Hmmm. Not sure what happened here. We arrived for dinner early, about 5 pm. The place seemed busy for that time and they seemed to be having some sort of computer problem. It took about 15 minutes for them to come to the table and that was only because we were getting up to leave. Nothing was good. Even the hot tea was bad and luke warm. The Seafood vegetable was bland and the fried pork chop was heavy with sauce. Worst of all was the rice which was dry. I don't know how you can mess up rice. I guess it was old. When we were done it took another 10 minutes to get our check. read more

Another wonderful meal at Full Key last night. My roommate and I were looking for a quick meal before going to a show. She mentioned a craving for Chinese food and I knew I had to take her to Full Key. Being a native Washingtonian, it has been a family favorite for years - I've been eating here for at least a decade. Roommate looked vaguely apprehensive when we walked up because yes, it's a hole in the wall, and yes, there are ducks hanging in the window. We sat down immediately and glanced over the card of house specials on the table. Those items are a little more adventurous than we could handle last night, but speaking from experience they're worth taking the plunge if you're in the mood. We were also given tea as soon as we sat down, which isn't exactly unique to Full Key, but was pleasant nonetheless. My roommate ended up with an eggrole and sesame chicken and I got egg drop soup and eggplant in garlic sauce. It all came very quickly and was delicious and bracing on a cold night. Our service was very efficient, the bill was low (~32 for two for dinner with apps). Decore was not the shiniest you'll find in Chinatown but that's not really why you would come here anyway. Eat here! Do it and you won't regret it. read more

So yummy! Have a wonderful dinner there! Second time here for my trip! The soup is so great during the frozen days. read more

Full Kee - 京都排骨 - Chinese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

After having several bad experiences with Chinese food in Chinatown, I had completely written off trying anything new in the area. But, my office is close to Chinatown and today I was craving some Chinese food, particularly Hot and Sour Soup. I would love to say that this restaurant didn't disappoint, but it definitely did. I ordered the General Tso's chicken and Hot and Sour Soup for takeout during lunch. When I walked into the restaurant, it had a very strange smell and I was glad that I would not be dining in. As I got back to my office, I was very excited to try this (potentially good) Chinese food. I first tried the Hot and Sour Soup. The worst Hot and Sour soup I have ever had. Even Wok and Roll nearby does a better job. It tasted burnt and was very goopy. The accompanying crunchy bits to put in it were also not very good and tasted stale. On to the General Tso's. This was one dish I was confident about because I had seen all of the positive reviews for it. Wrong. It was not crispy at all and even had parts that were too tough to chew. I will not be returning to Full Kee and so my search continues for a decent Chinese restaurant in DC. read more

Placed is a total dive but the food is authentic. Order from the noodle and rice menu. Wontons are good. Roaster meats are good. Get the roast duck noodle soup with veggies. read more

I only get one thing here, and I get it as often as I can. The Hong Kong Wonton noodle soup with roast pork. It is delicious. This is my go-to eat out alone type deal. It's not fancy, it's not jumpin, it's not jivin. But it is delicious. As far as the other dishes I can't say much. Because I just stick to what I love. The Hong Kong Wonton Noodle Soup. Oh and did I mention it's $6.50? Done. read more

We went for dinner after touring DC all day. I was worried about some 1 and 2 star ratings, but then saw that it was because of a hair in the food or something. Very casual - crap decor - so don't take for a first date. If you want authentic Chinese, this is one good place. It reminded us of the House of Nan King in San Francisco. Waiter walked around the restaurant with is phone playing goofy 70s pop songs out loud. We basically told the people that we are in town visiting and that we want to order several of the dishes that they feel are good. Here's what we ended up with: Shrimp Balls Stuffed with Scallop Fried Soft Shell Crab Duck Stuffed with Shrimp Paste in Oyster Sauce Pan Fried Nooldes All were very good and full of authentic flavor. I would give this place 5 stars if they had a little nicer interior. Good food for the little $$ and cold Tsing Tau beers, who care about decor? read more

YO CHECK IT: to alls my homies...be careful if you hit up da Full Kee during lunch or early evening. They might do tha old switch-a-roo and drop the HIGH PRICE dinner menu on yo ass. Its best if you speak Chinese, gotta a Chinese friend or know exactly what you want. Then they can't bust out the old 1-2 on you. It's a tourist trap sitch, so be street smart and pay Full Kee what you expect to pay! I'm bringin da 3-starz up in herrr, because I still loves me some Full Kee foodz. Slurp! read more

