Shanghai Taste

As a vegetarian I usually have limited options at Chinese restaurants - who wants the Buddha special. I was intrigued to try my luck and found veggie dumplings and scallion pancakes. I always get asked twice to make sure that I only want veggie at Chinese restaurants. It's better than other places that put fish cake and imitation crab meat in veggie rolls. The dumplings were definitely home made but I've found this when I eat Shanghai food that the vegetables or ginger that they use is to authentic tastes but somehow I just don't like it. The pancake was good. It was an OK value, service was OK and though I got takeout the atmosphere was OK.

This has been my Tuesday night Chinese food habit for a few months now. Great food. Michael always provides fast and attentive service. Did I mention the food is great?

The worst beef noodle soup we ever tasted. It was like a broth from an overcooked vegetable. Dumplings are good, but everything else is either average or bad. The glasses they used look like they’ve been chewed off by a dog. Never coming back here again.

Service is quick and friendly. Unfortunately the food was not it for us. The chicken in both plates tasted really old (like it was reheated and tossed in). We did like the pork fried dumplings the best. Almost everything is served in to go containers so you can easily pack your leftovers and take them home which is nice. Could’ve been just an off day when we visited since a lot of reviewers seem to enjoy it.

Excellent no-frills place. We had the Mongolian beef and shrimp with vegetables. On weekends they also have fantastic pan-fried soup dumplings. Really kind, attentive and friendly servers.

Absolutely lovely place for Soup Dumplings and whatever else they make! The soup dumplings were juicy, fresh, and tasted exactly right. Very tasty, well priced, no frills place that reminds me of childhood! 10/10 would recommend!

A quaint mom and pop local spot that's charming as it is flavorful! I order the general tso chicken, very very good, the combination fried rice and the steamed vegetable dumplings which are amazing! Definitely recommended!

We love Shanghai taste, but there is something off with the boss’s attitude (the guy with a strand of hair) today - last time when we were there, all Chinese friends, he behaved just normal; This time, from the second we stepped in, we didn’t feel welcomed - we were even accused for putting the plates in a wrong way in the table? The only reason we can thinking of is two of us have American partners as he treated everyone else in a normal way, either Chinese customers or American customers. So be aware if you are a Chinese woman bringing a foreign/non/Asian partner :(

Love this place - and it's one of the best restaurants providing amazing authentic cuisine in the area! Emily who answer the phone is amazing - providing great customer service. It's a gem in the woodley gardens neighborhood and a gem of a restaurant! Jumbo shrimp with spicy salt Soup dumplings Pork with chive flower Shumai glutenous rice Is my go to order Don't sleep on the lunch special!

The six of us (4 adults and 2 children) had a nice lunch. Although the picture shows the total as $121, the restaurant offered a decent cash discount and the total was brought to $110. Here are my thoughts on the dishes. The good: soup dumpling, sliced roast beef + tendon, braised soy sauce duck, 生煎包 fried buns, soy bean milk + fried bread stick, and Shumai. These dishes were really good. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them! The meh: Hainan Chicken with rice, noodle scallion, and Pork + bean curd. If you don't like heavy soy sauce then these dishes might be not be for you. Furthermore, the amount of oil in these three dishes were a tad bit overwhelming. The restaurant itself is a bit small so it wasn't exactly the most comfortable. However, the service was good and most of the dishes were great.

A very small Chinese restaurant my family and I have been going to for several years. It's In a small, run-down shopping strip with only a few stores next door. A bit of a turn off is that there's a veterinarian office next door. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and the restroom is for customers only. I've never seen mice or roaches but the restaurant doesn't appear very hygienic. The decor is outdated and would only recommend dining in for small parties (5 people or less). The food overall though is really delicious and affordable. They're known for their soup dumplings (Xiao long bao) and other northern Chinese dishes. It's a decent variety of food and I really enjoy it. Service is excellent as well. Their kitchen is pretty fast and the waiters/waitresses try to take your order as soon as you're ready. They clean off tables as soon as you leave for other customers to be seated. My family and I were fortunate enough to have gone during a slow time so we were the only diners. I would say this is a great option for carry-out.

