Excellent Dim Sum made to order.Great service, nice atmosphere. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dim Sum
GETITBOY
Definitely has earned a new customer I came in to check out the place for a quick to go bite to eat ..the atmosphere and the( daughter) made me feel right at home and welcomed...I got my food and waa on my in less then 15 miutes...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J D.
Made a delivery order of 5 dishes, 4 dim sum items and 1 appetizer. Delivery took over an hour. I called after an hour and the person who answered the phone told me it was on the way and it arrived a few minutes later. The packing receipt accounted for between 15-20 minutes on delivery, so my assumption is either they are slow cooking or they messed up something and had to fix it. Despite the long wait, the food when it got to us was still borderline warm but by the time we stopped eating was borderline cool. This heavily impacted my review. SO said that the food here was authentic and they seemed to use quality ingredients. Without the long wait and with this in mind I might have given 4*. Perhaps on subsequent orders they can improve, we'll see. Person who took my phone order took food, address, phone number, credit card and tip. I have not ordered any chinese food since pre-pandemic but I've never given tip in advance. After I had to repeat my card number 3 times, I was left wondering why I didn't just order online. The food was mostly in styrofoam containers (for anything that didn't have a sauce). Even the rice was in styrofoam (PS: not sure if intentional but for this reason it was much easier to serve than any other place I've gotten delivery from; 5* on white rice if you care about that). Items that had a sauce came in the plastic reusable tubs (black plastic, not currently recyclable in Alexandria). Spring rolls came in a bag. Food came with fortune cookies (5) and soy sauce packets. No duck sauce, no hot mustard. * Fried Walnut Shrimp in Mayonnaise Sauce (commonly known as "Honey Walnut Shrimp"): Had a good mix of shrimp and veggies (mostly brocolli). It did not skimp on walnuts but also didn't have a ton of them. The sauce came seperate (in a small plastic tub) which I thought would be good but it's a very thick sauce so was not easy to mix. I give this 3* tho I would probably not get it again as delivery because of the sauce seperation (which I realize was for my own good=)). I also don't like to have to work for order in, it feels like I could have just cooked. Also didn't reheat especially well. * Chicken w/ Cashew Nut: 4.5* this had a great number of cashews, the chicken was good and there was a good ratio of veggies/mushrooms as well (the latter a surprise). * Roast Duck: 3*. This dish was the main impacted most by the delay. I tasted bursts of hoisen and wondered if this was the dish they messed up (and caused delay) because I believe Peking Duck has hoisen. SO theorized this may have been reheated. Anyway, roast duck from every chinese restaurant (dim sum and non) is fatty and boney. This was no exception (but also can make the dish great). Despite the cooling temp was still quite crispy. It came with a sauce (soy?) which I didn't use. * Beef w/ Bitter Melon: 4* (SO wanted this, agreed on rating). When we ordered it, the guy told me to hold on. SO said they might have been confirming they had bitter melon. I tried it and it was very bitter :) The beef was super good though so I'd look forward to trying another beef dish to see if that carries over. * Stir Fried Chinese Brocolli: 3.5*. I would have liked the pieces to be a bit more cut up. You can cut it obviously, but it's work and a pain to dish up if you don't. Taste/texture was there though. It was salty but like the duck I knew what I was getting in to. * Steamed Pork Dumpling (Xiu Mai): 4*. Good though got colder. I've had better in person so suspect it didn't travel well. I had a brief hit of onion/chive tho I don't think there is any. Also didn't reheat especially well. * Steamed Shrimp Dumpling: 2*. This suffered from the delay and travel I think; the noodle wrapper was fairly tough. Innards were good but could have just gotten Deep Fried Shrimp Balls for that. Also didn't reheat especially well. * Pan Fried Turnip Cake: 4*. Somehow despite the delay these were still crispy and warm with the perfect amount of "char". I've had better
Qui P.
Combination fry rice is too bad I have never ate before something like this may be they have brand new chefs
Anda Fassiadis
Based on a friend's recommendation, I came to this restaurant to order takeout. A portion of fried large intestine cost 22 yuan. There were only a few slices of intestine. The key was that it was so salty that I couldn't eat it.
