Hello my Petits Gourmands!👩‍🍳👨‍🍳 We cover the most delicious gastronomic everything 🥩🥑🍇🥖🥬🫐 — restaurants, eateries, bakeries… and find the chefs in Washington D.C. 🇺🇸 that deserve all the accolades. Subscribe to read about the tastiest meals in town!😋

In today’s review… we’ll cover Bar Chinois where a French bar meets Chinese cuisine in a popping, loud, and exciting way.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

The Ratings

Our simple & honest checklist covers a restaurant’s key ingredients:
Ambiance, Service, and Food.

8/10

Bar Chinois is a groovy spot, baby! Austin Powers would certainly approve of this fun spot for some great drinks and even better food. As you walk through the restaurant’s double doors, you’ll instantly be hit with bopping music and a cheerful crowd. The eatery is equally split between the bar and the restaurant with the left-side being your bar hotspot and the right-side being your sit down food tables. The ambiance is stylish, sophisticated, and spiffy with younger crowds enjoying a night out in good spirits. Forewarning: the restaurant is loud and it will be hard to hear your fellow diners.

8/10

Amazing! Bar Chinois’ staff are very kind and went the extra mile to make sure they explained the menu and highlighted the chef’s specialities. Our waitress even ensured the drinks were to our satisfaction — swapping out a cocktail we were a little tepid about for a fantastic alternative. Additionally, the dishes came out at a good pace — not too fast so as to be on top of one another, but also not too slow so as to be waiting a long time until our next delicious bite.

8/10

Bar Chinois hits the spot with a bountiful offering of delectable dishes! The menu is split into four sections: dumplings, small bites, entrées, and desserts. For every 2 people in your party, we recommend you try at least one dish from each of the sections.

As you commence your Chinese journey with dumplings, we urge you to start the food fiesta with the Red Chili Wontons — or as we prefer referring to them as, pork and shrimp care packages bathing in a warm, garlic, chili oil, and soy vinaigrette that will bring joy to your heart. Another fantastic option would be the Pork XLB Dumplings, which are pork-filled soup dumplings with onions, ginger, some tasty sesame oil, and soy sauce.

Once you’ve enticed your palate, dig into the small bites section with dishes such as the Pork Belly Bao or the Crab Rangoon.

When it comes to the entrées, the Lu Fan Rao is a must-have delight. The dish is comprised of slow braised 5-spice pork belly on rice with a soy egg, scallions, ginger, and some arugula salad. Yummy and so satisfying! Another outstanding option would be the 1970's Garlic Noodles.

Lastly, when selecting your desserts, do not forgo the Matcha Crème Brûlée which is a very nice finish to the meal as the matcha is creamy and light. What a beautiful and exciting way to end dinner!

Reservation & Menu: