Yeah, this place took me some finding. My track record for decent food establishments in business complexes has been okay, though. Great reason to push my client meeting in Ashburn closer to midday. I question the point of having a dynamic "secret menu" that's readily offered to everyone. I get that you may not want to regularly stock ingredients for the less popular, more traditional dishes, but unless you're aiming for word-of-mouth hype, I feel like a whiteboard with daily specials would serve the same function. Semantics aside, their food has that rustic at-home feel to it. Interior is pretty basic, a smaller restaurant and bar style with clean bathroom and low-key decor. Origami cranes surrounding the Japan relief donation tub is a cute touch. Staff members are super nice, I didn't launch into Mandarin until after I'd heard them chatting amongst themselves for a bit, and they were friendly and polite at all times. They made sure that their leaving the door open for the breeze wasn't too chilly for me, and my glass of ice water rarely fell below half-full. I was disappointed to discover that the secret menu didn't have niu rou mian. They were quick to reassure me that the menu that day was offering beef hotpot with rice for two, which (paraphrasing into English) I could take the leftovers home, add water, noodles, and veg to make my own NRM. Sounds weird typing it out like that, as if they can't be bothered to do that themselves, but from an Asian standpoint, I appreciated it. And they were right. My food came out in good time, piping hot since they didn't remove the lid until tableside. The beef was a bit overcooked but the tendon was on the money, and the stew was definitely reduced to a level of saltiness that required the heavy garnish of cilantro and plenty of rice. Radish was a pleasantly neutral filler, though at home I probably would've opted for lotus root. Extra kudos for the pinch of black sesame seeds on the rice, both in bowl and in my takeout container. When I suddenly got called back to the office, they included an extra container of watery stock as per the earlier discussion, and a box of rice just in case. The seedless dou sa bao was acceptable in execution, and a lovely change of pace from an orange wedge cleanser. Props for bringing a good mix of Americanized and legit Chinese food to the suburban Caucasian professionals in the area. Had I continued my contractual role with those companies, I would've been happy to return to this dining establishment for a few more menu selections. read more

Yen's Cafe - Red bean bun post-meal treat. - Taiwanese Near Me - Ashburn, Virginia

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If you are a foodie, then you must come here and try some of the dishes I highlight below. This is the best Chinese restaurant in the Ashburn/Leesburg/Sterling area.This coming from an Asian foodie. It is a hidden gem because their location is very bad leading to few people knowing about them! The owner Wen insists on using the best ingredients and often makes trips to suppliers over two hours away to get a certain ingredient that makes their food come out just right. Ask for the special menu to taste their best things. They are Taiwanese and their native dishes are something special. Start by ordering their 3 cups basil/ginger chicken which is Taiwan's national dish and a feast for your taste buds. I first tried this dish at Rose Tea Cafe in Pittsburgh which is famous for this dish in that area. But it is better at Yens! Wen told me that she insists on using free range organic chicken for this dish because regular chicken "doesn't taste right" due to higher water content. One thing I like about the owner Wen is that she believes in excellence and never ever skimps on ingredients. Also try their meatballs with noodles in broth. Outstanding. Very robust, savory flavors and handmade meatballs. Everyone I've introduced to this dish liked it. In addition to their Taiwanese specialties, there are some very good Hong Kong style dishes. The Hong Kong style crispy noodles is one of my favorite things in the menu. You can get it with your choice of meat (chicken, roast pork, seafood) but all variations are outstanding. If you like roast pork, try it here. It's as good as going down to Chinatown.The noodles are exceptionally tasty and crispy and the sauce is well executed. I haven't found a place that does this better. The "mom's dumplings" are also exceptionally good. If you like dumplings and have a taste for dim sum, then definitely order these. One time I got a big order and made it my lunch for the day! Great flavor and super fresh tasting. If you are a fan of bacon, you might want to try the Taiwan cabbage with bacon. Very simple dish but tasty. When I ordered a variety of takeout for my American friends I was shocked that this was the first thing to be gobbled up. It had wider appeal than I would have expected. They make outstanding smoothies with very fresh ingredients. Give that a try or order their iced matcha green tea. Very healthy and very good too. Some of our favorite appetizers are the avocado appetizer and the seaweed appetizer. Nice complement with the meal. In short, Yen's cafe is a great place if you desire quality Chinese and Taiwanese food rather than the cheap quick stuff that most Chinese restaurants put out. It's he only Chinese restaurant I've been to that has such a strong focus on excellence. I think it is because the owner Wen is a foodie herself. This place delivers on flavor, quality, and good service too. No MSG in any of their dishes too! read more

