to their noodles in their duck noodles. It was fine to eat, just needed more flavor... i tried to drench it in the soy sauce but it was still lacking overall, i appreciate the customer service. Staff seems like kind Chinese people and I love supporting local businesses. I just would suggest maybe trying something else on the menu, or if u have a bland taste palette, then try the dishes Ive tried. read more

Chinatown Express - Roast Duck (Noodle Soup ) - Cantonese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Over the years, Chinatown Express has stood the test of time for Chinese BBQ. The free window demonstration of authentic noodle pulling is a must for kids. Consistently famous, I have come to refine and limit my orders to carryout BBQ and congee. Some of my family demand roast pig/lechon while others prefer BBQ roast pork by the pound. Few ask for the intestines. The triple delight roasting over rice is my simple favorite. (Roast pork, soya chicken and roast duck with 4 sauces) I have to go alone because the waiting experience is painful. For some reason, I feel uncomfortable trying to dine-in. read more

Chinatown Express is convenient to Gallery Place metro. There are two eating areas. Service is quick and efficient. We were immediately seated and our order taken. We got the chicken Yat (noodles soup), sweet and sour chicken, Singapore rice noodles, and an ice cold Tsingtao beer. The soup came out first. It was so good and flavorful. The Singapore rice noodles was very good also. Nice sized shrimp and loaded with green onions. Back in the day the noodles were hand made in the front window. The sweet and sour chicken was piping hot but could have been flavored better. I will return. This is one of the few Chinese establishments that I will eat. Prices are pretty decent. The only thing I didn't like was the prices were not on the ticket when we paid. read more

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I tried the vegetable dumplings here. The dumpling flavor was actually very good: they had egg, cabbage, & rice noodles on the inside. However, the dumplings were served room temperature. They were not warm, which was what I was expecting, and that really detracted from their flavor. The meal easily could have been 4 stars if it was just served warm. The complimentary tea tasted similar to oolong tea to me and I thought it was pretty good and refreshing. The ambiance of the restaurant reminded me of New York's Chinatown: no frills here's the food vibes. The food also came out extremely quickly and I think this is a good place for lunch. Overall: would I go back? Yes. Would I recommend to a friend? For a quick bite during a lunch break, yes. I would not say go out of your way to try to eat here. read more

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Chinatown Express is our favorite Chinese restaurant in DC. We have been coming here for over 40 years. It is not a fancy place, but they serve up authentic Chinese food as evidenced by who eats here. We wanted to introduce our friends to this restaurant. We enjoyed Wonton Soup, Barbeque Roast Pork, Fried Rice, and a Roast Pork and Wonton Soup - all delicious and served piping hot. The portions are generous. You might find the staff not as chatty or as friendly as you might want them to be. I think this because they are not completely fluent in English. Don't be surprised when you get your bill and it is written in Chinese! read more

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Things have changed. It's too mediocre these days. I came at a busier time and was seated upstairs. The tables were more communal style, so a pair was seated at the table and then a family of four. I ordered the steam pork dumplings and duck noodles. It was a fail. The standard with rice would have been a better option. The dumplings arrived and we're sad looking. Dry, overcooked, sitting out and recooked we're all things that came to mind. It tasted dense. Sad. The noodles arrived and drenched in sauce. Pouring a lot soy sauce on things isn't wise. The duck didn't have much meat, just the ends with bones. It wasn't good. I left very disappointed. The poor family who sat with us had their order dropped off at another table. That table poked at it and said it wasn't theirs. The server took it back and gave it to the family, who commented that it was touched. read more

Chinatown Express - Steam pork buns. Dry... - Cantonese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Must experience in DC Fresh noodles made in the window. With 4 sauces to spice it up. read more

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This place is pretty divey The food is below average but it's cheap comparing to the surrounding restaurants and sometimes quick it's a hit or miss don't quote me Last time I went there I ordered the Singapore noodles and the curry was still stuck to the noodles as powder they did not even bother to make them properly it was OK edible but definitely made below the standard. The service on the other hand is pretty sucky they take forever and unfortunately they do not speak English so it doesn't matter how hard you try to ask for something chances are you're not gonna get it and it takes forever to get the payment made to the point I had to get up leave my table and try to go and pay read more

