Astoria DC

Fantastic Chinese spot in AdMo. Went for a birthday celebration and ordered a Passion Fruit and a Blackberry Caipirnha, Mapo Tofu, Dan Dan Noodles, Gong Bao Chicken, Garlic Eggplant, and the half Mala Pot. The portions were generous and everything was delicious. The Mapo was a bit intense with cardamom, but otherwise everything was excellent. Overall an excwllent "higher end" Chinese food spit with Szechuan focus, but also with affordable options. They also gave us complimentary shooters at the end for the occasion- will be coming again!

The hostess was extremely friendly. We were seated at the end of the bar. Our drink orders were taken promptly. Our water glasses were refilled regularly which I appreciate. The food is OK. The Walnut shrimp was the best and was very flavorful. I wish I could say the same about the chimichurri beef. The meat was tough. The Basil eggplant was very very salty. When asked if I wanted a box for the chinichurri beef (we each only had one slice and both of us found it inedible), I mentioned that it was really tough, not very good, etc. in a polite way. Instead of offering another dish or taking it off our bill, the server simply said “oh ok” and cleared it away. Price point in this restaurant is pretty high considering the portion sizes. It wasn’t all bad, but I won’t be back.

After anticipating this dining experience for a while, we were ultimately underwhelmed. There was a mix of delightful dishes that stood out, but an equal amount of sub par ones that were just off the mark. Our server was terrific, but the ultimate coursing was poor (20 min lag between very first share dish and the next one). Cocktails were disappointing, either overly dry or overly sweet, even when providing my preferences. And after a tour of some very spicy savory dishes, it was shocking to learn they do zero desserts. We tried the following: Dan Dan Noodles with pork, peanuts, chili oil, garlic, sesame oil, scallions, pickled mustard greens - excellent preparation, great balance of flavors Garlic eggplant with garlic, chili sauce - expertly fried eggplant, perfect amount of sauce. I especially enjoyed the eggplant crisps, there's a dish in those alone. Veggie triple delight with eggplant, potatoes, and bell peppers in garlic scallion sauce - very meh, the only redemptive element was the eggplant; the bell peppers were not sauteed at all and the potato tasted very plain. OG La-Zi fried chicken thighs with peanuts, scallions, lots of red chilies - very, very strong on the heat but lacking everywhere else. Just overpowering on the chili and dry texture, not much to enjoy here. Salt & Pepper shrimp with scallions, chili oil - solid dish, simple preparation well executed Pork fried rice with egg and scallion - wonderful dish, primed with flavor from delicate and well balanced seasoning Pork ribs with sticky sauce - lots of lovely, funky fishy flavor but a bit too heavy on the sugar in the sauce, took away. Pork itself was ok in preparation, not much flavor without the sauce. My first cocktail was a Newman and it's a fine cocktail, just a bit bleak, very dry and lacking any complexity. The Getaway was on the other end, like drinking maple syrup, not really a cocktail and more of a slurpee. Our server was excellent, very knowledgeable and friendly and guided us as best as he could. But ultimately he's not responsible for the food or drink quality, but I wish the course pacing was more even.

Been on my list for a few months now. Initially, I thought it wouldn't be that authentic, since that doesn't really exist in DC. And usually, places with non-Chinese waiters & diners aren't that authentic. But Astoria proved me wrong! I think this owes to the fact that the menu, though not large, is quite diverse -- it can suit a range of palates. You can get your authentic Sichuan dishes like garlic eggplant, la zi chicken, and the boiled fish. And if you want spicy, they'll make it authentically numbing. As one review from the Washington Post describes it, the chef captures the “kaleidoscopic, psychotropic and thermonuclear nuances of Chinese chile peppers." My stomach was in pain afterward from the fish. The chili won tons in my opinion were alright, not worth the hype. I think they're more suited to the western palate. Plus the variety of cocktails -- after all, the owners used to be bartenders. Also, make sure to get a reservation. Our reservation for four was at 5:30, which is pretty early, but the next reservation available was 9pm. There was a line waiting outside at 6:30pm. The place has limited seating so it's not good for large parties (more than 6).

We ordered spicy wantons, dan dan noodles, and cumin lamb. My favorite was cumin lamb. It was well seasoned and not too much cumin. Dan dan noodle was kinda bland to my taste. I liked their chili wantons too but the downside was they stick to each other so that it was hard to take them apart. I also ordered clover club which actually was my favorite thing in this restaurant. It was very smooth and sweet.

I've been coming to this restaurant since I moved to DC two years ago, and it's now one of my favorites for fusion Asian food, as well as the wonderful bar. My overall impression was positive, with the exception of a few occasions when the meal was subpar. But today was more than ideal, and I'm pleased I went out despite the bad weather. The restaurant was full, but not as hectic as it could have been, which worked to my advantage. I will definitely return.