The fried twisted dough here is incredible. Golden, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and served with a rich dipping sauce. Every bite is pure comfort food done right. Simple dish, executed flawlessly. Highly recommend. read more

Sampan Cafe - Dim Sum Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I was in the mood for some sesame chicken. I placed an order over the phone and it was ready within 15 minutes. The sesame chicken was lacking the sauce. It was almost as if it was made and had been sitting for a long time. The broccoli did not taste like it was fully cooked. I wanted to make it work but it was a no for me. read more

Sampan Cafe - Sesame Chicken - Dim Sum Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

This is a pleasant little hidden gem, off Franconia Rd. Food DimSum There is a wide variety of options, served quickly, and hot. Favorite dishes - seafood pan fried noodles - steamed fish - Stir Fried lobster ginger and garlic *only dish that was just okay was the orange chicken fried very hard and very orangy Ambiance It's lively, not too small and not overwhelming large. Very family friendly, great for a chill couple outing, not a romantic spot. There are also small private rooms that fit parties as small as 7 and as large as about 15. Service Every time I have been here, I have always been greeted with a smile, the staff works collaboratively to ensure you are served well throughout your meal. Trust me you will enjoy the food and the experience!' read more

Placed online order at 11:35am, order came out 12:20. Do not recommend online pick up, a common occurrence to be slow with orders. Will not be coming back. read more

Still my favorite Cantonese restaurant in the area! This time I tried the salt and pepper lobster. While you can't go wrong with Cantonese stir fried lobster ever, I still prefer the Hong Kong style lobster with the dried crispy pork bits and fermented black beans. I've also started ordering some dim sum to start, namely eggplant in black bean sauce (it's stuffed with cshrimp) and crystal shrimp dumplings. Simply delicious! read more

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Decent spot overall. We usually order takeout--our go-tos are the cơm tây thi and the scallion ginger chicken. Service is pretty typical for an Asian restaurant, so don't expect much, but they've pleasantly surprised me a few times by being nice and friendly. Recommend this place if you're in the area!! read more

This is an old Chinese Restaurant. My parents have been going here since the 80's. They have a lot of authentic dishes that can lost in the sea of Chinese American dishes. We got a variety of dishes and it was all very good. The roast duck was on the small side and you would be better off going to Peking Gourmet Inn for Duck but everything else was well made and tasted really good. The crispy beef was good and the lobster was well made. read more

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Sam Pan is a hidden gem tucked inside a strip mall in Franconia, and I'm so glad my friends recommended it! The food is incredibly fresh, flavorful, and truly authentic. It's been tough finding Chinese cuisine is as good as what I am used to, but this place absolutely nails it. Every dish hits the mark--comforting, bold, and just downright delicious. I can't thank my friends enough for the tip! From the lunch/dinner menu, we ordered the seafood fried rice, fried walnut shrimp in mayonnaise sauce, seafood combo in X.O. sauce, and the stir-fried snow pea leaves. From the dim sum menu, we tried the fried shrimp balls, shrimp rice rolls, salted egg yolk buns, and the stuffed eggplant. Everything was DELICIOUS! The prices were extremely reasonable, the portions were generous, and everything is served family-style on a lazy Susan, which made it perfect for sharing. The staff were wonderful!! They were friendly, attentive, and made the whole experience even better. *I would had pictures but the food was devoured too quickly. read more

Love my server - She's so sweet and attentive. Remembers my fav lunch order. And tea preference. I love coming here for jook, noodle soups and dim sum. read more

I recently came here with a few friends. Ive never been to a spot like this, but we absolutely intend to come back. For those who may also be unfamiliar with a dim sum place like this, they come around with carts of small plates of dim sum items and you just tell them what you want. Most plates have 3-4 of the item that you are ordering, so its perfect for passing around and sharing (which is the point, of course). Everything was made fresh, the dough was chewy and satisfying, and it was just the perfect place to go on a cold day. Honestly, everything we tried (and we tried a lot) was delicious, but the pork buns, soup dumplings (the best I have had), turnip cakes, and scallop dumplings were my favorite. The service was also friendly and super quick! They were constantly coming around with the cart and to fill waters, and they also refilled out tea pot immediately when it was finished. We only did dim sum, so I can't speak to their entrees, but I can imagine they are equally amazing. I had a really great experience and can't wait to come back! read more