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

The food is delish. The pulled fried noodles are epic and we've been eating here for almost 20 years. Anytime I'm back we always hit them up for lunch. Place looks exactly the same. Don't let the looks fool you. It's a reasonably priced meal and is delish. Also recommend the dumplings. Service is what it is - but it's worth it. read more

Surprisingly, there are not a lot of asian restaurants in D.C.'s Chinatown. This place markets itself as the best Chinese food in D.C., so I thought I had to try. Unfortunately, this place was mediocre at best. The atmosphere reminded me of the sort of rustic Chinese restaurant that you would experience in Oakland. The service was quick and the portions were decent. I ordered the fried noodle plate with roast duck and it tasted like an average dish. I had come back another time and ordered soup and it was incredibly bland. Overall, I would not recommend this place unless you're looking for a quick meal in the area. read more

Chinatown Express - Fried Noodles with Roast Duck - Cantonese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Food was just horrible. I don't get the glowing reviews. Maybe we ordered the wrong things, but doesn't excuse how bad it was. Orange Beef. Very dry and stiff meat drowning in thick goopy sauce. I couldn't eat it. Spicy Salty Pork Chop. Again the meat was just so dry and hard but at least it tasted a little better than the orange beef. Pan fried bun thing. So horrible, thick wrapper and little filling. Beef Flat Noodle. Quite possibly the saving grace if not for...dry and hard meat. Seeing a trend? The noodle is actually great howeve and I can believe it's freshly made. Very unhappy. Maybe I should've stuck with noodle dishes but I won't be back. Go to Tony Cheng instead. read more

2.5 stars! Please take heed! I'm being a bit generous here with my rating. I really wanted to like this place with their hand pulled noodles and mixed reviews, but sadly it was a let down. I should I have listen to the other 2 star reviews, cuz they were on point. Sadly, the food was bland... ugh! We ordered the hand made seafood dumplings, house special lo mein, and the noodle duck soup. Everything was under seasoned, except for the roasted duck, but the soup and noodles were bland. The dumpling wrappers were too thick, and the filling was sparse. The noodles did have good chewy texture, but that was the only highlight. Definitely a tourist trap due to their Washington newspaper review from several years ago. I would have given only 2 stars, but the service was above average for a Chinese restaurant. So beware if you want to chance it here :/ read more

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

The food was good and prepared quickly! The sweet and sour chicken, ribs, and eggplant were delicious.

My go-to Chinese restaurant in DC. A no frills what you see is what you get establishment. I like that they have ducks hanging in the sidewalk window, and you see the chef making the dumplings in real time. I'm a fan of the duck noodle soup. read more

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Duck, duck, noodles! This place is known for two things - roast duck and handmade noodles. You'll see the ducks hanging in the window and you'll often see the noodles being pulled. You can get your duck and noodles fried or served in soup. You won't go wrong with either. Don't neglect the spice rack on the table! Fun no frills spot that hasn't changed much in decades. read more

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I have been to this restaurant twice now and I am pretty impressed with the quality of the food. The restaurant looks like a little hole in the wall , so naturally I had to try it. The curb appeal is not much but you will definitely notice the ducks hanging on the window. If you are lucky, you will get to see the master dough maker inside the display windows doing his thing. He makes some of the best noodles I have ever tried. The first time I was there , we ordered a ton of food and everything we tried was delicious. We were super hungry and I hesitated to write a review in case my hunger had clouded my judgment. Today, I went back in there. Again the dumplings were delicious. The meat was out of this world. Best duck I have ever had!!@ read more

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I was on a trip in DC and while i was walking on Chinatown I found this place we didn't have food we only had some dumplings I didn't like them that much but my daughter liked them a lot that's why I'm given them a 3 stars. I wish we could have tried some food but we were full. read more

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Was excited to eat here due to reviews but this was nothing to write home about and was surprisingly expensive! It really looks better than it tasted, was just bland and needed a lot more flavor. Ordered takeout and went after the time we were given yet the food was not ready. It wasn't bad but def better places in the area I would rather get Chinese takeout from. Also the spring rolls have shrimp and egg rolls have pork. Just something that wasn't on the menu--we assumed they were both vegetarian. read more

