Full Key

Full Key Restaurant delivers truly authentic Cantonese flavors that are hard to find these days. Every dish we ordered was delicious, fresh, and cooked with real skill. The only challenge is the parking lot—it can be a bit tricky to find parking when its busy—but once you’re inside, the meal absolutely makes up for it. Definitely worth the visit for classic Cantonese comfort food.

We've ordered from here and dined in several times, and it's always stellar. The portions are large and filling, we always have leftovers. They use good, large cuts of meat and everything is flavorful. Dining in: it's small but a really nice experience. They were AMAZING with my small kids and anticipated our needs. Hot tea and great service = definitely coming back! Favorite dishes have included the combination lo mein, General Tso's, and roast pork (a 1/2 lb is a great addition for noodle dishes). I wasn't a huge fan of their sesame chicken, but that's a personal preference that I only reference for myself to remember when I inevitably order again soon!

For more than ten years, I have been a loyal customer of this restaurant, and every visit continues to remind me why it has remained one of my favorite places to eat. The star of the menu is undoubtedly their roasted duck, which is prepared with a level of mastery that is increasingly rare to find. The skin is perfectly crisp, the meat tender and flavorful, and the aroma alone is enough to make you hungry before the dish even arrives at your table. Over the years, I have tried roasted duck at many other places, but none can compare to the consistency and excellence I experience here. The popularity of this restaurant is evident the moment you step inside. It is always filled with customers, no matter the time of day. Whether it’s lunchtime or dinner, there is an unmistakable energy created by the bustling atmosphere, the sound of conversations, and the aroma of freshly prepared food that fills the air. Despite the constant crowds, the staff manage to maintain a friendly and efficient service, which enhances the overall dining experience. Personally, I love to enjoy their roasted duck with egg noodles, a combination that, to me, feels perfect. However, one small curiosity has remained with me: the restaurant does not sell the noodles separately. I have never really understood why, as many customers, myself included, would enjoy the option of ordering the noodles on their own. Still, this minor detail does little to overshadow the incredible quality of their signature duck dish. After more than a decade of dining here, I can confidently say that this restaurant has earned its loyal following. With its superb roasted duck, lively atmosphere, and enduring consistency, it remains a true culinary treasure that I will continue to return to again and again.

First time back to this restaurant in maybe 1-2 years and omg this place IS SOOOO GOOD. We came here for a family lunch and ordered a bunch of items to share. We ordered 3 plates of beef and chicken fried rice and one plate of the following: beef chow foon, deep fried shrimp and scallops, general tso chicken. All together it was about $105 and split between 5 people it would come out to about $20pp which isn't bad. Food was so good - we cleared every single plate!!! My parents really really happy with the meal and every single thing we got. This is definitely some of the best Chinese in the DMV. Our server was so so nice she kept checking in on our table and even cracking jokes about we wanted yet another place of fried rice. The restaurant is an intimate dining room yet feels like there's plenty of room for guest. I love seeing a lot of families, group of friends, and people by themselves enjoying a cozy meal.

I like their food isn't too sweet as like typically Chinese restaurant and menu is quite variety and more selection. Inside dine-in room seem a little bit small because of there are a lot of tables but atmosphere and decoration are nice. Service is friendly. Price and portion are reasonable. PS. Another good thing, Full Key restaurant closed hour is quite late, great for people who is looking for late dinner.

Classic! Went for a quick lunch, but definitely will be back to taste more! Edit — been back twice now. Really good food. My only suggestion is to get the timing right, because there can be a wait for tables. I loved coming here with friends and sharing dishes to be able to try lots!! Big portions. My favorites are the pork belly, sweet and sour chicken, the eggplant dish, and the sesame chicken! I always ask for extra rice for leftovers!

Amazing food... giant portions. We shared a meal and 2 wonton soups. Excellent A must try... very authentic Hong Kong foof.

One of the best Cantonese restaurants in the DMV. The service is consistently excellent. Parking can be a bit challenging during dinner hours.