Don't get this confused with Yen's Kitchen and Sushi bar. The food is fresh and the service is good. This tucked away gem next to a subway sanchwich doesn't disappoint. The food is full of flavor and will tantalize the pickiest tastebuds. Enjoy solo, duo or with the family! read more

Not pleased with take out. Food was not up to par! Will not be back. Lots of other restaurants to choose from IMHO!

There is a reason why this establishment is in business for over a decade. Always great food, amazing customer service and reasonable price. Customer for life. read more

Has gotten super pricy for the food. Used to be a good spot to go to. Not for me anymore.

Excellent food & service - you should try their Taiwanese fried chicken n spicy eggplant! And there was even a free custard pie! I'll give a 5+ rating! read more

This was a great dinner! Got my food delivered to my hotel room. The one downfall is that there was not included utensils. read more

Yen's Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Ashburn, Virginia

Asking Siri for the highest rated Chinese Carry-out in Ashburn, the response was Yen's. We are delighted to have a new "Very Favorite" carry out on which to rely. It's a bit of a drive for us... we're in Potomac Falls, but the meal we enjoyed was worth every ounce of effort. The freshness of the ingredients is very evident... everything we ordered was fantastic. I look forward to trying more selections. As a sidebar, I'm very impressed with their online ordering site. All online takeout ordering should be so intuitive, dynamic, detailed and responsive. Their webmaster needs five stars too. This discovery will be one of the highlights of summer 2021... We'll look forward to ordering throughout the year... Chinese/Taiwanese takeout is perfect during snowstorms! Thank you for a great meal!!! read more

Love their food. Haven't tried dining in, but every time I ordered, I was only surprised by how good the food tasted. 3 cup chicken and Taiwanese fried chicken top the list. The owners are friendly and recommend dishes to my taste every time I drew a blank on ordering something new. Tried the chicken with dried red chilies and buoy it's a spice kicker, but the taste is out of the world. If you like a little spice adventure, it is a must try. They have fresh fruit juices too. My usual goto is mango pineapple with honey. read more

Yens did it again! We ordered delivery this time and stuck to our personal promise of trying something different every time, trying to attempt healthy, we got the moo goo gai pan and it was delicious! We joined it with the magnolian beef, not on the healthy side but also delicious. The delivery was very prompt, delivered within half an hour. Five stars yet again, although my bfs fortune said a secret admirer soon would send him a sign of affection. I joked it's our last time ordering after that We'll be back of course, it's just way too good to pass up ever read more

Yen's Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Ashburn, Virginia

I just had the worst customer experience at this establishment (and I've been to many establishments over the years.) When I went to pick up my order at the identified time, I was advised that it would be at least 30 additional minutes. I expressed concern to the guy accepting payment. He blamed the ordering website and said I could wait or he'd cancel my order. He was rude, unprofessional, dismissive, and condescending . I cancelled my order and will never go back again. I'd give zero stars if I could. read more

BEST Asian food I have had in not just NOVA but of all time. High quality and AMAZING FLAVOR. They even made sure to package the crispy beef so that it didn't get soggy en route to be delivered to my house! Above and beyond! I will not be ordering from anywhere else after this experience. Wish I could give this 100 stars! read more

Yen's Cafe - B23. Szechuan Crispy Beef - Taiwanese Near Me - Ashburn, Virginia

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The food here is so high quality. I order from here all the time and try to get a new dish every time- I have never been disappointed with the taste. The avocado salad with cucumber was so good and I haven't had anything like it at other places. read more

