NiHao Arlington — Restaurant in Washington

I’ve been a fan of Chef Peter Chang for over a decade and was eager to try his new Chinese small plates concept. Unfortunately, this restaurant did not live up to my expectations for authentic Chinese cuisine.

The ambiance was confusing and poorly executed. The decor felt more like a Mexican restaurant than a Chinese one, with colorful tiles, hard surfaces, and inexpensive-looking furniture creating a noisy and uncomfortable environment. The attempt to merge a sit-down dining experience with a trendy fast-casual vibe lacked cohesion, making it unclear what the restaurant was trying to be. Service, while attentive, was overly complicated, with too many servers handling our table, which made the experience feel chaotic rather than polished.

The idea of a tapas-style Chinese menu is appealing, especially in National Landing, where upscale dining options are plentiful. It’s a creative way to introduce diners to Chinese cuisine by offering smaller portions of several dishes. However, the execution was disappointing. I noticed multiple tables around me not finishing their small plates of food and not taking leftovers home, which was a clear indicator that the food wasn’t resonating with diners.

As for the food, it was either overwhelmingly salty or lacked flavor altogether. I ordered the Three Pepper Beef, Chongqing Chicken, and Mapo Tofu—staples of Sichuan cuisine—but none were prepared well. The Three Pepper Beef was so salty that it had to be sent back to be remade. The Chongqing Chicken and Mapo Tofu lacked the bold, vibrant flavors that make these dishes memorable, as they were just plain salty; So salty that my tongue went numb from the salt. The smaller portions fit the tapas theme, but they didn’t compensate for the lack of quality—it just felt like less food to have to waste.

Overall, the restaurant struggles to deliver an authentic and enjoyable Chinese dining experience. While the concept has potential, the lack of attention to detail, muddled atmosphere, and uninspiring dishes make it hard to recommend. For those seeking genuine Chinese flavors, this isn’t the place to find them. I would recommend Chef Peter Chang's other concept, Mama Chang, in Fairfax for a more authentic...

A few of us Foodies came in for lunch one day… two things that made us really want to try this place were: We knew it was a Peter Chang joint They offered “Szechuan tapas” Love the idea of sharing a bunch of small plates!!! But the “small plates” here weren’t so small! Many were piled full of food, yet the prices were very reasonable, like a typical tapas joint!

We ordered many different items and enjoyed them all! Here’s what we tried: • “Husband and Wife” Tendon and Tripe Slices • Garlic Cucumber Salad • Scallion Bubble Pancake • Pig’s Ear Slices in Chili Oil • Shanghai Soup Dumplings • Dry-Fried Green Beans • Sichuan-Style Beef with Onions • Shredded Beef with Green Peppers • Dry-Fried Fish • Spicy Garlic Eggplant • Stir Fried Beef Chow Fun

Lots of items for only 3 people! And the size of these dishes were definitely slightly bigger than what you’d expect from normal small plates – But we had plenty to take home afterwards!

Some favs of ours were the Scallion Bubble Pancake which came with a really nice dipping sauce. The Dry-Fried Green Beans were good, but lacking in heat to go with the flavor. Stir Fried Beef Chow Fun was really good, definitely filling and flavorful! All of us agreed the spiciest and most flavorful was the Dry-Fried Fish – it was EXCELLENT!! It’s actually what I love when I go to Mama Changs and Peter Changs too… very similar in taste to the other locations!

The beef dishes we tried (Shredded Beef with Green Peppers and Sichuan-Style Beef with Onions) were bland – Not very spicy at all. Kinda disappointing to be honest.

Overall… we really did enjoy this visit! The service was great! The food was tasty (even the bland stuff, which was blander on the elevated scale of the amazing Dry-Fried Fish). The venue is great too. We got there early at lunch and were the first of the day, but within 30 minutes, the place was packed! So, get there early or make reservations – It’s definitely...

We had been curious about the restaurant since we found a new sign outside before they opened, and finally we dived in. They have various tapas inspired Chinese dishes on the menu. We were not sure how small they were so ordered 3 plates in the beginning. The Dan Dan noodle was a little hot but tasty. The steamed rice wrapped with lotus leaf was good and smelt good. Probably some people might care about the smell if they have never tried this dish. The beef with green onion was the best of the three and really tasty. We should have ordered white rice together as that would go well with the beef. After we finished eating them, we noticed we could eat more, so we ordered 2 more, the lo mein and the balloon pancake. When we saw them coming, we were slightly shocked by the size because we believe they were as small as the previous 3 dishes we ordered. Well, it was our fault, but we did not really regret it. The balloon cake looked big but actually there was nothing inside so we easily finished eating it, but the curry flavored dipping sauce was not our taste. We thought we could not finish the lo mein, but it was tasty so in the end we ate all of it. Overall, their food is really good. The best Chinese restaurant around the Crystal City and Pentagon area. Probably you will enjoy whatever you order.

From the outside the restaurant looks small but actually they have many tables inside and there was a large party room in the corner, so it is good for solo, couples and families, but if you eat in a big group, you might need a reservation beforehand not to be disappointed. The employees are friendly, and answer any questions about the food or the portion. We went there at a weird time (not lunch not dinner time), but they served us fast, but all the food was fresh and hot which is a very good sign as some other restaurants start getting their B-team in...