Best Sichuan style food you can find, period. Not just for the DMV area, but for all over the US. I was born and raised in Chengdu, by the way.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mapo Tofu
Christopher Yue
Probably one of if not the best regional Chinese restaurant in DC proper. Make a reservation when you can. Visited on a Thursday night without one around 8 pm when Google says it’s less busy than usual - still had a line outside and waited for around 40 mins to be seated for a group of 3, most of it spent standing at the bar. The menu is extensive, and the highlights were the braised pork belly, the Little noodle (very spicy and a little soupy), Dan Dan noodle (dry with peanuts, less spicy). Also ordered the mapo tofu (mid), lah-zi chicken (decent), and water boiled fish. The cocktail program is notable, great selection. It was a busy night and everyone there was working hard and very responsive. If google is right, I can’t imagine what it’s like when they have a really busy night. Maybe try an early dinner or a late night treat? They open late on several nights. One minor complaint - the menu was difficult to read, especially the cocktail menu. It’s beautifully designed, but difficult to read. Maybe I’m just getting old.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dan Dan Noodles
Bob
Love this place. Sorry to post a picture of a half eaten rib but like I couldn’t resist eating them as soon as they hit the table. The crab fried rice is also phenomenal. Great place for sharing a few dishes. It’s always packed, but if you don’t have a reservation they sometimes have outdoor seating or bar tables available.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dani Muneye
I am extremely disappointed with the host's behavior. We were next on the waitlist, yet she seated two other people ahead of us, even though they didn't have reservations. It's incredibly frustrating and unfair. What is the point of a waitlist if it's disregarded in favor of personal preference or familiarity?
Service: 1
K C
This place is absolutely adorable!!! The vibes are great (yes, it’s good for the ‘gram) and staff were all terrific - very friendly attentive without being disruptive. The food was similarly fantastic - the eggplant is unreal (and I would never typically go for eggplant…) and the noodles are top notch. The only gripe that I had is the smell - almost hit me as hard as the beautiful ambiance they’ve created when I walked in and it lingered throughout the whole meal. I am, however, very sensitive to smell and would absolutely give it another try/hope it was somehow just a funky [smelling] fluke.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Basil Eggplant, Vegan Noodles
Aurora Jimenez
Went in a few weeks ago on a busy Thursday night, the hostess was super sweet, and had us wait at the bar for a short wait. We both got the mojtos (10/10) super strong and very refreshing. The goldfish was also a nice treat. The restaurant itself is super cozy and well decorated. It’s a bit of a squeeze but that’s not a problem for me. The food was very hit or miss. Almost everything was seasoned with the same chili oil which made all of these dishes blend together. The stand outs by far were the dumplings/wontons and the beef noodles. We also got a few other dishes, like the Lazi Chicken that were honestly very meh, especially for the price and portion size. Both the bartender and the hostess were awesome however our server was a bit cold. He seemed to rush us and had no time of day to refill our waters. We all have off days. I would go back to try more dishes, but definitely with lower expectations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spicy Wonton, Beef Noodles
Royal Olives
Food was great, highly recommend the salt and pepper eggplant and the beef noodles. The staff are wonderful, super warm and welcoming. Overall, this place definitely lives up to the hype.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Noodles, Crab Fried Rice, Chili Wontons
Tony Lin
Good chinese food for the area, but definitely overpriced. Had a lot of typical dishes that were delicious but small in portions and usually topped off with a lot of cilantro. Wait was over an hour, but the staff was extremely friendly. Good painkiller cocktail.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Basil Eggplant, Cumin Lamb
Daniel Shaffer
Incredible sechuan flavors to share with friends and the best cocktail program in the whole
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dan Dan Noodles, Triple Delight
TJ Travels
The habanero drink burned our a** but very good 😁 Their food is out of this world, Noodles, lamb, crab fried rice, spicy wontons is a must . Great service and nice ambiance ! Must visit 👍🏾
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dan Dan Noodles, Crab Fried Rice, Chili Wontons, Cumin Lamb
Probably one of the best restaurants to go to in DC. The flavors are authentic and the food is fresh. The staff is friendly, but the space is small so make sure to make a reservation a couple weeks in advance.
