Very disappointing to show up with your family of 11, 6 adults, 5 children... to a place we've been regularly at 5:30pm, not busy at all... BEWARE OF THE DRAGON LADY... She refused us service even if we separated and sat at 3 tables! So... not going back. read more

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Great food! Owned by a lady and her hind and who are always so sweet and welcoming! By far the best Chinese food in Bellingham!

I love Dragon River! The lunch menu has great prices and I always get the same thing- the Chinese sausage and cabbage. The Hong You Chao Shou is perfectly spicy and delicious. The owner is taking cleanliness and covid protocol very seriously, and I look forward to dining in soon. Service is always lovely, and I always get fantastic recommendations. Thank you! read more

I've enjoyed eating at this restaurant for the past six months. Over the time I've been eating there, there has always been the same waitress. As the months have gone by, she has been increasingly surly and even rude. At times I've felt bad for her, wondering if something sad was happening in her life. Tonight the chicken in my wife's dish was off, tasting of rot. We let the waitress know, and she not only denied this was possible but came back to our table to argue with us. Then she charged us for the food that was obviously not safe to eat. I told her, as I was paying for rotten chicken, that we wouldn't be coming back. She literally started yelling at me. She yelled at us as we walked out. Well, I won't be going back there ever. What happened to civility? read more

Started having lunch here when our daughter was two(she's now 12). Anytime we get takeout this is her immediate request. I will say if you are not ordering from the top of the menu and ordering your go-to favorite of General Tso's or some other nonsense you are really missing out. Seriously, you can't get this food at just any Chinese restaurant. The "dragon woman" running the place has been so kind to our daughter and it may be that dragon's treat others as they are meant to be treated. Love this place. read more

The absolute best Moo Goo Gai Pan I've ever had - included a variety of veggies (not just mushrooms) and the chicken was tender and juicy. Portion was large as well! I ordered the egg drop soup as well but it tasted more like a sour soup so I'm not sure if I was given the incorrect item or if that's just they're version. Either way, I wasn't a fan of the soup as I don't like sour things, but the main dish more than made up for it! To other reviewers calling the woman who works at or owns this restaurant a "dragon lady": turns out you're super racist and don't know how to handle situations without resorting to posting awful stereotypes online. ANYWAY! The woman who took my order over the phone and in person was perfectly nice. I have to assume the reviewers instigated the attitude, honestly. read more

This IS our favorite Chinese restaurant! It serves traditional Peking style dishes but for me what sets it apart are the dishes from northeastern China. My favorite dish is Bai Cai Mu Er with pork ($13.99). The serving size is enough for two adults. The ingredients are: Napa cabbage and Mu Er mushrooms. The atmosphere is relaxing while the service is quick! We love dining here for lunch and dinner. On weekends and evenings we found a FREE PARKING garage just across the alley from its back entrance. Head west on West Holly St. And then turn right onto Cornwall. Follow Cornwall only one block. For PARKING take the first left at the light. read more

Everything here is good! It's a small staff so be patient with them. I love the ginger beef, spareribs, fried rice, but feel free to order anything. Dragon River is a permanent stop on our restaurant rotation. read more

My family has eaten here many times over the years. We know going into this dining experience that the server isn't the most welcoming or warm person, but the food is usually good and quick. However, last night was exceptionally horrible. When we walked in there were two other tables; one of about five people and the other was two people. My son had to use the restroom so my husband and he headed back there. The waitress told me where sit and didn't seem impressed that we were there. She brought the hot tea out before water which is fine but our son likes to have some tea and we usually water it down a lot so he can be a part of. While dropping off the tea I had asked for a bowl of soup for us to share and she snapped at me that she had to take the larger tables order first. I get it; I was in the restaurant business for years, but no need to have such a terrible attitude... I felt like I was in a Seinfeld episode. She came to take our order with the same short rude attitude. When she finally brought our water out she put my son's water down on a fork and it spilled everywhere. I went to get more napkins to clean up her mess, I found her and she looked at me like I was such an inconvenience, got on the phone and walked away... are you kidding me? So I found a rag, cleaned up the water and when I took it back I explained to her how she was the one that spilled the water not us. At this point in our experience we were ready to leave but we had a short time to eat before we have a commitment to get to so we decided to stay. Our food came out and from first inspection I noticed there was what looked like a piece of thyme in the mandarin chicken that I was sharing with my son. IT WAS A PIECE OF METAL WIRE. I cannot explain in words how livid I was in that moment. What if my son would have gotten that? He is four he would have eaten it. What are you using to cook with that has wire in/on it?? How does this happen? I took the wire up to our waitress and snatched it out of my hand and asked if I wanted to cancel the food or have it remade... I said "cancel it?" I found that odd since the food was already on our table? She took the food away from us, no apology, no explanation. We didn't tip because she didn't take any actions to deserve one. To add insult to injury my husband and I both have food poisoning. We will never come back and I will continue to tell everyone about our experience. read more

