Oriental East Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
36 Reviews for Oriental East Restaurant
My family and I have been going to this place for years. I can't believe I've never reviewed this place. This is the best traditional dim sum spot I have been to in the States. The food is consistently good and there is always a good variety. The only bummer is the line, but we usually go with a giant group so the wait is not that bad.
The food is hot, fresh & delicious. The prices are very reasonable. If it's traditional Hong Kong style dim sum you want, I would go check this place out.
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My family usually never, ever goes to a Chinese restaurant, but Oriental East is the one exception. We've been coming here to get dim sum, nothing else, for quite a while now. I remember going to the old restaurant when I was younger.
I haven't had my fair share of dim sum, but this place is amazing!! I do know that they have a separate dim sum menu for people that can't make it on the weekends, but there's no compare to the Chinese women driving little carts around you and screaming at you in Chinese.
My favorites are the taro dumplings, shrimp crepes, pineapple buns, and sticky rice in the banana leaf.
The only cons about this place in my opinion are the long, lonnggg waits and I also hate when the dishes I want run out on a cart so I have to wait for another one to come around. So basically, the wait sucks, but the food is great and the price isn't too shabby either
My boyfriend wanted dim sum in a bad way. He scoured reviews, and we asked everyone we knew. In the area everyone agreed Oriental East was as good as it was going to get. We were both very excited.
We planned to get there as soon as it opened to avoid any lengthy wait only to be sucked into an episode of House. We figured we didn't have anything planned we could finish the ridiculous TV show and wait for a bit. We arrived 30 minutes after it opened to a packed restaurant. While I sat outside my boyfriend put our names on the list. He returned with a flashcard that had a hand written number (#28) on it.
We were outside for the length of a cigarette and returned to the manic hustle of the restaurant. We stood in front of the host for approximately 30 minutes. The host called #35, and my boyfriend tried to pacify me by saying that possibly they had a different number of people in their party and that's why they were being called before #28. When the host started calling multiple parties of two, and their numbers were in the 40s, that's when we had enough. Tons of non-Chinese people were standing around us looking more than slightly annoyed and vaguely confused.
My boyfriend wanted to leave. I decided to make a feeble attempt at a point when I returned the card with #28 face up and we both walked out.
We never got to try the food. After about 45 minutes of standing there like chumps with the host completely ignoring us and every other non-Chinese person in the room we had enough. It really was a shame.
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It's been a long time since I've been back to Oriental East for dim sum but I do have to say that it was better than I remembered it being. Granted, there aren't that many "great" dim sum places in the NoVa/DC/MD area but the food quality here overall is better than a few others that I've been too. Price per dish is also good, ranging from $2.50 to about $3.50 a plate. And of course it's metro accessible, which is a God sent if you don't have a car.
Best dishes my group and I had this past Sunday were 1. Bean Sheet Rolls, 2. Phoenix Feet in Black Bean Sauce, and for desert 3. Sweet Almond Jelly (minus the nasty tasting lycees and cherry on top). The Taro Dumplings and Shrimp Rice Noodle Crepes deserve a mention but I've had better elsewhere.
Unfortunately there were a few bad spots, the wait of course was horrible, but it was a Sunday so I was expecting that. What I wasn't expecting was how slow service was and how few carts and dishes came out at any given time. Still we were able to hunt down a few cart pushers given our table location. Overall, I'll probably go back for the food but it won't be right away...
I've lived in DC for almost two years now, and I've never once eaten chinese food (closest was TenPen and that's not really chinese food in any sense).
Places like this are why.
And the fact that I am used to dim sum and other asian fair from amazing places like my hometown (San Francisco) and driving out to Monterey Park in SoCal to go to Ocean Star Seafood.
I'd rather lick Clement Street than go here.
and yes, I'm overdramatic. But it needs to be said.
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Back when I lived in College Park, we used to frequent this place, probably coming for dim sum about once a month. Hands down, Oriental East has to be the best of its kind on the MD side of the Beltway. The food is impressive, the service is fast, the selection is satisfying, and the prices are good. The restaurant is not very big, and floor layout is smart, so carts make their way around the tables super fast - resulting in an endless stream of hot, fresh dishes until you literally can't take any more.
