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Chinatown Express: DC’s Best Chinese Restaurant

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at American chapter.

If you ever find yourself in Washington, DC’s Chinatown, then you might notice that while many signs are in Mandarin, there are not many Chinese restaurants or trademarks of a decent Chinatown.

In a recent article written in “The Washingtonian,” author Anna Spiegel laments that “all of Chinatown’s most lauded restaurants are gone.”

But there is still Chinatown Express at the corner of 6th St NW and H St NW. When you walk past this unassuming restaurant, you can see the chefs making noodles and Peking ducks in the window.

Chinatown

Photo by Kara Schiaparelli

At Chinatown Express you can get a lot of amazing food for not a lot of money. For instance, this meal (that fed 4 people) cost around $45 ($11.25 per person). That’s not bad for a DC restaurant.

Every time I go, I have to get their pork dumplings. They are little steamed pillows of goodness filled with pork and veggies. If you can’t make it to a restaurant for some dumplings, then make your own with this recipe.

Chinatown

Photo by Kara Schiaparelli

Their most famous dish (named one of The Washington Post’s must try dishes of 2013) is their fresh noodle soup with roast duck. While it is a great bowl of soup that will warm you up on a cool evening, it is, however, difficult to get the duck off the bone without a knife. It’s a trick that I have yet to master.

Chinatown

Photo by Kara Schiaparelli

My friends got their favorite Chinese dishes: Peking Duck, hot and sour soup and General Tsao’s chicken.

Chinatown

Photo by Kara Schiaparelli

Chinatown

Photo by Kara Schiaparelli

Chinatown

Photo by Kara Schiaparelli

And here is our table ladened with the family-style dishes (one of the hallmarks of an authentic Chinese restaurant).

Chinatown

Photo by Kara Schiaparelli

Chinatown Express is important to DC culture and food scenes because it represents the bygone DC Chinese community. Walking around Chinatown, you will find Fuddruckers, Nandos, Starbucks and more American restaurants. Chinatown Express is the shining beacon of authentic and delicious Chinese food in Chinatown.

Kara is a writer and photographer for Spoon University. She is a rising senior at American University studying PR, French and Literature. She is obsessed with anything Disney, coffee/tea and movies. Other than Spoon, she is also a part of Alpha Phi Omega, a community service fraternity on campus. She can't wait to share her favorite D.C. restaurants, best recipes and other food related stories.