Peking Gourmet Inn — Restaurant in Bailey's Crossroads

I think everyone has their opinion based on the single visit but I wanted to share mine. I can honestly say this was the worst experience I have ever had at a “fancy” restaurant. We had a reservation for Valentine’s Day and and I decided to take my wife and daughter here. We waited about 10-15 to be seated and considering the amount of people in there I can understand and it was ok. We got sat down and waited and waited and waited until I had to flag down a server to ask who was our waiter because we haven’t even got water on our table. This was just the beginning. We got our water 20mins into the visit, at this point a lot of people would of left but given it’s Valentine’s Day going somewhere else Lee would of been worse but maybe even McDonald’s would of been a better and faster option. Anyways, we ordered our food soon after our water came and I ordered a soup, the soup came fast so we thought it wouldn’t be long after the rest is out……We waited and waited and waited and after being there for 40minutes(we were talking about the week and things going on in our life so time flew by before we started to notice people that day at the same time with us were leaving and then we worried. As per usual in the visit I had to flag our waiter to get him to come to my table and then asked where our food was, he said I’ll go check and then we noticed him going to the computer to enter an order…. We gave them the benefit of the doubt because they are all speaking their native language so I don’t know what they are saying. Anyway, after that 15mins later our food came, this was already 60mins into our visit, other people had sat and their food was brought out before our food was in our table. Thankfully when it came it was hot. Food was average and I think our Chinese restaurant near our house who charges 1/3 of what this restaurant charged us per plate tasted better. We ate and I asked to speak to the manager, everyone looked our direction as if this was a forbidden thing to say. As the manager comes to our table I realized that it was the host who sat us. I explained all that transpired in the visit and to my surprise and maybe to a lot of you here also, the manager was not sympathetic what’s so ever. She told me “honey, do you have any idea who comes to eat here? All the famous people that have came? We do not give discounts.” I think at this point a discount is not what I am looking for, we saw the prices before we sat down and we knew it was a hefty price but what I was looking for was an apology and understanding but she gave me nothing. She asked me if I wanted a dessert on the house now or next time I visit. I told her no at first because I would have thought my wife and daughter wanted to just leave but then i thought, hey we are not coming back here, so I said ok. The waiter brings it to us and then the bill and actually charges us the dessert. So I had to go personally talk to manager again because the waiter said “no she said it’s not free” so i explained it to her that she offered it to me and then she and the waiter got in an argument and again I don’t know what they are saying so I can’t assume but their tone was elevated in the middle of the restaurant so I have to say it was an argument. We finally left at over 90mins in this place and I can guarantee you If I could do 0 stars I would. I have never experienced anything like this, I have never been treated with such a low quality and standard. Anyway I hope you all don’t have this experience and instead of you see the signs I have explained here that walk away because it will not get better. They will not care or try to make you want to come back to make it right to you. hopefully the manager and the waiter learned from this experience and have since been a better representative of what this “fancy” restaurant used to be. 1 star on the food because it came hot but taste was ok. 1 star on service because he at least brought us water but never refilled it. Like they are charged themselves for filling up our water glass. 1 star because we were sat...

Review Update: “Fine dining prices for fast food service” The glory days is a long gone past time.

We recently went for a birthday occasion. This visit reaffirmed our decision to not come here. All from my previous review still stands. Our recent visit was a combination of low quality Americanized food (Jasmine hot tea and plum sauce was absolutely HORRIBLE), racism, and awful service. For the refined palette, the dishes are inauthentic.

Our server was unreliable. We had to ask multiple times for items. We noticed during the many times we were waiting for items that ⬜️customers were favored and serviced with respect. Meanwhile we were pushed between tables asking over and over again for items. We rarely saw our waiter. On top of that this change happened seems to be after change in a manager to Mei, but the waiters and bus boys now wear different colors of uniforms. In the past all wore the same, but because all their waiters are the Chinese staff while the bus boys are all Latin staff it just was a very unsettling and uncomfortable feeling that there was a visible forced segregation of their staff. We’ve come here for years and we love the Latin staff members that have been there for years. A lot of the times, and these days all the time, we much prefer the “bus boy” “water” staff and ask them for additional orders or items that we need because they are much more attentive, pleasant, accurate, and quick. We always speak to them now when we want our leftover food packaged to-go too. The only time our actual waiter was attentive and quick was when he waited for us to sign the receipt so he could cash in his tip—and this happens often where they provide horrible service but are quick to receive their tip. This recent trip left a horrible taste in our mouth and we probably left the lowest tip we ever left in all our visits, and we are generous tippers. Additionally, their manager Mei disrespectfully physically pushed us to get to one of her ⚪️customers on two separate occasions. ——— My family and I have been coming for years and years. In the past 3-5 years we've been having issues every other visit, but still kept coming. The issues we always had was with inconsistent service or quality control of food. Over the pandemic as all restaurants increased prices for ingredients, we've witnessed Peking Gourmet Inn increase their prices not once, but multiple times. The price went from $48 to $58 and then again to $78. They started charging tea PER CUPS now when the tea pot has the same amount. The cost of each extra pancake order is increased. The lychee ice cream scoop is now $10. We understand the need for restaurants to increase prices for the inflation of ingredients, but PGI has increased their menu tenfold.

Additionally, if we're going to be paying the exaggeratedly inflated price we'd expect the service to be consistent and near a fine dining experience. Service has always been a consistent issue for as long as we've come here. Depending on luck we'd either get great or abysmal servers. In recent years post-pandemic it's been constantly abysmal, except our final visit. Frankly the server we had the last visit was decent, but it was not enough to have us come back again.

In regards to quality of food, there were times when our duck slices were butchered and all the meat wasn't cut off and we were given half the amount of food. The duck itself is never a consistent size when we come, so it's luck of the day again yet you'll still have to pay the same inflated cost. They pride themselves in their green onions, but depending on the day you came sometimes it just isn't fresh. The green peppers are not what they used to be. They use an alternative larger green pepper now. The plum sauce flavors aren't as they were before.

We've been coming here for years, but the roulette we play for food quality and service does not line up with the extremely inflated price. On our last visit we were told management has changed as well. And this new management started charging...

Peking Gourmet Inn is an unforgettable experience. This restaurant is hands down among my top 5 favorites of all time. My first visit to Peking Gourmet was about 15 years ago when I started traveling to Northern Virginia/DC from Hampton Roads for work. A co-worker influenced me to give it a try. The location is tucked away in a busy international shopping strip on Leesburg Pike in Falls Church. When you enter the restaurant, you’re greeted with a smile. I have gotten reservations in the past, but I do not believe they accept reservations now - with the exception of large parties. The ambiance is adorned beautifully with an authentic Chinese feel and photos of many Hollywood celebrities, Presidents, and dignitaries. There’s also a wall of military coins. You’ll easily get caught up in looking around at the extended walls of photos with all of the recognizable faces. Now for the food:

As its name suggests, Peking Gourmet’s signature dish is the Peking Duck. If you make the mistake of not ordering the duck, you will be pleasantly entertained as you watch server after server bring out these nice plump crispy ducks to nearby tables and slice them table side. I am always so torn during my visits because I have at least 4-5 dishes that I really really enjoy - and the duck is among them. It is cooked perfectly and the crispy skin is a meal in itself. I really like the dark meat and if you roll it into one of the little pancakes with the plum sauce —- oh my goodness! My next favorite standout dish is the jeo-yen shrimp - just envision a plate pilled high with jumbo, succulent shrimp, cooked to perfection with just a very light batter topped with diced onion and a side of white rice. The garlic sauce is a must and a perfect compliment to this dish. You also can’t go wrong with their generously portioned pan fried noodles. By the way, they make all of their noodles and the vegetables and many other ingredients are grown on their local farm. I order the noodles with Beef, chicken and shrimp or the seafood version packed with shrimp, crab, scallop (I think I’m missing something lol) Also, there’s plenty of vegetables intertwined in the dish, providing a well thought out balance. For appetizers, the fried spring rolls are a must with the garlic sauce. I loooove the Peking wings, which are smothered in a peppery garlic seasoning. There are so many more dishes I could reference but the aforementioned menu items are my go-tos. I always have plenty to box up for the next day or two. I can’t emphasize enough that the portions are very very generous. You will not be disappointed. The wait staff is very attentive and just the kindest. Peking Gourmet is definitely a beacon of excellence in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC region. #dmveats #novaeats #novarestaurants #foodie #chineserestaurants #asianrestaurants #pekingduck #peking #duck #chicken #panfriednoodles #farmtotable #seafood #shrimp #luefrasreviews #atthetablewithluefras #foodreviews #virginiarestaurants #northernvirginiarestaurants #washingtondcrestaurants...