This establishment has some refreshing non standard Chinese items you typically don't get at other places. We had dumplings in hot chili oil that were divine! I can't believe I've lived in Bellingham and just now discovered this gem. The service is warm and staff are great at offering suggestions. Please support this place, they are by far a shining star in the mediocre Bham food scene. read more

Dragon River is my go-to when I'm craving this cuisine in Bellingham. The pineapple shrimp is my favorite by far. Excellent quality, feels like a home cooked meal. read more

Best Chinese food in bellingham! The owners run this place themselves, and are taking a lot of measures to keep themselves and others safe from covid, so thank you!! I've seen reviews about them being rude or the food not good and that's simply NOT TRUE! Go in and be nice and you will be met with a big hello and smile, that simple. The Mongolian beef is to die for, the egg drop soup is fantastic and the prices are perfect for a small business that serves good portions. read more

I hesitate to tell you about this hidden gem. One of those secret restaurants we are always looking for. We don't want it getting so crowded that we can't get a table. Run by a husband and wife, funky decor, you'll miss the entrance if you aren't looking for it. Hands down the best sweet and sour we have ever had. We've never had any taste so fresh. When you can do the basics this well... read more

Terrible but hilarious service, and lower than average Chinese food. Pros: Decent location. Inside seemed clean enough. Food served hot. Good basic Tea. Cons: Service was surprisingly rude. Food is very bad. General Tso- Was burnt (rare for this dish), and had built up such a crunch shell that it was almost impossible to chew. Chinese sausage with cabbage- Almost all cabbage, and basically very mild and boring. When I say mild, I mean general taste, as in "this dish lacks taste." Best- or worst depending on how you look at it- part of dragon river? The server aka "Dragon Lady." She is mean, she is rude, she is the honey badger of Bellingham Chinese food. It's almost worth having the shitty food just to hear this woman. Seriously. Ask her about the menu, ask her about a dish, anything. Her reply will be awesome. You will be in awe at the simple ferociousness spewed towards you and your loved ones. Final thoughts: Same old Chinese food except for a few specialty plates, rude to the point of funny service, and nothing special. Probably won't be returning for the food, but may go back just to hear the server go hostile once more. read more

Ordered take out today. You can tell they are working hard to maintain safety for staff and customers during this difficult time. I had the Pork in yu xiang sauce, which was delightfully spicy and subtly sweet, and a great portion. I also ordered the beef noodle (soup), which I ordered by mistake as I was really wanting the Beef in thick spicy soup. No worries, it was delicious too. I love the focus on regional dishes, impossible to find in this area. I will be working my way through the menu. (The pork rib stew from an earlier visit was pure comfort). read more

Do you remember that classic episode of Seinfeld called 'The Soup Nazi'? Of course you do: "No soup for you!" Well, now B'Ham is its own proud owner of the above at Dragon River, where the service is every bit as brusque as the food is good - perpetuated by the hostess/waitress/owner? who could care a less about your good time. In fact, your good time gets in the damn way. It's this "I could give a f!ck" pretense that is quickly becoming the stuff of legend (read other reviews). But if you go here with the right attitude (i.e. Have some fun with it, my goal is to try to get her to smile - mostly unsuccessfully) then this place can be great. The eggplant for example is the real deal - as are many of the other dishes. Could be the best in Whatcom County. If you're not ready for service that is challenged at best, however, I would avoid this place at all costs. After all is said and done, maybe, just maybe, this is her marketing strategy and she's outthought us all. People might come from miles just to measure their own customer service fortitude. My guess? She's been watching reruns of Seinfeld for years. read more

