Delicious noodle soups!!!!!!!!! Great menu options, more so than my former favorite Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood. Their pork and duck are juicy and flavorful. Service is fast. Portions great. Prices very reasonable. So many amazing dishes. This is my new go to Chinese restaurant. read more

We drove all the way here and they turned the open sign off once we pulled up. So I wish I could say I knew how the food tasted. It says they close at 11pm but jere it is 7:44pm read more

Always delicious. Highly recommend the orange chicken and vegetable fried rice (not on the menu but you can ask for it).

This is the number 1 restaurant, not number 2. duck is must have, wonton, beef chow fun also a MUST HAVE. Nevermind the server.

My dear mother has this endearing trait that one would love to hate; she is a difficult woman to please. She has this tendency to think that everything she found is awesome whereas anything I introduced her to is met with "meh" or "I've had better in LA", "in NYC", "in Chicago", and so on and so forth. Well woman you are visiting DC and not those places so be happy with what you're provided with!!! Lord bless my father for dealing with such a woman for 30+ years!! Now I will say that the DC area is no food mecca by any means but we do have our gems. So when my mom came for her long (very long) visit, I introduced her to my favorite restaurants and places. And predictably, each place was greeted by annoying endearing comments mentioned above. . . But not at Full Key. Mom was actually so impressed that she requested to stop by Full Key multiple times and on her way to the airport!! Our favorites?? - Anything off the BBQ menu - roast duck, soy sauce chicken, BBQ pork - but we are partial to the soy sauce chicken. Tender but firm pleasantly salty chicken. - Young chow fried rice - friend rice with shrimp, BBQ pork, chicken and lettuce. - Wonton or shrimp dumpling noodle soup - Congee which is rice soup The service is also excellent. I don't know how to say this without being stereotypical so I will provide a couple examples. . . - When you enter the restaurant you get greeted with "Good morning, how are you" not "hello how many ppl". - One of the servers understood Thai so without being prompted she brought out freshly sliced jalapenos because she knew that Thai ppl love spicy foods. So ***** five full stars to Full Key for being one of the few places that spared me the endearing comments from mom. We were able to eat in happy peace!! read more

Great place for authentic Cantonese food. They are known for their roast pork, wonton noodles & kingdom pork chops. For their pork lo mein, they are only restaurant I know in Wheaton that gives you the wonton noodles and shredded pieces of roast pork as opposed to the more Americanized noodles and pieces of regular pork. read more

Full Key Restaurant - Pork Lo Mein (cantonese style) - Chinese Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

Let me start by saying, "WTF!". Tonight has to be one of the most disappointing nights of dining in my entire 37 years. I'm talking- right up there with the day Lawrence Taylor killed my childhood idols, Joe Theisman, football career. Ate here a month ago and absolutely loved this place; open late, good was authentic, fresh, and moderately priced. The service is good; wait staff was very attentive. So, late night urge for yummy Chinese food hits me and to Fool Key we go. Hot and Sour soup is decent- could be spicier. Gf gets Chicken Lo Mein and I special order General Tso Shrimp. Foods steaming hot, Lo Mein is everything it can be. I devour my first gigantic breaded Generals Skrimp; Amazing! I immediately serve my gf one of these bad boys and help myself to three more; filling my place. I'm American, big white guy, well versed in chopsticks. For some odd reason I levitate, grab my fork and proceed to cut the shrimp into thirds; thinking this will cool them down faster and allow my feeding frenzy to flourish. As I puncture the thick, batter drenched, crispy prawn I immediately notice what appears to be an insect inside of my soon to be next mouthful. And this is where the "WTF!" happens and "AYFKM!" Sure as LT ruined Joe Theismans career, so has Full Key demolished my late night comfort food outing here in Wheaton. Words no longer can illustrate my heartache. So here's the pic I took just prior to paying for the soups and still tipping. read more

Full Key Restaurant - My General Tso Shrimp with insect; looks like a baby roach. - Chinese Near Me - Wheaton, Maryland