Arlene Shaulis
Been ordering from them for years. Never been great but at least acceptable. I've never written a bad review before but I had to this time. I don't know if they have a new chief but the food we received last night was horrible. Ordered chicken fried rice - no flavor - white rice had more flavor. Also ordered roast pork with snow peas - pork had no flavor & chewy (suspect old); snow peas were over cooked and had so much garlic they were bitter. Don't expect much from them and you might be ok.
Food: 1
Anna N.
we wanted to skip the crowds on lunar new years, and sampan cafe alexandria came highly recommended by my younger sibling. very uncomplicated good food, especially during a time where dim sum spots in va are declining or experiencing price inflation. this was probably the most affordable, and the quality was excellent -- almost everything was cooked perfectly. leftovers tasted super good in the air fryer too.
Wayne S.
This is an authentic Cantonese restaurant with reasonably prices. Most customers are regulars from Asia. Good food but not a fancy place.
W L.
I've been here a lot, so I feel like I know the whole menu pretty well now. Whether it's good or bad really depends on what dishes you get. Chow foon and pan fried noodles - Amazing! Chow foon always has that special wok fried taste (wok hei). And the pan fried noodles are always perfectly crispy with a flavorful saucey topping that they package separate from the noodles in takeout, which keeps the noodles from getting soggy. My favorite is the seafood pan fried noodles, which has all kinds of veggies with fish, shrimps, scallops, and squid. It might be my favorite noodle dish to get anywhere, ever. On the other hand, the dim sum items are completely unremarkable tasting and come in tiny portions. Since there are so many wonderful dim sum places in nearby Falls Church, I wouldn't bother coming here for any of it. Buns, ha cao, shu mai, noodle crepes, turnip cakes, dumplings, etc just pass on those here. Somewhere in the middle of the pack are the Hong Kong dishes and noodle soups. Not bad but not amazing either. They'll hit the spot if you're craving Cantonese food, but you don't need to make a special trip to try them either. Overall, they've got a loyal customer in me, and I'd recommend them. But it depends on what dishes you're looking for.
Hannah H.
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
Everything is so good and fresh. There are also lots of items not in the menu. Make sure to ask. Their seafood is the best!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Dodson
Love this place. Best Dim Sum. I always take my mother here when she visits.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Miles Snowdon
Best din sum in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeanna A.
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.
Excellent Dim Sum made to order.Great service, nice atmosphere. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dim Sum
Definitely has earned a new customer I came in to check out the place for a quick to go bite to eat ..the atmosphere and the( daughter) made me feel right at home and welcomed...I got my food and waa on my in less then 15 miutes...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Made a delivery order of 5 dishes, 4 dim sum items and 1 appetizer. Delivery took over an hour. I called after an hour and the person who answered the phone told me it was on the way and it arrived a few minutes later. The packing receipt accounted for between 15-20 minutes on delivery, so my assumption is either they are slow cooking or they messed up something and had to fix it. Despite the long wait, the food when it got to us was still borderline warm but by the time we stopped eating was borderline cool. This heavily impacted my review. SO said that the food here was authentic and they seemed to use quality ingredients. Without the long wait and with this in mind I might have given 4*. Perhaps on subsequent orders they can improve, we'll see. Person who took my phone order took food, address, phone number, credit card and tip. I have not ordered any chinese food since pre-pandemic but I've never given tip in advance. After I had to repeat my card number 3 times, I was left wondering why I didn't just order online. The food was mostly in styrofoam containers (for anything that didn't have a sauce). Even the rice was in styrofoam (PS: not sure if intentional but for this reason it was much easier to serve than any other place I've gotten delivery from; 5* on white rice if you care about that). Items that had a sauce came in the plastic reusable tubs (black plastic, not currently recyclable in Alexandria). Spring rolls came in a bag. Food came with fortune cookies (5) and soy sauce packets. No duck sauce, no hot mustard. * Fried Walnut Shrimp in Mayonnaise Sauce (commonly known as "Honey Walnut Shrimp"): Had a good mix of shrimp and veggies (mostly brocolli). It did not skimp on walnuts but also didn't have a ton of them. The sauce came seperate (in a small plastic tub) which I thought would be good but it's a very thick sauce so was not easy to mix. I give this 3* tho I would probably not get it again as delivery because of the sauce seperation (which I realize was for my own good=)). I also don't like to have to work for order in, it feels like I could have just cooked. Also didn't reheat especially well. * Chicken w/ Cashew Nut: 4.5* this had a great number of cashews, the chicken was good and there was a good ratio of veggies/mushrooms as well (the latter a surprise). * Roast Duck: 3*. This dish was the main impacted most by the delay. I tasted bursts of hoisen and wondered if this was the dish they messed up (and caused delay) because I believe Peking Duck has hoisen. SO theorized this may have been reheated. Anyway, roast duck from every chinese restaurant (dim sum and non) is fatty and boney. This was no exception (but also can make the dish great). Despite the cooling temp was still quite crispy. It came with a sauce (soy?) which I didn't use. * Beef w/ Bitter Melon: 4* (SO wanted this, agreed on rating). When we ordered it, the guy told me to hold on. SO said they might have been confirming they had bitter melon. I tried it and it was very bitter :) The beef was super good though so I'd look forward to trying another beef dish to see if that carries over. * Stir Fried Chinese Brocolli: 3.5*. I would have liked the pieces to be a bit more cut up. You can cut it obviously, but it's work and a pain to dish up if you don't. Taste/texture was there though. It was salty but like the duck I knew what I was getting in to. * Steamed Pork Dumpling (Xiu Mai): 4*. Good though got colder. I've had better in person so suspect it didn't travel well. I had a brief hit of onion/chive tho I don't think there is any. Also didn't reheat especially well. * Steamed Shrimp Dumpling: 2*. This suffered from the delay and travel I think; the noodle wrapper was fairly tough. Innards were good but could have just gotten Deep Fried Shrimp Balls for that. Also didn't reheat especially well. * Pan Fried Turnip Cake: 4*. Somehow despite the delay these were still crispy and warm with the perfect amount of "char". I've had better
Combination fry rice is too bad I have never ate before something like this may be they have brand new chefs
Based on a friend's recommendation, I came to this restaurant to order takeout. A portion of fried large intestine cost 22 yuan. There were only a few slices of intestine. The key was that it was so salty that I couldn't eat it.
Been ordering from them for years. Never been great but at least acceptable. I've never written a bad review before but I had to this time. I don't know if they have a new chief but the food we received last night was horrible. Ordered chicken fried rice - no flavor - white rice had more flavor. Also ordered roast pork with snow peas - pork had no flavor & chewy (suspect old); snow peas were over cooked and had so much garlic they were bitter. Don't expect much from them and you might be ok.
Food: 1
we wanted to skip the crowds on lunar new years, and sampan cafe alexandria came highly recommended by my younger sibling. very uncomplicated good food, especially during a time where dim sum spots in va are declining or experiencing price inflation. this was probably the most affordable, and the quality was excellent -- almost everything was cooked perfectly. leftovers tasted super good in the air fryer too.
This is an authentic Cantonese restaurant with reasonably prices. Most customers are regulars from Asia. Good food but not a fancy place.
I've been here a lot, so I feel like I know the whole menu pretty well now. Whether it's good or bad really depends on what dishes you get. Chow foon and pan fried noodles - Amazing! Chow foon always has that special wok fried taste (wok hei). And the pan fried noodles are always perfectly crispy with a flavorful saucey topping that they package separate from the noodles in takeout, which keeps the noodles from getting soggy. My favorite is the seafood pan fried noodles, which has all kinds of veggies with fish, shrimps, scallops, and squid. It might be my favorite noodle dish to get anywhere, ever. On the other hand, the dim sum items are completely unremarkable tasting and come in tiny portions. Since there are so many wonderful dim sum places in nearby Falls Church, I wouldn't bother coming here for any of it. Buns, ha cao, shu mai, noodle crepes, turnip cakes, dumplings, etc just pass on those here. Somewhere in the middle of the pack are the Hong Kong dishes and noodle soups. Not bad but not amazing either. They'll hit the spot if you're craving Cantonese food, but you don't need to make a special trip to try them either. Overall, they've got a loyal customer in me, and I'd recommend them. But it depends on what dishes you're looking for.
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
Restaurantji Recommends
Everything is so good and fresh. There are also lots of items not in the menu. Make sure to ask. Their seafood is the best!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love this place. Best Dim Sum. I always take my mother here when she visits.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best din sum in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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.
I loved the food, the service! Excellent highly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5