Why go: Don’t think of burgers and casseroles when you think of Chinese or Taiwanese cooking? Then this clamorous spot in the heart of the new Chinatown has something to teach you—deliciously. The menu of more than 200 dishes also includes the familiar, such as soups served in bowls large enough for three, and the unfamiliar, such as fried duck tongues. Both have their rewards.
What to get: Sweet and aromatic ginger-chicken casserole; buffalo fish with ginger and tofu; salt-and-pepper pork chops; the misnamed Taiwanese hamburger, a heap of braised pork and bitter greens stuffed into a steamed bun; roast-pork-and-sour-mustard soup; a tower of shaved ice with red bean and lychee.
Best for: Dining with a group, especially if you arrive early and find a round table with a lazy Susan.
Insider tip: Most dishes are sized for family-style eating—one plate can serve three. And bring cash—Bob’s doesn’t take credit cards.
>> 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.