The biggest pain point at Oriental East is the wait. Ohhhhhhhh, the lines. All I can say is, be prepared to see a minimum of a jam packed lobby (this never really goes away) and a maximum of a line wrapping down the block (which is pretty much a guarantee if you come anytime that falls between fifteen minutes before opening and the first hour and a half of service).
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The trick is never to go to Oriental East during the weekends (or special days like Mother's Day etc) unless you like waiting in line. A trip to OE needs to be carefully timed - (1) go way before they open so you'd have the first sitting (2) dont go at all! We once waited for nearly an hour to be seated and we were there at 2.30pm on a Sunday! If you do get a table, there is a long wait for your food if you are not seated at a table located where the food trolleys come out! By the time the food trolley comes to you, your choices are limited to what others have not picked out! It never fails to make me really grouchy when my favourite items are all sold out!
The food here is good though - which explains the long lines. The best thing there is their char siew buns (steamed). If you want to stick within budget, never take the "special order" plates the waitresses are so eager to plop on your table! Overall the quality of the dim sum is good. The dim sum here is definitely more refined than Mark's Duck in VA but it is on par with China Garden over at Rosslyn.
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i can't believe this is the "best" dim sum maryland has to offer. and so if it is, thank you oriental east for confirming yet again why i am not moving to dc. i am a lover, a lover of Chinese food and would not move to a place that does not offer even decent Chinese, especially Cantonese style, food.
Came here with a bunch of friends for dim sum on a Sunday. Long wait, table for 6, there were 18 parties ahead of us, but none of them were of 6. One of 14, another for 8, and the rest for 4 or 2. So I thought it wouldn't be bad. 20 minutes max. We waited and waited. And then, some guy, #83 the NEXT table of 6, got a table! We were #81. What the heck? I was going to release my Cantonese lady fury on the host, but instead waiting right next to him and kept asking, "Do you know how much longer?"
I should have released the Cantonese Lady Fury cause the wait was not worth it. I think I ate everything simply bc I was so hungry after waiting 35 minutes for the table. We had noodles, shrimp cheung fun, beef cheung fun, shui mai, spare ribs, salty pork and preserved egg congee, fried rice, and egg rolls. ice water and over steeped tea.
thumbs up: the fried rice is decent. cheap.
thumbs down: the food. honestly there was SO much MSG, I had to take a nap.
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Man, I am starting to discover that everything is Zagat rated on the east coast. Or at least in Maryland, and this place is included. So maybe it isn't the greatest star quality in terms of reviewing that I thought it to be, I think I'll switch back to my love of Michelin.
We came here on a Sunday afternoon around 2pm thinking that this would not be the rush time only to find that there was still a 30 minute wait. It was kind of insanity. Even as we were seated people were still lined out the door until the point which we left at 3pm.
Dim sum for most families is predominately about drinking tea and gossiping, but for my family it's dead silence and this passive aggressive challenge in the greater battle for nourishment. So we get to our table ready to fight, and then there are no plates, chopsticks, napkins, tea, or teacups. The food arrives and we still have nothing to eat with. So my brother just reaches out and snags the tarot dumpling with his fingers! I guess my old fashioned war ways have no barring on today's battle. We finally get most of the utensils, but then still no tea for about 15 minutes even after repeated asking.
Then as the true test of a good Cantonese dim sum place is the quality of the classics: har kau and siu mai. I was utterly let down. The flavors were just lacking something and the siu mai meat wasn't all that great, and the skins were not very delicate. What was good was the taro dumpling, shrimp crepes, and jook.
This place would have gotten a 3 for the decent eats, but the service. Oh the service... needs a little work.
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[3.5 stars]. This is probably the closest dim sum place to my apartment. I've been coming here for dim sum as default because the food, while not amazing, is a reasonable representation of cantonese-style dim sum.
Pros:
- fairly reliable, standard dim sum, with a bias toward shrimp filling
- many variations of dumplings, shu mai, taro-shrimp fritters, buns, spring rolls, breads, etc.