Sampan Café is now clearly our favorite dim sum eatery. The staff are so friendly, attentive and patient. Really about the best restaurant staff anywhere. Almost all dishes are not just good, but really tasty. On our last visit the custard egg yolk buns were spot on, a great dessert! The pork buns have a fluffy exterior and have a great just a little bit sweet pork sauce tucked inside. The ribs are really good. Same for the shrimp balls, they have a great flavor! The Chinese broccoli is certainly a healthy option. This just my own personal preference, but I like my broccoli more cooked and with less garlic. The sticky rice is an interesting tale of two cities. The sticky rice in the toasty warm banana leaf was really good. But the pork in the center was pretty musky. And yet, in the sticky rice was one li'l Chinese sausage that was really delicious! Comfortable atmosphere with plenty of tables. read more

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I was here 2 weeks ago for a friend's birthday party . I love the food , service . It's just small location somewhere in Franconia . Quiet place . But I'll guarantee this one . Ur gonna love it read more

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Came to celebrate New Lunar Year 2026 recommended by a long-time resident. I was transported to memories of my time in the Far East! Dim Sum available, delicious menu items, I was in Culinary Heaven! Unlike restaurants that try to do all things for all customers, Sampan serves what they are good at-Hong Kong Chinese food. It's been a while since I've been to this kind of establishment, and I'm so glad we tried it out. The ambience is definitely Chinese, but I completely appreciate that I didn't leave SMELLING like their kitchen (or like if I cooked at home! LOL!). Wonderful and tasty dishes. Fantastic experience, friendly staff. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the New Year! (Sorry, no pics... we just dug in!) read more

Sampan Cafe is located in the Franconia Center, and they offer an extensive menu that includes apps, soups, congee, lo mein, chow mein, beef/pork/chicken/seafood/vegetarian platters and dishes, chow foon, Hong Kong style BBQ and noodle soups, and an all-day dim sum menu. We came here for an earlier lunch, and we ordered: +Dry Stir-Fried Beef Chow Foon - this was pretty good, as it had a nice wok-fried taste and of a generous portion; don't forget to add some soy sauce and chili oil +Steamed Shrimp Dumpling - aka, har gow; the skin was a little sticky, but I liked that it came out piping hot +Zha Liang Noodle Crepe - the crepes were just okay +Beef Rice Noodle Crepe - the crepes were just okay +Chive Dumpling with Shrimp - the exterior skin was a bit too sticky and tore easily; the filling was a little lukewarm +Scallop Dumplings - the exterior skin was a bit too stick and tore easily; wasn't a fan of this filling, as it was bland and had a weird taste to it Staff were welcoming, friendly, and efficient. I was surprised at how large this place was, and could see how this place fills up on the weekends. There were locals coming in to pickup orders throughout our dining experience. Plenty of parking in the large lot. +good chow fun +friendly service +located in the Franconia Center +ample parking read more

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Everything looked ok until I ordered to go 1/2 ginger chicken. Chicken was very cold, skin was rubbery and they made the cardinal sin of chopping it up so I have to find the splinter bones. The ginger scallion sauce was weak in flavor with enough for one piece of chicken and too top it off, NO DAMN RICE!!! What Asian establishment serves any entre without RICE!! Thumbs down for me and I will never be back. read more

Sampan Cafe - 1/2 ginger chicken with enough sauce for one piece NO RICE! - Dim Sum Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Came to Sampan around 1:30pm on a Saturday afternoon. It was about half full when we arrived so we were seated right away. I think this is a relatively kid friendly spot. We had no issues getting a high chair and saw one other baby/toddler in one. My son was hangry with it being passed his lunch time and having been active/playing in the park before. Dim sum was therefore perfect because the food arrived right away--you just pick the containers off the cart. The chashabao pork buns were good. My 2 year old had 4 of them we had to order another one. I got chicken feet and beef tripe it was bringing me back! I ate those both on my own because my husband is white. Jokes aside though Everything we had was pretty good. They have soup dumplings that were juicy with good filling and dough. We also got beef tendon noodle soup. I think all the noodle soups are hong kong style. Soup arrived piping hot which is a good thing for me. The owners seem like they could be cantonese. But this is just a guess. The shrimp rice crepe pretty good as well. They have lots of different types of shrimp dumplings and balls. Where my prawn fans at?! I did not get pics of everything we ordered because i was focuses on eating while the food was still hot. Verdict is we will return. read more

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I had very bad experience of today visited. My order of dim sum came cold and told the server she said we were talking too long so the food was cold? I told her to replace with the hot one, she brought back one and took one piece out since I tried a cold piece earlier. She was rolling her eyes behind my back, but my friends saw it and spotted her action. We cannot believe the food and service out of control. However, we will never go back again. read more

I've only ever ordered to go from this restaurant but their chow foon noodles are so chewy and delicious ! I also think the portions are heavy so it's worth a try! read more