Yes, very good Chinese food, Taiwanese style, and I think owned by Taiwanese folks. This place is located in a corner part of a combo office/medical/restaurant building, and around a shopping complex. Red Robbin, Chipotle, sushi, indian food among many in the same complex. To the East is Home Depot inapposite is Giant grocery store, a mile over is Loudoun Station with more eating options including fine dining, bouncy zone, a sports club and more office building, and a park & ride. The place itself is small with only 5 booths, each seating for 4, and bar could sit about 6-8 if necessary. When we checked in around 11:30ish, 3 booths were already taken. We took the table across the bar near the door. The menu offers lots of options but every first check for chinese my pick always had been beef Broccoli, so settled on that lunch special for $8.95 was good. It came with soup, salad, spring shrimp roll, choice of white or fried rice then the main dish. I ordered it medium Spicy and the flavors were robust, sauce was thick and rich compared to other broccoli beef I had in other places. My companion ordered crispy sesame beef on the dinner menu, comes with white rice for $16.95, I took a bite, was very tasty! I watched other plates come out from the kitchen from my vantage view and they all looked appetizing, arranged neatly and dramatically in a light porcelain tray, separating every items offered with the lunch combo special. Towards the end of our meal, a donut like roll was offered complimentary, the dough was soft and filling was seasoned with pleasant mild sweetness. I would come back, definitely, try out other items on the menu. Happy that this place is another option where I once thought limited Asian options in my county. read more

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I paid $23 for a seafood dish. It had 4 shrimp and 2 scallops in it. A few pieces of that fake crab. I felt so ripped off. Our first time ordering and sadly our last. read more

Went there blindly based on Yelp reviews... It is a small, cozy and well decorated place. The owner is very sweet, a lot of people already mentioned it and I need not talk more about it. We had the Crab wontons for appetizer, delicious. I tried the Yen's special rice and my friend had the a Seafood dish, name ending with V2 or something like tht (but a 2 was there fr sure). Both of them were really good, will surely go back when am around in Ashburn.... read more

Holy cow! Why did I JUST find out about this place?!!??!!? Where have this place been all my life?!?!?!? They are now on my BEST restaurants list!! The staff were all super friendly and very attentive. They were very friendly helpful with the menu items. The owner was very friendly and really helpful! She saw that we were going to run outa space so she pulled up another table. Really nice of her! She even gave our baby something to play with! Such a warm and friendly atmosphere! I got the crispy sesame chicken which was..... like if I was about to die and had one last meal, that would be one of my choices to choose from! It was crispy and tender. The flavor was spot on, not too salty or sweet, just..... delicious! We also got the crispy basil chicken (there's another name for is, but forgot) which was also great. No dry pieces. So one of my most favorite dishes that i grew up eating is the beef and broccoli pan fried noodle. I've gone to many places and they never ever make it right. The only place that makes it right is full key. But its a pain to drive there to silver spring, or falls church. Yen's cafe is the FIRST place that makes it RIGHT!!!! Maybe even better? Sauce is spot on, not watery and not too sour. I was really impressed. I told my friend about them and apparently they are legendary! Never knew of them!!! Wish I knew years ago!!!!! Love this place! I hope they stay there forever! read more

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The food is ok but the salt and pepper pork chop is not salt and pepper pork chop. Being from Los Angeles and tasting true salt and pepper pork chop I'm disappointed I. This dish and would return it and get a refund if I could. read more

Yen's Cafe - P05. Salt and Pepper Crispy Pork Chop - Taiwanese Near Me - Ashburn, Virginia

Have heard this place for a while, but didn't get a chance to visit until yesterday. It is an authentic Chinese restaurant, with mainly Taiwanese style. I ordered fish with tofu, eggplant, egg soup, and crispy chicken. Love every single dish! The service is also good. The boss from the restaurant even talked to us for a while, making us feel at home. The restaurant also provides something not on menu (secret menu). You have to ask before you go and visit. Anyway it is a great place to visit, for small group of party. They want to make it elite Chinese restaurant in DMV metro, without having so many branches. Will definitely recommend to friends read more

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My husband and I have been coming to Yen's for years and it's just so consistently good! We hadn't been in awhile and just ate in there tonight. Still the best! Steamed dumplings with garlic vinegar sauce, steamed Taiwanese water spinach and garlic, and moo shu chicken with pancakes. All of it was super fresh, with excellent nuanced flavors. Now that we know they've got their dining room back open we'll come by more frequently read more

CK20. Traditional 3 Cup Chicken with Basil Sauce looked very good on the picture when I ordered it. Once it came, chicken was very small and didn't look freshly made. Definitely chicken was made a while ago. It was not fresh, dry, and tasted very old. disgusting and disappointing.... To pay $18.45 for that terrible dried chicken is very ridiculous ...... read more

Yen's Cafe - CK20. Traditional 3 Cup Chicken with Basil Sauce - Taiwanese Near Me - Ashburn, Virginia

Great place for lunch. they have an awesome lunch special deal with plenty of options. Just be aware this location is pretty small read more

The service was great and the food was delicious. Very cozy place and great atmosphere! Will be dining here again.

