NiHao Arlington

Several people had told this place was really good. I stopped in finally to try for myself. I was honestly not impressed. I ordered two appetizers and one entree with rice, it’s an extra. And hot tea. So the rolls come out. Then the main dish comes out. The plate is small for the dish. No spoon to scoop it out. Then I ask about my dumplings, I pretty much thought they lost! Finally they come out. The pepper in the entree was all broken up in the dish. Plate full of oil as well. I honestly don’t recommend the place. For as long as they have been open they should have the logistics figured out by now!

The restaurant was busy but we were served in a reasonable time. We loved fish tofu, the braised pork belly, stone hot pot rice and shredded beef with peppers. All the dishes were delicious. The atmosphere was nice. The service was excellent.

This is Chang Chang for people who can’t get into DC and that’s not a bad thing. The food flavors are all there in each dish. It’s almost good enough to make me start calling Crystal City “National Landing.” NiHao, new lunch spot.

This is another Peter Chang location - so if you are familiar with the DC dining scene, you can already guess: this place is fantastic. The decor makes it look a little fast casual, but the food is phenomenal. Possible the best mala (numbing spice) I have ever had. Memorable, and incredible- spice fried fish, spicy wontons, scallion pancake, shrimp dumplings, soup. Also good - BBQ Buns, soup dumplings

I went there to try their AYCE dim sum, and it turned out really good. I'll definitely go back for their Peking duck. Gratuity included even for a party of 2 people.

This place was really good. I absolutely loved the braised pork belly and the shrimp dumplings! Those dumplings were so plump and juicy. The vegetable rolls were very good too but kind small. I wasn't too crazy about the rice though. It had a taste I wasn't accustomed to but that is likely just my personal preference so I'm not dinging them for that. Regardless, the whole meal was delicious. I was looking at other tables and folks ordered some pretty interesting things that I definitely want to try next time. So this place is a tapas style restaurant so the portions are smaller for many items. The pork belly actually was a really nice big serving so I guess not everything is tapas small. I ate alone and sat at the bar which is pretty nice because you can stare out to the street and the park across the way. The only major improvement I suggest is make the chair taller. I felt like a hobbit sitting so low to the bar and I'm 6 ft tall! Other than that, all was great including the drinks and service.

After an extensive day at the car dealership, my companions and I found ourselves in search of a quick yet satisfying dining experience. We chose NiHao Arlington, a restaurant recommended by a friend who had previously dined there. Although we did not have a reservation—a decision that could have proven risky given the restaurant's popularity—we were fortunate to be seated within a mere 10-15 minutes. Upon settling in, we opted for a selection of dishes that truly showcased the culinary excellence of NiHao. Our meal commenced with four refreshing beers, which perfectly complemented the flavors of our appetizers: the dry-fried green peas and the dry-fried fish. We then indulged in the mayo tofu, salt and pepper shrimp, and Sichuan beef with green onions, each dish remarkable in its presentation and taste. The Shanghai scallion bubble pancakes were a delightful addition, followed by a hearty beef stew that exemplified comfort food at its finest. To round out our feast, we savored the chili dumplings, which were bursting with flavor. The food was nothing short of exceptional, and the staff exhibited a commendable level of friendliness and efficiency throughout our visit. NiHao Arlington is an ideal venue for group gatherings, yet also offers a welcoming atmosphere for solo diners at the bar. For those visiting, I highly recommend pairing the salt and pepper shrimp with a refreshing cocktail for an unforgettable dining experience. Overall, NiHao Arlington is a culinary gem that promises both quality and satisfaction.

First time trying this place! Fantastic Culinary Experience! From the moment we sat down, the service at this restaurant stood out — attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring. Our server not only took the time to explain the menu, but also gave us a perfect drink recommendation — a beautifully crafted cocktail with rosemary that was both aromatic and balanced. The dishes arrived beautifully presented and full of color, texture, and authentic flavor. The bone broth soup was soul-warming, rich, and delicately seasoned with goji berries. Each shared plate, from the tender stir-fried beef with green peppers to the cold sliced pig ear appetizer, was expertly made and full of bold, exciting flavors. The dumplings were juicy and satisfying, and the chili oil brought just the right amount of heat. Everything came together so well — great food, great drink, and even better service. This place nails both the traditional and the elevated dining experience. Highly recommend and can’t wait to return!

Service: We came to NiHao Chinese for dim sum for two and did not have a reservation, so we were seated outdoors. Thankfully the weather was nice, and we were seated and attended to quickly. The waiter was helpful in walking us through the all you can eat option and even suggested a few dishes, which made ordering easy. Taste: At $32 per person, the all you can eat dim sum was absolutely worth it. Every dish came out hot, well flavored, and delicious. The pork belly, duck spring rolls, and spare ribs were standout favorites. You could really taste the freshness and quality in each bite. Ambiance: Even though we sat outside, the atmosphere was still enjoyable and comfortable. The restaurant seems great for both small and large groups, especially if you want to try a variety of dishes at once. Overall Review: NiHao delivered a delicious and seamless dim sum experience. The service was quick, the flavors were authentic and bold, and the all you can eat option is a great deal. I will definitely be back!

