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I have now made it to six Peter Chang restaurants in the DMV! When I was looking through the menu I must have missed that it was a Peter Chang restaurant. I only saw food items that looked really good. It wasn't until I saw the bubble pancake did I realize. So of course we ordered the bubble and bento to begin. Loved the variety in the bento box and wished that it came with at least two of the soup dumplings, siu mai, and har gow. You just can't share a soup dumpling! We ordered the chow fun and salt and pepper shrimp. This was the perfect amount of food for the two of us. The chow fun will always be my favorite childhood noodle dish. The shrimp was nice and crispy. And for any non-alcoholic drinkers out there, they have a lychee drink which was very refreshing. My only complaint is that with a party of seven, we were told that there was a $20 deposit per person for a reservation. Our reservation was for the non-busy hour of 4:30 p.m. I can understand large parties of say 20 or more in which you will be taking up a good portion of the restaurant but this policy is a first for me. Parking is available in the paid garage on the same block.
Popped in for dinner after an event nearby. No reservation but we were able to be seated right away. The restaurant had a back section that looked like it could be used as a separate party room and more booths and table in the front. Our server was good. He checked in with us frequently and made sure to keep us informed on our food status after taking our order. We tried the scallion bubble pancake, walnut shrimp, Mr Zhangs red braised pork belly, and beef chow fun. The bubble pancake was fun and had a good crunch and served with like a curry dip sauce. I would say if you get this, you should eat it first/soonest since i enjoyed it more at first bite while it was hot. The walnut shrimp was good, the shrimps were the smaller ones that were an easy way to snack. The braised pork belly was so tender. It reminded me of char siu, flavor wise, as long as you're ok with the pork belly (aka fatty pieces). Beef chow fun was good. They used nice wide noodles that were cooked well, not too soft, and had good onions, bean sprouts, and other veggies. I would come back try other things!
I took my family to Ni Hao to celebrate my sister's birthday. Ni Hao offers tapas style small dishes of a variety of Chinese foods. I tried something from most sections of the menu. Overall, the food was good. We really liked the sesame noodles, walnut shrimp, dumplings and bubble pancake. The service was just okay. The waiters were not very helpful at times. And the individual plates for food were very tiny, which made trying a bunch of different shared plates difficult. We asked for larger plates to eat off of, and they did bring those for us. I'd probably give this experience a 3.5/5, but I'll round up. The food was pretty good and the food came out quickly. The best thing we tried was the walnut shrimp.
They have an all you can eat menu for $35 on Saturday & Sunday from 11-3pm which all four us had. Some of what we had to drink/eat: *crazy rich asian *you are the apple of my eye *bubble pancake *chili wonton *bbq pork dumplings *walnut bun *dried fried green beans *egg & scallion fried rice
Ambiance: clean open seating Service: our waiter was great but it got slow once people came in for brunch. I think there were only 2-3 servers. Food: we came for the $35 all you can eat Brunch Dim Sum. I thought the food was good (average). Standouts were the bubble pancake, soup dumplings, fried fish and green beans. My friends were a lot less critical. I grew up eating dim sum in Chicago and they have a much larger Chinatown so the dim sum were amazing there. We went on Sunday because I saw an IG reel saying you can get Peking duck on Sundays but it was not included in the $35 Brunch. Definitely a great deal in the DMV and there were no time limits like a lot of other restaurants.
Dude. Go here! 5 Stars - Nihao Crystal City Delivers Like a Vancouver Favourite, But Better As a discerning Vancouverite who's chased the best dim sum and cocktails from Kits to Chinatown, Nihao in Crystal City stopped me in my tracks. Their happy hour is an absolute steal: two items for $13. The lightly fried dumplings were perfectly crisp and kid-approved (mine devoured them), while the salt & pepper shrimp were so addictive we ordered second servings--twice. Must note :::::::::: amazing Bartender Arthur is a true virtuoso; his exquisite cocktails and elixirs are works of art that outshine most spots back home. The sweet decor and gleaming jade stone tiles make the space feel quietly luxurious, and the bento box fed two hungry teenagers plus one adult without breaking a sweat. Vegan options shine, especially the crispy Brussels sprouts and cabbage dishes. Oh, and the spicy menu is bold--though fair warning: the Mobo tofu is no joke (nuclear-level heat). They kindly removed it from our tab with zero fuss, a class act. Only ding? No military discount, for a veteran and his active duty partner which is surprising this close to the Pentagon where everyone else offers one. Flawless execution. Book it. Thank me later. Tchauzihno
We were in the mood for shared plates so we went all in on the tapas. Their portions are VERY generous so keep that in mind when ordering. We ordered: Dry fried eggplant - excellent, light crispy batter, spicy Uighur noodles - ok, my least favorite Walnut shrimp - delicate flavor, light crispy batter Mala pork rib and fries - very flavorful, spicy Scallion Bubble pancake - light and fun, comes with mild curry sauce, not too oily And my husband, who didn't want to share, ordered; Spicy garlic eggplant - very tasty Twice fried pork belly - I didn't taste this but my husband seemed to enjoy it! The servers were friendly but not overbearing. The restaurant is small and simply decorated. Music was unobtrusive and the space wasn't terribly loud. I had a Barbie Negroni and it was delicious - perfect balance of floral and sweet with a lychee fruit to top it off. We'll be back!