- inexpensive
- free parking lot
Cons:
- be ready to wait close to 40 minutes, the place is always packed on weekends between 11am-3pm
- carts don't always roll by steadily
- non-dim sum food here (i.e. the dinner menu) leaves a lot to be desired
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I am not much for waiting in long ass lines to get my dim sum fix, so a place that serves a full dim sum menu all the time, is amazing in my book. While I enjoy the experience of waiting for the cart to roll around, I also enjoy ordering everything upfront from their very expansive menu and just letting it come to me so I can carry on with rambling dinner table conversations. They have a lot to chose from, but the portions are fairly large for dim sum, so maybe test the waters before you go crazy and order a massive amount of food. They were even are polite enough to pack up your leftovers for take out without having to ask. We ordered too much food and our bill was still incredibly low. The restaurant itself is clean but very generic and shopping plaza-ish. There are weird mis-matched lighting fixtures everywhere, which lead me to believe they ransacked a clearance sale when decorating the place. Overall this is a great place to go, so next time you are craving dim sum, skip the line, sleep in and go any damn time you please!
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Mark's Duck House step aside, this is my go to dim sum spot of the moment. It's quite a drive up to Silver Spring, but I'll make the extra effort for Oriental East. The place is clean and spacious (but not spacious enough for the amount of people waiting up front), food is tasty (lots of variety as well), and service is good (as any other dim sum place across the board, if you know what I mean). Do expect to wait 30 plus minutes unless you get there at 10am or a little before. If there's a wait, head on over to Caribou Coffee or read a magazine at the nearby CVS.
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This place got my parent's vote of approval and they requested it again when they last came down. It has to be pretty good which it was when there is a line forming an hour before the restaurant actually opens. It's worth the wait and anything and everything you want for dim sum is there. If you do not want to wait though, you can mosy down to Hollywood East which is just as good. However, this place is hands down the best dim sum in MD so far.
Edit: 5/23/2008
I was asked recently how this place compares to dim sum places in NoVA, but the only NoVA dim sum I've been to is China Garden. If this comparison would be useful to you, read on. If it is not, skip to the bottom where my old review is. Unless that one's not helpful to you either... I see that others have descriptive reviews about this place too.
Compared to China Garden, Oriental East is pretty much the same in taste, quality, and being popular, therefore busy. In my life, I've eaten dim sum way too much (nearly every weekend for 8 years until my grandmother passed away), and even though it holds a special place in my heart, I don't think there's any dim sum outside of Hong Kong that could surprise, unless it's in a bad way. If someone has a suggestion that could prove me wrong PLEASE tell me, I want to know!
If you go to a "top" dim sum place, which OE IMO is, stuff like shu mai, har gow, cha siu bau, chang fen, and chrysanthemum tea will taste the same as other "top" dim sum places. I judge on the small differences. Here are a few:
Egg custard tarts: sometimes the ones at OE are crusted at the top from slightly burned sugar (I like this). The ones at CG were also, but I've only been once.
Turnip cakes: CG has them on that little frying cart, which I like better than OE because they're plated and might get cold.
Squid: OE is the only place I've been to in the DC area that has squid.
So I guess the only reason why one would make the trek to OE from anywhere outside a close by and convenient area is if they did not have a good dim sum place nearby or if they love squid and are unable to obtain sliced squid and pickled veggies nearby.
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This is not the best dim sum I've ever had, but this place definitely has the best dim sum in Montgomery County. Their selection is fantastic and you always know the food is fresh because there's no way they could have leftovers with the amount of people that bombard the restaurant every weekend. Oriental East has a good selection and it's rare that you will see the same cart pass you lots of times. I think one of the main reasons I like this place more than other dim sum joints in MD is because only they offer sliced squid over pickled turnips and carrots!
Outside of dim sum, I've been here once for a family style dinner. Our dinner consisted of the usual family dinner menu items (cold appetizer plate with jelly fish and friends, chicken, fish, lobster, greens, etc) and was pretty good. It's all standard Cantonese (read: heavy) fare.