Never having had much experience with actual, honest to goodness, real Chinese cuisine, I decided to contact the best man in the world who could teach me the pleasures and delights of true Chinese fare ~ a Korean man named Lester K. After a series of exchanges and a debate as to which restaurant Lester would train me in the art and pleasure of Chinese cooking, we decided upon (actually Lester just told me that we were going to) Full Key, in the formerly, neck-of-the-red bastion, Wheaton (don't believe the US Postal service listing of Silver Spring (damned statists, telling us what to call our own neighborhoods!!!)), Maryland (not Illinois). Our man date was set, and I sat patiently waiting for my taste master to arri........ **taps fingers on desk while staring at the computer screen. sighs. looks off into the distance. scratches head. shrugs. goes back to the keyboard.** "Curry Chow Fun? That's not real curry, " Lester lambasted me. "It may not be *real* curry," I retorted. "But it is FUN to eat." "That's not funny," Lester replied. "Maybe so, but why do you keep eating my *not-real* curry?" I....... **sighs. does facepalm. wipes hand across brow. mutters - damn you, Lester. goes back to the keyboard.** "Clams with chili and black bean sauce?!?," I exclaimed. "But I hate black beans!" "Just eat it!" Lester commanded. **stares at the computer screen. grunts.** The waiter then turned to take Lester's order. It was amusing seeing his face turn white as Lester started rolling off his orders like water pouring out of hole in a dyke {{no pun intended}}. One by one, the orders came tumbling out: Roast duck/roast pork platter, Deep fried spicy pork chops, Clams with chili and black bean sauce, Beef brisket, Free sliced jalapenos. Our poor waiter stood apoplectic for a moment, just waiting for one more order to come from Lester's mouth....... *pounds head into desk* Aww, screw it! I'll never write a better review than Lester's. Just skip over this review and go straight to the source. http://www.yelp.com/biz/full-key-restaurant-wheaton#hrid:qohkMQbEiiIz5F1vwREQfQ Oh, later on into the dinner Tony P showed up and yes, I did see Lester pour that sauce down his pants. Also, I have no idea why some restaurants spell their restaurant with Kee, while some spell it Key. read more

I'm Chinese, and by default, it seems that everyone always asks me where to go for "real chinese food". I never know how to answer, as it really depends on what type of flavors that person really likes. However, a standard default answer I like to give, is to go to Full Key. It's real authentic Cantonese style (Hong Kong style, if you will), and the food is marvelous. My parents are pretty finicky about where they eat their Chinese, but Full Key is always a family favorite. Parking at this little stripmall is a pain. I recommend that you circle around back, and park in the parking lot. You'll thank me later. Once you come in, you will probably turn your nose up at the busy pink wallpaper, or the tacky Chinese decor - but as any Chinese restaurant hunter knows - the tackier the decor...the more delicious the food. The wait staff is sparse, brusque, and will tap their fingers impatiently while you try to make up your mind between getting a whole roasted duck, or only a half - but worry not, their cavalier manner belies prompt service. By your second visit (and yes, you will find yourself compelled to come back), you will find yourself grinning with an experience air, as the wait staff taps impatiently at another "n00b" to Full Key. As for what to eat - practically everything is marvelous. I JUST came back from having dinner there (which reminded me that I've been meaning to post this on yelp for a while), and the four of us had a half order of the soy sauce chicken, clams with black bean sauce, black-pepper cod, chow-fun noodles with beef, and bitter gourd with garlic...and we finished everything except the bitter gourd with garlic (if you've never had it - DON'T get this without a "native" to guide you - it's not for everyone!). Just from tonight's dinner, the soy sauce chicken is tender, moist and hauntingly sweet. Also equally delicious (but sold out by the time we got there), is their crispy roast pork and their deliciously juicy roasted duck. The clams in black bean sauce is so marvelously tangy and appetizing that you will find yourself scraping the last of the sauce onto your rice (don't worry - that's what we natives do too!). As a matter of course, I rarely order chow-fun, but the chow-fun at Full Key is how chow-fun should be made. It's made with a fat wide noodle, and the flavors blend nicely together. I also rarely order fish from anywhere but a seafood restaurant, but their black pepper cod is so fresh and so tender and delicious, you would have sworn they just got the fish off the boat moments ago. By the time you are ready to ask for the check, the wait staff's comedic hostility adds just the right touch of atmosphere to make this dining experience memorable. Before you know it, you will belong to the legion of loyal diners who love to bring their friends to dine here for a rare experience. read more

I might go as far to say that this place is the best Chinese restaurant in town. It's not AUTHENTIC AUTHENTIC Chinese food... but good enough to satisfy nostalgic tastebuds. I suggest going on the weekend, rumor states that they change the chef during the week (because there arent as many customers during the weekdays) so you might get a less gratifying experience. Love the Shrimp Wonton- esp the soup... good to the last drop. What's also good is the duck, as you've probably read in other reviews. Oh! And I don't know the exact name of this fish... but its called "snow fish" in chinese. It's very nice, i think its about $14? Not sure exactly, they might've changed the price. Good portions. The place itself is rather small and cramped, but who cares! Have a jolly feed! read more