Green is my favorite color and NiHao is full of it in tile form. Walk inside and the space is simple and green. Sit down, open the menu, and you'll find many options from small plates to mains to dessert. To feed my buddy and I, we ordered the cucumbers, dan dan noodles, sesame beef, kung pao chicken, and cabbage. Every dish was full of flavor, but the winners were the cucumbers, cabbage, and sesame beef. We left full. The cocktails were not bad too! Enjoying more sweet and sour cocktails, the Shadow was perfect. My friend who enjoys more stiff drinks found the Fallen Angels good.
I was in town for the week. I find the food in Nova to be not very good. I was craving Asian noodles and didn't want to go beyond Pentagon/Crystal City which limited my options. I chose Ni Hao based on the reviews. I wasn't expecting much, but unfortunately, the beef chow fun didn't meet my expectations. Other than salt and soy sauce, the noodles didn't have much flavor. It was very greasy, the shine in the photo reflects the grease. The beef was tender and there was a generous amount. What bothered me the most was the restaurant didn't pack a napkin. At least they did include chopsticks. That's it, no other sauces, it wasn't even offered. I've done takeout at other restaurants and some don't include silverware nor napkins. I don't understand??!! At least, ASK! I regret leaving a 20% tip... Tip: For pick up, check your bag for silverware and napkins before you leave.
Service: We came to NiHao Chinese for dim sum for two and did not have a reservation, so we were seated outdoors. Thankfully the weather was nice, and we were seated and attended to quickly. The waiter was helpful in walking us through the all you can eat option and even suggested a few dishes, which made ordering easy. Taste: At $32 per person, the all you can eat dim sum was absolutely worth it. Every dish came out hot, well flavored, and delicious. The pork belly, duck spring rolls, and spare ribs were standout favorites. You could really taste the freshness and quality in each bite. Ambiance: Even though we sat outside, the atmosphere was still enjoyable and comfortable. The restaurant seems great for both small and large groups, especially if you want to try a variety of dishes at once. Overall Review: NiHao delivered a delicious and seamless dim sum experience. The service was quick, the flavors were authentic and bold, and the all you can eat option is a great deal. I will definitely be back!
Ordered for delivery but it came very hot and packed nicely! Mapo tofu - more floral than spicy but still has a nice lightly building kick. The sauce itself is more on the oily side and you have to make sure to stir each time to get the full flavor. Tofu itself is very soft and silky 3 Xiao long bao - already broken and skin is pretty thick. Not the worst, there is some soup but I feel like it also melted a bit weirdly with the meat. 2.5 Chongqing spicy chicken - not bad, more Szechuan numbing floral favors than actual spice 2.5/5 Kungpao chicken - slightly spicy and pretty decent 2.5/5
Beautiful atmosphere and a great variety of items on their menu. The service was timely and the staff were very nice and accomodating. The prices on the menu were very reasonable and we loved that it consisted of smaller plates so that you can try a lot! We did not feel overly stuffed walking out of there nor did we feel like we didnt get the best bang for our buck. It is a really well balanced place for price and how much food you get. Not to mention the food was delicious! The only critique I have is that while the mala pork & fries were phenomenal it only came with about three fries. However both the beef and the pork ribs were extremely tender! Highly recommend, we will definitley come back!