Chinese food is comfort food! Shanghai Taste has been our favorite family Chinese restaurant for a long time. The quality of the meats and seafoods reigns supreme. Their sauces are a delight to the senses. So, yesterday we ordered a treasure trove of dishes. We started off with wonton soup, which was hearty and delicious. Then, my personal favorite, triple delight, which includes shrimp, chicken, and beef. This dish is cooked in a phenomenal brown sauce. Each of the proteins was cooked perfectly. It also has lots of vegetables to add to your enjoyment. We ordered Mongolian beef. It was tender and tasty. There was also pork lo mein. My granddaughter loved this dish. She could not stop eating it. It was excellent! Tender pork, well cooked veggies, and soft and tasty lo mein. Then, we had shrimp fried rice. The rice was scrumptious and had large chunks of shrimp. We also ordered soup dumplings. These were good, but I missed out on the soup that they are usually filled with. We ordered on the phone and everything was ready when my son went in to pick it up. The dishes were well packed and everything made it home safe and sound. The restaurant is a smaller space, so come early or we usually order take out. The people who work at Shanghai Taste are super nice and efficient. There is a reason they are my favorite Chinese restaurant and I recommend them highly.

This is a great neighborhood restaurant that has become my go to spot for Chinese food. They have a wonderful selection, the service is amazing, and it is an inviting little reasturant. Their dumplings are legendary! Unfortunately, they do not offer delivery, regardless of what this listing says. Luckily, I live right up the street, however, this restaurant would definitely be worth the drive.

Love the beef noodle soup, sanjianbao is soso. Any way we come here every other week after taekwondo class. My daughter likes it.

Absolutely divine feast! The spot is pretty unassuming with a banner that states "Asian cuisine and sushi" which is red flag for us. Nonetheless. we decided to proceed with it. The Hainan chicken was very tender and the chili that comes with it hits the spot too. I was too busy eating that I forgot to take photos of other dishes we ordered - scallion pancakes, Xiao long bao (must try!)

Ordered carryout recently. Disappointed in just about everything. The chive pocket tasted old and was refried. Definitely didn't look or taste fresh. The XLB were chewy. The fried gluten was very sweet. Only thing that was ok was the rice cake stir fried with pork/veggies. Note that they've shifted during the pandemic. Everything is served in to go packaging - even if you're dining in. Not that I'm going back... there are a lot of places that has better food.

Always a solid spot. They've slightly improved the dine-in experience with waitstaff (1 person), but you still eat out from carryout containers and paper plates. Doesn't matter to me, easier to clean up and leftovers are ready to go. Ordered radish cakes, salt pepper pork chops, beef & long pepper noodles, and pan fried dumplings; all of it was excellent. They offered a 10% cash discount, but who cares cash?

The cashew chicken and string beans are to die for! And affordable! My parents loved the kung pao chicken and my boyfriend was obsessed with the soup dumplings. No complaints!

The food quality and service has definitely gone down hill. This place used to be the go to spot for us to get xiaolongbao and the most recent time we went, they weren't good at all. The dough was very chewy, the broth wasn't that flavorful and it barely had any meat. I also saw them microwaving food... they weren't busy. Why are you microwaving food? The one thing that turned me off was that they served our food with paper plates and plastic utensils... not sure if their dishwasher was broken or something? But it was such a turn off. The portion of the food is also so much smaller than what it used to be. We ordered hunan chicken and it was the smallest portion ever. Incredibly disappointing and definitely won't be coming back. It's unfortunate because we really loved this place :(

Is it good? Yes! Is it worth the hype? Probably not. The food was good, hot, and fresh, but didn't really have a "wow" factor to it. Plus, even if you dine in, they still deliver your meal take-out style, which seemed a little wasteful. Overall though, a solid option.

this family owned business serves truly authentic food with a wide variety of options to choose from! immediately walking in, i am greeted with a hello and a smile! the soup dumplings are tasty and the egg drop soup is one of my favorite comfort foods! i am a big fan! will be back again!

Used to come here more often before covid but had the opportunity to try it again recently. I felt like before everything was definitely better but this could be due to how busy the restaurant was with take out orders. We sat in the restaurant and ordered the pan fried pork buns, beef noodle soup, and soup dumplings. All items were tasty but both the pork buns and soup dumplings were lacking in juiciness. Soup dumplings had a 50/50 chance of having broth inside or just being dry. Overall, was not a bad experience but definitely think there's other comparable restaurants you could go to in the area.