Came here for an early Easter dinner. It's been maybe 7 years since I last ate here. It looks like they may have gotten newer tables and chairs, and some new paint on the walls compared to when I last ate here. I will probably be another 7 years or more before I come back. So my mom and I ordered three things: 1) seafood noodles, 2) pork, and 3) snow pea vegetables. The pork came out first, and was really good. The seafood noodles took forever to come out, and the most disappointing thing is that a family who came in after us and ordered after us got their seafood noodles delivered first! Like a good 15 minutes before ours finally came out at the end. So the pork and rice is something that I can bring home, but the seafood noodles really shouldn't be because the sauce would make the noodles too soggy. Bad order for the food to come out and terrible that the other table got theirs first! The snow pea vegetables were not fresh (too hard) and the flavor was lacking. Sorry but I'll be going to Full Kee more often than this place. read more

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This place has excellent authentic Hong Kong Chinese food. Some people may not like that. It's too authentic but trust me. It's really pretty amazing in there. Seafood is the best including their lobster and crab plant. They prepare a special way. read more

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Note: This review is based on a DoorDash delivery order from Sampan Cafe so does not address the restaurant experience, service, etc. Holy moly, some of the best dumplings I've had. I ordered the steamed roast pork buns, steamed shrimp shaomai, soup dumplings, and the salted egg yolk cream custard bun. Everything was so dang good. I overate because I literally could not stop stuffing my face with these plump lil dumplings. If you haven't had soup dumplings before, do yourself a favor and order them from here. The pork to bun ratio was perfect... a bit of pork in every bite. The Salted Egg Yolk Cream Custard bun was pure delight. I don't think I've had a more delicious sweet style bun. I could go on and on. Honestly I think I'll have to roll myself to bed from how much I ate because I'm so full but it was all so dang good. read more

Pretty good spot for closer to authentic Chinese food. The anytime dimsum is a plus! However everything was missing that added touch of green. Whether green onion, scallion, or cilantro. They add a distinct flavor and although it's for visual effect they greatly alter the taste of everything. So sad, everything would have tasted much better with a few sprinkes... except for the dry beef chow fun, that was definitely missing scallions as a main ingredient! read more

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This is a hidden place, unless you did a search on Google. The service (Chinese ladies) were great because they liked to talk and can talk to anyone for anything. If you don't the fancy or modern looking of Chinese restaurant, then you will find this place felt like normal Asian American place. There are at least 7 to 8 big tables and few smaller tables. As for the food, they are very likely fresh made, especially their dim sum. I was surprised that they have dim sum for dinner : ) The menu offered many traditional Hong Kong style disk plus some other popular Asian disks. The soup Dumplings were dry (no soup at all), lamb claypot was good (can be better if they have fermented bean curd, roasted pig intestine (tasty), and the pepper steak was lack of pepper. I believe they can do better and make improvement. Overall good experience and they accept credit cards. Parking is easy, but make a left turn to opposite direction could be challenge during day time. read more

Tons of free parking. Accepts both cash and credit card. First time coming here as others recommended checking this dim sum place out. Upon entering, there are quite a bit of dining tables here. If you come with a large party (13+), you may need to have multiple tables as they cannot accommodate larger parties at the same table. They offer the typical dim sum entrees and it comes out hot and ready in steam cart. Their dishes appears fresh and are warm enough to consume. Their fried tarp dumpling is good and crispy. Their shrimp crepe is pretty good as well. They also have lobster and fish tanks in the front so you can see them beforehand. The staff here are friendly and appears clean. They do have a huge display of their pork buns. Worth grabbing an order if you are there. They do get busy so come early if you want to beat the brunch rush. read more

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I wish you could give places .5. Sampan Cafe is a 3.5/5 for me! The staff is typically SO NICE They attend you pretty fast and really make you feel the customer experience even if you're picking up. I had wanted tea while waiting for my online order and someone gave it to me on the house honestly it was so nice since my throat felt a little sore. The food its self was pretty good i loved their shrimp dumplings, the soup dumpling wasn't too good due to the texture of the filling. I like my filling a little less paste and more texture. This was more of a blended paste filling and the soup spilled out. I don't recommend the crab rangoon they lacked flavor and personally i like when they're folded in petals and not triangles. The restaurant is very clean inside and well decorated. read more

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Service very super bad ,food so so I hope chef pay more attention on each food will be better a lot of Chinese food need wok chi (鍋氣）then your food will much better read more