I tried to order "dzuk" (best spelling I can think of for its Chinese name; it's basically rice gruel...mmmm...) over the phone, but when Ryan brought home our order it was gruel-less. When I called back they said it wasn't part of our order, though I know I said it. However, I'm not removing a star because what we did get was delicious (see original review for that order), and when I talked to my mom later, she said, "Duck? They didn't give you duck?" and I said, "Dzuk! Dzuk!" and she said, "Duck? Wait, do you mean 'dzuk'?" so there is a tiny chance the guy on the phone hadn't understood me either. read more

A veritable treasure trove of amazing, authentic, substantial, and unforgettable Hong Kong style Chinese food. Let's start with the pepper-salt pork chop, a dish I would consider absolutely iconic for this place. I've had this dish (my favorite) hundreds of times all over the country and none comes anywhere CLOSE to the taste, quality, and consistency of Full Key's. Just to give you a further idea of how incredible it is, I used to date a girl that lived nearby just so I could get my weekly fix. I'm not proud of that, but it's that damn good. Going there without getting SPPC is like visiting Philly and not getting a cheesesteak. You know what to do. Beyond that there's no shortage of solid options. Here are my favorites in no particular order: Roast duck, roast pork, soy sauce chicken, kingdom pork chop, eggplant, pea shoots, kong xing cai, congee with pork and egg, lo mein, wonton noodle soup, beef brisket on rice, salted fish fried rice, beef with bitter melon, beef ho fun. This is THE best Chinese food in MD, VA, and DC. Take it from a Chinese guy who's eaten at every Chinese restaurant worth going to within a 100 mile radius of MD. This place is like home to me. read more

I had been to Full Key at Wheaton often Since 1980's, I like their big wonton noodles soup and just big wonton soup, love most of their fool plus is low pricing, before I was living in Rockville and move to Gaithersburg, MD I still often to to Full Key at Wheaton and Now I live in Baltimore, MD is a way out of the way to go get my favor food, If Someone can show me if there another like Full Key near me here in Windsor Mill and Ellicott City, MD I would be greatful read more

This is my spot!!! I've been here since I was young with my family, and this is one of the few legit Chinese places in Maryland. The service is hit or miss, but for amazing dishes you can't really get anywhere else, I don't mind. The restaurant is small, and sometimes there's a wait on weekends. What to order: wonton soup w/noodles... and duck!!! fish filet with their special soy sauce and chicken in black bean sauce. read more

Great restaurant; They are open again - we called in an order for their delicious roast pork and also seafood pan fried noodles. Same nice staff, and the same great food. read more

Amazing food! Bad service! The wonton noodle soup was almost as good as what I had in Hongkong! The broth was a bit flavorless but the noodle and wonton were authentic! Highly recommend! I also loved the BBQ pork and roasted duck! I wish the BBQ pork had a bit more fat ... But Americans don't like fat so I don't blame them. I didn't give them a five star because the service SUCKS! People were very rude and impatient. I would come back again for take out only because I do not want to deal with the servers there. read more

We don't come here for the ambience, but for the casual Cantonese fare, good food, the roast pork that sells out halfway through the day, the garlic Chinese broccoli, and swift service. I would rate Full Key at 3.5 stars if I could, but after tonight's service, it drops to a 3. In the past, the service has been decent. There is some turn over, but there is always at least one affable person working that day. Today, our waitress is a new addition to the staff. She is not particularly friendly, which my husband pointed out when she was done taking our order. I wanted to brush it off, but I can't help noticing a degree of distaste from her when I asked for an extra tea cup because my toddler took liberty with mine. The most off putting part of the service was when we asked to box up the fried rice. I noticed her thumb in the rice as she picked up the plate. She then proceeded to pile other empty bowls and plates on her arm, which means the dirty used dishes were really close to touching our food that we intended to eat as leftovers. I ended up throwing away our leftovers as soon as we got home. Gosh, I wish they didn't sell out of the roast pork when we got there today. My note to self would be: (1) get the friendly Cantonese speaking petite waitress that always smiles, and (2) get there early (like before 5 pm) for the roast pork. read more

Best Cantonese Chinese food in the area. I've ordered here during COVID several times, and the flavor was always excellent. Duck was flavorful and tender. As someone who grew up with quality Chinese food, I think this is as good as it gets. However, beware of some of the tiniest portions by Chinese restaurant standards. read more

Ambiance: 2 stars Service: 2 Food: 3 I live in Wheaton, have eaten at Full Key numerous times over the years. It is not expensive, no big waits, but the indifference of staff is depressing, even for a Chinese rest. This week I ordered roast duck with rice and got a disgusting portion of skin and fat only. In response to my disappointment they just said people like it that way. I'll go back in a pinch, but this is no 4 star eatery. read more