Rediscovering Shanghai Taste and what a treat it still is after all these years! The Hainanese Chicken Rice is a must when here - the chicken is silky smooth and tender, with a bouncy bite drizzled with a soy sauce and sesame oil mixture. It comes with homemade ginger purée sauce and hot chilli sauce. The star of the dish is undoubtedly the RICE - downright authentic! When it is served, you catch a whiff of the fragrance from being cooked with pandan leaves and lemongrass, and as you put that first spoonful of rice on your tongue, the rice almost gently dissolves, releasing the savory and fragrant grains as you relish each bite! Words just don't do it justice. Yum! Also wonderfully savory is the Shredded Beef and peppers over noodles (soupless version) - seasoned slivers of beef sautéed with peppers (spicy) then poured over thin Yang Chun noodles. Also try the Singapore fried carrot cake - a savory dish made with carrot cake (Lo Bak Go) that is cubed and fried, so they are crunchy on all sides - then topped with a mixture of salted radish and egg ribbons. The Sheng Jian Bao and XLB here need no additional mention - most folks come here especially for them. Skillfully made, both dishes taste so good - just get them! Be careful with the hot, tasty soup that is in each little pocket - gently tip the pocket so you don't lose any of that liquid gold!! Well done, Shanghai Taste!

Don't pass up on some of the best dim sum in the area! Doesn't look like much when passing by, but this place was incredible! The service was great, as the people working there were really nice. The ambiance was nothing fancy, but made you feel comfortable and cozy. Food is served on paper plates but hey! Feels a bit like home and not so upright and judgy. The glutinous rice dim sum? To die for. The steamed buns were delicious. The crabmeat soup dumplings were sooo yum. And don't forget to pick up some egg drop soup! Not too salty, just the perfect amount of egg and chickeny goodness. This is a fantastic authentic Chinese food restaurant. Perfect for friends and sharing food and a good time!

We came here for lunch and ordered: wonton (pork and veggies ) , preserved veggie pork soup noodles , Shanghai dumplings and smoked fish. We have been here many times before, and the food has never failed us. This time, however, the service was very slow. Not enough help in the service area as they have only one woman serving 6 tables, doing the take out etc...We suspect there is change in ownership. We had to ask few times for our water and tea, which must have further pissed off the server. She slammed the tea cups in our table! Now the food is served in disposable plastics! The smoked fish was very tasty, but overly salted. My pork and veggie wontons was not good: broth had no taste and the the wontons were also tasteless. Don't order this! The pork preserved soup noodles was just ok. The only dish that has remained truly good is the Shanghainese soup dumplings. Disappointing!

Love the green beans! Define get the green beans. I could eat that with rice and be happy. The soup dumplings were also delicious!

Came here for dimsum on a Saturday morning. It was not busy and service was good, servers were nice. I really like that they have freshly made soymilk. The soup dumplings were very good and I think worth going just for those. We also got a few more items, the fried dough sticks, fried pork buns, etc...unfortunately, I can't remember everything anymore but the only complaint I have is that a lot of things that came out aside from the soup dumpling was very oily, i used a lot of napkins just wiping the oil off my fingers haha. Overall okay, i probably would not go back.

This place is very good. A small, mostly takeout restaurant with limited seating. Maybe 20 seats in the whole place. It's relatively quiet, but there are only a few people in the restaurant but lots of people coming and going for takeout. I had the small portion of Hunan beef, which was about 2/3 vegetables, and 1/3 beef, the sauce was absolutely perfect. I also had the hot and sour soup which was very good although a bit salty. Looks like there is a very popular ice cream store next door for dessert! For the money I would say this place is quite reasonable as it was under $20 Including tip to go

Besides the fact that this place is a lot cheaper compared to other competing places in the area, I'm not sure what else is good. Also to note, this place is carry out only so maybe that attributed to the poor taste of the food? My friend and I got pork XLB and stir-fried green beans. Both were only $20 which was nice! The pork XLB comes with 8 dumplings for $8 and the green beans were $11.50 for a large size. The portion size was quite big. However, when we got back home, I found that my dumplings were pretty deformed and a lot of them were punctured. Sadly, even the less deformed ones did not have a lot of soup in them, making the dumplings pretty dry and flavorless. I was not very impressed. The green beans were also pretty subpar as I found them pretty bland. Not much flavor. Overall, don't think I'll come back here again for those two entrees.