I have now been to this restaurant three times. What this says is, there is something wrong with me and waitress but not so much the food. The first time I went to this restaurant with my wife, we were the only one's in the place. The waitress/owner was pretty slow to warm up to us, but I really didn't think much of it. The food was good, liked the chow mein and crab rangoon. Liked it enough to come back a few days later. Came back within the week with more family in tow. I usually chat up the waitresses, I commented that we came back. She said, "I don't remember you" and walked off. The equivalent of a backhand. The family enjoyed my humiliation, and we proceeded to order spicy chicken, honey pork, orange chicken and chow mein. The food was good and warm, the waitress cold. Friday night we came back again with more of our family. Part of the allure of coming is the waitress's treatment of the customers, reminiscent of a certain episode of Steinfield. As we walked in, four of us plus an infant, the waitress looks at us and audibly sighs as if her life has just been ruined. She places us at a table, takes drink orders from some, but not all of us and leaves. Meanwhile she moves a group of four that made the mistake of sitting at a table for six. Brings us someone else's egg rolls, which we refused. Finally got one more of our drink orders in. Then took someone at another table the wrong beer. Finally our food came, some of the same things we have ordered previously. Which I really enjoyed. My daughter in law needed her water refilled, we all cowered in fear to ask for a refill, finally one of us got the courage and did so. I really like the food here. But, half of my coming here is to see how we and the other customers are treated. Since I am somewhat sick and twisted, I must somehow enjoy being treated this way, or I am just amazed a restaurant can stay open treating their customers this way. From the other review's I see were not the only ones. I give a three star rating, 0 for service, three for the food. If they had a different server, it would have been 4 or 5. read more

A Bellingham Chinese food institution. Lunch menu is an incredible value. I love that they go with full commitment into their spice profile. Service is super friendly, meal was served quickly despite the lunch rush (at noon no tables full, to 13 by 12:15 on a Tuesday) definitively gives you the family run restaraunt vibe. Love the ginger, love the heat. General Tso's was awesome. Haven't been here yet? For shame! Awesome place, cant recommend highly enough. read more

BEWARE of dragon lady!! Cultural differences aside (as referenced as an excuse by previous reviews), the service in this establishment is by far, the worst I have ever experienced - anywhere, ever! Indeed, there may be good dishes at Dragon River but the General Tso Chicken, in my opinion, is not one of them. After having already noticed the waitress/owner's "salty" attitude, my friend and I mentioned the previous Yelp reviews and agreed we should probably not take too personally her seemingly rude behavior from the beginning. She literally heavy-sighed and rolled her eyes when we asked what ingredients were in a specific dish. The lunch special features egg drop soup, which was good. My Tso chicken arrived soon after, way more batter than chicken, smothered by a greasy, artificially colored red sauce, next to what was supposed to be fried rice but was actually white rice with some Veg-all thrown in. After struggling to cut, chew (or even discern what kind of meat I was eating), I opted to send it back. (I'd like to point out, I have been on this planet for 50 years and have only ever returned a dish one other time). I quietly called our attendant over to ask to return the dish and I explained why. She then literally grabbed the utensils out of my hands, cutting aggressively into the meat on my plate and screamed that, "It's deep fried! That's how it looks!" I said that I couldn't chew the food and I insisted on sending it back. She grabbed my plate with melodramatic style, then continued her verbal assault, even trying to involve other patrons who were trying to enjoy their lunch. She continued calling me names and bullied my companion into rushing to finish her meal. As my friend was preparing to settle her bill, our server slammed another bill down on the table for $1.63, for the soup I ate saying, "You better pay!" So petty! Of course I paid my "bill" (in change) and we left. Literally being screamed at the whole time. read more