Authentic Cantonese cuisine in the area ! The lobster and the duck is the must try dishes . We have them every time and never disappointed. And very friendly customers service.

This is a very cozy place, the interior decor is really fun to look at while waiting for the food. On the night we went there were 3 aunties and uncles working as the waitstaff, which is very heartwarming. They were all very nice to all the guests there. One of the aunties was trying to get us to order the duck. We caved and ordered the half duck and we have no regrets! So glad we did. It was flavorful, juicy, and the skin was crunchy. We also ordered eggplant and salt and pepper squid. Eggplant was tender. The salt and pepper squid was more bland than what I typically like, but given the duck and eggplant were on the heavier/saucier side, the squid actually provided a nice balance. Portions are grand, more than enough for seconds and leftovers! We'll be back!

This is a good place to go for authentic Chinese comfort food. We got wontons, pork pan fried noodles and soy chicken. We arrived kinda late, around 7:30 and were disappointed that they ran out of roasted pork and duck. So a tip would be to arrive early next time to get more choices in roasted meats. Otherwise, everything was delicious! Service is fast and kind we'll be back!

A hole in the wall restaurant in Wheaton that serves tasty food at reasonable prices. Jumping at a chance to meet my friend who recommended this place, I knew I would be rewarded with more traditional Chinese food than your Chinese American restaurant like P .F. Changes. Arriving early, I discovered that they don't make reservations for parties under 5. Inside it is tiny and the decor dated. Parking can be challenging as it's located in an old strip mall with limited parking on University Boulevard. On the advice of my friend we ordered some roasted duck, pork, seafood pan fried noodles and wonton soup. The portions are very generous and everyone in our party of four was able to take leftovers home. The duck and the pork were both tender and succulent. The seafood noodles were tasty, but only a small portion of them were crispy. It seemed like the fish and veggies caused the noodles to be soggy. The wonton soup was delicious and had shrimp inside instead of the more usual pork. The servers refilled our waters and teas promptly. It is recommended that that you pay in cash if you're splitting checks as they only allow 2 different credit cards on one bill. Overall I would return again.

Best dish of the night was the duck blood with pork intestine. The blood didn't have any bad after taste and the intestine was tasty. The roast duck was pretty good as well. The stir fried green beans were alright and the cod was good not great. Overall a very authentic cantonese style dinner.

Full Key Restaurant may be small, but it gives full resturant vibes with its beautiful decorations and warm, welcoming staff. The shrimp egg rolls were amazing, and the wonton soup was perfect. While the chicken dishes were pretty bland, there's still plenty to enjoy. We were hoping to try the roasted pork, but it was sold out. We'll definitely come back earlier next time to try it, as it's apparently their specialty.

We arrived early in the evening for dinner on a federal holiday, and the restaurant wasn't too busy. We were greeted right away and were asked whether we preferred a table or a booth. The place felt cozy and had a real 'local' or 'mom and pop' vibe. The dishes all came pretty quickly, but at different speeds. The roast duck came first, and the eggplant casserole came last, with a span of about 10 minutes between them. We all enjoyed the food, as it was comforting and the portion sizes were commendable. It was also nice that the tea was complimentary. Overall, it was a solid choice!

Was originally going to eat at Mi Lay Cay today but forgot that they closed on Thursday and we decided to go here instead. When entering I was surprised to see changes to the interior, new menu design, and new staff so I was curious if it was under new management. We ordered the wonton & noodle soup plus the beef and egg on rice dish. The rice dish was very flavorful and the beef was so tender that it melt in your mouth. The soup on the other hand was a slightly down. The broth was very light and combine with the noodles it boarder on almost bland while the wonton were pretty good. All in all, my experience here this time was better than before and I might be returning here again soon.

