If you live in the DMV and haven’t tried Peking Gourmet Inn yet, you are seriously missing out. Located in Falls Church, VA, they serve the best peking duck in Virginia. In fact, their food’s so good, I’d go as far as to say that they have the best peking duck in the DC area.
Although they specialize in the aforementioned dish, their traditional northern-style Chinese plates are just as tasty. Their walls are covered with photos of famous patrons – think presidents in addition to celebrities – and their restaurant’s impeccably clean. They’ve been open since 1978 so you know that their food is good. No place can stay open for that long unless they are killing it, and trust us, Peking Gourmet Inn is killing it.
We started our meal off with a whole peking duck, but half portions are also available for those of you interested. Each order is carved up table-side by a skilled pro and is served with homemade pancakes, freshly grown spring onions – when we say “fresh,” we mean fresh, like they harvest them from their own farm in Purcellville, VA – and hoisin sauce made in-house.
You can get sliced cucumbers for a small additional fee, but their spring onions are free so we never do. Make sure you ask for hot peppers on the side. They’re super hot but hella flavorful so they’ll elevate your rolled bundle of magic tenfold. Simply take a piping hot pancake, swipe some hoisin on it, put in duck, hot peppers, green onions, and enjoy the ensuing foodgasm.
In addition to the duck, their 5 spice beef is a must. It’s ridiculously tasty – hands down, one of the best dishes we’ve had there – and the meat just melts in your mouth. We also loved that it came with sautéed mushrooms + steamed bokchoy – a definite must-try for spice-lovers everywhere!
If you want something a bit less hot, go with their jeo-yen shrimp or szechuan beef proper. And be excited to enjoy everything with yummy fried rice (with egg and peas, no soy sauce though). They get crazy busy on weekends and weeknights so definitely call ahead and make a reservation – lunch usually isn’t too bad though. And FYI, they have a fairly large lot out front so parking’s easy peasy. For more on VA eats, make sure to check out this tab here!
That 5 spice beef sounds amazing!