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Yum! On a recent visit to the Baltimore area, my friends brought me here for dim sum and they kept on saying "we have to get there before 11:30am if we want to get a table!" and even though we got there at 11:20am, we still had to wait 20 minutes for a table. Food was fabulous - I'd list out all of my favs but my Chinese ping-ying probably would butcher the names.
I have to admit - Maryland dim sum is better than Chicago dim sum. The carts just had so much more options than we get here in the Midwest. It is comparable to NYC, SF or Monterey Park dim sum, too. Our service was a little off since it took us half an hour to get our tea refilled but the carts just kept on coming and coming.
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I guess it's great for dim sum...
Drinks were watery and made with very poor quality liquor
Vegetarian egg roles were good, but did not taste fresh
The garlic broccoli was pretty bad. I didn't eat much.
My companion had a dish involving pig's feet and a few other types of meat -- which I do not eat -- and, although he doesn't have the most discerning palate (but decent), he really enjoyed his meal.
The best Dim Sum in DC, period. The food is incredible! I will quote david q. "Seriously. Dim Sum. Seriously." Its truly wonderful, selection is abundant and its pretty fast too. The 1-2 hour wait is totally justified, but be prepared.
This place is good! Gabby Hayes good!
Seriously. Dim sum. Seriously. Dudes and dudettes: the custards are key (which knocks the ranking up to 4.5 stars now that I'm grooving on those jiggly bits of heaven). Everything is else is quality and reminiscent of home, except for fact that the people i eat with aren't into chicken feet. Gosh! How could that be?
FYI, to avoid the most crowded times, go on Saturdays before 11:30 or after 1:45-2:00. Clearly the later time is more convenient for most schedules, but too much after 2 and you will miss out on the freshest stuff. Good luck.
I started going to Oriental East when it was on the other side of the street, much smaller but it's always a good sign to see a line of people waiting to get in. The dim sum on the weekends opens at 11 AM and if you go 15 min or later near the time of opening you will be at the back of the line and may lose the first seating. The dim sum is really authentic much like what I get at home-they have so many different types of dim sum you can imagine. This means that the turnover is great and you are in for a treat of the best and freshest HK dim sum. It's fun to check out the food as they roll in a cart and you can pick up whatever you fancied. It's definitely an experience.
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It doesn't get any better than this; at least, not for dim sum in the D.C. area, anyway. Well-known for its excellent dim sum, the main drawback of eating at Oriental East is that the wait for a table can be extremely long on the weekends. If you have a large party, you may need to arrive one hour or more early.
Personally, I prefer the newer Hollywood East Cafe on the Boulevard. With an opening time of 10 a.m., one hour earlier than Oriental East, Hollywood East Cafe offers dim sum on par with Oriental East in a more relaxed, less crowded environment. Hollywood East also has a superior dinner menu and more parking is available on the weekends due to the vacant bank lot next door. Moreover, unlike Oriental East, Hollywood East offers a wider assortment of dim sum with a limited selection that is specifically vegetarian (i.e., in addition to the ubiquitous sweets and Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, which is all standard dim sum fare), that can be ordered off the serving cart or upon request.
TRIVIA UPDATE 3/6/08: Silver Fountain, which also serves dim sum, is actually the sister restaurant of Oriental East, the more popular identical twin. OE always plays hard to get as you will often have to wait over an hour for a table while SF is "easy" (and a more obscure find) and will seat you in a jiffy. SF actually serves the same dim sum as OE, because the chefs from both restaurants were trained in the style of the original "momma" restaurant Silver Palace, who unfortunately passed away at the birthing of her identical twins. Tip: Seek out SF if you want some; a taste of OE can be quite the hassle.
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The service is really, really slow on weekdays during lunch. So, if you come for a lunch while you are trying to work, then good luck. On the weekend, the line is down the street for dim sum. I think the dim sum is pretty good and I like their beef chow fun. You can get a pretty reasonably priced lunch special with the egg roll and soup. They will make you items they don't have on menu (I got walnut shrimp once, which is not on the menu). But, I it is pretty much average Chinese food (I am slightly biased since my significant other is from Hong Kong so we eat a lot of it at various places). I give the dim sum 4 stars, the rest 3. If you speak Mandarin, you can order things that are not on the menu also, but if you do you probably already knew that.