2 years ago
Came here for lunch on a Friday around 1 and the place was filled. Just managed to get a table for 2. A lot of the dishes here are served tapas style, enough for 2-3 people to split per dish. The food was made extremely well and every dish we ordered felt like it had a unique flavor profile that made it stand out against the other dishes. I loved the bok choy specifically. read more
2 years ago
I've had so many people rave about NiHao and finally decided to try it since it was close by. I think the interior is beautiful and the staff is kind and welcoming. My friend and I came with a list of things we wanted to try and ordered; some of these things were great! BUT some of these things were not ... (The Nots are at the bottom). I would recommend getting the garlic cucumber salad! This is a MUST especially when eating so many fried foods it cuts the greasiness. The Dan Dan noodles, Pork Buns, Red Braised Pork Belly, Walnut Shrimp *Green Beans, and *Fried Eggplant were all good dishes! *The only thing about the veggie dishes that i didn't like was the saltiness. The Cumin Lamb, Guangong beef, and Chongquin chicken were SO SALTY; so much so that we even asked our server about it and she apologized! (we weren't going to send back our food - just genuinely curious if it was because we had gone close to closing, or if it was due to the mala pepper - it was neither, instead it just depended on the chef who was cooking it). Honestly, we should have gotten it remade especially for the amount of food we got. Skip out on the Fried Fish and Chongquing Chicken it's just batter! This too was also salty. Overall, based on the first experience i'm hesitant to come back. Half of the food was OVER SALTED, and straight batter. The price point for the dishes i would say are fair since they are tapa style, but the mains i.e Meats & Fishes missed the mark thus the price did not match the taste in this case. read more
I was in the mood for some good Chinese food and saw that this option was close to my hotel. The walk was quick and I was able to get seating at the bar right away. I was greeted by the bartender/waiter who was helpful with options and gave me advice on what was good. I ordered and the food came out fresh and delicious. The portions are listed as tapas but can easily feed three people. I had lots of leftovers to save for the following day! This will definitely be a staple for when I visit for work in the future. Great food and excellent service! read more
Overview: Tough to write this review, but this was unfortunately a very rare 1 star review. Dined in February 2025 and gets the 1 star solely based on quality of service. Cannot recommend this restaurant and baffled that it made it to Top 100 in DC. Food: Food is all pretty good, 4 stars on food alone. Tapas for Sichuan food is a great concept because all dishes are appropriately sized in order to try a lot family style without necessarily having to dine with a large party. Service: Absolutely terrible. There are plenty of staff, but it feels like no one is actually available to work. Have to flag down or actually walk around the corner where they are socializing in order to ask for things. Water never refilled, rare check-ins, and dishes never removed, which is important for tapas since there are many dishes being ordered with limited table space. Staff were constantly occupying the bathrooms. Multiple other parties confused as to why everyone needing to be flagging help down and waiting for bathroom. Ordered dishes were forgotten and then the happy hour price wasn't honored. When it was pointed out, they said they can't fix it because it they re-enter it, it would force the kitchen to make the dish again. Ambiance: Decent, fast casual style. read more
I really enjoyed my experience here ! I came for brunch on Saturday afternoon , it was busy but I had reservations! I wanted a different type of brunch vibe and I got that here ! It was all you can eat dim sum and different tapas for only $32. I was shocked at the price and the value of everything I got. We were allowed to order 6 menu items at a time and they came out quick and fresh! Service was good and I was surprised how fast our orders were coming out! Some of my favorites were the Mongolian beef , salt and pepper shrimp , pork belly , and kung pao chicken. For desserts I enjoyed the walnut bao! They even had beer special for $6 and free parking! Be sure and order the scallion pancake it was sooo good ! I will definitely be back when I'm in the area read more
2 years ago
I popped in for a quick dinner and the food here was great. I ordered the garlic cucumber salad, the salt and pepper shrimp, the mapo tofu, and the soup dumplings. For one person, it was a good portion of food. The drink menu is creative, but not expensive, so that was a pleasant surprise. The space overall is small, so I'd recommend reservations. I sat at the (about 5-seat) bar and the bartender was attentive and so were the other employees when he was busy. You can tell they're a team. I'd love to go back and try some more dishes and drinks. read more
