A&J
| Address: | 4316 Markham St, Annandale, VA 22003, USA |
| Phone: | +1 703-813-8181 |
| Site: | aj-restaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 14
AL
Alice Wang
Having lived in the DC area my whole life, Ive been going to this place since I was 7 or 8. Im also from a Chinese family, so my diet was primarily Chinese for many, many years. I used to love going to A&J, as my family didnt go out to eat a lot and they had a wide selection of appetizers like pork buns, dumplings, green onion pancakes, as well as big entree portions of noodles, and bubble tea. Back then, this shopping center was packed on the weekends with people going to the Asian supermarket and/or eating lunch/dinner at A&J; parking was actually really hard to find. Things have changed since then. Now that I am "grown up" and having grown to love and appreciate food much more, A&J has taken a back seat to my other culinary affections. It hasnt changed much in the last 10+ years, still in the same location (in the small shopping center with the now-bankrupted Asian supermarket, Asian jewelry store, and the former Marias-Bakery-now-turned Tanpopo Ramen shop), same servers/waitresses, and same cash-only rule. The food hasnt differed either - you can still get green onion pancakes, pork buns, dumplings, and noodles. Its almost a nice constant in the otherwise growing and ever-changing metropolis of DC and its suburbs. I used to love eating their beef noodle soup and I would order it with wide noodles. There was always a lot of beef brisket and shank and baby bok choy in the dish. Nowadays however, I find that they use too much soy sauce in their beef noodle soup and the taste is now a bit off-putting to me (I guess Im getting older now). The appetizers, while decent enough, are nothing that makes me want to come back over and over. Its nice to come back every now and then to revisit and relive memories of A&J. However, you can definitely get better Chinese food elsewhere (aka Rockville). For those in the neighborhood who dont want to drive any farther for better Chinese food, A&J works well enough. Just remember - cash only!
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Marvin Greenberg
A&J is my favorite restaurant. For a time, i ate lunch there 3-4 times per week. This restaurant is not your typical Chinese, or really even recognizable as "ameri-chinese". They serve a style of food originally from Taiwan, with an emphasis on simple dishes - bowls of noodles or soup, with a wide variety of small side dishes. Some of the sides are reminiscent of dim sum. There is a nice selection of vegetarian options. Most of the soups are beef or pork based - the folks I go with rate them highly. But, my regular meal is Dan Dan noodles, with wide noodles, with one or two sides of mustard greens. Dan Dan noodles have a spicy sesame sauce, thats quite tasty. The chili oil bean paste on every table is perhaps the best thing there, if you like spicy flavors. My familys favorite side is the scallion pancake. One note is that A&J IS CASH ONLY. Its also very affordable . I highly recommend this little restaurant.
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Alice J
I always go for the fried pork with noodles. They let you choose between thin or thick (dan dan) noodles (I always get the thin one because Ive always been under the impression that there are fewer noodles when you ask for the thicker ones.) The place is known for its dim sum, or appetizers, that one would share with everyone at the table. Its very small, so during their busy hours, you may have to stand and wait for seats to open up as their waiting area is very small and obstructs the entrance/exit. They also only accept cash (no debit/credit at all)!
CA
Caleb Bieranowski
We wanted to check out a nearby ramen shop but it happened to be closed and decided to give this place a shot instead. We tried several dishes but I wasnt impressed by the food at all. I also didnt happen to notice the discrete signage in the back of the establishment indicating it was cash only, an important detail the staff neglected to mention. They do not have an ATM in the house, so be prepared to travel a couple blocks to the local BofA if you happen to be short on cash. I will not be returning.
MI
Michael Lee
Either good or bad, not a typical Chinese restaurant where you will find sweet and sour pork. However, the food is not worth all the hype. Average at best with lots of noodle dishes. We really came here because of the soup dumplings but found no soup at all in their dumplings. Very disappointed in how this came out. Not worth the wait or price. Rather get dim sum somewhere else next time where there are lot more selections.
DA
Daniel Ducharme
This is the kind of place where you go and order way too much because you know its so delicious and you want to try everything. I would suggest bringing a big party so that you can sample as many dishes as possible. The food is great, authentic as you can get to Taiwanese food. The service is amazing. The location is weirdly tucked into a strip mall/commercial park, but that seems to add to the trendiness rather than detract.
DA
David Morris
How many szceschuan dim sum places are you gonna find? Bring friends and order lots of little things. The cold noodles in hot and sour sauce, dumplings in hot oil, pork potstickers, and thousand layer pancake are some of my favorites. Mix all the sauces that start on the table together, and dip pretty much everything that doesnt come with its own sauce. Share.
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John Tamez
Would get 5 if wasnt so small and popular. The food is good, service is sufficient and the food comes out relatively quickly. We like a lot of the items so it is hard to recommend just one or two. One thing I didnt like wad their soup dumplings. Otherwise, try different things and you will be happy.
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Gypsy Queen
I used to dine at the A & Js in Rockville, MD. I was always more than satisfied for lunch and could afford it! Now I live across the Potomac river in Northern Virginia and although traffic is just as insane where they are located as Rockville Pike, its still worth it, 16 years later! Semper Fi!
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Jane Min
Cheap and delicious! My go-to is the spicy beef noodle soup and turnip pastry. SO GOOD. This place only takes cash though so be prepared! Also, recommend going to the restroom before hand/somewhere else. Theres only a restroom for the whole building and its unclean and scary.
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Anthony Lin
the restaurant is very small, so it can get crowded. the food isnt bad, but it isnt great either. the menu is also pretty small, but theres some good items on there. definitely authentic and not americanized at all, but still easy to order if you dont speak any chinese.
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Rodrigo Lagdameo
Every time I go to Annandale Virginia, I make it a point to eat at A&J restaurant. They have such unique dishes that it always brings a smile to my face. Their soups are delicious and the service is great. My Favorite dishes are the spicy wontons and beef bun.
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Paul McDermott
Cash only authentic Chinese (Hong Kong?) Food. Amazing place and a real hole on the wall. Everything from pigs ears to beef tendon noodle soup. Probably not for the palette that doesnt like to try new things but since its in Korea town, do as the Romans do!
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A Private User
Try its fried pork or chicken over rice. The meat batter is spiced with chinese five spices, typical North Chinese flavor. It is a pity they dont serve Chinese vegetables sauteed in garlic to accompany the mentioned dish, as it will be real nice if they do.