Forgive the host who, on a slow night (like tonight), might be cutting his nails behind the cash register. The black pepper shrimp and scallops served in a sizzling hot pot makes it worth it. (And never fear, he's not actually serving the food -- or cooking it -- so there shouldn't be nails in your hot pot!). And if you're feeling like you need some greens (or like you have a cold), get the choi sum too- cooked in lots of garlic, you'll need some Altoids afterwards, but the pure garlicky taste is worth it. One last thing- for some reason, this is the least descriptive menu ever - the first time we ate there I thought "absolutely nothing sounds good." But it's really just a matter of wording- everything is actually incredible, and if you need help, ask the waitress. She is more than happy to share her wisdom (I particularly enjoy her because rather than asking "is everything OK?" or "do you need anything else?" after your meal arrives, she walks by, nods, and says "It's so good, right?" Yes.) read more

I've been coming here for years! No matter where I move, it's always worth the trip! The staff is always friendly and the young male server always remembers my son and I, he's such a jokester! Consistently phenomenal food!!! I love the watercress, hot pots, the fried rice, spicy whole fried shrimp, clams in black bean sauce, the congee with pork and egg, and the snow pea shoots. I know I've probably butchered half of those names.... If you want the roasted duck or pork, come early they sell out early daily. read more

The roasted meats here are really good - the cripsy roast pork comes with cripsy skin and succulent meat - yup! The "char-siew" (the red colored roast pork) is nicely charred on the outside without the meat being dry. The roast duck is sufficiently spiced so that the meat is juicy and the skin is crispy. One word of caution though - while I was dinning in during lunch, my lunch companion and I jumped when we saw a happy little roach crawling out of a tiny crack in the wall. The owner/manager came round to see what was wrong and when we told him that a roach had crawled out of the wall and had scurried onto the table, he looked non-chalant and told us that it was nothing to be startled by, every restaurant has its fair share of roaches!! Ughhhhhhh I do take outs now and will pretend this incident never happened........ I did not see any roaches, I did not see any roaches, I did not see...... read more

This place is literally the best. PERIODDDDDTT. Don't sleep on this classic! We probably regular here oNce a week. I will admit, it's a lil salty and the service is sub par (the ladies are running the WHOLE place). The duck soup IS amazing- but the wonton is BETTERRRRRR. Cantonese style at its finest! read more

I came here because it was on the way home from NYC and i read some great reviews about this place. I said why not give another try to chinese restaurant (as if we didn't have enough in NYC Chinatown). The place is located in a shopping center that has probably less than 20 parkings all total, but it's okay to park near CVS since the parking isn't strictly reserved for certain restaurants. The place is small so when we came here on a sunday night, it was a little crowded and tight. We ordered several dishes, but surpringsly they don't have like things we want, just typical and simple chinese dishes. So if you want some authentic chinese food, don't come here as they just have simple and more like Americanized dishes. read more

One of my favorite chinese restaurants in MD. Their roast duck is excellent and they don't use MSG here which is a plus. One of my Chinese coworkers get sick everytime he eats food with MSG but this is one place he will go and he never gets sick so that's a plus. Their wonton noodle soup is also really good. What I usually like to get is the wonton noodle soup plus the roast duck and vegetables. I have cravings for this and it always hits the spot. Their beef chow fun and salt and pepper pork is also good. I think their roast pork is pretty good but I've had better in other places. Service is kind of spotty and the place is not that big so it can get crowded but it's worth coming back for me. read more

Brought a 12 inch cake for a birthday that needed to be fridgerated and the manager jerk guy said they had zero space in their fridge. BS. First time this has ever happened to me anywhere. The food is okay because it's so cheap. However, because of this mishap, I will not return. read more

Legit Chinese this close to home is great to have. I'm a big fan of the H.K. style wonton soup, but they also make pretty great char siu and other Cantonese BBQ stuff. read more

Ordered the beef brisket with rice. What a rip off!!! Mostly tendons. Maybe 1 piece meat. Go to Won Gee! Better deal! Never again! Owner not friendly read more

This restaurant has been in the area for more than 10 years, so ever since I've lived here. This restaurant has the BEST wontons and soy sauce chicken. Don't even try to argue with me, because you will be wronged. If you want a true cantonese eatery experience, with the fast service and greasy environment. You have to come here. It reminds me of home (I'm from canton). My high school sweet-heart used to work there post high-school. It was so awkward when I'd come in and have him as my waiter while dining with my new bf. That didn't stop me. So seriously, what in the world will stop you from coming here? read more

