100 Very Best Restaurants: – Mama Chang

Farmer’s stirfry, chili flounder, jade noodles with lobster at Mama Chang. Photograph by Scott Suchman

About Mama Chang

cuisines
Chinese
Location(s)
3251 Old Lee Hwy
Fairfax, VA 22030

Peter Chang’s roster of Chinese eateries keeps expanding, but this blond-wood dining room is still our favorite. Plates we keep coming back for include spice-crusted lamb skewers, crisp roast duck, salt-and-pepper shrimp, steamed flounder with sweet and hot peppers, and dry-fried cauliflower with chilies and herbs. Sweet-potato noodles with sour cabbage and pork are a nice contrast to the spicier dishes. Plates come out in no particular order and at breakneck speed, so best to order a few at a time. Moderate.