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I wanted to give Chinatown Express a higher review but when you forget the order and don't seem to be apologetic about it, then it puts a bad taste in my mouth. I decided to come here after watching Wreck It Ralph 2, and decided to go non-keto with a nice cheat meal. I ordered the chow fun, which are thick rice noodles with beef, along with sweet and sour pork and my s/o wanted to get himself some hot and sour soup. The noodles never came out which was such a shame, because sweet and sour pork should accompany something more savory since that dish is tangy! We wanted to wait a bit longer and eventually asked for our check because we were getting impatient. Turns out, they never got the order ready, and asked if we still wanted it. I wasn't going to pay for them to make a forgotten order, so we declined and went home. The service is quick for the most part but forgetting our order was such a pain. read more

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Mad that it's taken me so long to get in here and try it, after having walked past the window watching them roll noodles and fill dumplings for years. Stopped in for lunch. They have a good selection of lunch options for $6.95 which is pretty unreal for the area. But I came for the noodles. I had the noodle soup with roast pork, an order of pan-fried pork and leek dumplings, an egg roll and spring roll. The rolls were good. Large and crispy. Spring roll is the winner here but both were good with the hot mustard and sweet chili sauces. Dumplings were amazing. Thicker wrapper than others, so you can appreciate the texture of the handmade wrap that was chewy and delicious. Add some soy and chili oil and these are amazing. The noodle soup was also amazing. Roast pork was delicious, noodles had great texture - thicker round noodles, almost udon-like but more chewy. The broth is good, but once you add some garlic and chili oil it's great. Super filling bowl of soup. I'll be back for more noodles and dumplings, as well as the roast duck. read more

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Leave it to the pretentious AHole's of DC to hate on a place like this. Something I've noticed about a large portion of the residents here - they love "Culture" until they ACTUALLY experience another one! This place is as authentic as it gets. Dumplings and pork buns reminded me of the ones that my Chinese teacher and her mother used to bring in back for class back in my high school days. The place was packed with Mandarin being spoken all around us. But leave it to the Better than Thou morons of DC to say it's "not good enough" for them. If they wrapped the place up in modern decor, stuck it in Georgetown, and charged $50 a plate they'd be hailed across the city with 5 star reviews read more

Come here for the typical basic dishes and you will not be disappointed. During the spring and summer months, I prefer to sit outside. Maybe this could be the reason why I haven't received bad service. It's always been prompt and great customer service. You're not just assigned one waitress, but there might be 2 to 3 different people working your table. I never had to raise my hand to request anything. It could be also due to the outside seating being small with only six tables. My go to items is the Chicken and Shrimp Fried Rice. Either one you cannot go wrong. The size is large and they do not use the typical cheap peas/carrot vegetables like most Chinese restaurants. Tasty and I never had to add salt or soy sauce because it's seasoned just right. The Dumplings are delicious too! They offer free unlimited tea. Pros - Tasty Shrimp/Chicken Fried Rices - Dumplings - Unlimited Tea - Fast/Prompt service when sitting outside - Reasonable prices read more

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

"There was an attempt." - the gentleman at the table right next to me We were reluctant coming into the restaurant because of the 3.0 review on here. Walking inside, however, it looked pretty promising with the food up front and the amount of people inside. The service isn't as mean as some of these reviews make it out to be. At most, they're indifferent. I never got any overly mean vibes. Wait time was also average. We ordered their "made to order" fried pork and leek dumplings. The wrapper was kinda thick and the flavor of the pork was barely noticeable. I'm not sure if it just wasn't fresh or just straight up wasn't seasoned well. We also had their claim to fame fresh noodles and we chose beef. I could only really taste garlic (as per the large chunks of fried garlic) and some salt, if either at all. The beef was fine. The texture wasn't good enough or bad enough to comment on. I don't really know how to describe how it tasted, but I do have this comment: if your average, run of the mill, mall food court Chinese restaurant makes better fried noodles than your claim to fame, something has gone wrong. Also, I included a picture of the Sichuan Beef we ordered. It was probably the most decent item out of everything. Beef texture was actually kinda soft, but overall, flavor and ingredient wise? That. Was. Not. Sichuan. If you've had hot-pot or literally any Sichuan flavored menu item, you know just from looking at that jawn that that was not Sichuan. Biggest red flag right there. For a short summary for my other young folks, mid. "THE FOOD WAS SO BLAND" - my mom read more