My husband is obsessed with this restaurant...he would give it a 5/5. I give it a 4 for a very specific reason which I'll explain! Pros: - LOVE the portion sizes for the price (*for dining in, that is) - ^Very fun for sharing dishes with others - Great quality food, as I've come to know and expect with a Peter Chang restaurant - Cute and clean ambiance (busy, but to be expected) Cons: - They advertise gluten free/can be made gluten free for some of their items. SOME OF THESE ITEMS STILL HAVE SOY SAUCE. I had one server who did not mention that their "gluten free" items had soy sauce, so I happily ate gluten. I had another server say, "but you're okay with soy sauce, right?" ***Gluten free people - double and triple check that there is no soy sauce in your "gluten free" item*** read more
New Chinese food in town!!? I was surprised to find this place when walking around Crystal City. They're a pretty large establishment and the noodles are ok. Not the best Beef chow fun, but passable for this area especially since there aren't too many Chinese places around to begin with. Staff is super friendly and the space is very clean. Hope to go back to try a couple more dishes! read more
We (a group of 8) came here for New Year's Day dinner. There is free underground parking after 4 pm. This restaurant (One of Peter Chang Restaurants) offers tapas tapas-style Chinese menu. The restaurant is modern with nice, simple decor. We were seated in the back of the restaurant which was quiet and gave us some privacy. We ordered these dishes to share: Cucumber Salad (Good) Scallion Bubble Pancake (Good) Pig's Ear in Chili Oil (Very good) Wood ear Mushroom Salad (Very good) Husband and Wife Tripe and Tendon (Very good) Deep fried Eggplant (Good) Chongqing Spicy Chicken (Very good) Farmer's Stir-Fry with Eggs (Very good) Dry-fried Fish (Very good-crispy and tasty) Dan Dan Noodles (Good) Iron Pot Rice (Good fried rice) Spicy Lamb (0k - Too gamey) Braised Pork Belly (Bad - too sweet and too fatty) Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs (Good) Streamed Pork Bun (Good - took a long time) Peking Duck (Good - expensive and small portion) Spicy Whole Branzino (OK - fish was crispy but dry) The service was good and most dishes came out fast except for steamed buns. We were surprised they didn't give us any rice even though we ordered a whole fish, family-style portion which cost $38. Why nickel-and-dime us for the rice? Portions were small so you probably need to order two dishes per person. Overall, it was a good experience. We enjoyed most of the dishes but will not recommend Peking Duck, Lamb, Pork Belly, or Whole Branzino. read more
4 months ago
The staff was so nice! And the food was delicious. Happy hour is such a great deal! Definitely recommend getting the green beans. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
It was very good! Our friend recommended here so we decided to give it a try. The food was pretty authentic and the service was very good. They were busy and may need to wait for a bit. The environment was great and a lot of decorations. The whole dining area may be a little bit crowded and people may need to go between chairs. The portion of each dish was kind of small but you could order more and try different things lol read more
My friend and I stopped by Nihao for lunch a couple Sundays ago. I've heard quite a few mixed reviews from other friends who've been here. It's either "it's not good" or "it's pretty good" and nothing in between. Nihao serves a lot of Sichuan inspired dishes (along with some other popular non-Sichuan but Chinese inspired) in "tapas" style with a few exceptions. We decided to get two tapas and one big dish. By the end of it, we were incredibly full and we had to push ourselves to clean up all the food we ordered. "HUSBAND AND WIFE" TRIPE & TENDON SLICES - 9 Surprisingly lots of tripe and tendon in the small tapa sized plate. Each piece was a bit spicy and incredibly flavorful from the chili oil and sesame seeds. The peanuts were a nice touch. If you like tripe and tendon, you can't go wrong with this one. We'd recommend. DRY-FRIED GREEN BEANS - 8 Not very fried or crunchy, almost like it was deep-fried maybe half of the time it was supposed to. These were pretty underwhelming and there wasn't much seasoning. Pretty bland, overall, so I'd try a different vegetable dish next time. MANDARIN BRANZINO - 38 The presentation of this was phenomenal. The branzino was thoroughly deboned. The fish was cut up reminded me of two potato corn dogs, knifed and sliced into little cubes that you could pluck off. The entire fish (decorated with its head and tail like its still attached to the body) was swimming on a generous pool of sweet & sour sauce. The fish itself was easy to pluck off and it had the perfect crispy texture. The sweet & sour sauce was a bit too sweet, but complemented the fish well. Definitely a unique way to enjoy a whole branzino that you may not find in other Chinese restaurants. If there's one thing you should get at Nihao, it's the mandarin branzino. Overall, I enjoyed the three things I shared with my friend but nothing worth raving about (maybe except the branzino, which was both tasty and beautifully presented). Your experience at Nihao will definitely depend on the options you order, so definitely read reviews to see what you want. From my previous experiences at other Peter Chang restaurants, I recommend sticking to Sichuan inspired options and avoid everything else. read more
