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Roast pork from XO Taste in Falls Church
Roast pork from XO Taste in Falls Church
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

12 Places to Buy Succulent Cantonese Barbecue Around D.C.

Where to find char siu pork, roast duck, and more, from Rockville and Wheaton down to Falls Church

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Roast pork from XO Taste in Falls Church
| Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

The category of Cantonese barbecue, or siu mei, encompasses a wide variety of marinated, oven-roasted meats and non-roasted items such as white-cut chicken (boiled), marinated cuttlefish and jellyfish, braised duck, and fried chicken. Visitors to D.C.’s Chinatown are probably familiar with the roast ducks, pigs, and chickens seen hanging upside down in the windows of long-running Chinatown Express. Or maybe they’ve seen red-tinged char siu pork — sliced up in a bowl of ramen or fried rice — available in Chinese restaurants from Rockville and Wheaton down to Fall Church. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit American Chinese restaurants especially hard. These 12 family-owned restaurants across the D.C. area could benefit from the support of customers looking for red-tinged pork, roast duck, and more.

Restaurants on this map may temporarily close due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, so check with a business before showing up. A number of D.C. area restaurants have resumed dine-in service. The level of service offered is indicated on each map point. However, this should not be taken as endorsement for dining in, as there are still safety concerns. The Washington Post is tracking coronavirus cases and deaths in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. More information can be found at coronavirus.dc.gov. Studies indicate that there is a lower exposure risk when outdoors, but the level of risk involved with patio dining is contingent on restaurants following strict social distancing and other safety guidelines.

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East Pearl Restaurant

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East Pearl is one of the very few Cantonese restaurants in Sichuan-saturated Rockville. Select from individual or combinations of soy sauce chicken, white-cut chicken, roast duck, and roast pork.

Wong Gee Asian Restaurant

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This restaurant from the former owners of Eat First in D.C.’s Chinatown offers three different types of duck, including a hard-to-find pei pa preparation. This method features a butterflied duck that is shaped into the form of a lute (pei pa), which allows more of the fat to drain as it is cooking, and yields a crispier skin than traditional roast duck. Order online here.

Full Key

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This diminutive restaurant in Wheaton offers char siu pork, soy sauce chicken, and roast duck by the quarter and half pound or atop rice. Combos combine pork and duck or all three options. Visitors should also get some warming congee for dinner or a savory breakfast the next morning.

Paul Kee Restaurant

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Before the pandemic, this strip mall spot in Wheaton catered to night owls by staying open until midnight — and 1 a.m. on the weekends. Now, it may close as early as 9:15 p.m. In addition to huge plates of fried rice, the restaurant offers comforting char siu, crispy skin roast pig, soy sauce chicken, Chaozhou-style braised duck, and roast duck. Order online here.

Gourmet Inspirations

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Owner Andrew Quach and his family had big shoes to fill when they took over dim sum heavyweight Good Fortune. After rebranding and modernizing the interior, they carried on the legacy of serving rolling cart specials and other Cantonese fare. Find roast duck and ginger scallion chicken on the menu, in addition to marinated jellyfish and cuttlefish. 

Tiger Fork

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With a chic interior design and an emphasis on cocktails that fold in medicinal Chinese ingredients, this Blagden Alley go-to from the group behind nearby bar Calico and the Fainting Goat on U Street is a little trendier than the rest of the restaurants on this map. Customer can find sticky-sweet char siu and crispy pork belly platters with pickled vegetables, ginger scallion sauce, and rice on the side, all available for dine-in (indoors or outdoors), takeout, or delivery via Caviar and Doordash.

Fall Dining Guide - Tiger Fork The Washington Post via Getty Images

Chinatown Express

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Among the gamut of roast meats, Chinatown Express offers a chow cho soy sauce duck — brined and braised in a master stock — soy sauce cuttlefish, and intestines.

Chinatown Washington, DC Robert Miller/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Hong Kong Pearl Seafood Restaurant

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Along with a number of standard Cantonese barbecue options, find deep fried squab, braised duck with taro, and roast baby pig at this dim sum spot in Falls Church.

Marks Duck House

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Opened in 1986 by Frederick and Esther Mark, the restaurant best known for its dim sum has changed hands a few times over the years. Regulars will order some Cantonese barbecue to take home for a quick and easy dinner. Siu mei options extend from head to tail with spiced duck tongue, pig ears, and other offal. 

Roast ducks hanging at Marks Duck House
Roast ducks hanging at Marks Duck House
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

XO Taste Restaurant

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In 2019, XO Taste came under new ownership that added Thai items to the menu, but the Cantonese menu remains. Find roast pork, roast pig, soy sauce chicken, ginger scallion chicken, and roast duck, all available alone or served atop rice. Order takeout or delivery here.