Green is my favorite color and NiHao is full of it in tile form. Walk inside and the space is simple and green. Sit down, open the menu, and you'll find many options from small plates to mains to dessert. To feed my buddy and I, we ordered the cucumbers, dan dan noodles, sesame beef, kung pao chicken, and cabbage. Every dish was full of flavor, but the winners were the cucumbers, cabbage, and sesame beef. We left full. The cocktails were not bad too! Enjoying more sweet and sour cocktails, the Shadow was perfect. My friend who enjoys more stiff drinks found the Fallen Angels good.

I was in town for the week. I find the food in Nova to be not very good. I was craving Asian noodles and didn't want to go beyond Pentagon/Crystal City which limited my options. I chose Ni Hao based on the reviews. I wasn't expecting much, but unfortunately, the beef chow fun didn't meet my expectations. Other than salt and soy sauce, the noodles didn't have much flavor. It was very greasy, the shine in the photo reflects the grease. The beef was tender and there was a generous amount. What bothered me the most was the restaurant didn't pack a napkin. At least they did include chopsticks. That's it, no other sauces, it wasn't even offered. I've done takeout at other restaurants and some don't include silverware nor napkins. I don't understand??!! At least, ASK! I regret leaving a 20% tip... Tip: For pick up, check your bag for silverware and napkins before you leave.

Ordered for delivery but it came very hot and packed nicely! Mapo tofu - more floral than spicy but still has a nice lightly building kick. The sauce itself is more on the oily side and you have to make sure to stir each time to get the full flavor. Tofu itself is very soft and silky 3 Xiao long bao - already broken and skin is pretty thick. Not the worst, there is some soup but I feel like it also melted a bit weirdly with the meat. 2.5 Chongqing spicy chicken - not bad, more Szechuan numbing floral favors than actual spice 2.5/5 Kungpao chicken - slightly spicy and pretty decent 2.5/5

It never fails, I'm going to enjoy my time at NiHoa. Delicious food with mind blowing flavor. Attentive staff that always gives recommendations on the menu. Thoughtful drinks and authentic food. Plenty seating inside and nice vibe. Perfect for family dinner or date!

Everything was so good! Honestly anything in the bite size or shared notes area was amazing. Didn't get the chance to try bigger portions but with two people we were full after 5/6 places. What's not shown is the pork buns which were so good as well. Everything comes out piping hot which gives us the impression that everything is pretty much mad to order. Especially the soup dumplings which took about 10/15 mins since they need to steam. The Barbie Negroni was an amazing drink. Favorite things: sweet and sour chicken, Peking duck spring rolls, sesame noodles, soup dumplings

I did not take any pictures because i was with my kids and parents but will definitely be back so forthcoming! Have wanted to try this place for awhile since i like peter chang restaurants and have been to the Baltimore location before. Everything was delicious. We got the 麻辣牛腱, cucumbers, 木耳 wood ear mushroom, scallion bubble cake, half duck, salt and pepper shrimp, the chicken noodle soup, and one of the beef dishes. Portions are smaller/tapas style but reflected in price. Even my cheap ass dad was like not expensive! And it allows you to try more things. My chinese parents liked this place. Last time they were here we went to peking gourmet inn and they got into an argument because they didnt think the other dishes were good. The duck was good but this review is not about them Kid friendly--there are changing tables. My children ate well to the point that my chronically constipated eight month old pooped a log while we were there. The same day i forgot the diaper bag! Fortunately i had a backstop diaper in our center console. Advise this for absent minded parents like myself. Also a great day is doing top golf and then eating here. The area has a lot of great dining options, a tacombi next door and there was a chic fil a AND a coldstone's we passed. There is also a tatte so you know this area has made it!! We parked in the public parking garage that has medical office lobby vibes, and it was free!