Alright. I promised my wife that I wouldn't leave any more reviews for a place we don't live anymore, but this place needs some props. I have been going here since the 1990's, and it has been just as good as when I remember going in there. Especially after a long day of Lion Dancing for Tai Yim Kungfu School (back in the 90's), or just running over there for some fan-effing-tastic cha chiu to go. I was getting some food from this joint like once a week when I was in Wheaton and DC. My wife and I would go there at least a couple of times a year when we lived closer to Baltimore, and now we find ourselves only able to go once a year when we visit my family in Maryland. As mentioned, the cha chiu (as well as the other chopped meats: duck, chicken and crispy pork w/skin) the shrimp dumpling soup and some kind of veggie (Chinese Broccoli or water cress in garlic sauce) is what we get every time. And EVERY TIME it is all awesome. Good to see my old kungfu brother and his dad are still keeping it real, and I only wish we could find a place just like this one in San Jose. read more

Good Chinese place in MD that serves pretty authentic asian food. Most of the dishes were priced pretty standard for a chinese place with most dishes ranging from $8-20 (depending on if you ordered the americanized stuff to the specialty seafood items). Ordered the clams in black bean sauce and chicken and salty fish tofu hot pot. It was actually really good and tasty, albeit the salty fish dish is always a bit stinky. The clams were ok, definitely not the freshest clams I've ever had. Service was good and pretty quick. The place was full of other asians and their dishes looked pretty good too. I'd definitely go back and to try a few more things. read more

Yelp is odd sometimes. What is all the fuss about here? Service was decent enough, and the place is clean and relatively comfortable. No complaints here. Nothing special, nothing bad. I ordered the roast duck-pork combo, and some rice with minced beef. The duck was just okay, and the pork was dry and not very flavorful. The rice with minced beef was terrible - just boiled rice with some sort of school cafeteria slop on it. The portions were huge, but I had no motivation to try to finish them. Not horrible, but below average. read more

Wow, what happened to this place? It used to be one of my preferred Chinese restaurants in the area. Previously authentic taste is now barely mediocre quality. 3-star food & 1-star service = 2 stars. read more

Really rude people! They weren't answering their phone, so we drove to order, and they were nothing but rude. Every time we asked a question, they snapped at us. Never will get our business! read more

First Note. LOTS OF MSG. The food is very delicious though. I usually order the Yeung Chow Fried Rice (kinda expensive), the black and peppered beef pot (very flavourful), and some kinda veggie dish. The service is fairly timely, however, as Cantonese people are, they can be loud a bit. The restaurant layout is pretty packed. The place isn't too big, but it's nice and "typical chinesey feel" *edit* After trying so many Yeung Chow Fried rices...Full Key's fried rice is still close to as good as it gets. read more

The best Chinese place in this area. I always get the beef noodle soup HongKong style and my husband orders the Wonton noodle soup all the time! We love the salted fried pork chop and the fried shrimps! We come here all the time! The place is small but decent and people are very nice and friendly. read more

The noodle soup has been a favorite of mine for years. Some of the best Chinese around

I've been coming here for many years now. I'd recommend the roasted duck , the wonton noodle soup and the beef chow fun. The roasted duck is sometime put-offish because you can see it hanging from the sitting area but believe me... it's really tasty. At times the duck can be a bit greasy and fatty but at least try it once :) The wonton noodle soup is always spot on. An order of wonton noodle soup comes with 6 wonton dumplings (with a shrimp filling) and a healthy heap of noodles. The soup is also very tasty. The beef chow fun contains beef slices, various vegetables and wide river noodles. This dish is always very greasy so if you are watching your weight be aware. Oh and the tea they serve you has no tea leaves (boo!!) read more

This is the holy grail of Chinese restaurants. The food is out of this world, both dishes were under $10, and the restaurant is accessible by a mere 20 minute ride from DC. My server was very sweet and very attentive. Please try the roast duck. It was phenomenal! read more

See all

Family-style Chinese dining at it's best & I really appreciate the sentiment of bringing (free) hot tea to the table for all customers. The dumpling soups are all delicious (order with shrimp dumplings or duck). The wait staff is friendly, speedy, and happy to recommend what to order if you're overwhelmed by the lengthy menu. The space is a bit cramped, but I think adds a lot to the overall experience of eating at Full Key. The decorations are great and actually good conversation starters at your table. I was sitting next to a stamp collection that sparked a conversation that lasted half of my most recent visit. read more