Food will be 4 star but everything in their menu is pricy already and they still forcibly charge 18% tips to the bill before even giving us an option. We would have given 20% tips but I just don't like that they inform us tips already charged to our credit card without evening asking us, we are only 2 people. It's not like we are a large party size. read more

We've ordered through Door Dash here before and was decent. Today however, my husband waited an hour to pick up the food. When calling to place the order, they said no delivery is possible but never Eluded to a back up in the kitchen. When you arrive there, They locked the door at the entrance and ask you to call again. After an hour of waiting the person working finally said we haven't even started cooking your food. Absolutely terrible service for mediocre food. Would not recommend this place moving forward. I do suggest that the Business Manager on here that is super responsive to comments instead go back to the kitchen and start cooking. Updating this now after 2 hours of waiting now they completely forgot to give us a dish! Terrible service. read more

i ordered food from here via grubhub and had it delivered to my work. it estimated about an hour of delivery, which i had no problem with, so i continued with my purchase. i ordered chicken pad thai (extra spicy) and lychee iced tea with (extra) boba in it. the food was estimated to arrive around 11:45, and my delivery guy called me and said he was at the cafe at 11:30 and they had not even started on my order yet. mind you, it's been almost an hour since placing the order. another 45 minutes pass by and i finally get my food from my delivery guy, however my drink with the extra boba, that i paid extra for, was missing. i asked him where it was , and he said they never gave him a drink and when he asked they said "sorry, not here..." i was so disappointed because i was looking forward to having the boba drink lol! next, i tried the chicken pad thai and it was amazingly dry. like.. no flavor what so ever. they provided a lime on the side which, i assumed was intended to squeeze onto the dish to add additional flavor, so when i did that it tasted much better, but all i could really taste were the peanuts that were placed on top with lime. i was very disappointed because i also paid extra so it would be extra hot, and i got absolutely no heat! i understand that the delivery malfunctions could not have been because of the cafe, however i am still utterly disappointed about the service, the food, and the lack of attention to detail that the workers provided. service: 1/10 food: 3/10 read more

0 for 2. Tried this place about a year ago in the midst of Covid. They gave me the wrong order. I didn't find out until I got home which is 10-12 minutes away. Ok it happens. Not a big deal. I call the restaurant to let them know. Lady on the phone already knew because the person who got my order called in right before me. She offered me to come back and she'd replace the meal or my order will be free next time. I told her I'd take the free meal next time. She said the discount is tied to my phone number. Ok cool. I gave the place another try tonight. I did not mention the free order. I was fine paying for this order. I place the order. I'm told they're busy and to give them 30-40 minutes. Fine. I get there 50 minutes after I place the order. I call from the car and am told the order isn't ready and it's another 15-20 minutes. I canceled it. I'm done. Every restaurant gets busy. But every restaurant also knows how to quote their wait times correctly. Being off by that much time is not acceptable. read more

Pay attention to the poor reviews, they are accurate. No changes made at Yen's to correct their overwhelmed and understaffed business. A chaotic and stressful experience for everyone including takeout. On Sunday night 1/27/19 our table of four had nothing to do but watch all the angry faces backing up at the front door ...... we found out after an hour that our entrees had never been entered. read more

The food is great here every time. I recommend this place. The lady at the front who receives the orders is very friendly as well

We enjoyed our meal yesterday here. We had the pot stickers that are homemade and delicious. Their hot and sour soup and the wonton soup were very good. We also had the shrimp and snow peas, crispy beef, and Kung pao chicken. All of the dishes were very good except the crispy beef which was a bit overcooked. The service was excellent and the restaurant was clean. When we are down in this area we will definitely be back! read more