10 months ago
I found this restaurant on Instagram and decided to try it with my family over the weekend. The space is beautifully decorated, but it wasn't very busy when we arrived. We ordered several dishes, and while the flavors were good, most of the food was much greasier than I prefer. If you're looking for authentic Chinese food, this might not be the best fit. The noodle dishes we tried were mushy, and the duck wasn't as crispy as expected. A couple of the other dishes were also quite salty. On the bright side, the cucumber salad and the chili oil tossed pig-ear are very tasty. The scallion bubble pancake is a must get it was very good. Our waiter was also very nice and quick, which we appreciated. Overall, I don't think I would return. It just wasn't worth a second visit for me. read more
Don't let the name deter you, this place is worth stopping by to check it out! It's a Chinese tapas style restaurant, so definitely go with a decent size group to take advance of the dishes! Food is all excellent, better than the overpriced dishes at Din Tai Fung. You can't go wrong with any of the orders here! read more
1 year ago
It was my third time dining here, and I have noticed a common theme, bad and inconsistent service. I have tried their three pepper beef, stone pot tofu fish, guandong beef, deep fried eggplant and cabbage with black bean sauce. Their food is great in terms of richness in flavors, seasoning and spiciness if you're into spicy dishes. Their drinks are unique and delish even though it takes a while if you're ordering a cocktail. Very understandable given how busy they can get. However, as somebody who has worked in the restaurant industry before, their service needs so much improvement. I had to flag down the waitress to check on my order, just to be told that our ticket got lost. Also, they gave us a wrong order, and we had to ask the server if that was meant to be for us, which obviously was not. And the tables who got sat down later than us got their orders first while we constantly had to ask our server check on the status of our dishes. The cherry on top was we did not get our rice until we asked for them after eating more than half of the dishes already. It would be great if their staff prioritized their customers than chatting with each other. read more
1 year ago
I can't believe I NEVER knew this spot existed and I was literally by this hundreds of times but never knew it. Well looking for a Chinese or Japanese style food one night and as always Yelp saved the day I found NiHao! This is located right next to Alamo Theatres in Alexandria, VA. This place is perfect for a movie and date night especially since they're next to each other. Reservations are highly recommended but if you lucky like me, they had a free seat at the bar. This place is clean and beautiful. TROPICAL HIBISCUS ICED TEA This non-alcoholic drink was pretty and delicious, it comes unsweetened but they added liquid cane for me. The dry fruit added a nice touch as well as an additional touch of flavor. DRY POT CHILI SHRIMP ($13) OMGoodness! This medium spicy level crispy shrimp was packed with flavor and a kick. It comes with a great amount of shrimp and veggies but also surprisingly comes with French fries drenched in the same sauce, definitely unique and a perfect match and balance to this meal. SHRIMP IRON POT RICE ($14) Since my shrimp didn't come with rice, I ordered this iron pot rice which was enough for 2 people. This was sooooo good and honestly can be a meal by itself. The iron pot stay HOT the entire time and makes rice crispy at the bottom which I love. Please DO NOT TOUCH POT (it's extremely hot) lol. Well seasoned and just amazing if you love rice like me. You definitely get your moneys worth here and if anything the value you can't beat, I would come here over a carry out any day. Customer Service was SUPERB!! They checked on me and gave me good recommendations as well as made me feel welcomed. There's public parking lot next door that's free after 4 or 6 pm. I am definitely coming back and trying other menu items. The fact I had leftover that looked like a whole meal was so worth it especially for lunch the next day. read more
10 months ago
The food was very flavorful and authentically Chinese. The service was fast and the restaurant is beautiful. My only complaint was that the table was a bit small but it was easy to work around. read more
My boyfriend and I got dinner here and we loved it! The menu is "tapas" style, with many small plates meant to be shared family style. Some of the dishes were actually quite large which we loved, and we thought everything was reasonably priced. Our favorite was actually the tofu skin salad - a recommendation from our waiter. It had a meaty/chewy texture with a terrific sesame and sichuan flavor. Also recommend the dry fried fish and beef chow fun! The interior is well decorated and tables are spaced out nicely. The location is also close by the water. We parked in the huge garage next to the solidcore, free on weekends and weekdays after 4pm. read more