Chinatown Express - Fried Noodle with Beef - Cantonese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Great homemade noodles Try the duck I come here often now Service is fast Staff is nice read more

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

Prices are affordable, but quality is lacking. My friend and I came on a Friday between lunch and dinner, and we were seated immediately. Their daily specials included house made noodles (fried or in a soup) with different options for protein- beef, roasted duck, chicken, seafood, vegetable, or roasted pork at 9.95. It's hard to find a restaurant meal entree at this price! However, the broth was bland and the noodles were overcooked. The noodles that were supposed to be the star of the dish had no chew on them and was overly soft. Wish the broth was seasoned. I did like the bok choy to get some greens for the day. The garlic chips and slices of green onions helped to put some pops of sharpness from the monotonous bowl of soup. We also tried the steamed pork dumplings that were just okay. The dumpling wrapper was on the thicker and chewier side, but the pork filling actually had flavor. read more

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

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Overall, this place isn't too bad. The food is priced decently, but there are some minor problems. The pork buns, which are more like soup dumplings were dry and kinda lacking flavor. I would say, maybe if I went again, they could be better, but who knows. The fried noodles with roasted duck was really good. Also, for $8, I think it's probably one of the more worth it restaurants if you are a college student. Try this place out once and definitely try their duck! read more

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

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It's a cozy spot but the food needs improvement. Xiao long bao (soup dumplings) were mediocre, one ripped open on arrival. I've had a lot of beef chow funs in my life but this was not a good one. Greasy and taste was off, might need a new wok. Also had the seafood noodles.. the sauce was thickened with too much corn starch which made it thick like jelly that was unfortunately unsavory. I get that this is a no frills type of spot but I didn't think I got my moneys worth (~$55 for 2 mediocre noodle dishes and appetizer). Would be a great place if the food quality was better. read more

Walked into this place and immediately felt like I was in China it was a family restaurant, you could tell, with old man in the window making noodles, the young kids at a table shucking some kind of vegetable- peas I think, the mom and her cousins waiting on tables the whole place felt good to me - and the food: nothing to complain about, top notch dishes. I spent 20 minutes looking at the menu - totally in awww of the amount of dishes and pondering what I was going to choose. it finally dawned on me - duck Ramen soup....then I started noticing everyone around me was ordering the exact same thing I told my wife they must be copying me and that i had unknown power to influence people and make friends. then at the end of the meal I looked up and saw the resturant had a giant news article on the wall saying that that is the best dish in the entire restaurant they are known for this dish !!! ooops, no one was copying me - i was not influencing anyone, they were reading the article on the wall either way, great experience. we would definitely do it again #duckSoupForLife read more

The restaurant is a JOKE. Waitress was impatient even to offer us ice water. We noticed their southern accent so we ordered steamed soup dumplings and beef noodles. Look at what we got! The skin of the dumpling was more hard and thick than a wall, almost choked eating it. And the noodles they claimed to be freshly hand made was clearly did by machine, not chewy at all, taste like jelly. read more

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I rarely leave reviews but this was bad. Restaurant is filthy, food was cold and flavorless. Staff was rude and unattractive. Don't go!!! read more

Chinatown Express - Thick cold undercooked dumpling - Cantonese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I wanted to try this place because the noodle are freshly made. When I got there, the noodle man was there in front of the restaurant. This place is a hole-in-the kind of place but there are many tables. The servers are nice and accommodating. As for the food, Xiao long bao was made with thicker wrap than what I'm used to. The duck noodle soup was okay considering it supposed to be handmade. read more

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I also walk by this store and now realize why. The food was absolutely horrible. I ordered double cooked pork and it was the most bland dish I've ever had from a carryout. the curry shrimp and eggroll were slightly better but still awful. I will NEVER return read more

This place was delicious! We went here on a whim and were impressed by the food. The service was slightly intimidating but it was ok because the food was great. read more

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I don't get the rave reviews. Maybe because there isn't a whole lot of competition here in DC but the food was so unbelievably disappointing. Soy sauce chicken rice plate had obviously reheated (and overcooked) chicken. One piece of broccoli was included as bonus. I also got the fresh stir fried noodles and freshly made dumplings (that's their specialty right?), but they were both as bad as the overcooked chicken. read more