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food is ok , service is horriable no refills on water , no check ups on customer or any communication
One of the best parts about living in the Spring is dim sum within walking distance of my apartment. Of course it's a committment to go because if you want a seat, you definitely need to be in line 30 minutes before they open on the weekends or you risk having to wait crowded up front desperate to hear your number called so you can sit and enjoy. My favorites here are the fried shrimp dumplings. Beware they will put mayo on them if you don't say otherwise. It's more fun to go on the weekend so you can watch the carts wheel around but they do serve dim sum during the week. They bring you a menu, you pick what you want and voila! Dim sum!
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It's really more like 3.5-3.75 stars. It's been a while since I've been here, so I'm not speaking from recent memories, but this was also back in the days when I was desperately searching for chinese food in DC, so finding anything reasonable almost had me crying. Ok, maybe not.
Anyway, I liked this place, serving pretty authentic dim sum. It's not the best that I've ever had, but I definitely feel that it's one of the better places in DC, which honestly is not saying a whole lot, given the dearth of good chinese around here.
Ok, I'm starting to sound like I don't like this place. It's not true. I really liked it and I recommend it. Worth the trip up to Silver Spring for me.
Gets crowded and there's a line so get there early if you plan to be seated and eat right away.
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I go to Oriental East about once a year. I don't go that often because if you can't get up for the first seating, you are screwed. Today was a disappointment for several reasons. First, there was no har gow or shu mai for at least an hour! These are staples of dim sum. When I saw the table next to us get a special order (4 of each!) I asked why they weren't on the cart and special ordered them. We never got the har gow and only got 1 shu mai. Totally lame! Second, there was no dan ta. The waiter said they weren't done yet (this was after 1pm -- 2 hours after opening). WTF! Third, there just wasn't a great variety on the carts today. It seemed like the same dishes going round and round. On the up side, the jook was quite tasty.
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Ok. Now being from the SF Bay Area and having lived in NYC, I'm spoiled when it comes to options for dim um. IMHO this is the ONLY place I would take friends or family visiting in the Washington DC metro area. The service is above average but that helps since I speak Cantonese. Everything here is quality from the har gow and shiu mai.
My one complaint is that they open at 10AM on the weekends. If you've ever gone for dim sum in NYC or SF than you probably know that its open early like 8:00AM. Reservations are never available, so be patient and maybe bring your ipod because there could be an hour wait. Parking ain't bad because it is located inside a strip mall.
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Great for the dim sum, normal food - not so much. Be prepared to wait for a table on weekends. Staff is definitely friendlier if you speak chinese. Dim sum is served push cart style and good variety of food. Highly recommend the black bean clams! Fresh veggies and not too oily and not chewy like old grass. Manager lady looks very mean, but actually very nice - its the tatoo eyebrows - dont' be afraid she wont' eat you.
Service is typical for asian restaurants.
Restaurant is clean.
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Chinese Cuisine and Dim Sum.
One of the very few places that I enjoy outside of New York City's Chinatowns. When you have lived in NYC for all of your life, you compare all the chinese food you have eaten to what you have had their. Oriental East is one of the places where dimsum is comparable, but not better than NYC. When I ever come visit MD and want dimsum, I try to make it down here to get it.
Parking is sometimes difficult, but it is well worth the trip. If you can't make it to NYC to have some dimsum, you should come here.
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My favorite dim sum dish here is the deep-fried shrimp dumpling with mayonnaise. Yeah, I know it's really bad for you, but there's nothing like the combination of creamy mayo and the crunchy fried dumpling; I love it.
This place is just behind the Silver Spring Metro Station - just walk south on Colesville, and hang left at East-West Highway. It's in the strip mall.
The downsides:
Not very many vegetarian dim sum options here - though their chinese broccoli dish is pretty good.
