Chen's Gourmet — Restaurant in Washington

If you’re in a hurry, this might not be the spot for you—wait times can range from 30 minutes to even an hour. That’s because, impressively, the owner is running almost the entire operation by himself. He takes orders, cooks, and probably even cleans up. Judging by how late he stays (I heard he clocks out around 2am), it’s clear he’s doing it all with dedication.

As a contractor always on the move, this place hits the spot—affordable, flavorful, and filling. Being Hispanic, I found the Chinese food here to be really good. In fact, during my visits, most of the customers I saw were Hispanic too. Everyone complains about the wait, but when the chef finally comes out with your food, the mood shifts—people go from frustrated to laughing and joking. That says something about both the flavor and the energy this place gives off.

Yes, there are things that could be improved, but you can feel the passion behind this business. The owner is a genuinely kind person, and despite the chaos, he takes care of every customer. For me, this is the only place I’d grab food if I’m in the area—cheap, tasty, and run by someone who truly cares. 05/23/2025

I called at 11:30am got there at 12:30pm and my order wasn’t ready. The owner said he wasn’t take phone orders until...

Chen’s Gourmet is a gem in the wall. Inconspicuously hidden above a few steps and modestly colored so that it’s wall blend into its surroundings, the only thing that could possibly garner and attention visually is it’s beautiful sign out front. That being said, the food is otherworldly. Rarely do I have Americanized Chinese cuisine that tastes of high quality ingredients, and unique recipe originality, but Chen’s does exactly that. The General Tso’s is beautifully done, under a layer of thick sweet and spicy sauce with large chunks of crunchy fried white meat chicken. The Kung Pao chicken and shrimp is also marvelous, done with a take airing more on the traditional palate, but excluding all the typical medley of random vegetables that offer little to the experience. Overall, Chen’s Gourmet provides an excellent dining experience, where the food is phenomenal, the owner and chef and the rest of the employees are kind and generous, and the atmosphere, in spite of its modest exterior, boasts a little restaurant that the people of the Palisades are proud to...

We visited family in DC for 10 days and on day 3 we ordered a huge vegetarian meal from Chen's. In the following days, our meat-eating parents were requesting another order so we had another huge feast. What a delight and a treat this place is - some of the best fake meat I've ever had (and being veg for 30 years, that is saying a lot).

It's fresh, it's vibrant, it's scrumptious. I can't say enough good things about the food here, you feel like royalty eating a plate of this food.

After both meals we took a pen to the menu to put a heart next to the items we loved most and, well, everything we ordered got a heart both times. Phenomenal. Go ahead and get a double order of the Vegetarian Crispy Beef, it was everyone's favourite.

I can't believe I didn't snap a photo, too excited to dig in I guess. Best food of our holiday. Thanks, Chen's! Keep up...