So l do what I always do, when l find a place, l like its food. I go Back! Imagine that. This time l had the Mrs. Along. Food still good? Check Staff still nice? Check. What else to say? Well, I do have one thing to mention of which the restaurant can't control. Parking is tight. This was a Sunday afternoon visit and the place was not full, but the lot was. I had to wait a bit for a space. No biggie, the food was worth it. I will say that if this was PG, parking would not be as bad but in that county the Sunday after Church crowd would fill this place. Glad they are where they are or l would never get in. In this case l will let it keep all of its stars.

Came for an early dinner on a Saturday, got a table right away but it did get busier as our meal continued. Staff are sweet, attentive and service is fast! We got brisket lo mein, roast duck and spring rolls. I came here before pandemic and honestly was a little disappointed with quality. The meal was ample and flavor was great, but the meats were grisly and fatty. I understand that duck is a more greasy meat and beef doesn't have to be lean, but we found that most pieces of meat included hard to eat sections. I'd come back to try some veggie forward dishes next time.

I grew up eating Cantonese Chinese food, and this place screams home to me--fresh ingredients and tasty and well-seasoned food. You cannot go wrong with any of their soups. Fair warning, MSG is used. If you eat authentic Asian food, you shouldn't have a problem unless you are allergic. I have been coming here for about 16 years, and the food is consistently delicious. Servers rotate every 5-6 years or so, so if you get the same server, you will often get treated with a smile. Besides that, expect fair service, and good food in a small space. Parties larger than 4 will wait longer to be seated. In all, I have never had a negative experience; I missed their food terribly during the pandemic, so I am glad to be able to enjoy their yummy soups once again!

Dim sum was excellent. Servers were friendly. That was my first time visit. Next time we will try Dinner meal.

As usual we love full key but this one is located at Chinatown,DC on H street. Authentic as usual and waitress was quite nice when we just ordered 2 bowls of Duck & soy sauce chicken Hong kong style noodles. Will definitely come again if we visit DC again.

Unfortunately, my food was absolutely terrible. It was stale, old, and dry. The WORST spring rolls ever! They were dry and tough. They were dried-up mini-egg rolls that were being passed off as spring rolls. I usually love spring rolls--they are one of my favorites! The pork fried rice tasted like 2 week old stale-refrigerator. It was so dry that it was pork "dried" rice. The chicken szechuan had nothing but onions; there were almost no other vegetables. It didn't even have enough sauce. Overall, I'm very disappointed in the poor quality and poor taste of the food. I'm also infuriated that I paid so much money for this awful food! I'm now stuck with a lot of inedible left-overs. Please understand that I never post reviews. However, this experience was so awful that I was compelled to write a review.

A year later and the food is still good as I remember it. The customer service is always fast and friendly. Someone of the waitress has been here since I was a kid. They recently updated the interior of the restaurant so the ambiance is nicer now. Will definitely come back every time I come back in town.

We went for dinner on a Friday at 6, they were not busy and plenty of parking. When we walked in, it didn't smell good. Not sure if it was a plumbing issue but the smell was not appetizing. We ordered spring rolls, wonton noodle soup, and roast pork. The spring rolls were very good. The wontons and broth were good; noodles were a lot chewier than we prefer. Not sure what the difference between won ton noodle soup and shrimp dumpling noodle soup because the wontons had shrimp in them. Maybe also pork? Not sure. The roast pork was decent but seemed like it might be a bit old, it was a little too chewy as if reheated. I liked the flavor, my husband thought it was a little bland. Prices were very inexpensive- our meal was under 30 before tip. All in all, I might come back to try other things except for the smell. There are other restaurants nearby I like more like Won Gee and Mi La cay. The things we ordered were supposed to be among the best based on reviews so maybe an off day?

We have eaten at this restaurant since it opened many years ago. It had its ups and downs but generally the food was good. Yesterday we returned and noticed all new staff- all the old ones were gone. The restaurant was sold and a new owner has taken over. Along with the new faces there is also a new menu (higher prices) that boasts about being on the Washingtonian 100 best restaurants (true but many years ago). The menu offerings have not changed but the taste of our favorites has.This restaurant had one of the best shrimp dumplings soup. Unfortunately, the current version is a poor rendition of the old classic. The soup has little taste and the dumplings have little flavor. We also noticed changes in the taste of other favorite dishes. The old is gone and the new does not measure up to the old.