My family and I made reservations for Christmas dinner here at 4:30pm. The manager stops by our table and asks if we need anything. I ask if I they have Thai Iced Tea, the manger harshly responds with: "Well yeah, i mean we have it but I'm not getting that for you. I'm obviously very busy." Meanwhile, there were only two other people in the restaurant. Needless to say, I stuck to water. My brother asked for a refill on iced tea and our waitress responded with, "I have to consult with my manager but it's not looking good." I then overhear her having to tell another table the same thing. He also stuck to water. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The Entrees: well, they sent out the rice first. It took an hour to get our entrees and by the time our food got to us, the rice was cold paired with semi-warm chicken. My advice to management would be: - If your menu is limited on holidays, create a specialty menu that highlights what you are actually serving; otherwise, people will assume they can order anything from your menu. - Prepare for every outcome when you have people in your restaurant. Such as, making drinks that they order from your menu. ** This place is a good spot for take-out or delivery when it's not busy and you're not in a rush. The hunan chicken and kung pao chicken is delicious. ** It's not good for groups because it's an extremely small restaurant. ** they don't serve alcohol. read more

After trying several area Chinese restaurants (all mediocre to disappointing) , our friends (who relocated from Taiwan) recommended Yens. They are spot on. I felt I was at the Wharf in Tapei enjoying the freshest seafood, native dishes prepared authentically. The spicy eggplant, the Kung Pao and the Moo Shu Pork rocked. Both took me back to my many visits to the Island. Rodney who delivered my take out curbside is a character and fun to speak with. Great cooking, great value....this is not Americanized Chinese so some of the dishes may not resonate if you are into the clawingly sweet and sour, Duck Sauce etc. Yens is the real deal. read more

My partner and crime came here for the first time today. We came because of the 4 star review. We give this 5 star all the way. Appetizer, soup, entree and dessert were all fresh and delicious. If I am ever in this area and in the mood for Chinese/Taiwanese food this is my spot. read more

Been coming here for ten years and the food is just as wonderful now as it was then. Fresh meat, veggies, and wonderful tea and juice selection! The Napa cabbage meatball in a hot pot is the best Taiwanese comfort food! Love this place and so glad their quality has never changed! read more

Yen's Cafe - Braised pork meatballs in a clay pot with Napa cabbage and perfect world tea - Taiwanese Near Me - Ashburn, Virginia

Finally, after moving here from Rockville (Asian food heaven) it took us a while but we finally found a good Chinese restaurant. They were very accommodating with our baby chair, gave us a nice corner table. Food portions are great, quality of the ingredients it top notch and they had items you can't find at Americanized places (too many around here). Our new go-to for Chinese in the area. The pictures on the menu are nice for people that aren't sure too. read more

Best Chinese food in Ashburn hands down! They actually have authentic Chinese and Taiwanese dishes. My go to dishes are the Salt and Pepper pork chops, pork belly in mom's sauce, and the Taiwanese fried chicken. Their dine in seating is very limited. So go early for dinner. Most of the time we do take out. I believe they have delivery. read more

Yen's Cafe - Taiwanese Near Me - Ashburn, Virginia

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We haven't ordered from Yen's Cafe for many months. I don't know why since it's just down the street from us. Today we picked up an order of vegetarian noodles, hot and sour soup, mapo tofu and Taiwan style fried chicken - all were fresh and delicious. The man who answered my call was courteous and helpful. We're definitely be ordering frequently from now on. read more

We used to order regularly from this, the original version of Yen's. But as service and quality slipped, we migrated over to the "New Yen's " / Yen's Kitchen & Sushi Bar. They seem to be more consistent and just better. Since it was a Tuesday and "New Yen's" was closed, we decided to give the classic Yen's a shot. For the price, it was just so / so at best. Our order was delayed, our driver was there waiting for it for some time. It got to the point that I called the restaurant to see what was going on, I felt bad for the guy. He said they also seemed to be prioritizing take out orders over delivery. Most of the order arrived warm and one dish hot, so that probably explains it. It wasn't the driver, he was here quickly from pick-up. But the food was also bland at best. Just not up to the standard they have set in the past or the prices they charge (which are even higher on DoorDash). read more

Food was delicious. The young woman who served us, is from Vietnam, and she was very good. I like that fact that if you paid cash, you receive 10% off the entire order. We will definitely be back. read more

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