A gem in Arlington serving delicious Chinese food! Chef Peter Chang has many restaurants and is a famous Chinese Cuisine Chef. I've been here twice now and am very happy with the food. We got lots of tapas to share and it's hard to pick a favorite. There are so many delicious one! Overall the dishes are a little salty and greasy but that's kinda of what you sign up for going out to eat. The dishes came out fast. Servers were nice. Had to make some requests twice but they brought what we asked for. There were a lot of fruit flies inside when I came for the second time in June. Would recommend they address that. Now onto the food: Pig Ears - 10/10 tasted delicious and very authentic. We had to request this dish the most recent time we went because they told me they took it off the menu a few weeks ago but will put it back on if enough people request it!! They also took the Fuqi Feipian (Couple's Delight) which is a traditional SiChuan dish back. Let's request it back and try something authentically Chinese next time you visit! Dry-Fried Eggplant 4/10 too fried and battered, recommend getting the stir fried eggplant instead which is more authentic Dry-Fried Green Beans - 10/10 flavorful, crispy and crunchy Mapo Tofu - 7.5/10 It's vegetarian and pretty good Stir-fried Brussels Sprouts - 8/10 Asian flavors and nice char Dry Pot Chili Shrimp - 7.5/10 I would prefer the shrimp not to be battered I liked the flavor though and that they included lotus root Stone Pot Tofu Fish - 8/10 authentic dish and maybe the most spicy dish we ordered. Fish was tender and came out boiling in a stone pot. Sichuan Style Beef with Green Onions - 7/10 Peter Chang's Peking Duck - 9.5/10 As good as nice duck houses here. Not as good as China. Mr Zhang's Red-Braised Pork Belly - 8/10 tasty, classic soy sauce flavor with a slight sweetness Wood Ear Mushroom Salad - 9/10 crisp, light, flavorful Tofu Skin Salad - 9/10 Mild and refreshing. Good break from the spice. Shanghai Soup Dumplings - 9/10 Classic pork flavor, lots of soup inside Garlic Cucumber Salad - 7/10 the avocado and wasabi is different, makes it "creamier" but I prefer the classic spicy cucumber salad served at other Chinese restaurants Sichuan Style Beef with Green Onions - 7/10 too many green onions, not enough beef also the beef tasted like they used too much corn starch Sichuan Dan Dan noodles - 6/10 Served cold, thin noodles, get the Wuhan noodles instead Peter's Chili Wontons 4/10 did not like these tasted like shumai in chili oil Wuhan Sesame Noodles - 10/10 as expected since Peter Chang is from Wuhan Hot and Sour Soup - 6/10 a little too thick and not enough flavor beyond light spice

CHONGQING SPICY CHICKEN - Tender cuts of boneless chicken tossed in a well-seasoned sauce, topped with spring onions. COMBO IRON POT RICE w/BEEF - Served piping hot in a mini caldron. Can be a bit messy because of the brim of the bowl, but otherwise fine. Both meals were flavorful and plated nicely. Minus one star for the poor service. No table manners whatsoever; reaching over food without a pardon is unacceptable. We were ignored several times and rushed even more. The treatment alone is enough to make me not want to go back. __ I eat. @f.hux I thrift. @DCthriftish

This place is great. Tapas-style dishes are quite generously portioned.and allow you to explore wonderful flavors. It lives up to its "bold flavors, small plates" motto. Don't be afraid to listen to your server. Our server. Alise (who doubles as bartender), recommended a few dishes and hit it out of the park. She suggested we try the "dry pot chili shrimp." WOW. Tantalizing, spicy, cumin-forward deliciousness. The osmanthus (flower) sweet and sour ribs were also delicious as were the dry-fried green beans. Good service, nice ambiance, great food. We will definitely be back.

First time coming here and I really enjoyed it. I attached a list of items we ordered. The Woodear mushroom salad, green beans and spicy garlic eggplant were my favorites. The scallion balloon pancake was unique as I'm used to having it flat, and the curry sauce that came with it was delicious. I came here with friends and we spent a lot of time catching up. Service was excellent and we never felt rushed even though we stayed longer than we should have.

I was in the mood for some good Chinese food and saw that this option was close to my hotel. The walk was quick and I was able to get seating at the bar right away. I was greeted by the bartender/waiter who was helpful with options and gave me advice on what was good. I ordered and the food came out fresh and delicious. The portions are listed as tapas but can easily feed three people. I had lots of leftovers to save for the following day! This will definitely be a staple for when I visit for work in the future. Great food and excellent service!

REAL TALK: I was a little hesitant in trying out NiHao, as this is one of Peter Chang's restaurants; didn't really have positive experiences at his other eateries, so I was a bit skeptical. We came here for an early lunch and were seated right away. We ordered: +Shanghai Soup Dumplings - served with vinegar and ginger; the hubs thought this tasted pretty good, considering there were only 3; stated that there was a good amount of soup inside +Shrimp Dumplings - the site's menu states a 'Signature Shrimp & Chive Dumplings', but that were just plain har gows, filled with only shrimp; shrimp could have been more fresh as it had a slightly 'fishy' taste to them +Stir-Fried Beef Chow Fun - with wide noodles; this actually had a nice taste to them and cooked well; don't forget to ask for extra soy sauce and chili oil Note that this is a dim sum/tapas-style, so the portions are of a 'sampling size' and meant to order a number of plates to share. Staff were nice, but could have been more attentive - we had to wait to get refills, the condiments were forgotten, and it took a while to flag down to get our check. Garage and limited metered street parking can be found in the area. +Stir-Fried Beef Chow Fun +inattentive staff