Like a good Jew, my fam and I headed to Full Kee for a traditional Chinese Christmas dinner. No reservations, 45 minutes of waiting, and a lot of elbowing and shoving later, we nab a table. Most of the waitstaff are no-funny business and straight to the point. I love that as long as the food comes to the table (which it did). My party and I ordered mounds of duck, dumplings, spinach, chow fun, some shrimp dish I didn't eat because I didn't feel like ending up in the hospital from anaphylactic shock on Christmas Eve, and some soup. All in all, good standard chinese food. If you are an adventurous eater, the menu contains delectables such as frog, and jellied pig parts! Yuuuum. I'd eat those over the shrimp any day! read more

I love Full Kee, and have been coming here for 13 years every time I come to DC. The authentic/American Chinese food blend makes it a spot both Asians and others seem to like. I like going with a big group and sitting downstairs at one of the large tables to share everything! The dumplings are great and their soup is fantastic as well. Pan fried noodles are awesome...and come on, you can't go wrong with a place that has whole roasted ducks in the window! Chinatown is really losing its feel these days, with Irish bars and Panera in the neighborhood. In a dwindling true Chinatown experience, Full Kee is one of the few authentic spots left. read more

One of the better Chinese restaurants in the theme park district known as DC's Chinatown?!?!?! I usually come here when I'm craving a bowl of shrimp dumpling with chinese broccoli noodle soup (wonton kai-lan mein). Or, if you want meats, this place also has decent bbq pork (char siu), roasted chicken (siu gai), duck (siu ngap ), and pork (siu yuk) that you can order in your noodle soup or as a separate side dish. Or, have it simply over white rice. These meats are hanging in the front window, affordable, and ohhh sooo delicious... ho saik! read more

Visiting some friends, we got a little tour of their top favorite places to eat, and I'm glad Full Kee made the cut. They were a little hesitant to bring us here, because of a 'smell situation.' Apparently they used to cook some very authentic dishes/meats that weren't on the aromatic side. . . but lucky for us, all noses on this trip were fine. Snow pea leaves = get these. We not only got those, but a side of pork and about four other dishes, and all were quite tasty. The service was efficient and the bathrooms were relatively clean, which was a bonus, since they can be hit or miss when it comes to Chinese restaurants. read more

The entire menu is written in Chinese with English translations that make little sense. The staff here speak little English. I think this may be the only authentic Chinese restaurant in all of Washington DC. I let my date order because I'm illiterate in Chinese. We had some soy sauce chicken, a beef dish and sauteed veggies with tofu. The food was delicious and the dinner portions were generous. I even had some leftovers to take back to the hotel. Unfortunately, a gaggle of homeless people hang out outside the restaurant harassing people for their leftovers. I ended up relinquishing mine. read more

Best place in Chinatown, but don't order the Americanized food. It can be a challenge, as I overheard a waitress berate a patron attempting to order tripe soup ("No! Bad for your mouth! Bad for your taste!"). But I had some pretty good conch here. Jellyfish isn't something I'd necessarily crave again, but OK. Not nearly as good as the places in the suburbs (China Star) or Flushing or Sunset Park, NY. But for Chinatown in Washington, which is essentially a contrived marketing scheme? Damn good. read more

Eh, it's not my cup of tea. It was a pretty dirty spot, and I had a feeling after seeing what was on Yelp that I wouldn't be too impressed. Needless to say, I'm not impressed. We had some pan fun noodles (I think that is what they are called) it was kinda slimy. Not an adjective I like to use to describe food. Blah. The orange chicken was decent. The only reason this place isn't getting 2 stars is because my boyfriends cousin absolutely loves it, and because the service was really good. read more

Best Orange Chicken EVER. I try to get healthier stuff here, but seriously, the orange chicken here is amazing. I come here just to eat that. The vibe/decor are just a typical Chinese restaurant. Waitstaff aren't particularly friendly, but honestly, who cares when the orange chicken is this good. read more

A really forgettable experience. The service wasn't all there, and the food was rather mediocre, to put it nicely. My server did not speak much, and only came to the table three times. First, to take the order, the second to bring the food out, and the third to bring the check. That's all fine, but I doubt it would have hurt to have asked if I needed anything else. And he scurried away as quickly as he came. I had the eggplant, which was rather mediocre. I didn't enjoy it very much - instead I kind of just tolerated/put up with it since it was marginally edible and I was hungry. Anyway, I left rather disappointed. My friend seemed to like it, for whatever reason. So whatever works. However, I won't return. read more