Roast pork from XO Taste in Falls Church
Roast pork from XO Taste in Falls Church
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Miu Kee Cantonese Cuisine

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Miu Kee offers Cantonese barbecue standards like roast pig, char siu, soya chicken, chicken with scallion sauce, and roast duck, as well as Peking duck. Preparing Peking duck calls for generating the crispest skin possible and deriving most of the flavor from an accompanying plum sauce. Roast duck has been marinated with a focus on flavorful flesh and skin.

Miu Kee Cantonese Cuisine
Miu Kee Cantonese Cuisine
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Full Kee Restaurant

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One of three Full Kee restaurants around D.C. with separate ownership (there’s one in Chinatown, too), Full Kee in Falls Church offers a slightly different barbecue menu with ginger scallion chicken, soy sauce chicken, roast duck, roast pork, Peking duck, butterflied pei pa duck, and roast pig.

East Pearl Restaurant

East Pearl is one of the very few Cantonese restaurants in Sichuan-saturated Rockville. Select from individual or combinations of soy sauce chicken, white-cut chicken, roast duck, and roast pork.

Wong Gee Asian Restaurant

This restaurant from the former owners of Eat First in D.C.’s Chinatown offers three different types of duck, including a hard-to-find pei pa preparation. This method features a butterflied duck that is shaped into the form of a lute (pei pa), which allows more of the fat to drain as it is cooking, and yields a crispier skin than traditional roast duck. Order online here.

Full Key

This diminutive restaurant in Wheaton offers char siu pork, soy sauce chicken, and roast duck by the quarter and half pound or atop rice. Combos combine pork and duck or all three options. Visitors should also get some warming congee for dinner or a savory breakfast the next morning.

Paul Kee Restaurant

Before the pandemic, this strip mall spot in Wheaton catered to night owls by staying open until midnight — and 1 a.m. on the weekends. Now, it may close as early as 9:15 p.m. In addition to huge plates of fried rice, the restaurant offers comforting char siu, crispy skin roast pig, soy sauce chicken, Chaozhou-style braised duck, and roast duck. Order online here.

Gourmet Inspirations

Owner Andrew Quach and his family had big shoes to fill when they took over dim sum heavyweight Good Fortune. After rebranding and modernizing the interior, they carried on the legacy of serving rolling cart specials and other Cantonese fare. Find roast duck and ginger scallion chicken on the menu, in addition to marinated jellyfish and cuttlefish. 

Tiger Fork

With a chic interior design and an emphasis on cocktails that fold in medicinal Chinese ingredients, this Blagden Alley go-to from the group behind nearby bar Calico and the Fainting Goat on U Street is a little trendier than the rest of the restaurants on this map. Customer can find sticky-sweet char siu and crispy pork belly platters with pickled vegetables, ginger scallion sauce, and rice on the side, all available for dine-in (indoors or outdoors), takeout, or delivery via Caviar and Doordash.

Fall Dining Guide - Tiger Fork The Washington Post via Getty Images

Chinatown Express

Among the gamut of roast meats, Chinatown Express offers a chow cho soy sauce duck — brined and braised in a master stock — soy sauce cuttlefish, and intestines.

Chinatown Washington, DC Robert Miller/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Hong Kong Pearl Seafood Restaurant

Along with a number of standard Cantonese barbecue options, find deep fried squab, braised duck with taro, and roast baby pig at this dim sum spot in Falls Church.

Marks Duck House

Opened in 1986 by Frederick and Esther Mark, the restaurant best known for its dim sum has changed hands a few times over the years. Regulars will order some Cantonese barbecue to take home for a quick and easy dinner. Siu mei options extend from head to tail with spiced duck tongue, pig ears, and other offal. 

Roast ducks hanging at Marks Duck House
Roast ducks hanging at Marks Duck House
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

XO Taste Restaurant

In 2019, XO Taste came under new ownership that added Thai items to the menu, but the Cantonese menu remains. Find roast pork, roast pig, soy sauce chicken, ginger scallion chicken, and roast duck, all available alone or served atop rice. Order takeout or delivery here.

Roast pork from XO Taste in Falls Church
Roast pork from XO Taste in Falls Church
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Miu Kee Cantonese Cuisine

Miu Kee offers Cantonese barbecue standards like roast pig, char siu, soya chicken, chicken with scallion sauce, and roast duck, as well as Peking duck. Preparing Peking duck calls for generating the crispest skin possible and deriving most of the flavor from an accompanying plum sauce. Roast duck has been marinated with a focus on flavorful flesh and skin.

Miu Kee Cantonese Cuisine
Miu Kee Cantonese Cuisine
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Full Kee Restaurant

One of three Full Kee restaurants around D.C. with separate ownership (there’s one in Chinatown, too), Full Kee in Falls Church offers a slightly different barbecue menu with ginger scallion chicken, soy sauce chicken, roast duck, roast pork, Peking duck, butterflied pei pa duck, and roast pig.

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