IndoChen — Restaurant in Alexandria

November 2023 Full review down below Tldr: unprofessional behaviours by staff/ disriminated due to pre-existing conditions. and does not include utensils/ condiments, Specifically charged for condiments. Other Chinese restaurants, Indian and non-Indian include condiments for free. (Items I ordered: Chicken Fried Rice, Medium spice) (it tasted very well and it was perfectly spiced. The chicken was soft and succulent. I thoroughly enjoyed the dish and would come back for more if it wasn't for the negative experiences mentioned down below) full review down below.

Hello, I'm detailing my experience for November 2023. My dine-in experience was unsatisfactory due to an injury/ disability for which I'm discriminated against. I was made to feel like I was unwelcome and unheard. I had a waitress claim to me that I was not permitted to bring a bottle of Coke which I purchased from CVS to drink, allegedly conveyed by her manager to me. Although, I did not see any signage that stated outside food and drink not allowed posted at the location. I also had the unpleasant experience of having several wait staff stare at me while consuming my food, which made me feel really uncomfortable many times.

Also, they have a knife and fork set. Unfortunately they don't include a spoon at the table. If you dine in for some reason and due to what feels like lack of care.They serve my chicken fried rice in the woke instead of on the plat I guess to make it easier on them which I also felt was unprofessional.

I also had to request napkins, a spoon, and, even though I thought they would have a full set of utensils available at the table. They only have four can spoon wrapped in a towel. I also had to make a request for a napkin paper several times and they were unable to provide me with that as well after I finished my meal.

(Pick-up experience) Whenever I pick up food, I always have to remind them to include utensils, napkins, and condiments. If you go to any other well-known food establishments, for example: Chick-fil-A, Buffalo Wild Wings, or California Pizza Kitchen, they courteously include those utilities.

Positives: They let me charge my phone one time when it was out of juice so I could place an order for pickup, which was very benevolent and courteous of them and accommodating.

Also, their food is very nice. I love the taste of the chicken-fried rice. The prices of the food have gone up, specifically my dish, from $20 to $22, although it's cheaper at the other Alexandria location. I don't know why there would be a price difference, even though both locations are in Alexandria itself.

Overall, as a result of their behaviour, I've been made to feel like I have to order for pickup and leave. I hope they improve their customer experience for the better in the future. I wish they would also give me my order in a plastic bag with handles on it.

Customers pay for an experience, not just food. Thank you. I hope you take my feedback into consideration. Look forward to eating at your establishment once...

Is this the 4.8 stars it's rated? Definitively no. But were we, a party of five, seated immediately with no problem? Yes, and with fine accommodation.

The appetizers were hands down the absolute best part of the meal. Hubby, son, and I really loved the kale chat, which were similar to kale chips. Hubby and son also liked the samosas. The pork belly was absolutely out of this world delicious, and almost impossible to stop eating. Everyone liked the the Manchurian balls, with a few of us declaring they were almost to the pork belly level of good. And for at least hubby, son, and myself, the lamb dumplings are also wonderful! Spring rolls and orange shrimp were also well received (but since I didn't get any, I can't testify as to how good they were).

Son got the chef special for two, pork ribs, for himself(!), but there seemed to be at least two pigs' worth of ribs there! Definitely enough to feed four, not two! But the ribs were just ordinary barbecue sauce (and perhaps out of the bottle!) and definitely neither Chinese nor Indian inspired. And I thought the rice wasn't that great - it had an odd flavor to me - and I didn't want any more than the small sample given. And I love most rice dishes. I would have been really unhappy if this were my dish. Hubby got the salmon, which he pronounced very good - and even after all the appetizers he demolished, he managed to finish his entire dish! And since he normally doesn't eat a lot, that was something, especially given the large portion. I, sadly, absolutely don't remember what I got! All I remember was that it was good, but not exceptional. Son's girlfriend's mom got one of the biryanis (yup, one of the ones for two), but I didn't try it, so have no comment. The girlfriend had chicken tikka masala, which son pronounced the best main dish at the table. (Although I don't think he tried his dad's salmon.) I didn't try it, so can't comment.

Regarding the food, except for the appetizers, it may be best to go to an Indian restaurant to get the Indian foods and a Chinese restaurant if you want something Chinese. And, in fact, there just aren't a lot of "Chinese" items other than chop suey, chow mein, or fried rice. And if you want biryani, you have to get enough for two, which is most likely why the mom had to get as much as she did.

While we were excellently accommodated in the beginning, after getting our order in, service was just so so - with our glasses of water never refilled. And since that was what most of us were drinking, that was somewhat inconvenient.

By the by, if you're ever in Seattle and want a choice between Indian and Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food, go to Cedars Restaurant on Brooklyn Ave NE. (I never saw a combo Indian / Chinese restaurant the over 20 years I...

I’m going to begin this review by saying both my husband and I are long time service industry people, so we are very dialed in to both good and bad service and food. I also have a lot of food allergies and sensitivities that were adult onset, so I’m still trying to figure out how to navigate them; and while eating out is one of the things we’ve always enjoyed together, it has become increasingly frustrating to dine out. I am anaphylactic to eggs and have severe sensitivities to bell pepper and unfermented soy. While these can seem easy to avoid, paprika (dried and ground red bell peppers) is in more things than you realize and soybean oil is in almost all prepared foods (i.e. canned soups, salad dressings, dried pasta, crackers, etc).

We decided to try Indochen because of their happy hour but we sat at a table, so didn’t partake. However, the food was OUTSTANDING. The pork belly appetizer was so good, we ordered two at the table and one to go. My options were limited for the entrees because paprika is used in most of the spice blends, but I was eyeing the daal and that was deemed safe for me.

Can I add that the manager/ owner (?) came by to triple check on what I could and couldn’t have and came back with a list of entrees I could eat. Top tier service.

Our server was so incredibly lovely and kind. I know how difficult my food things are and she tirelessly went to the kitchen for each question I had.

For dessert, my only option was a soft cheese dish which presented like a soft cheesecake and rice pudding mixed together. Because of my egg allergy, I can rarely have any dessert but this was so good, I ordered two. In even better news, their wine BTG and after drink selection was awesome. I was so excited as a sommelier to see calvados, port, Madeira and Sauternes on a list where the entrees are less than $20. Well done!

I tried the dessert with the Madeira and then the second one with the Sauternes…and ordered a second Madeira to compare. The Sauternes is better but only because the Madeira was too hot!

Thank you all so much and we...