For decades now, this was my go-to for wonton noodle soup when I was in the area. I got this every time, but their other dishes are really solid, too. Casual small-medium restaurant. Expect the usual Chinese zodiac paper placemats and extensive menu of entrees. [2022-11 UPDATE] First visit after the pandemic (so glad they're still open) and the wonton noodle soup is still ‍. SO good. My 8-year-old's reaction: "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THIS?!"

After living in the area for almost 2 years, this place caught my eye while running some errands. Little did I know this gem of a restaurant is in my figurative backyard! The shrimp wonton soup was amazing - the broth full of flavor and light, the noodles thin and chewy, and the dumplings were large and had great flavor. The Chinese broccoli was loaded with roasted garlic pieces and blanched to perfection. Definitely coming back to try more of the menu! Very generous portions - great value overall!

This was terrible food. Dry chicken, lo mein noodle was also dry and very thin, just not what I'm used to. I don't leave reviews unless I'm super disappointed or very impressed! The service was poor as the person on the phone had an attitude when I asked what their popular entree was. She responded with " I don't know what you like because people have different tastes". As for the ambiance it seemed like a very traditional restaurant so I thought I was in for a treat. They don't have pan fried chicken dumplings :( I will not choose a restaurant based off of Google reviews anymore. I'm sticking to Yelp because the current 3.9 is a bit more realistic for this restaurant.

I love the roasted duck they have the best one I always orders they have friendly costumer service

Thumbs up for the Roasted duck even a little pricey . We were there twice within a week.

My partner and I have been here about three times now - it'd probably be more if we lived closer. Food is excellent and flavorful, takes me back to my childhood in Singapore. We never fail to order the wonton noodle soup; noodles were springy and broth was hearty. Wontons are big too. For anything roasted, you have to get there around lunchtime. We finally managed to try the soy chicken and roasted pork, and holy shit, we were not disappointed. I don't think I've tasted anything like it outside of Asia. Soy chicken was juicy, tender, and flavorful. (It does come with bones, but again: authentic.) Roasted pork was tender and with just the right hint of sweetness to it. The smallest portion of roasted pork is 1/2 lb, but paired with a 1/4 soy chicken and it's great for two. Service is good.

This is one of our go-to Chinese restaurants in the Siler Spring area for well over a decade now. The quality of their food is a step above a lot of other Chinese food places in the area. One thing we always get is the Intestines in sour cabbage, which is the best in the DMV (I've tried this dish many other places). Other favorites: beef chow foon(dry), roast duck, beef w/ black pepper casserole (hotpot)...

I found Full Key when I was looking for Chinese takeout but at a place a cut above cheap takeout joints. I had in mind a wonton soup and egg rolls and then I saw a diner eating their soy-sauce chicken which looked wonderful. I added it to my order...and it was wonderful. And unlike a lot of leftovers, it was still good the day after and the day after that. (The wonton soup was disappointing).

I took my family here for dinner, and we loved it. I agree with other reviews that we were met with the cold shoulder and a very unwelcoming atmosphere upon walking in. Still, we ignored it, didn't take it personally, and treated the staff with kindness and respect. The food was 10/10!! We ordered spring rolls, the combination fried rice platter with chicken and shrimp, general tso chicken, beef chow mein, and seafood with pan-fried noodles. By the end of our meal, we cleared up every single plate despite being incredibly full; the food was so good. It matches your expectation of tasty, authentic Chinese food. Unfortunately, they were out of duck when we arrived so we couldn't try it. They would need to work on their customer service, but you always hear when the customer service is not so great; that's how you know the food will be amazing lol. I only have a video of the food, so I included some screenshots for you all! :)