This is the *only* dependable place in Bellingham to find delicious Chinese food. DO NOT expect five-star service. DO expect five-star food. As long as you keep these things in mind, you'll love this place! When I go, I order honey pork, spicy green beans, di san xian (eggplant and potato dish), and white rice. read more

Ugh. Bellingham still awaits the arrival of a decent Chinese restaurant. . . My son and I waited by the door for probably a good 5 minutes, despite the fact that two women were standing at the register in conversation and only two tables were occupied. Red, white and blue vinyl tableclothes seemed like an incongruous decorating idea and it felt like we were seated in a long hallway. . .I also really hate the way that even in an almost-empty restaurant we were seated immediately across from the one other party in our section. The food was bland, white and greasy - my son and I shared chow mein and fried rice. The chicken was unpleasantly soft and gummy and vegetables were in scarce supply in both dishes. We had to ask for water and then ask for refills. There's not much more to say other than save your money. read more

A lot of people are down on this place because of the owners but I think there's a lot of cultural differences that people overlook. The lady working there is always nice to me and their hot and sour soup and honey pork are to die for. read more

We went in for lunch. 2 ladies and 2 toddlers. The waitress was really friendly. I ordered the cashew chicken with rice lunch special. I ordered the pork buns appetizer for my daughters lunch. With egg drop soup. The food was fast, but only so-so in flavor. It wasn't bad but I probably wouldn't go back again either. They have a clean bathroom, too. read more

This is the best Chinese food in town, no doubt! Parking is probably the only drawback. Lunch is always excellent, dine -in or take-away.

This place just blew my mind. I don't know what took me so long to try it; possibly the dearth of Chinese food in Bellingham past. Dragon River is NOT your typical Americanized Chinese restaurant! Finally! The Hong You Chao Shou is to die for. (Do not order this if you have an aversion to heat or oil :) I wanted way more than my share. I don't think it was explained on the menu, but it's essentially dumplings in a hot chili oil sauce. (They even asked if I was sure I knew what I was ordering so I wouldn't be surprised, which was unnecesssary but I appreciated it.) I also ordered the Shao Cai with tofu which is sort of a traditional Chinese stew (Chinese street food, essentially). The Di San Xian was also excellent. They are cooking from the region they know (Northern China) and it really shows in the food. There is a separate section with things like Mu shoo, kung pao, etc., but I will be sticking to what they know best. The service was great. I can't wait to go back. OH, AND NO MSG!! read more

consistently great food and really kind service! i usually get the orange chicken or the general tso chicken. a little more expensive compared to some places in bellingham but it is worth it, it's the best in the city. read more

Great food. Order off the left side of the menu - those are the regional specialty dishes they do best - the right side is just there to check the usual boxes for people expecting the same "Chinese" food they find everywhere else. We had the honey pork, which was fantastically crispy. We added some chili sauce for a little kick. Also had the eggs and tomatoes because we'd never seen it before and thought it was fantastic. Good mix of unctuous egg and garlic flavor and sweet tomato umami. read more

Best chinese food in Bellingham by far! We had the eggplant and the orange chicken and both were great. The tea is yummy, the fortune cookies are fresh. Very no nonsense service. I will be back. read more

Dragon River - no orange chicken left! - Chinese Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I've only been once but it was very tasty and extremely affordable. The lunch specials are $7 or $8 I believe and come with your choice of meat, an egg roll, fried or steamed rice, and choice of soup - for 8 bucks! I had the General Tsao chicken and it was the best I've had! They also bring you free green tea and water when you sit down - a nice touch. read more

This is definitely not the traditional "Chinese restaurant" that you'll find in most places in US. In fact, this place has such authentic northeastern style Chinese food, that two of my friends from that region claimed this is the best places they've ever been. If you know about or feel interested in northeastern homemade style Chinese food, this is the place to go. Feeling extremely lucky that now Bellingham has its best symbol. read more