My mom was dying for some Chinese food after being in DC for the past week. She's used to eating Chinese almost everyday so I was tasked to find a decent place that wouldn't be too much to get to after a day of walking around to see the major monuments. Chinatown was an obvious choice for neighborhood but I was pretty skeptical because it's pretty touristy and last time I saw, most restaurants actually advertised out front of their restaurant that they serve mooshu pork (groan). So this is where Yelp pics are super helpful. I can tell how authentic the cooking might be by the pics you awesome Yelpers take of the food (thanks mucho!). I saw enough pics that made me feel confident that we could get these folks to make some authentic Canto-style Chinese food. I was on a mission to please mama! When we got there, it had a total feel of a Chinese restaurant that caters to tourists or folks who love Panda Express. I think it took a little for the folks working there to realize that we were looking for some real food. Two women came to take our order at separate times but they kept talking to us in Mandarin. The kid is the only one who speaks it and since he wasn't performing bilingualism for anyone tonight we had to ask if there was someone who spoke Cantonese who could take our order. A couple minutes later a woman showed up at our table and began speaking Canto to us, which made my mom super happy. She was able to ask questions about the menu items and order some good food: -Two kind of preserved egg and egg with snow pea leaves -Salted egg, eggplant, mushrooms stewed in a pot (clay pot style)* -Crispy pork chop kingdom style *modified menu item The food came out quickly, hot, and the flavors (wok hei) was great. This visit was enough to give them another try if my mom was in DC with me again (I wouldn't know how to modify orders without her!). read more

If you're bit of an adventurous eater, than Full Kee is the right place. I normally order chicken with cashew nuts or sweet and sour chicken, but I decided to jump outside the box, and order the sauteed frog with chives flower. This was the meal, which came with white rice. The entree was huge. I enjoyed the frog legs, which were meaty, yet still had the bones left in. The restaurant is fairly small. There are several tables near the entrance, and a bigger dining area down a couple steps. The waitstaff was friendly. and attentive. I would come back here, and order something that I normally eat at other chinese restuarants, just to compare (i.e. chicken with cashew nuts) tastes. As an update to previous reviews, Full Kee now accepts major credit cards. read more

OK, so I'm not really sure what authentic Chinese food is. Coming from small town South Carolina, you can bet we have many a Chinese buffet, but not actual sit-down restaurants where Cletus isn't ordering the typical General Tso's or Sweet and Sour Chicken. Anyhoo, me and a friend decided we wanted to go to ChinaTown in an effort to taste authentic cuisine. Saw some good reviews on this little place and decided to go for it. Let me start by saying the curb appeal for this place is atrocious. The cheap plastic awning deal didn't really say "come eat my delicious Asian cuisine" but we decided to walk in anyways. We were greeted by tables filled with business-folk and some hanging ducks roasting to our left. We were finally seated down some stairs at this big round table where we shared with a couple other parties. I almost expected a Lazy Susan in the middle so we can spin a plate of green beans for our newfound friends to enjoy, but that was not the case. After putting in our order of szechuan chicken we were able to meet this Asian fellow living out his glory days from college at the big UDC-Law. He spoke mandarin and really enjoyed the place, so I guess it's authentic? Our food arrived pretty quickly as it's obvious they want to turn a ton of tables during the lunch rush. Our food was piping hot and was accompanied by some of the freshest ingredients I've ever tasted in Chinese food. Just splendid. If I could get over the fishy smell in there and the super fluorescent lighting, I would've probably had a better grip on the actual flavor of the dish. I would recommend this place if you enjoy meeting strangers and/or are in a hurry for a quick cheap lunch. The veggies of my meal were the definite highlight - so crisp. read more

I was pretty unimpressed with the Full Kee restaurant after my recent experience there. I went with a friend of mine who recently joined the foreign service as well as a number of her colleagues. This was a very international bunch and this dinner was the first stop during a night out--by the time we moved onto our next location, accusations were flying as to who picked the Full Kee in the first place! The food was neither impressive or unimpressive. I personally had the szechuan chicken which was unlike any I had had before--and not in a good way. Lot's of stringy vegetables, few pieces of chicken, and barely any kick. Not what I have come to expect from szechuan, but perhaps this was more "authentic" Chinese than what I had had before. Still, "authentic" is no excuse for the service we received, which was always distracted and never focused on our needs as a party. Food came out to us ever-so-gradually and many of us were verbally compelled by others to "go ahead and get started!" I felt bad that my dish came out early because some people's food didn't arrive for another 10 minutes. Also, my fellow eaters had to literally shout at and flag down one of the servers just to get some napkins. When it came time to pay the bill, I myself had to flag down the woman--after a few minutes of trying--just to get some change for a $20. When it came time to leave a tip, I lobbied for leaving no more than 15% due to the atrocious server. I think we still ended up near 20%, which to me amounted to rewarding bad behavior. In the end: marginally ok food with horrible service and a restaurant with mediocre ambiance. read more