Also, it's really crowded. To get into dim sum Sundays (which starts at 11), we try to get in line by 10:30 or 10:40 (and you have to make sure your whole party is there by opening 11am so they can seat you)...
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Been here just for dimsum which was great. But be prepared for the wait. On Sundays, people line up an hour before the restaurants open.
They have all the dimsum you want. Your table is key to get the best selection. One time, the carts seldomly passed our table. I guess we weren't on their regular route. We had to scream at the cart ladies so we could get food.
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**UPDATED 6/3/07 - DIM SUM REVIEW @ the bottom***
Based on the frequent Talk thread about the "Best Dim Sum in the DC Area" I decided to take up the suggestions to head to Oriental East for dim sum and beat the apparent insane weekend rush by going on a weekday. Maybe I'm too used to eating dim sum at brunch on a weekend, or in other metropolitan locales but when we showed up to Oriental East on a Thursday evening and asked to see the dim sum menu the waiter smirked at us and said, "dim sum is just lunch..." My heart sank and my cheeks flushed, I felt a little foolish for not realizing this (and not listening or understanding the woman when I had called earlier in the day to inquire as to whether or not they served dim sum on the weekdays). Don't make the same mistake I did Yelpers! Oriental East does indeed offer dim sum week long but only at lunchtime from 11am-3pm!
In any event we had still trekked out to Silver Spring (Oriental East is, in fact, quite convenient to the metro) and the restaurant was still populated with enough people that we figured we'd give the regular menu a shot.
The hostess was quick to hand us a big pot of tea as we sat down, which was definitely appreciated. Three of us ordered the corn egg drop soup ($1.85), a typical Chinese restaurant dish that neither amazed nor disappointed. We also sampled the pan-fried dumplings ($3.95 for 5) which were perfectly crispy-yet-moist on the outside and with ample filling on the inside. Appetizers aside, we ordered half a peking duck (with pancakes and plum sauce, $12.50), orange chicken, crispy stuffed bean curd ($10), and beef with broccoli ($9.95). I ordered the beef with broccoli after trying to order the Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce and informed that I probably couldn't add beef to it as they steam the dish (?). The beef with broccoli was straightforward, nothing to set it apart from most Chinese restaurants save a few stray slices of carrot that had snuck into the dish. The duck was tasty though I wish the skin were a bit crispier and less sweet. I did like that it was served with pancakes and plum sauce, however ("kind of like a duck burrito," said my housemate). Crispy bean curd was deep fried tofu that came with a thin sauce on the side that was soy infused with ginger, green onion and sliced hot peppers (I don't know a habanero from a jalapeno, sorry!) that gave the sauce a nice after-kick.
I was not disappointed with my meal, nor was I completely taken with the dishes. I hope to make a return trip to Oriental East for dim sum, but if you catch yourself needing a quick Chinese fix at the Silver Spring metro during non-lunch hours you wouldn't go wrong stopping in.
***6/3/07 UPDATE: So I FINALLY made the time to make it out to the proper dim sum meal. A group of us went Saturday morning, arriving at Oriental East around 11:30am. The wait was not given, but the crowd indicated that previous yelpers were not wrong on the popularity of OE. We ended up waiting only 25 minutes, me secretly praying towards the end that we wouldn't end up exiled by the bar, and happy to be seated near the middle of the dining room.
There were so many delicious dishes I think I blacked out into a food coma halfway through and don't remember each dish we had. Roughly? Fried taro root, two different types of pork dumplings, coconut buns, chow fun noodles with pork, fried rice, sticky rice, chinese broccoli, clams, and I could go on... I could eat taro root every day, and Oriental East's were definitely on par with the best. I had a coconut-filled bun at the start of the meal with immediately threatened to put me in a sugar coma - so sweet but so delicious. We washed everything down with tea, learning that we should just flip the lid open when we wanted a refill only at the end of the meal (note: our token Chinese diner was totally useless on tips like these and helping us with the Chinese-speaking bit, but I'll still keep him). The only bad note here was the lack of water refills, which I can overlook with pots full of tea!