I dined solo and initially ordered the Dan Dan Noodles ($16). The menu does state that they recommend sharing and ordering 2-3 dishes per person, but I guess I (incorrectly) assumed the "dishes for one" wouldn't follow that rule. I ended up also ordering the Walnut Shrimp ($26) which did come with white rice.
The Dan Dan Noodles ended pretty good (7.5/10). The Walnut Shrimp were decent but lacking enough of the sweet sauce to go with the rice (6/10). Drink-wise I ordered the Anne Darrolli ($18) which was very tasty (8/10).
Overall, Astoria offered good food and drinks but l'm not sure l'd rush back for a whole dinner given the prices. I think it would make a great date spot to grab a drink or two and maybe a single dish to share.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dan Dan Noodles, Walnut Shrimp
ZDESLAV ROTIM
Very cool spot! Food not consistent but when it’s good, it’s great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Axl C
The front desk told us to wait outside for 20 minutes for a table. After waiting quietly, we returned, only to be told our name wasn't on the list, and now the wait time is 2 hours. Completely disorganized and poor service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Lauren Marshall
Everything was great, except for the hostess. It was our first time and she told us we'd need to wait by the bar area until a table was ready, but we were confused when she sped past us into the restaurant..then, she came back and snapped at us for not following her right away/for not realizing that we were meant to hang out at the standing bar until our table was ready (even though we told her it was our first time). She was overall disrespectful and rude- we had two more interactions with her that were extremely unpleasant. It was also a special occasion meal, as we were celebrating my deceased mom's birthday, so being greeted by someone with such a nasty attitude was a huge bummer. Overall, it could have been a great experience, but the first impression and hostility from the hostess throughout the experience left a sour taste in my mouth. Not sure I'd want to go back if that hostess still works there, considering the meal wasn't cheap.
Best Sichuan style food you can find, period. Not just for the DMV area, but for all over the US. I was born and raised in Chengdu, by the way.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mapo Tofu
Probably one of if not the best regional Chinese restaurant in DC proper. Make a reservation when you can. Visited on a Thursday night without one around 8 pm when Google says it’s less busy than usual - still had a line outside and waited for around 40 mins to be seated for a group of 3, most of it spent standing at the bar. The menu is extensive, and the highlights were the braised pork belly, the Little noodle (very spicy and a little soupy), Dan Dan noodle (dry with peanuts, less spicy). Also ordered the mapo tofu (mid), lah-zi chicken (decent), and water boiled fish. The cocktail program is notable, great selection. It was a busy night and everyone there was working hard and very responsive. If google is right, I can’t imagine what it’s like when they have a really busy night. Maybe try an early dinner or a late night treat? They open late on several nights. One minor complaint - the menu was difficult to read, especially the cocktail menu. It’s beautifully designed, but difficult to read. Maybe I’m just getting old.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dan Dan Noodles
Love this place. Sorry to post a picture of a half eaten rib but like I couldn’t resist eating them as soon as they hit the table. The crab fried rice is also phenomenal. Great place for sharing a few dishes. It’s always packed, but if you don’t have a reservation they sometimes have outdoor seating or bar tables available.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I am extremely disappointed with the host's behavior. We were next on the waitlist, yet she seated two other people ahead of us, even though they didn't have reservations. It's incredibly frustrating and unfair. What is the point of a waitlist if it's disregarded in favor of personal preference or familiarity?