Dropped by with 2 friends for dinner on a Wednesday night at 5:30pm. Walked in and thought it was a nice upscale but cozy looking restaurant. We were under the impression that there was happy hour until 6 but upon asking the waitress she said "no happy hour currently". Okay .. no reasoning and still shows the mon-fri happy hour menu on the website but okay... Ordered the Chinese odyssey cocktail ($13) and it was delicious. Strong but very well balanced. Do wish it had more quantity wise, but that's fine. Friend had the ni hao 75 and also really liked it. We shared the dry eggplant, dry green beans, Shanghai soup dumplings, yuba tofu salad, garlic cucumber salad, combo iron rice pot, Chongqing chicken, and osmanthus ribs. Everything was really good, except the osmanthus ribs - those were just way too sweet and single-note for us. The eggplant was a stand out. I liked the amount they give per tapa dish - definitely great to share with 3 or more friends. I didn't like the service at all - I had to flag our waitress down every time we needed her. She was just nowhere to be found the whole time from start to finish. If service improves, and they don't lie about having a happy hour menu I'd love to come back since I liked the food so much.

The idea of Asian tapas food is definitely new to me but I'm a SUPER Fan! I loved this place so much. In fact, we took our leftovers home on our flight the next morning because it was just way too good to leave behind! The dry rub fried fish and the spicy eggplant were my absolute favorites. We went pretty late, very close to closing, but it was packed and full of life and the servers were kind to us and didn't rush us. I will literally go out of my way to come back here!

It's Crystal City on a Friday night after my flight was canceled. Usually somewhat quiet from my older memories. I have not been in this area for a while and wow has it changed. There are lots of variety here now and this place is right across from the water park. This place is Chinese tapas with some mains. Super busy and lots of very interesting dishes on the main menu. They do have a seasonal menu and I went for the Bento Box. The Bento Box was outstanding. A smattering of several dishes and look at the photo. Not what you might expect. Eat here. Bring a crowd with a reservation and everyone share a bite of everything. This place is great.

Nihao is a perfectly decent restaurant in Crystal City. 3.5 stars rounded up. This was our first visit to Nihao. We were a bit confused because we thought it was located in the store front that has "1500" over the doors. But Nihao wasn't in there. As it turns out its address "1500-F" was several storefronts down from there, located next to the cinema. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that parking in the garage underneath the 1500 block is free on weekends. We love that and will be back to Crystal Drive more often. We came around 1:00pm on a Saturday and the restaurant was only half-filled so we were able to be seated immediately. Our server said that Nihao, a tapas restaurant, recommends 3-5 dishes for two people. As it turns out, the dishes we ordered were more entree sized. So the six tapas we ordered were way too much food and we took half of it home. Prices are reasonable. Service was good, with frequent checkups on us. The exception was at the end of the meal when we waited around 15 minutes for our server to stop by, so we could ask for the check and take-out boxes. We did like how our dishes came out fairly staggered. OK, so on to the food. I said in a review recently that I am persnickety about seasonings. So again, take what I am about to say with several grains of salt. Peter's Steamed Chili wontons with shrimp and pork were okay but tasted a bit exotic to me (hints of five spice?). The Dry-Fried Green Beans had a great texture and were salted just right, but I found their flavors to be very exotic and not especially to my liking. More to liking was the clay pot with oyster sauce. With a mild balanced flavor this dish contained pieces of (breaded and fried beforehand?) white fish and broccoli. The honey walnut shrimp were excellent. I also quite liked the Stir-fried Beef Chow Fun. The Chongqing Spicy Chicken had a good flavor and was not overly spicy, even if half of the dish was slices of dried red chili. A note of caution about the tea: even after steeping for about 5 minutes, the tea in the pot was still extremely hot, scalding hot.

New Chinese food in town!!? I was surprised to find this place when walking around Crystal City. They're a pretty large establishment and the noodles are ok. Not the best Beef chow fun, but passable for this area especially since there aren't too many Chinese places around to begin with. Staff is super friendly and the space is very clean. Hope to go back to try a couple more dishes!

Good was prepared freshly and was delicious. Good service. The ambiance was clean and comfy.

Came here for lunch on a Friday around 1 and the place was filled. Just managed to get a table for 2. A lot of the dishes here are served tapas style, enough for 2-3 people to split per dish. The food was made extremely well and every dish we ordered felt like it had a unique flavor profile that made it stand out against the other dishes. I loved the bok choy specifically.