I would say this is one of the better dimsum options in the dmv area, some dishes here are very well done. I grew up in Hong Kong so I probably have a higher standard for dim sum. I really liked their beef chow fun, their fried noodles with beef, and their classic dim sum like siu mai, har gao etc. The beef slices in the chow fun were perfectly tender and very well seasoned. I wasn't the biggest fan of their cheung fun, the skin is pretty thick. I also had their egg tart once, it was cold, like it came out of the fridge. The worst thing I had was their fried intestines. They tasted like they weren't cleaned well. I love organ meats especially intestines, but the taste almost made me gag, even the intestines I've had at street vendors in Hong Kong didn't taste like that and they are definitely not made in the cleanest environment. Everything else is pretty ok, the selection of dim sum is not as large as their competitors, but they taste better. We were pretty full and it was pretty cheap. I would just stay away from the intestines. It's also pretty packed and the service is kinda slow on weekends in the morning. read more

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At first glance, it would be easy to overlook Sampan Cafe. Situated in a strip mall about 3 miles from the Franconia Springfield Metro station, walking in is like being transported to a 1980's themed Chinese restaurant with large wooden tables, Asian themed artwork on the walls, and the requisite fish tanks filled with fresh to order available seafood. One of my co-workers who is of Polynesian descent told me about this place, and specifically, how he and his family have been patronizing Sampan for years. Unlike at most "traditional" dim sum places, there are no carts being pushed from table to table offering their wares, but customers order from a sheet. I actually prefer this method, since I know my food is always freshly prepared. Also bonus that because the dim sum is always freshly prepared, it's available all the time, and not just at lunch...at least that's been my experience so far. On a few occasions, I've gotten the tried and true dim sum dishes like har gow shrimp dumplings, shu mai, the black bean spareribs, steamed beef ball, shrimp rice crepes, char siu bao, and (my all time favorite) pork bean curd roll. And I think of all the dim sum places in NOVA, I have to say Sampan is right up there. The rice flour wrapper on the dumplings is thin without being gummy and does an excellent job of containing the various meat fillings. The char siu bao has a nice fluffy exterior with a sweet/salty meat filling, and the portion sizes are good. Nowadays, you're paying $4.50-$5.00 for typical dim sum dishes, and the sizes of the dumplings keep getting smaller and smaller. Not here...and I'm thankful for that. I detract one star since the hot chili sauce is not homemade. Not that I use a lot of chili sauce, but I think having house made hot chili oil mixed with soy sauce to lightly dip the food, is an essential part of the dim sum experience. The bright red chili sauce on the table is more pickled chili flakes than hot chili oil. It's fine though. Ask for some freshly chopped firecracker Thai chili peppers on the side, mix in with the red chili sauce, and it's also a tasty accompaniment. Some of the other Cantonese style dishes I've gotten are also hit and miss. The wonton noodle soup was just okay. The wonton dumplings themselves were nice and plump with pork/shrimp filling, but the soup stock was too salty and tasted like it was broth from a can. Some of the roasted meats were also "meh". My dining party ordered a pound of the char siu and roasted duck and both dishes tasted a bit old and under seasoned. So my advice: stick with the dim sum. In all honesty, Sampan Cafe serves up some of the best dim sum in NOVA, but at a restaurant most people have never heard of. Typically places in the Seven Corners area like Hong Kong Seafood Pearl, Mark's Duck House, or Vinh Kee get all the notoriety people think of Dim Sum. However, don't overlook this hidden gem. read more

Sampan Cafe - Wonton noodle soup - Dim Sum Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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This is a full service Chinese traditional restaurant, so don't let the cafe name fool you. The entrance has one panel see-through glass door, and see-through glass window, you can miss this place easily from the street. Sampan Cafe is a hidden gem because the food is great and close to home. We often dine here for family dinners or when we have guests. Sampan have great selection of Chinese Cantonese food which we love. We have a few favorites there, see picture. If you're sitting inside and you see people walking out from the back side, that's because Sampan have more individual rooms in the back. We went there once, we got a small room for 6 people with round table, the room is bright, clean and nice chandelier. It's awesome for private dining or party. Here are the 3 dishes we ordered recently, any leftovers mean yummy food at home. read more

Sampan Cafe - Ginger Scallion Chicken (whole order), Chinese Broccoli Beef Chow Foon (top) and Chicken Eggplant Salt Fish Casserole (right). - Dim Sum Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Sampan Cafe has been around since I was a little kid and has been a local favorite for years. Just recently, they have renovated and added new dinner rooms which you can reserve and book for your friends and family (they also offer karaoke). I've always been a fan of the food, but I tried some dishes I've never had before, specifically the Hong Kong style dishes. I fell in love with the salted-egg crab. Crabs fried and coated in savory egg flavor. I also loved their Fried egg tofu which are slices of tofu wrapped in egg. As you can see, I really love eggs! I hope Sampan Cafe stays open for many more years to come :) read more