This is such a great addition to the crystal city area. The menu is pretty vast and includes many fun and affordable small plates. I shared a lot of food with my friend. I didn't like only one of them, but that is completely based on my own biases. Otherwise, everything was very well made. The service was quick and the food came out quickly. The ambiance is great. It's a well spaced restaurant and you don't feel too close to anyone. I suggest this place for anyone who is a fan of Chinese food. I would definitely come back here if I'm in the area. read more
This place is quite nice. It is a small cozy place but more modern inside Food is a bit too seasoned - not sure of using too much of MSG or salt, but you definitely need white rice to eat with They meant to be tapas but the size is a perfect portion size. Server was kind but it wasn't like exceptionally nice. Always filling my cup with water, read more
2 years ago
My niece (again:)- invited me to this spot, which I had no idea about since sometimes I feel Virginia is another country to me. Before anyone comments, I'm fully aware that VA is not only part of the DMV but also the USA. Moving along...I'm still in birthday celebration mode, so I let her order me the "Crazy Rich Asian," and she had the "Barbie Negroni." We proceeded to order the following, "the Dry Pot Chili Shrimp," "Duck Spring Rolls," "the Homestyle Stir-Fried Pork Belly," and the "Garlic Cucumber Salad." Okay, the taste of the drinks came first, and mine was absolutely amazing. After which, the first bit from the Pork Belly, the favors exploded in my mouth. There is nothing like food that is seasoned "just right." The shrimp was so good, along with a nice topping of the cucumber salad, that made me feel like I was trying to be a little nutritional. We sat at the bar because she was familiar with the bartender and waiter named Victor, who was attentive to our needs and provided me with counsel on the menu. The atmosphere was very calm, the lighting was just right, and the space was inviting. If you are in the area, please check it out. You will thank me. read more
Came on new years for lunch and there were plenty of tables open! The interior is modern and upscale, it definitely felt like a newer restaurant. We ordered the Mapo tofu, stir fried beef chow fun, bok choy with tofu skin, and Mr. Zhang's red braised pork belly. Each dish was pretty small so I would recommend getting at least one dish per person! The chow fun had good flavors but was way too oily for me. Mapo tofu was super spicy so I couldn't eat much of it. I liked the bok choy, it was really saucy and the tofu skin was a nice touch in it! The pork belly was good but overall I'm not big on pork belly since it tends to be super fatty. Overall I thought the food was average but pricing was fair and I'm glad I got to try it! read more
Came here for a quick bite with my sister. We tried different things to get a feel for the food consistency. The shrimp dumplings were top tier. So good! The duck spring rolls were seasoned well but mine was full of fat and my sisters had a bone. The chicken soup comes with noodles and bok choy. The chicken was cut and boiled with bones on every piece. I took the broth and noofles read more
Nihao was hopping on a Friday night. Walking in, it looked like every table was filled, except for the table we reserved ahead of time. So no surprise, another hit for Peter Chang. The menu gives you a culinary journey through China, featuring different types of Chinese cuisines from dim sum (chive dumplings) to Cantonese (chow fun) to Sichuan (a ton of stuff). Eat your own adventure. We were guessing they incorporated the word "Tapas" in the menu to get everyone to share (family-style) all the food. We got Tripe and Tendon Slices, Beef Chow Fun, Tamago Tofu with Mixed Mushrooms, Dry-Fried Eggplant, and the Pan-Seared Spicy Branzino. All the dishes we got were high quality and they were not playing with the spice level! Portion sizes were also good for our group of three. The Tamago Tofu and Dry-Fried Eggplant were standouts. The tofu sauce was delicious and "dry-fried" was a unique way to have eggplant for me. The presentation of the Branzino was amazing. No holding back on the chili peppers! I will say the most bizarre part of the meal was getting bowls of rice before any of the dishes came. Sure, we'll take it now... read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