I really enjoyed my experience here ! I came for brunch on Saturday afternoon , it was busy but I had reservations! I wanted a different type of brunch vibe and I got that here ! It was all you can eat dim sum and different tapas for only $32. I was shocked at the price and the value of everything I got. We were allowed to order 6 menu items at a time and they came out quick and fresh! Service was good and I was surprised how fast our orders were coming out! Some of my favorites were the Mongolian beef , salt and pepper shrimp , pork belly , and kung pao chicken. For desserts I enjoyed the walnut bao! They even had beer special for $6 and free parking! Be sure and order the scallion pancake it was sooo good ! I will definitely be back when I'm in the area

Overview: Tough to write this review, but this was unfortunately a very rare 1 star review. Dined in February 2025 and gets the 1 star solely based on quality of service. Cannot recommend this restaurant and baffled that it made it to Top 100 in DC. Food: Food is all pretty good, 4 stars on food alone. Tapas for Sichuan food is a great concept because all dishes are appropriately sized in order to try a lot family style without necessarily having to dine with a large party. Service: Absolutely terrible. There are plenty of staff, but it feels like no one is actually available to work. Have to flag down or actually walk around the corner where they are socializing in order to ask for things. Water never refilled, rare check-ins, and dishes never removed, which is important for tapas since there are many dishes being ordered with limited table space. Staff were constantly occupying the bathrooms. Multiple other parties confused as to why everyone needing to be flagging help down and waiting for bathroom. Ordered dishes were forgotten and then the happy hour price wasn't honored. When it was pointed out, they said they can't fix it because it they re-enter it, it would force the kitchen to make the dish again. Ambiance: Decent, fast casual style.

My husband is obsessed with this restaurant...he would give it a 5/5. I give it a 4 for a very specific reason which I'll explain! Pros: - LOVE the portion sizes for the price (*for dining in, that is) - ^Very fun for sharing dishes with others - Great quality food, as I've come to know and expect with a Peter Chang restaurant - Cute and clean ambiance (busy, but to be expected) Cons: - They advertise gluten free/can be made gluten free for some of their items. SOME OF THESE ITEMS STILL HAVE SOY SAUCE. I had one server who did not mention that their "gluten free" items had soy sauce, so I happily ate gluten. I had another server say, "but you're okay with soy sauce, right?" ***Gluten free people - double and triple check that there is no soy sauce in your "gluten free" item***

I popped in for a quick dinner and the food here was great. I ordered the garlic cucumber salad, the salt and pepper shrimp, the mapo tofu, and the soup dumplings. For one person, it was a good portion of food. The drink menu is creative, but not expensive, so that was a pleasant surprise. The space overall is small, so I'd recommend reservations. I sat at the (about 5-seat) bar and the bartender was attentive and so were the other employees when he was busy. You can tell they're a team. I'd love to go back and try some more dishes and drinks.

It was my third time dining here, and I have noticed a common theme, bad and inconsistent service. I have tried their three pepper beef, stone pot tofu fish, guandong beef, deep fried eggplant and cabbage with black bean sauce. Their food is great in terms of richness in flavors, seasoning and spiciness if you're into spicy dishes. Their drinks are unique and delish even though it takes a while if you're ordering a cocktail. Very understandable given how busy they can get. However, as somebody who has worked in the restaurant industry before, their service needs so much improvement. I had to flag down the waitress to check on my order, just to be told that our ticket got lost. Also, they gave us a wrong order, and we had to ask the server if that was meant to be for us, which obviously was not. And the tables who got sat down later than us got their orders first while we constantly had to ask our server check on the status of our dishes. The cherry on top was we did not get our rice until we asked for them after eating more than half of the dishes already. It would be great if their staff prioritized their customers than chatting with each other.

Sat at bar, great service Had bronzini whole Amazing Must try bubble pancake its a treat This is A Peter Chang restaurant Excellent

We (a group of 8) came here for New Year's Day dinner. There is free underground parking after 4 pm. This restaurant (One of Peter Chang Restaurants) offers tapas tapas-style Chinese menu. The restaurant is modern with nice, simple decor. We were seated in the back of the restaurant which was quiet and gave us some privacy. We ordered these dishes to share: Cucumber Salad (Good) Scallion Bubble Pancake (Good) Pig's Ear in Chili Oil (Very good) Wood ear Mushroom Salad (Very good) Husband and Wife Tripe and Tendon (Very good) Deep fried Eggplant (Good) Chongqing Spicy Chicken (Very good) Farmer's Stir-Fry with Eggs (Very good) Dry-fried Fish (Very good-crispy and tasty) Dan Dan Noodles (Good) Iron Pot Rice (Good fried rice) Spicy Lamb (0k - Too gamey) Braised Pork Belly (Bad - too sweet and too fatty) Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs (Good) Streamed Pork Bun (Good - took a long time) Peking Duck (Good - expensive and small portion) Spicy Whole Branzino (OK - fish was crispy but dry) The service was good and most dishes came out fast except for steamed buns. We were surprised they didn't give us any rice even though we ordered a whole fish, family-style portion which cost $38. Why nickel-and-dime us for the rice? Portions were small so you probably need to order two dishes per person. Overall, it was a good experience. We enjoyed most of the dishes but will not recommend Peking Duck, Lamb, Pork Belly, or Whole Branzino.

