China Boy

This unassuming place accepts only cash and is take out only! The selection is varied, authentic, and delicious! The trip to get the food was definitely well worth it! For three adults, we had: *two orders of the dried shrimp rice noodle crepes (a bit bland, but the sweet soy sauce was a fine complement), *two orders of the wonton with egg noodle soup (soup was probably made from the ox tail bones, not from powder or artificial flavoring) *one order of the beef chow fun (even though we asked for it with black beans, they must have forgotten it), still delicious! As long as you have cash, and a place to sit (no dining in!), this is the place for you!

I've heard good things about China Boy and happened to be in the area. I know their rice rolls are supposed to be well known, so I had fried pork dumplings, shrimp rice rolls, beef chow foon, and then threw in an order of shrimp dumplings. Pork dumplings, shrimp rice rolls, and chow fun were great. The pork dumplings were actually deep fried, but a good mix of chewy and crispy. The shrimp rice rolls were really tender and the flavor alone was good, but with the sauce it was perfect. The chow foon had a really nice wok hei to it, super smoky. The shrimp dumplings were the only letdown. They seemed to be like some inexpensive, frozen "shrimp" dumplings from the store. Overall I'd go back, but skip the shrimp dumplings.

Anything with their homemade wide rice noodles here is a star, chow foon and crepes are particular standouts. I've had many other delicious things too, most recently the large steamed chicken bun. Great texture and flavor. I've had much of their menu and of what I have had, I probably only have two gripes. 1. Fish balls - it's a pork center with a fish paste exterior. It's not bad, per say, but I was expecting a super bouncy fish ball and it was kind of dense and a bit fishy, but not in a good way. Not the best fish ball I've ever had. 2. Anything with brisket - I love brisket, I love their chow foon. I thought it was a can't miss but their brisket cuts have a lot of undesirable components attached --- specifically fat (not the delicious melt away kind, but the hard, chewy, unpalatable kind) and sinew --- and not a ton of meat. It may have been 50/50 by volume. Despite my better judgement, I tried again with the brisket and rice noodle soup and, sadly, the outcome was the same. Initially I thought it might have been beef tendon and was excited for the unexpected addition but the first bite proved this was not the case. I have included a picture of the bottom of the bowl with all the nasty bits. Hopefully they will get better at trimming their brisket but, until then, I'll probably stick with pork or other cuts of beef.

Nice place for a quick breakfast. They open early so you can get congee, rice rolls and bao freshly made to order. Note: this restaurant is takeout only but you can call in or order online in advance for quick and easy pickup. Two orders of rice rolls (shrimp, fried dough) was approximately $11 including tax.

I LOVE this place! It reminds me of my childhood in NYC Chinatown. The service is fast and efficient, and the location is convenient to Gallery Place! The beef rice noodle crepe and the dried shrimp rice noodle crepe are the freshest I’ve ever had because they are always made to order. An order of each will cost you just under $7, which is amazing for a lunch in DC.