I wish I had read the reviews before coming here. It would have saved me from the experience of dining at Dragon River. Every negative review about the service is pretty accurate. At first I thought it was a culture thing but it can't be, because I've always had good service at Chinese restaurants. The lady server was just miserable. Just asking her what vegetables came with a dish felt like I was asking her for the world and she still couldn't tell me. I hoped my meal would make up for the service but it was just ok. Avoid at all costs unless you want a totally different experience. read more

Food continues to be OUTSTANDING! Unfortunately though, if you need super cute waitresses and smiley service to enjoy a meal, you'll likely not like Dragon River. Food came in under 10 minutes today during a super busy lunch hour. Yum! read more

Dragon River - Pork rib stew lunch special... Delicious! - Chinese Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I returned to Dragon River recently with a friend. We sneaked in the back door (from Parkade) and caught the server off guard...that was a good start! I've written about the server in the past and her gruff manner. I am glad to report that she seems to be working on her serving skills. She smiled and was friendly. Wow, what a nice change! The food was great as usual, it was hot and fresh and came quickly. I am still a Dragon River fan, particularly for the good food. read more

I don't normally like "American Chinese Food" - and you'll only find that on the back of the menu for those whom insist on Kung Pao Chicken. Order the fresh Chinese comfort food on the front of the menu. Food is fresh and delicious. Dragon River accommodates vegetarians and gluten-free diets. Service is warm, inviting, punctual and knowledgable. We will be back!! read more

My wife and I stopped by at 11:00 am for lunch. My wife said good morning to an older Asian lady. The lady didn't respond back in kind and bluntly asked us if we were ordering to go or having lunch there. We told her that we were eating there. The lady plopped down a menu on a table and walked away. My wife asked the lady if she could use the restroom. The lady rudely asked my wife if she was there to eat or to use the restroom. My wife and I decided not to eat there because of the lady's attitude. I told the lady that we changed our mind and were leaving because she was rude to us and needs to learn how to treat her customers. read more

Always amazing food. Great service. The only place in town for salt and pepper shrimp!!

My new favorite Chinese place! I went here with my boyfriend and we shared the bao zi appetizer, which for those of you who don't know (I didn't initially) is a pork bun served with a garlic sauce. So good! It comes with four small-ish bao zi, perfect for splitting. We were served tea and ice water and didn't feel the need to order drinks. I ordered the spicy beef and my boyfriend ordered the ginger onion beef (onion ginger? either way you get the point) and they were both delicious, and came plated separately, with a large covered bowl of rice to share. We both agreed that mine was better, but both were very good and we had leftovers. Highly recommend. This was definitely different than other Chinese places in the area, as it wasn't covered with tons of sauce, and tasted healthy and fresh. read more

Dragon River has become our easy "Yes" when my husband and I are trying to decide where to go for a good, interesting meal. The variety of items on the menu is appealing, as well as the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. The hostess/server/owner is a vegetarian herself and can make some good recommendations. Many of the items on the menu are unique in our town, though there are many familiar dishes too if you've got a Mu Shu, Chow Mein or Wonton hankering. I'm an omnivore myself, but I've fallen in love with the Di San Xiang - an eggplant, bell pepper and potato dish in a sauce that is balanced with sweet, salty and umami yumminess. I also think the location is great. I love dining in Downtown Bellingham. read more

Yummy!!!! Could be partly because I've only been here after a week in the hospital eating hospital but hey... Pros? -Best broccoli beef I've ever had... not only was it not chewy but the broccoli wasn't avoided ;-) -Delicious sweet and sour pork -Sweet and sour soup definitely up to par Cons? -Only one server helping lots of tables... didn't effect the service much though, so that was good! read more

I've been here twice now, once for take-out and once to eat in with my madre. This place is amazing. They have interesting (and delicious!) items that you don't see at most American Chinese restaurants, ample vegetarian options, large portions, and meaningful fortunes in their fortune cookies (last night's: "Enough is as good as a feast"). Their employees are super nice, warm, and accommodating: our waitress went above and beyond to make sure there was no garlic in my mom's order (she's allergic). I will definitely be frequenting this place as long as I'm here in Bellingham :) read more