This is what I expect from a Cantonese Chinese restaurant. Engrish menus, fast service, tasty won ton mein, dining room my boyfriend says smells like a barnyard. When I eat at Full Kee, I feel like I am eating in Chinatown, Chicago and I feel at home. To Full Kee, I like you just the way you are. read more

Classic hole in the wall Chinese restaurant. The roast duck is to die for here! Tender, and very flavorfull. Lot's of people eating here, even at 10pm at night. Wait staff were pretty attentive for a Chinese restaurant. Pricey for the food, but I think it's an East coast thing. Out in California, you can have dishes for half the price. read more

Easily the best Chinese food in DC. It's not fancy. It's not pretentious. The service is quick even if they're not super nice and, most importantly the food is great. It's more expensive than it was a few years ago but still really reasonable for DC. The roast pork is my favorite. Sometimes I just get an order of roast pork and sometimes I'll get the noodle soup with roast pork which is amazing on a cold day. I'm also a big fan of the Chinese broccoli with garlic and some of the eggplant dishes. Also a plus- They have everything from very traditional Chinese dishes with ingredients most Americans would never eat to the Americanized Chinese food staples (orange chicken, General Tsos chicken, etc...) meaning that even with a group of super adventurous foodies and picky eaters, everyone can find something. read more

"Famous shrimp dumpling noodle soup with roast pork and Chinese green" and a picture of the dish is the first thing you see when you go to their website. You would think when you get to the restaurant that it would be easy to order their most famous dish. It's not on the menu they give you when you sit down. It's not on the menu on the walls of the restaurant. But if you look next to the soy sauce bottle on your table you can find a small laminated menu with the noodles, congee, and some other dishes. Once you find the menu, you realize that the roast pork is $3 extra and the Chinese green is another $1. The dish itself is good and I can see why they advertise it as their best selling dish. But put it on the menu as the complete dish. Other than that, the rest of the restaurant doesn't stand out in any way. Bottom line: come here if you're craving some Hong Kong style noodles, otherwise there's better places in Chinatown for what you're looking for. read more

Full Kee - HK shrimp dumpling noodle soup with roast pork and Chinese greens - Chinese Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Look, the service sucks (you'll have to put up with waiters continuously asking 'finished?'), and the interior is ... weathered. But you don't go to this place for the decor or the service, you go for the food. And the food is damn good. It's one of the better Chinese restaurants in DC. The menu is extensive, and you can be as safe or adventurous as you like. And it's dirt cheap. read more

Great, simple, and cheap. The Hong Kong-style noodle and wonton soup was great as were the pan fried dumplings. If you go with one or two people it seems like there's an above average chance you'll be sharing a large table with some strangers. I don't mind that type of setup but I can see where others could. read more

The best Chinese food ever! When i used to live in DC i used to visit there a lot. My favorite is from the starters: shrimp dumpling soup (no noodles) so they give you more dumplings yumm. I also love head on shrimp, leave flowers (not sure how u spell) they are just amazing, seasoned with fresh garlic, also roast pork. Those are the best dishes!! Can't wait to go back. read more

This is the place to be for great soup in Chinatown! Yes, much had been said of the dearth of real Chinese in Chinatown. Have no fear, and go to Full Kee. I have their their wonton, shrimp dumpling, and fish ball soups, and the man has also had the roast duck soup. We always add veggies (bok choy for $1) and roast pork ($3), and still come out at a cool $10 each for a huge bowl filled with delicious broth, lots of egg noodles, and tasty toppings. My fav is definitely the wontons (shrimp and pork). Perfect for a winter night! read more

Chicken lo mein, fried dumplings, and pork with snow peas for lunch. Dumplings--deceptive packaging where the thick dough is twice as big as the meat. So, they looked large. Only 3 to an order. Meat inside over cooked and a little gamey, which is odd for dumpling meat. Lo mein was tasty & a hit with the kids. Pork was also tasty, with the snow peas & carrots still crunchy (not over cooked); maybe too saucy. Quick service. read more

Located conveniently right off the gallery metro stop. This restaurant offers Hong Kong style Chinese food. The restaurant is bigger than it looks from the outside, and has a basement section. We ordered the appetizer char su, which was very good. Also ordered the conch and scallions dish, pretty pricey, but the dish has a nice neutral flavor. We also ordered the spicy soft shell crab legs, these were more favorite, the batter had nice seasoning and every bite was soft and delicious. Service is good, but was disappointed in their minimal dish offerings. read more