Food was outstanding. Simon was very knowledgeable and helpful when helping with menu.. I love the setups with the open air bar. I definitely recommend.

Went with a large group (8) for a birthday dinner. Delicious! We had a great variety and ordered a bunch of dishes at once. They came out as they were ready.

Very good Chinese. Probably the best in the area from the Peter Chang fame. It's tapas style versus family style. Which I prefer better, especially lunch meetings. The Dan Dan noodles are served hot, where some places may serve them cold. The spicy shrimp, bao buns, sliced chicken (for non spicy eaters), and fried rice are good too. I looked through the menu and most of the favs are there. I will be back to try their chongquing chicken, which is marinated deep fried chicken morsels tossed in schezuan peppercorns and dried chilis.

It was very good! Our friend recommended here so we decided to give it a try. The food was pretty authentic and the service was very good. They were busy and may need to wait for a bit. The environment was great and a lot of decorations. The whole dining area may be a little bit crowded and people may need to go between chairs. The portion of each dish was kind of small but you could order more and try different things lol

This spot doesn't disappoint. The food is consistently delicious and a great spot to share with others. The service is always really nice. It's perfect as a lunch option or post-work happy hour.

My friend and I stopped by Nihao for lunch a couple Sundays ago. I've heard quite a few mixed reviews from other friends who've been here. It's either "it's not good" or "it's pretty good" and nothing in between. Nihao serves a lot of Sichuan inspired dishes (along with some other popular non-Sichuan but Chinese inspired) in "tapas" style with a few exceptions. We decided to get two tapas and one big dish. By the end of it, we were incredibly full and we had to push ourselves to clean up all the food we ordered. "HUSBAND AND WIFE" TRIPE & TENDON SLICES - 9 Surprisingly lots of tripe and tendon in the small tapa sized plate. Each piece was a bit spicy and incredibly flavorful from the chili oil and sesame seeds. The peanuts were a nice touch. If you like tripe and tendon, you can't go wrong with this one. We'd recommend. DRY-FRIED GREEN BEANS - 8 Not very fried or crunchy, almost like it was deep-fried maybe half of the time it was supposed to. These were pretty underwhelming and there wasn't much seasoning. Pretty bland, overall, so I'd try a different vegetable dish next time. MANDARIN BRANZINO - 38 The presentation of this was phenomenal. The branzino was thoroughly deboned. The fish was cut up reminded me of two potato corn dogs, knifed and sliced into little cubes that you could pluck off. The entire fish (decorated with its head and tail like its still attached to the body) was swimming on a generous pool of sweet & sour sauce. The fish itself was easy to pluck off and it had the perfect crispy texture. The sweet & sour sauce was a bit too sweet, but complemented the fish well. Definitely a unique way to enjoy a whole branzino that you may not find in other Chinese restaurants. If there's one thing you should get at Nihao, it's the mandarin branzino. Overall, I enjoyed the three things I shared with my friend but nothing worth raving about (maybe except the branzino, which was both tasty and beautifully presented). Your experience at Nihao will definitely depend on the options you order, so definitely read reviews to see what you want. From my previous experiences at other Peter Chang restaurants, I recommend sticking to Sichuan inspired options and avoid everything else.

Don't let the name deter you, this place is worth stopping by to check it out! It's a Chinese tapas style restaurant, so definitely go with a decent size group to take advance of the dishes! Food is all excellent, better than the overpriced dishes at Din Tai Fung. You can't go wrong with any of the orders here!

I can't believe I NEVER knew this spot existed and I was literally by this hundreds of times but never knew it. Well looking for a Chinese or Japanese style food one night and as always Yelp saved the day I found NiHao! This is located right next to Alamo Theatres in Alexandria, VA. This place is perfect for a movie and date night especially since they're next to each other. Reservations are highly recommended but if you lucky like me, they had a free seat at the bar. This place is clean and beautiful. TROPICAL HIBISCUS ICED TEA This non-alcoholic drink was pretty and delicious, it comes unsweetened but they added liquid cane for me. The dry fruit added a nice touch as well as an additional touch of flavor. DRY POT CHILI SHRIMP ($13) OMGoodness! This medium spicy level crispy shrimp was packed with flavor and a kick. It comes with a great amount of shrimp and veggies but also surprisingly comes with French fries drenched in the same sauce, definitely unique and a perfect match and balance to this meal. SHRIMP IRON POT RICE ($14) Since my shrimp didn't come with rice, I ordered this iron pot rice which was enough for 2 people. This was sooooo good and honestly can be a meal by itself. The iron pot stay HOT the entire time and makes rice crispy at the bottom which I love. Please DO NOT TOUCH POT (it's extremely hot) lol. Well seasoned and just amazing if you love rice like me. You definitely get your moneys worth here and if anything the value you can't beat, I would come here over a carry out any day. Customer Service was SUPERB!! They checked on me and gave me good recommendations as well as made me feel welcomed. There's public parking lot next door that's free after 4 or 6 pm. I am definitely coming back and trying other menu items. The fact I had leftover that looked like a whole meal was so worth it especially for lunch the next day.