Great flavored food. I loved the wonton soup and roasted duck. However, the duck didn't have much meat and was mostly all bones. I was surprised that the 1/4 lb. duck did not come with rice. A side of rice cost $1.50. Get there early for their daily roasted duck and pork, and soy sauce chicken as they often run out. They have listed the Roasted Pork & Duck for $16.95 on their website, but it is removed from the menu in the restaurant so I was kind of bummed. My friend ordered the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. When it came out, I actually thought it was soup. I sampled a spoon of the sauce and it was tasty. She said it was the best Shrimp and Lobster Sauce she's ever had. The only critique she had were the prices. She thought it was a bit pricy for lunch. She said she would come back to try the weekday lunch specials which she thought were more reasonably priced. I probably wouldn't come out of my way from Columbia to eat here, but I would if I were coming to see my friend who lives nearby.

Their hours say open till 9PM. We got there at 8PM, the place was half full, they refused to sit us and offered takeout. This had been one of my favorite places. Food is very good so I won't deny that. But it's not worth being treated like crap.

Full Key @ Wheaton is an awesome little Chinese restaurant that puts out excellent and consistent food. Service is friendly and a bit better than your typical Chinese restaurant. Inside is about 30' x 30' dining room with Xmas string lights up year round. Although we live in northern VA close to Five Corners and many Chinese restaurants, we still make the trip to Wheaton for Full Key. Please don't confuse it with Full Key @ Falls Church, VA which is terrible!

Highly recommended for genuine Chinese cuisine with the best food and friendly staff with a lovely interior decors. It features southern Chinese dishes ...many of which were my childhood favorites! Among all the delicious dishes we ordered, the clams with black bean sauce and seafood pan-fried noodles, watercress in garlic sauce were the standout. All the entrees were simply prepared and seasoned with the freshest ingredients to highlight the food. Chicken was juicy and tasty. The pan-fried noodles was crispy w seasoning that complemented the stir fry seafood...one of the best we ever had in this country. Wanted their popular roast duck but all sold out at 6pm. Although it may look like a typical neighborhood joint from the outside, one would not be disappointed by the food. It really lives up to its reputation.

This is absolutely the best Chinese restaurant in the area. We have been patiently waiting for this place to open back up to indoor dining. And when they did, we swooped right in for dinner. Wonton soup is as close to authentic as you can find this side of the Ocean. Papery thin wrappers in flavorful broth. Delicious. Also the Chow Fun (dry, not with gravy) is amazing. We got Chicken Chow Fun this time, and it was the hit of the table. Hubby loves Lo Mein, so we got a plate of Beef Lo Mein to share. So yummy!

Very good country style Cantonese food. Highly recommended their roasted meats, including the duck and pork

Love this place. The food here is so good. The char siu pork is perfect, the roast duck dreamy, the pork & shrimp soup dumplings are plump and flavorful and the broth is heaven. I love this place, Full Key please adopt me! The owners and servers are also seriously nice people!

Great service. The food was great and reminded us of the chinatown in LA. Will be back earlier to try their bbq meats. They were out by the evening time on a Sunday. We had the Combination Lo Mein, Shrimp & Pork Wonton Soup, Fried Seafood with Sat & Pepper and the Combination of Meat and Seafood on Fried Noodle.

The food here is to die for! Authentic Chinese food that never disappoints. The wonton noodle soup is delicious. The service is very good. The ambiance is very comfortable and classy. Love coming here for lunch.

Full Key just plays the hits and plays them extremely well. Roast Duck is a must. Szechuan string beans are perfect to accompany any of the main courses. The Shrimp and Egg on Rice is outstanding, just pure Cantonese comfort food. Any of the noodle dishes are going to range from good to great. Service is arguably the friendliest I've ever had at any Chinese restaurant, and you can order multiple dishes to share and take home and still be out the door for well under $100.

