Cheap Eats 2008: A&J Restaurant

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Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Dave McIntyre , Rina Rapuano

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A & J Restaurant - Annandale

4316-B Markham St.
Annandale, VA
Phone: 703.813.8181

Cuisines:
Chinese, Cantonese, Dim Sum, Breakfast

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
No

Nearby Metro Stops:
Dunn Loring-Merrifield

Price Range:
Inexpensive

Dress:
Informal

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Not needed

Special Features:
Cash Only, Weekend Brunch, Kid Friendly

Best Dishes
Sesame biscuits with sliced pork or beef ; pickled spicy cucumbers; chicken-and-cucumber salad with mustard sauce dan dan noodles; noodles with stewed, ground pork; fried chicken over rice; soy-sauce chicken; chicken soup with noodles and bok choy; mustard-green soup; thousand-layer pancake; bean-curd-skin-and-soybean salad with mustard greens; shredded bean-curd salad with chili, cilantro, and peanuts; steamed spareribs; smoked on-the-bone chicken; spiced, boiled peanuts.

Price Details:
Dim sum, .95 cents to $5.95.

Reader's Rating:

4 out of 5

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Why go: Northern-Chinese dim sum feels like comfort food at these busy cafes, where diners dig into thousand-layer pancakes, deep bowls of noodles, and even fried chicken alongside pots of jasmine tea.

What to get: A cooling bean-curd-skin-and-soybean salad with finely chopped mustard greens; a salad of chili-splashed shredded bean curd with cilantro and peanuts; shao bing, shavings of pork in a flaky sesame biscuit; skinny noodles with shredded cucumbers, bean sprouts, and piquant ground pork; smoked on-the-bone chicken; spiced boiled peanuts.

Best for: A many-plated meal that feels indulgent but is ultracheap.

Insider tip: Dim sum might call to mind a parade of dumplings, but the bready stuff here—the pancakes, pastries, and biscuits—is much better than the leaden potstickers and steamed, noodle-wrapped pork buns. No credit cards.

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Reader ReviewsWrite your own review

Not Your Father's Chinese Restaurant

troutfang — December 11, 2009 5:40 PM

Everything here is great: Best fried pork dumplings we've found in NoVa (at least since Peking Village closed); they're slim round rolls open on the ends and very tasty. Very interesting "Chinese fried chicken soup": delicious little pieces of More ...

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