Beautiful space inside! Five stars for food for sure and three for service. The service started out great and super efficient and our food came out really quickly. However, our waiter totally disappeared in the middle of our meal and I noticed him walking out of the front door so he left his shift and then we had no one to finish our duration of the meal, which was definitely weird! The food was totally a 10 out of 10 except for the fried shrimp dumplings had no flavor and I do not recommend those. We tried the Kung pao chicken, the green beans and the Szechuan beef with green onions. All of these dishes were great and I just wish they gave a little bit more protein with the two meat dishes because they did load those up mostly with veggies and spices however, everything tasted amazing and just like all of the other Peter Chang restaurants! Super flavorful. I will totally come back!

My boyfriend and I got dinner here and we loved it! The menu is "tapas" style, with many small plates meant to be shared family style. Some of the dishes were actually quite large which we loved, and we thought everything was reasonably priced. Our favorite was actually the tofu skin salad - a recommendation from our waiter. It had a meaty/chewy texture with a terrific sesame and sichuan flavor. Also recommend the dry fried fish and beef chow fun! The interior is well decorated and tables are spaced out nicely. The location is also close by the water. We parked in the huge garage next to the solidcore, free on weekends and weekdays after 4pm.

great restaurant, similar to other Peter Chang restaurants in quality and value, they offer smaller portions for dine in so you can try more. Takeout is great, just remember to order rice as I never do at his restaurants. favorite dishes are the dry pepper chicken, spicy eggplant, dry fried anything, lo mein, yuba salad, and tamago tofu (great texture)

Pretty regular/basic Chinese place but they get 4 stars from me because good quality, (non traditional) Chinese food is hard to find in this area. I grew up eating Chinese food like this, so I was very pleased to find this place. It's conveniently located next to the Alamo drafthouse, perfect for the girls like me that are always at the movies! They have all the classic options, but the atmosphere gives slightly elevated unlike the Chinese takeout places I frequented growing up. I had the Sichuan Dan Dan noodles, the garlic cucumbers, and the salt and pepper shrimp. Everything was good and I'm glad I've finally found a Chinese place for takeout!

Came on new years for lunch and there were plenty of tables open! The interior is modern and upscale, it definitely felt like a newer restaurant. We ordered the Mapo tofu, stir fried beef chow fun, bok choy with tofu skin, and Mr. Zhang's red braised pork belly. Each dish was pretty small so I would recommend getting at least one dish per person! The chow fun had good flavors but was way too oily for me. Mapo tofu was super spicy so I couldn't eat much of it. I liked the bok choy, it was really saucy and the tofu skin was a nice touch in it! The pork belly was good but overall I'm not big on pork belly since it tends to be super fatty. Overall I thought the food was average but pricing was fair and I'm glad I got to try it!

This is such a great addition to the crystal city area. The menu is pretty vast and includes many fun and affordable small plates. I shared a lot of food with my friend. I didn't like only one of them, but that is completely based on my own biases. Otherwise, everything was very well made. The service was quick and the food came out quickly. The ambiance is great. It's a well spaced restaurant and you don't feel too close to anyone. I suggest this place for anyone who is a fan of Chinese food. I would definitely come back here if I'm in the area.

Went for an early lunch to catch up with an old friend. The restaurant was clean, not busy, and my friend was already seated. She warned me that the blonde hostess who seated her seemed grumpy, but I didn't think much of it at first. This woman mostly stayed near the bar. We ordered an appetizer and two main dishes. Service from the other waiters was fine. The green beans were excellent, the Chongqing spicy fried chicken was flavorful but a bit salty (great with rice), and the shrimp dumplings were just okay. The same grumpy lady came by and asked if we needed anything else. I asked about the dessert menu while still taking my bite. Instead of bringing a menu, she curtly listed only three dessert options, making me feel like she would rather we didn't order anything. I declined. She then brought out the payment device right then and there and asked how we wanted to pay--while I was still eating. We hadn't even been there 30 minutes. My friend told her to wait since we were still finishing food and having tea. When we finished, my friend asked to pay, but the server ignored her, handing the payment device to me twice until my friend spoke up. No smile, no basic courtesy--just the attitude of a pouting teenager. Despite this behavior, my friend still tipped 20%. As Asians, we felt unwelcome and will not be supporting this business again

Came here for a quick bite with my sister. We tried different things to get a feel for the food consistency. The shrimp dumplings were top tier. So good! The duck spring rolls were seasoned well but mine was full of fat and my sisters had a bone. The chicken soup comes with noodles and bok choy. The chicken was cut and boiled with bones on every piece. I took the broth and noofles