First time that I came to this restaurant. Fried dumplings were huge! Roast Pork was well done, sliced thicker that I had ever had before. Had Yu Choy that was fresh cooked in garlic. Overall good service. Only issue was that I had a table by restrooms and the sewer odor was pretty strong at times. Will have to try another trip, but will be choosey on seating. read more

I liked their Hong-Kong food menu. Is it the best Chinese food I've had, no, but all things aside, for a last minute jaunt in DC for some good eats, it checked all the boxes. read more

Food are decent. $15 dish of veg is way too small. Salt and pepper pork chop $18 is over fried and only few pieces. Wonton egg noodle soup is kind of salty. read more

Full Kee has this honey walnut shrimp dish that's just scrumptious! It's a perfect blend of salty fried shrimp and sweet creamy sauce. Once we ordered it at a birthday dinner and everyone loved it, they practically scraped the plate clean. I have to admit that I've only been here a couple times; it's hard to get my husband to return here because he thinks that it's nothing special. (Note though that he has lived in Hong Kong and California, so he has pretty high standards when it comes to Chinese food). read more

Food is okay for authentic Chinese. This place has changed ownership so many times I don't know which number this one is. It was once my family's favorite late night spot. We had a carry out that closed late and when we were hungry the fam would grab a table hear for some good late night grub, but the recent owners have fallen short of their predecessors. I'd say if you want Cantonese/Hong Kong style noodle soup or congee this is still the place to go. I, however, had the Beef Brisket on rice. Beef Brisket on rice is rarely made wrong, so I can't say this was bad, no. The amount of rice they gave was unproportionate to the beef brisket and veggies, but it helped to fill up my hungry bf. He chowed down a tasty Roast Duck and Wonton Noodle Soup. Another good thing is that they have fresh Hot n' Sour Soup. I'm not sure if they made it fresh because I asked if they did or whether or not that's the usual practice. I've had some pretty nasty HnSsp., but Full Kee's was decent. Like many authentic Chinese restaurants the best dishes are not always on the menu. Only 3 stars because if it weren't because I knew the waitress I could have expected to be rushed out. They can be quite rude when it comes to serving the younger crowd. They think young eaters don't tip well, so they are rude and try to rush them out. But, hey, if you're going to be rude right off the bat, why would I tip? read more

My only regret is that I'd only scanned the reviews to figure out that I needed to order a soup without realizing which soups everyone was talking about, which I later discovered on a smaller menu set out on the table, but only after paying the bill. We had hot and sour soup and egg drop soup (whoa! too egg-y for me, but I guess that's what it's supposed to be like, huh?), and the crunchy wontons served with it were scrumptious! And then we split the roast pork with snow peas. The pork was tender, had a good taste and wasn't fatty. It was the perfect amount for two following some cocktails at happy hour. There were many Asian patrons, amongst others of course (including a likely American dude speaking fluent ...Mandarin?) I usually to take these signs to be indicative of a pretty authentic ethnic joint. Already looking forward to my next trip! Already read more

So far the best Chinese I've had in the district. Went with a few coworkers. Thankfully, one spoke Mandarin and took charge of the ordering. I'm always appreciative when I don't have to make decisions and I get to try and bunch of different things. We shared the roast pork on rice, a noodle soup with shrimp dumplings, the soft shell crab, soy sauce chicken, and snow pea shoots. Overall, everything was really good. My lease favorite was probably the soup, but the shrimp dumpling itself was delicious. The soft shell crab was awesome, and of course, deep fried. The pork and chicken were both tender and flavorful. And I've never had snow pea shoots before, but I'd definitely order them again. The service was fast, a bit in your face, but they were definitely not rude or pushy. Overall, a great Chinese option. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to finally try it out! read more

Great value for the price. Sure - it would help if you spoke Mandarin, but once you find the one dude who speaks English and can take your order - you're in for a treat. The lunch special may be one of the best deals in all of DC. TONS of food, I mean, an enormous, 'Hungry Man' serving size. Had the Peking Chicken and Fried Dumplings - I'd recommend both. read more

Dishes tend to be salty so ask the server for less salt when ordering. That said, I do recommend the Seafood Pan Fried Noodles, Spicy Deep Fried Grouper Fillet and Sizzling Flounder in Black Pepper Sauce. Usually order with Shrimp Fried Rice. Very tasty! read more