A lil bit too crowded. The only thing I had a problem with not spicy enough for eggplant and they even asked me. I had the roasted duck and noodles

Pretty busy for 5pm on a Sunday when my family was driving through for an early dinner. We had the brisket, tung choy, salt and pepper shrimp/scallop/squid and yang zhou fried rice. Everything was very tasty. The seafood dish was primarily squid, but it didn't taste heavy or oily and was well seasoned. Service was very hospitable. Food came out hot and fast. The restaurant is very bright, though it was a little warm when we went there. The a/c may have been out. But the most important thing was that my Cantonese mother was pleased, and that's extremely difficult to do.

Their duck is a must get item. Completely legit and for the time we randomly came across their store they sold out of the duck by 5pm. We ordered a few other items and the duck blew the other dishes out of the water... will definitely try to reserve a duck for future visits

Pretty good spot but I'm surprised there were no veggie items on the lunch menu here! Regardless we enjoyed our food and I know this place is good for some other signature dishes which I haven't tried. The eggplant with hot garlic sauce was about $11 and it was pretty good but I wish it were spicier. We also ordered some Szechuan tofu but again I wish there were more spice. There's a couple of Chinese restaurants in downtown Silver Spring that make really good eggplant in garlic sauce but if you're in the area, the lunch special is supposed to be really good.

They have improved the appearance somewhat but the servers are usually grim as is the experience there. Some food is very good, for example, a soup and the roast pork, which you must order ahead. The food is supposed to be authentic. Be careful of the cleanliness factor, in the past we have seen some unwanted guests. It is crowded, unappealing, and the cashier is mean spirted. Not a smile in the bunch.

Very nice experience. I ordered carry out but everyone was still very friendly and the food was excellent. The only negative is that the parking is a mess. The restaurant is near a very busy intersection in Wheaton, so getting in and out is difficult and you may not gone a parking spot.

This is a classic Hong Kong restaurant I grew up going to. Excellent wonton noodle soup, gotta get it every time. The roast duck and bbq pork are also popular dishes. I try to go ever time I visit Maryland!

I have not eaten here, but my wife's experience deserves to be shared... She met a few co-workers for lunch at Full Key. One lady ordered an Vietnamese iced coffee. She took a sip and exclaimed, "What is that!" She put her fingers to her mouth and spit out a cockroach! When they informed the staff, the staff seemed unfazed by the situation. Their response was, "Sorry about that. Sometimes that happens." WTF! No, it should not happen! My wife also reports they saw roaches climbing up the walls. Red Alert!!!

Best Cantonese food in dc. Service is great. Do not miss the wonton soup and the bbq meats.

I was excited to try Full Key considering the many 'foodie' accolades they've received, but I left underwhelmed. On a Saturday evening, it was surprisingly empty. I was immediately seated. I must say this was the first experience where the waiter did not offer any beverage! I didn't ask either... I ordered the Shrimp Wonton Soup. The broth was good; though, the noodles left much to be desired. The noodles tasted like what you get from cup of noodles. Maybe that's what they were going for? The wontons were a mix of pork and shrimp. Tasty and sizeable. I wouldn't mind trying again, but not rushing to go back.

We just stopped here for a delicious lunch, including spring rolls, roasted/bbq pork, wonton noodle soup, shrimp with lobster sauce, and Chinese broccoli. Generous portions, very well priced, friendly service, and easy parking (it is in a strip mall).

Ordered a bunch of stuff to share amongst the ten of us: char siu, roast duck, Chinese watercress, salt pepper tofu, seafood pan fried noodles, kingdom pork chops, black pepper beef, and tofu seafood casserole. The BBQ meats were both good; duck wasn't very fatty either. Salt pepper tofu was a little bland, soaked up some of the black pepper gravy and it was great. Overall a good Canto meal

This restaurant was good years ago, but the service has turn very bad. The food is ok. The last straw was when my sister found a fly in her food. Instead of apologizing, they made it seem like it was our fault for finding a bug. They took that dish off the bill, but when we closed the bill the lady in the dress spoke like she was angry at us again for finding a bug...