Chef Lee's Element

Great food and wonderful service from Marcia!! 🥰🥰

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love this place! Our server Marcia is amazing. This is our go to place for sure

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Well, well, well. I have been looking for this dish ever since Michael’s Noodles closed in Rockville. The dish is a crispy fried chicken morsel with a slight bit of sauce. Lots pf peppers and a heat that
hits you after you take a bite. Lots
of chilis(don’t eat them or your tummy will be very angry). This dish is not the typical Americanized Chinese food. If you like a bit of heat and authentic Sichuan Chinese flavor, you will love this dish.

My only add for Chef Lee, add scallions to this dish please.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

Not an ad, not exaggerating—Chef Lee’s Element is truly one of the best choices out there. The food is delicious, the prices are reasonable, the service is great, and the environment (especially after the renovation) is excellent. For us, this isn’t a place we visit just to “check in” or try once; it has basically become our cafeteria. Whenever we don’t know what to eat, we just come here, and we always end up with delicious, satisfying Chinese food. Whether we order our usual dishes or try something new, we’ve never been disappointed. Highly recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This is easily the best authentic Szechuan place within a 15 mile radius. I had the fish in fire sauce. Thick and opaque with chili oil and topped with fresh green Szechuan peppercorns. I had the flounder filets but they even have imported northern snakehead fish if you want to pay for it. There were numerous interesting dishes that we will return to try! The atmosphere was very neat and modern and the service was attentive and friendly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was my first time here. It's a Sichuan restaurant, and the food was delicious. The ambiance was great, and I highly recommend it for meals and gatherings. The service was fantastic. A girl named Lily was very friendly and explained the dishes to everyone. Overall, everything was excellent.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I would like to formally declare—on behalf of myself—that the newly renovated Hou De Xiao Chu is now the DMV’s new benchmark for Chinese cuisine. The renovation is simple, refreshing, and modern. The menu is thoughtful and varied without being overwhelming.

Today we had the Sichuan stir-fried pork, garlic bok choy, and pickled-pepper bullfrog. Every dish was above standard.
• The bok choy was cooked just right—crisp-tender with perfect timing.
• The stir-fried pork had thin slices with a slight char, paired with mildly spicy green peppers and a beautifully balanced savory aroma.
• The bullfrog was fresh, fragrant, and tender, with the unique aroma of pickled peppers. The seasoning included pickled peppers, green Sichuan peppercorns, red Sichuan peppercorns, and pickled radish strips. Even the supporting ingredients—konjac noodles, which are often bland in many places—were fully infused with flavor, likely because they had been blanched separately beforehand.

We went on Thanksgiving Day, and the place was packed. The dishes came out a little slowly, but still within a reasonable range. The three servers were practically on their toes the whole time but remained very friendly.

All in all, in conclusion, as a devoted fan of this place, I’m genuinely thrilled that the DMV now has a restaurant like this. It feels at least on par with Ta Xiang in Boston Chinatown—if not better.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

the foods are delicious, the environment is good, Marcia’s service is great

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was my first time visiting this restaurant, and the food was amazing! Every dish was full of authentic flavors - the pickled chili fish, dry pot cauliflower, and spicy wontons were especially delicious. The portions were generous, and everything tasted freshly made.
I also want to give a special shout-out to our server, Lily. She was super friendly and attentive, always checking on us, refilling our drinks, and making sure we had everything we needed.
Great food, great service, and a clean, comfortable environment. I'll definitely be coming back!

We had such a wonderful experience at this Chinese restaurant! The food was flavorful, fresh, and beautifully presented — every dish felt like it was made with care. The service was equally impressive: attentive without being intrusive, and everything arrived promptly.

A special shout-out to Maggie, whose warm hospitality and excellent service made even more memorable. She went above and beyond to ensure our group felt comfortable and well taken care of.

This place is perfect for gatherings — spacious, welcoming, and ideal for sharing dishes family-style. Highly recommended for anyone looking for great food, great service, and a place that truly understands how to host groups.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food is very good. Our waitress Marcia Fang, has a very thoughtful service and a very friendly attitude. The new decoration is very Morden. We have a good experience for dine in . I highly recommend it.

Service: 5

Very good food and service, especially Lili is very kind and helpful

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great dining experience, big portion of food and tastes good. Our server Marcia was doing a great job. Most definitely would come again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My favorite Chinese restaurant around this area. 100000% recommended. The wings are fire!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This is the first time we dined at the restaurant after its renovation. It looks wonderful appearancewise and the food tasted even better than before. Both Marera and Lily are super friendly and responsive to customer inquires. We really enjoyed the food anf had a wonderful evening there.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5