Looking for Good Dim Sum Restaurant and Chinese Bakeries Recommendations (Richmond: house, live)

[IDREAM2017]

Hello Virginia,

We moved to the Harrisonburg area a few months ago from Seattle. We love eating ethnic food and have found some great restaurants here and in Charlottesville, but none that have Dim Sum and we have not found any Chinese bakeries.

Does anyone have any suggestion of places anywhere in the state of Virginia, northern Va or Richmond that we could take a long weekend trip and include in our itinerary?

Thanks for any information!

[badger74]

NOVA your best bet.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by badger74

NOVA your best bet.

You aren't getting good dim sum in NoVA. Need to head to MD.

[ersatz]

NoVA is a great place to come if you want to try different ethnic foods. There are many Asian restaurants and shops to be found in close proximity.

Hong Kong Pearl in the Seven Corners Shopping Center in Falls Church is known for its Dim Sum. Seven Corners can be intimidating to drive into if you have never been through it. If you haven't, don't try during rush hours. Unless you know the area, I recommend approaching the shopping center coming from the east along Arlington or Wilson Blvd. The same shopping center also has Fortune - it has both Chinese and Vietnamese dishes and also has Dim Sum. It is supposed to be good, though I haven't tried it.

The Seven Corners Shopping Center is across the street from Eden Center, which is a center for Vietnamese shops, bakeries and restaurants, some of which are quite good. Phuoc Loc Bakery is in Eden Center. Supposedly they offer Chinese baked goods as well as Vietnamese.

For years, Mark's Duck House in Arlington on Rt 50 was an area favorite. That restaurant changed hands a few years ago and the quality isn't quite as good, but I still enjoy it.

If you enjoy ethnic food, Annandale is known for its Korean restaurants. I am a big fan of Korean BBQ and there are many places to try it. People argue over their favorites, but I enjoy Heebeen on Little River Turnpike. It's a buffet place so you can sample many different possibilities. Our area is known for Korean-owned supermarkets. They carry a large range of products for the Asian community and are known for excellent produce and prices. If you find something you like at Heebeen, you can probably find that kind of food frozen at the Grand Mart supermarket next door and take it home. Good for Asian spices, sauces etc. as well as cooking utensils if you want to try your hand at cooking Asian dishes at home. Some people are intimidated by Grand Mart as it is smelly and crowded and full of people who don't speak English. I love it because it has a fantastic variety of foods at good prices and features vendors cooking free food samples of different products. Grand Mart specializes in Asian groceries but also carries a selection of Latino products.

Speaking of supermarkets, Great Wall Supermarket is a large supermarket specializing in Chinese groceries. If I recall correctly, they have an in-house bakery. They are located just off the I-495 Beltway at the Route 50 exit. They have lots of supplies and many kinds of frozen entrees you can take home. They are next door to Uncle Liu's Hot Pot. That's a favorite of mine too as it offers the Chinese Hot Pot experience, which is hard to find in the US. That is similar to a Fondue, where diners cook their own raw meat and veg in hot soup. They offer several different soups - one of which is spicy. I love spicy but that is TOO spicy for me! I order a split pot - which has both mild and spicy soup separated. Uncle Liu's does not have the best rep as it is not particularly clean. Since I have lived off and on in the third world for many years, that doesn't bother me at all. It is a bit too "ethnic" for others, so use your own judgement based on your preferences.

[BuiltforSin]

Full Kee in Richmond has good Dim Sum.

[IDREAM2017]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I cant wait to make a weekend trip and head to Northern Virginia and then take separate trip to Richmond to try Full Kee.

I want to thank ersatz for the detailed information on different areas and shops to try. We love Hot pot! There are many hot pot places in Seattle and Bellevue area that we would frequent, so I am really excited to have some places to try. My husband is a Korean BBQ fan also.

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to reply.

[ersatz]

If you enjoy Hot Pot, then you may remember Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot from Seattle. That chain has locations all over the US and there's one in the Eden Center too. I haven't tried it but I intend to!

I recommend reading through the CD thread Moving to NOVA; tell me about the food and Restaurant recommendations around IAD for further ideas.

[BuiltforSin]

Originally Posted by IDREAM2017

Thanks for all the suggestions. I cant wait to make a weekend trip and head to Northern Virginia and then take separate trip to Richmond to try Full Kee.

I want to thank ersatz for the detailed information on different areas and shops to try. We love Hot pot! There are many hot pot places in Seattle and Bellevue area that we would frequent, so I am really excited to have some places to try. My husband is a Korean BBQ fan also.

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to reply.

Make sure you get the pork buns!