Why go: These Northern-style dim sum parlors—no carts and an emphasis on bread products and noodles rather than the dumplings and steamed dishes of Southern-style dim sum—offer arguably the area’s best bang for the buck. Few restaurants can match them for variety and value.
What to get: Dan dan noodles; pickled spicy cucumbers; salad of shredded chicken and julienned cucumber tossed with a piquant mustard sauce; a small plate of smoked, crisp-skinned chicken in a pool of soy sauce; fried pork with noodles; chicken soup with noodles and bok choy.
Best for: Bargain-minded thrill seekers.
Insider tip: A&J has a short slate of breakfast dishes on Saturday, including a sandwich that encases a scrambled egg between two freshly made sesame cakes—a delicious answer to the McMuffin.
Open Sunday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
>> See all 2010 Cheap Eats restaurants here
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