This place is quite nice. It is a small cozy place but more modern inside Food is a bit too seasoned - not sure of using too much of MSG or salt, but you definitely need white rice to eat with They meant to be tapas but the size is a perfect portion size. Server was kind but it wasn't like exceptionally nice. Always filling my cup with water,

My niece (again:)- invited me to this spot, which I had no idea about since sometimes I feel Virginia is another country to me. Before anyone comments, I'm fully aware that VA is not only part of the DMV but also the USA. Moving along...I'm still in birthday celebration mode, so I let her order me the "Crazy Rich Asian," and she had the "Barbie Negroni." We proceeded to order the following, "the Dry Pot Chili Shrimp," "Duck Spring Rolls," "the Homestyle Stir-Fried Pork Belly," and the "Garlic Cucumber Salad." Okay, the taste of the drinks came first, and mine was absolutely amazing. After which, the first bit from the Pork Belly, the favors exploded in my mouth. There is nothing like food that is seasoned "just right." The shrimp was so good, along with a nice topping of the cucumber salad, that made me feel like I was trying to be a little nutritional. We sat at the bar because she was familiar with the bartender and waiter named Victor, who was attentive to our needs and provided me with counsel on the menu. The atmosphere was very calm, the lighting was just right, and the space was inviting. If you are in the area, please check it out. You will thank me.

I've had so many people rave about NiHao and finally decided to try it since it was close by. I think the interior is beautiful and the staff is kind and welcoming. My friend and I came with a list of things we wanted to try and ordered; some of these things were great! BUT some of these things were not ... (The Nots are at the bottom). I would recommend getting the garlic cucumber salad! This is a MUST especially when eating so many fried foods it cuts the greasiness. The Dan Dan noodles, Pork Buns, Red Braised Pork Belly, Walnut Shrimp *Green Beans, and *Fried Eggplant were all good dishes! *The only thing about the veggie dishes that i didn't like was the saltiness. The Cumin Lamb, Guangong beef, and Chongquin chicken were SO SALTY; so much so that we even asked our server about it and she apologized! (we weren't going to send back our food - just genuinely curious if it was because we had gone close to closing, or if it was due to the mala pepper - it was neither, instead it just depended on the chef who was cooking it). Honestly, we should have gotten it remade especially for the amount of food we got. Skip out on the Fried Fish and Chongquing Chicken it's just batter! This too was also salty. Overall, based on the first experience i'm hesitant to come back. Half of the food was OVER SALTED, and straight batter. The price point for the dishes i would say are fair since they are tapa style, but the mains i.e Meats & Fishes missed the mark thus the price did not match the taste in this case.

Nihao was hopping on a Friday night. Walking in, it looked like every table was filled, except for the table we reserved ahead of time. So no surprise, another hit for Peter Chang. The menu gives you a culinary journey through China, featuring different types of Chinese cuisines from dim sum (chive dumplings) to Cantonese (chow fun) to Sichuan (a ton of stuff). Eat your own adventure. We were guessing they incorporated the word "Tapas" in the menu to get everyone to share (family-style) all the food. We got Tripe and Tendon Slices, Beef Chow Fun, Tamago Tofu with Mixed Mushrooms, Dry-Fried Eggplant, and the Pan-Seared Spicy Branzino. All the dishes we got were high quality and they were not playing with the spice level! Portion sizes were also good for our group of three. The Tamago Tofu and Dry-Fried Eggplant were standouts. The tofu sauce was delicious and "dry-fried" was a unique way to have eggplant for me. The presentation of the Branzino was amazing. No holding back on the chili peppers! I will say the most bizarre part of the meal was getting bowls of rice before any of the dishes came. Sure, we'll take it now...

Came here with a couple friends a weeks ago and it was packed. My friend had some difficulty trying to get a reservation which was encouraged for our small party of 5. And after arriving it was understand why, they were packed. And it looked like the mostly younger Chinese student crowd from the Arlington/NOVA area. So knowing that this was a Peter Chang branch, that reassured me that this place was going to be pretty authentic. Service was friendly and fast and knowledgeable. They really gave good recommendations based on what we liked and how much food we are going to get. After the dishes came out, it were smaller portions. Probably smaller then the other Peter Chang restaurants. I like how restaurants now like to call smaller portions a "dim sum experience". But yea this was the biggest drawback. Tastes was on par with the other Peter Chang restaurants, but i would steer people towards Mama Chang's in Fairfax. Their clay pot rice was basically fried rice. Their Mapo was pretty good, very flavorful and strong. The deep fried fish filet's were probably the best. String beans were decent.

Absolutely THE BEST! Food, service, drinks - it's all wonderful here. Staff are friendly and attentive. The food comes out fast - it is fresh and delicious. What a wonderful spot to have in our neighborhood!