Service: 1
This place is absolutely adorable!!! The vibes are great (yes, it’s good for the ‘gram) and staff were all terrific - very friendly attentive without being disruptive. The food was similarly fantastic - the eggplant is unreal (and I would never typically go for eggplant…) and the noodles are top notch. The only gripe that I had is the smell - almost hit me as hard as the beautiful ambiance they’ve created when I walked in and it lingered throughout the whole meal. I am, however, very sensitive to smell and would absolutely give it another try/hope it was somehow just a funky [smelling] fluke.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Basil Eggplant, Vegan Noodles
Went in a few weeks ago on a busy Thursday night, the hostess was super sweet, and had us wait at the bar for a short wait. We both got the mojtos (10/10) super strong and very refreshing. The goldfish was also a nice treat. The restaurant itself is super cozy and well decorated. It’s a bit of a squeeze but that’s not a problem for me. The food was very hit or miss. Almost everything was seasoned with the same chili oil which made all of these dishes blend together. The stand outs by far were the dumplings/wontons and the beef noodles. We also got a few other dishes, like the Lazi Chicken that were honestly very meh, especially for the price and portion size. Both the bartender and the hostess were awesome however our server was a bit cold. He seemed to rush us and had no time of day to refill our waters. We all have off days. I would go back to try more dishes, but definitely with lower expectations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Spicy Wonton, Beef Noodles
Food was great, highly recommend the salt and pepper eggplant and the beef noodles. The staff are wonderful, super warm and welcoming. Overall, this place definitely lives up to the hype.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Noodles, Crab Fried Rice, Chili Wontons
Good chinese food for the area, but definitely overpriced. Had a lot of typical dishes that were delicious but small in portions and usually topped off with a lot of cilantro. Wait was over an hour, but the staff was extremely friendly. Good painkiller cocktail.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Basil Eggplant, Cumin Lamb
Incredible sechuan flavors to share with friends and the best cocktail program in the whole
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dan Dan Noodles, Triple Delight
The habanero drink burned our a** but very good 😁
Their food is out of this world, Noodles, lamb, crab fried rice, spicy wontons is a must .
Great service and nice ambiance !
Must visit 👍🏾
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dan Dan Noodles, Crab Fried Rice, Chili Wontons, Cumin Lamb
Restaurantji Recommends
Probably one of the best restaurants to go to in DC. The flavors are authentic and the food is fresh. The staff is friendly, but the space is small so make sure to make a reservation a couple weeks in advance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Walnut Shrimp, Basil Eggplant, Beef Noodles, Scallion Lamb
I dined solo and initially ordered the Dan Dan Noodles ($16). The menu does state that they recommend sharing and ordering 2-3 dishes per person, but I guess I (incorrectly) assumed the "dishes for one" wouldn't follow that rule. I ended up also ordering the Walnut Shrimp ($26) which did come with white rice.
The Dan Dan Noodles ended pretty good (7.5/10). The Walnut Shrimp were decent but lacking enough of the sweet sauce to go with the rice (6/10). Drink-wise I ordered the Anne Darrolli ($18) which was very tasty (8/10).
Overall, Astoria offered good food and drinks but l'm not sure l'd rush back for a whole dinner given the prices. I think it would make a great date spot to grab a drink or two and maybe a single dish to share.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dan Dan Noodles, Walnut Shrimp
Very cool spot! Food not consistent but when it’s good, it’s great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The front desk told us to wait outside for 20 minutes for a table. After waiting quietly, we returned, only to be told our name wasn't on the list, and now the wait time is 2 hours. Completely disorganized and poor service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Everything was great, except for the hostess. It was our first time and she told us we'd need to wait by the bar area until a table was ready, but we were confused when she sped past us into the restaurant..then, she came back and snapped at us for not following her right away/for not realizing that we were meant to hang out at the standing bar until our table was ready (even though we told her it was our first time). She was overall disrespectful and rude- we had two more interactions with her that were extremely unpleasant. It was also a special occasion meal, as we were celebrating my deceased mom's birthday, so being greeted by someone with such a nasty attitude was a huge bummer. Overall, it could have been a great experience, but the first impression and hostility from the hostess throughout the experience left a sour taste in my mouth. Not sure I'd want to go back if that hostess still works there, considering the meal wasn't cheap.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Triple Delight
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