I saw this new peter Chang series and had to try it out! It's located right in crystal city, VA I would recommend making a reservation during peak dinner time as it was packed with a long wait for walk ins. We got 7 dishes for 2 people to try a variety and loved that it was tapas so small enough to get a taste of everything. After tip and tax it was $130 all together which I thought was very good for the area. We got: Shanghai Soup dumplings- 4/5, the skin was a bit too thick and they didn't provide a spoon which took a bit away from the dish for me Husband & wife (tripe and tendon)-5/5, very flavorful and chewy, exactly how it's supposed to taste Stone pot red-braised pork belly- 4/5 taste was great but presentation has room for improvement, cubed with great ratio of meat, sauce compliments well and even the broccoli was good Dry-fried string beans-well flavored, not too salty Mandarin branzino- 5/5 sauce paired well with fish, deep fried outside but fresh meat Chongqing spicy chicken- 4/5 a little heavy on the breading but the flavors were very imbedded in the chicken, spicy but more manageable since it's a dry dish Shredded beef with green peppers- 3/5 they gave a good amount of beef but VERY spicy (I'm not a huge spicy person) so for me it overpowered the rest of the taste Worth noting that rice doesn't come with anything as it's all tapas except the 3 entrees but it's only $1 per bowl of white rice. 4.5/5 for service-I don't think we had a designated server but multiple people checked up on us throughout the meal but less towards the end. The restaurant blueprint isn't the biggest but they had a more secluded room in the back that could be used for larger parties assumingely. It was quite loud and lively inside. There's plenty of paid parking garages around and a short walk from the garage to the restaurant. The garage next to solid core is free after 4pm on weekdays so that was a nice bonus. Definitely worth checking out! read more
1 year ago
6 months ago
Nihao is a great spot to grab some authentic Szechuan cuisine, served tapas style. Staff was friendly and we were able to get seated quickly. My absolute fav dish here is the dry pot chili shrimp! Be prepared to get that tingling numbing feeling on your tongue because of the chili. The mapo tofu was good despite not having pork or beef it in. Soup dumplings is a must try. Fish was also good. Honestly, everything was really good. Definitely recommend eating at the restaurant as many dishes loses its crispiness for takeout. Don't forget there's free parking in the garage in the evenings and on weekends! read more
3 months ago
Came here with a couple friends a weeks ago and it was packed. My friend had some difficulty trying to get a reservation which was encouraged for our small party of 5. And after arriving it was understand why, they were packed. And it looked like the mostly younger Chinese student crowd from the Arlington/NOVA area. So knowing that this was a Peter Chang branch, that reassured me that this place was going to be pretty authentic. Service was friendly and fast and knowledgeable. They really gave good recommendations based on what we liked and how much food we are going to get. After the dishes came out, it were smaller portions. Probably smaller then the other Peter Chang restaurants. I like how restaurants now like to call smaller portions a "dim sum experience". But yea this was the biggest drawback. Tastes was on par with the other Peter Chang restaurants, but i would steer people towards Mama Chang's in Fairfax. Their clay pot rice was basically fried rice. Their Mapo was pretty good, very flavorful and strong. The deep fried fish filet's were probably the best. String beans were decent. read more
2 years ago
A few of us Foodies came in for lunch one day... two things that made us really want to try this place were: 1. We knew it was a Peter Chang joint 2. They offered "Szechuan tapas" Love the idea of sharing a bunch of small plates!!! But the "small plates" here weren't so small! Many were piled full of food, yet the prices were very reasonable, like a typical tapas joint! We ordered many different items and enjoyed them all! Here's what we tried: * "Husband and Wife" Tendon and Tripe Slices * Garlic Cucumber Salad * Scallion Bubble Pancake * Pig's Ear Slices in Chili Oil * Shanghai Soup Dumplings * Dry-Fried Green Beans * Sichuan-Style Beef with Onions * Shredded Beef with Green Peppers * Dry-Fried Fish * Spicy Garlic Eggplant * Stir Fried Beef Chow Fun Lots of items for only 3 people! And the size of these dishes were definitely slightly bigger than what you'd expect from normal small plates - But we had plenty to take home afterwards! Some favs of ours were the Scallion Bubble Pancake which came with a really nice dipping sauce. The Dry-Fried Green Beans were good, but lacking in heat to go with the flavor. Stir Fried Beef Chow Fun was really good, definitely filling and flavorful! All of us agreed the spiciest and most flavorful was the Dry-Fried Fish - it was EXCELLENT!! It's actually what I love when I go to Mama Changs and Peter Changs too... very similar in taste to the other locations! The beef dishes we tried (Shredded Beef with Green Peppers and Sichuan-Style Beef with Onions) were bland - Not very spicy at all. Kinda disappointing to be honest. Overall... we really did enjoy this visit! The service was great! The food was tasty (even the bland stuff, which was blander on the elevated scale of the amazing Dry-Fried Fish). The venue is great too. We got there early at lunch and were the first of the day, but within 30 minutes, the place was packed! So, get there early or make reservations - It's definitely worth visiting!! read more
10 months ago
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