Love the crispy salty pork chop lunch special! Only $9 week days. Also, the pork buns special weekend!

Really nice dishes here, enough interesting variation to keep us coming back again. Friendly service in this small restaurant. The chef's specialties are generally large sharing dishes--plenty for 2-3 people. Dumplings are great.

Ever since the pandemic happened, we usually carryout items from Shanghai Taste to accompany our meals. This time, we enjoyed two orders of XLBs with black vinegar and ginger and Hainan Chicken with seaweed, tofu, and tomato soup. Some of our other favorite include Mustard Greens, Drunken Chicken, Roast Pork Pastry, Pan Fried Pork Dumplings, Pan Fried Pork Buns, Chive Pockets, Stir Fried Rice Cakes, and Beef Noodle Soup.

Food is excellent and authentic, service is friendly, ambience is homely, wonderful warm, will definitely make repeated visits

Today we got fried rice and Beef with peppers. Also soup dumplings . Everything, taste wise was really good!!!!The rice was good, the beef was really good. The dumplings, oh so good!! Unfortunately the beef with peppers should be call peppers with beef. The amount of peppers and onions was ridiculous!! We counted five to six pieces of thinly sliced beef in the bowl. Which was delicious, no doubt. But seriously some of the pieces were small. Also there was not much sauce either. I like to pour some sauce on the rice and there was no sauce (from the beef with peppers). So the flavor but the amount of beef to peppers ratio!!

They offer the best Shanghai steamed bun. They are fresh made every day and supper yummy! I also love the noodles and other street food they make. For dinner main course, they are okish. Recommend for carry out not for dining in as they provide one time use utilities now after Covid.

Upgrading the rating based on Shanghai Taste's steadfast nature during the pandemic! We've been ordering takeout from here for the past year and it's super solid. The Mixed Noodles continue to be a favorite, albeit a bit too oily. We haven't gotten the Soup Dumplings in a while, but the Crispy Scallion Pie and Fried Gluten Shitaki Mushroom are crowd pleasers. For cold proteins, we like the Smoked Fish Shanghai Style, Braised Duck Soy Sauce, and Beef Tendon Hot Sauce. For hot proteins, the Shredded Beef Chili Pepper and Sweet and Sour Pork Chop are all good. Will continue ordering from here and looking forward to the day where we can eat here in-person again, because the noodles are best served super hot and immediately!

A hidden gem in Rockville! An amazingly good self-serve type sit down restaurant that satisfies the craving for delicious authentic Chinese food! Love the extensive menu, with so many more choices than most. Its a great location located in a shopping strip with plenty of parking. Will be ordering from here more and more!

Shanghai Taste is our "go to" for outstanding Asian food. We used to live within walking distance and now that we're in Germantown, we keep coming back for their Dumplings and Hot and Sour soup especially! Highly recommended.

Read reviews about their soup dumplings and wanted to order but there menu is huge and was little confused by wat to order. Here are my recommendations 1. Soup Dumplings (4.5/)- Good flavor and soup was excellent. 2. Spicy wontons (5/5)- not that spicy and a must order 3. Shanghai braised Duck (5/5)-Amazing amazing, tender duck with great flavor. It doesn't come with rice so you have to order rice separately. 4. Crispy Scalion pie (4/5) - It had a nice crisp to it but lacked a bit of flavor. 5. Shumai stuffed gluttonous rice (4/5)- it's good but needs some flavor to it. 6. Pork Bun (3/5) - The bun was good but the filling lacked taste. Emily at the front was very polite and overall a great place. For menu look at the pictures.

Pretty good Chinese food with reasonable priced fares - including a decent rendition of xiaolongbao. However, the plastic cups, containers, and paper plates (for dining-in!) were really off-putting. I know you're going for the cheaper vibe, but using all disposable stuff really subtracts from the food experience, and kind of worrisome from the health aspect as some of the food came out really hot in plastic containers. And the water tasted funny - not sure whether it was from the cheap plastic cup or the actual water quality.