Sampan Cafe - Fried tofu wrapped in egg - Dim Sum Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I didn't know this place existed until recently. My friends and I checked out their karaoke party rooms and it was legit! This was the best Hong Kong style dishes I've had in the area. My favorites of the night were the Caramelized Beef, House-special fried rice, and the Jumbo shrimp with walnut & mayo sauce. The flavor profile and quality was way better than your average Chinese carry out. I also found out the owner has owned several different restaurants over two decades so it makes sense why the food is so good. Oh and they also have random Chinese robots hovering around the restaurant which was pretty cool. Looking for some solid HK cuisine and karaoke in Virginia? Head to Sampan Cafe. read more

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we go real often. the ladies treat you like family, everything we overbuy tastes great in the air fryer, and the food quality really peaks around holidays and celebrations. it's always full of loud asian people. i recommend going now. read more

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My younger brother and I went to check out this place that we heard highly about the dim sum. We got sat fast but unfortunately the service wasn't. When the cart arrive with all the steamed items, most of the items were semi hot. Disappointing to find out that not all items were on the a la carte menu and separate off the main menu. The restaurant itself was small and limited seatings, luckily we arrive early. read more

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The food here is fresh and the service is very nice. They are fast and efficient but with excellent service and fresh tasting food. If you are rushing for lunch and want something good come to Sampan. read more

Came here for dinner, there were 4 families dining and we were spread out, this place is kinda small so spreading out would not be feasible if there were more than 6 groups. The waiters were attentive, our water was refilled constantly. We ordered stuff from the regular menu and some dim sum on a different menu. Sweet and sour chicken - 3/5 Wish they didn't dump all the red sauce on top. It was great and crunchy the moment it came out but once it started to cook down the soggyness kicked it and ruined the dish. Wonton soup - 3/5 Very bland, it had that wonton hint of flavor to it but then it was very bland. Beef soup - 1/5 Meh, I didn't care for this one. Again, bland like your eating porridge. Its suppose to have that asparagus soup but it is made with beef which was nasty. Beef chow fun - 3/5 Again, bland. Everything was cooked right but it had no flavor. Mixed vegetables - 3/5 Just vegetables sauteed in oyster sauce, nothing special. Steamed buns - 5/5 These were the best thing out of all the good we ordered. Buns were nice and steamy with the red cha shu pork filling. Turnip cake - 4/5 Good but bland. Ha Caw and Shumai - 4/5 Can't really mess these up. Crispy Pork - 3/5 Meh I didn't see much of the crispy skin. It was ok, I can do better at home with my air fryer. Crab balls - 4/5 We were too full to try, just took them home for later but these don't come in pairs, you would need to order them by singles. Overall they are just alright. read more

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Good food. Good fried rice, good veggies. Dim sums are good. Standard dimsum. Very good. Nothing to write home about. we went at 4:30. good service. Large portions. Affordable price. read more

Very delicious dim sum! They have dim sum all day and everyday. The food is very consistent and the service is okay, better than most Chinese restaurants. They have private room in the back that is very ideal for birthdays event or any special event. It's very new and pretty!! Every dim sum dish here is super delicious, some dishes that I always get are the pork shiu mai, shrimp crepe, chicken feet in black bean sauce, pork rib in black bean sauce, beef tripes, fried shrimp balls, and pork bun. (Do not recommend the shark fin dim sum) Overall, very decent dim sum and the price is very reasonable! Definitely check it out if you're craving for dim sum! read more

Sampan Cafe - Dim Sum Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I recommend the following dishes: bitter melon and beef, tofu bean curd, egg yolk bun, and shrimp dumplings. Service was prompt and attentive. Ambiance was fun looking at Chinese paintings and sculptures. Guest wi-fi password was a mystery and not visible on the menu so I did not request it but would have wished for it to write this review. Overall, I recommend this restaurant and look forward to bringing family and friends here. read more

We live Near Kingstowne and this is our go to. Solid every time, honestly the best egg rolls we've had in the area. For this area 5/5, price is fine but quality is usually if not always there. Been ordering here for the last 2 years. read more

This is our go to dim sum place. The restaurant is spacious and seating is comfortable. The dim sum is so delicious and always comes out freshly made. The wait for food might be a little long since they made the food to order. Would highly recommend if you want to find a good dim sum spot. read more

Sampan Cafe - Dim Sum Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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