Details

China Bistro

755 Hungerford Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850

301-294-0808

Neighborhood: Rockville

Cuisines: Chinese

Opening Hours:
Open daily 11 AM to 9:30 PM.

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Nearby Metro Stops: Rockville

Price Range: Inexpensive

Dress: Informal

Noise Level: Intimate

Reservations: Not Accepted

Best Dishes:
Beef-and-celery dumplings; Mama's special dumplings; vegetable dumplings; shrimp-and-chive dumplings; cold noodles with peanut sauce; beef noodle soup; bubble teas, such as honeydew and lemon-kumquat.

Price Details:
Dumplings, $5.95 to $7.50 per dozen.

Special Features: Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly

Dirt Cheap Eats 2007: China Bistro

By: Todd Kliman, Ann Limpert, Cynthia Hacinli, Erin Zimmer, sara levine

Cafes & Carryouts

Forget the standard menu full of decent renditions of conventional Chinese-American fare. You’re here for the dumplings ($5.95 to $7.50 a dozen), which are steamed or fried to order. Rita Lee—the Mama of the restaurant’s unofficial name—makes them every day; the wrappers, thick but pliant, are stuffed with lively fillings.

We’re partial to Mama’s special, stuffed with pork, chives, and Napa cabbage; a version with ground shrimp and chive; and another with minced beef, slivers of celery, and sprigs of cilantro (also known as Chinese parsley). For a bigger, more well-rounded meal, the refrigerator case in the front is stocked with a wonderful array of cold, palate-awakening plates, including marinated cucumbers.