The best part of the deeply satisfying meal? Besides potentially breaking in new belt notches? The bill! The four of us, including two guys that routinely put away scads of burgers or soul food, had to be rolled out of Oriental East for the mere cost of $40. For that price the 20 minute wait and train ride out of DC is done and done.
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One of the very best dim sum places in the entire DC area. The line is out the door on weekend mornings; dim sum starts at 11 am, and if you have a big group of people, you'd better be in line by 10:45 am or expect a long wait. Their dinner menu is also pretty good. Service is spotty at dinner time, though; it took FOREVER for the waiter to refill our waters and to bring out the food.
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Go early, get your coffee and paper next door and camp out on line. I'm pretty opposed to lining up to eat, but this was worth it. Plus the only thing worse than waiting is not getting in the first seating. Then you have to see all the carts whiz by you and smell all the dumplings.
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Dim sum, dim sum. Yum yum in my tum tum.
We got to the restaurant at 10:45 on a Sunday morning and parking wasn't an issue. At that time there was already a long line waiting for the place to open at 11:00. Apparently that's not even early enough to wait because despite the large dining room, we still had to get a number (we were #6) and wait around until about 11:30 for a table. I was sort of irritated at that time because I had a test the next day and should have been studying rather than just waiting around smooshed amongst the throngs of waiting people. However, when we finally got a table and got to eat, it was all worth it. This has definitely been the best dim sum that I have had outside of SoCal. Shiu mai wasn't too fatty, stuffed eggplants and fried shrimp puffs were delicious! Next time I go, I'll probably try to get there at 10:30 to make sure to get in for the first seating. For two people, we spent about $40 but then that's because I went a little crazy with the dishes and took a few home. I can't wait to go again!
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you park your car in the crowded parking lot nearby only to find that there's a line to get a table in the restaurant... first, squeeze through the first door, past the baby blaring in your ear.. avoid the cart lady as she yells "EXXXXCOOOSSE me!!!' and twirl around a baby carriage with a set of twins, and finally reach the hostess stand for a number.
finally!! you're number 23 and they are on number 17.. if you're lucky the "twuunntttyyy mmiinnnutte" wait she says, is really true and you will finally get to eat that delectable smelling food that is constantly paraded in front of you by the "EXXCOOOSSEE me" cart lady...
25 minutes later, after a latte from the caribou next door, you get a seat for you and your four friends, and you're ready to order.. everyone around you is chinese, which, my friend, is the best sign of good chinese food, and you begin to order.
ha-gao, shu-mai, ha-cheung, lor-bac-go, fun-gor, cha-sui-bao .. for the cantonese folk, as the cart lady gives you your chosen dish.. for the others that might not understand, shrimp dumplings, shrimp and pork dumplings, roast pork buns, turnip cake, all wizz by you if you don't get them fast..
each one, tasty and juicy and you just can't resist the temptation to order more and more ... they mark off your lil' paper, and then another comes up offerning sticky rice and steamed ribs for your liking.. with such a variety of foods, anyone with any craving is going to be satisfied and you indulge yourself til the lil' potbelly you've grown is now hanging over the edge of your pants..
the waitor finally calculates by hand your check,and you realize that it's only $10 bucks each.. as you breath your sigh of relief and let out a stinky burp you get up and go home for a long saturday nap..
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*Best I've found
Dim Sum and chinese food in DC won't be as good as Vancouver/SF, however, Oriental East has been the best that I've found. I have friends that drive an hour from Baltimore/NOVA, just to wait in line for this. It's not bad, but by the time you get through the horrendous wait in line, anything is not bad.
*Caveat
The wait service is a bit scandalous. Based on the number of people already in line and the pace that they seat us, it's obvious that the wait will be 60-90 minutes, unless you get there an 30 minutes before they open at 10am. However, they always tell people that the wait is only about 20 minutes and newbies are always checking in every 20 minutes.
My advice is to get a number and come back in 45 minutes. Oriental East is next to Caribou Coffee or 2 blocks to the Borders Books store.
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