The annual DC Chinese New Year Parade kicks off at 2 PM on Sunday, January 26. Welcome the Year of the Rat with traditional lion and dragon dances, live music, and firecrackers. Starting at 6th and I streets, Northwest, the festivities travel through Chinatown and end on H Street Northwest. While Chinatown is no longer the area’s top destination for Chinese food (try Rockville instead), here are some spots around the parade route where you can celebrate with noodles, Peking duck, and more.
Reren Lamen
817 7th St., NW
Slurp noodle-filled lamen — Chinese-style ramen —with toppings like shrimp tempura, pork belly, and soy sauce-marinated tea eggs. Also on the menu: handmade pork dumplings, spicy mapo tofu, and chili-spiked vegetables.
Full Kee
509 H St., NW
Celebrate the parade with a crispy skinned Peking duck, available in both half and whole portions. You can also warm up with comforting congee, creamy porridge topped with sliced beef, squid, or preserved eggs.
Chinatown Express
746 6th St., NW
You can watch chefs stretch fresh noodles in the window and then stroll in to order them fried or in a bowl of soup. Snack on dumplings and pork buns before diving into specialties like the fried “house special chicken” served with garlic sauce.
New Big Wong
610 H St., NW
The kitchen cooks up Cantonese egg noodles and Hunan-style whole fish. Plenty of dishes are served with spicy XO sauce, adding a bold kick to short ribs and pan fried squid.
China Boy
815 6th St., NW
Rice noodles are handmade at this cozy restaurant. They’re folded into crepes with fillings like dried shrimp and roasted pork or stir fried in chow fun dishes.
The Source
575 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Wolfgang Puck‘s dining room in the former Newseum building is a few blocks from Chinatown, walkable for a bite before or after the parade. Dim sum is offered until 3 PM, and you can sample five dishes for $45 or eight dishes for $60.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