Service was terrible. Had us move table and kept trying to rush us out even though we were not finished. Waitress was rude. Food was okay. Not worth returning.

We ordered the Beef Noodle Soup, Shanghai Rice Cakes and Kung Pao Chicken. The Beef Noodle Soup is the worst that I have ever had. The broth is very salty. The color of the broth is so dark it tastes and looks like they just dump bunch of soy sauce. The noodle is store bought type of dried noodle. They are thin and flat and there is no texture at all. The beef is tender and plenty of them. The rice cake is just OK. I had much better. There is not much meat and vegetable in them. They serve their food in to go containers and disposable utensils which is fine with us. My son likes the Kung Pao Chicken.

It's a small place but excellent foods. Especially the xiao long bao and shredded pork with dried bean curd were excellent. The only turn off was picnic silverware, paper plates, and plastic utensils .

Great little restaurant! The crispy beef might be some of the best I've ever had. It wasn't too sweet like some other places.

Pan fried soup dumplings and vegetable dumplings are superb. As are the string beans and noodles and pretty much anything else you order. Prices are good too. Definitely recommend!

Great food. Always got their lunch specials. Pork dried bean curd and salt pepper fish filet are always solid choices. They use to have soup for an extra $0.50 but got rid of that. Shredded beef and hot peppers noodle with no soup is always a good choice too. Service can be improved by their employees. The family children that work their are always nice. But their employees get pissed when you ask for chilli oil and throw it down on the counter.

Second time eating here and still disappointed. Even the General TSO chicken was bland. Also adding insult to injury, my take out order took forever to be prepared and the restaurant was empty. I will not go back - there are so many other options. I did like the little dog that obviously belongs to the owner, but wonder if having the dog there violated any health regulations.

I understand drunken chicken is a cuisine not supposed to be fully cooked, but thisDrunken Chicken is way too bloody and basically undercooked. Uncooked/raw poultry can transmit salmonella. It's a serious food safety issue. Health department should look into this. I threw away the whole thing and hope they will do a better job next time. https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/chicken.html

I highly recommend the following dishes which are a true taste of Shanghai. See photo. Sen jian bao: Each order contains 6 baos. We got three orders. Chao nian gao: stir fried chewy rice cakes with napa cabbage and pork. I only wish the portion size was larger. Zui ji: drunken chicken, poached in a white rice wine and chilled.

This place has some of the best dimsum! The food was all good, you can't go wrong with any of it, my friends and I went here and we split a bunch of the food the pork soup dumplings are to die for along with the glutinous sticky rice! The service was great, the staff was nice and the ambiance was very homey. Ten out of ten would recommend!!

I've missed this place, the only place to get Shanghainese food in the area. Definitely recommend!

They had the most amazing soup dumplings (and pan fried dumplings, beef pockets, etc!). The place is located in a small strip but don't let that fool you, the food is authentic, fresh, and delicious!

Our go to Chinese take away place for years. You know it's good when most of the menu is in Chinese! Everyone is right - the soup dumplings are the best & the 2nd best are the spicy wonton dumplings...

I've been a Shanghai Taste customer for well over 10 years. Their soup dumplings are some of the best in the area, but they just don't taste the same when you get it as takeout. Ever since COVID, Shanghai Taste has been takeout only. I can understand since the space is pretty small inside. But as previously mentioned, the soup dumplings taste best fresh from the bamboo steamers. Also, the prices have increased significantly. I keep forgetting to grab a menu to upload a pic on here. Will do next time. The Pan Fried Soup dumplings (Shen Jian Bao), which are only available on weekends are a much better alternative to the small soup ones. My other favorites are the pickled cucumbers, fried pork chops (there is a salt & pepper one, and one with sauce), and beef noodle soup!

Shanghai Taste has solid food with pretty typical service. I used to love coming here to order their XLB, but in recent visits, it hasn't been as good! However, my family does like to meet here as they have a number of dishes that suits everyone's tastes. I love their garlicky stir fried snow pea shoots, radish cake (love the crisp outside and soft inside) and spicy wontons. They used to have my favorite hainan chicken but I think I now like Wang Dynasty's version more! I'd skip the Shu mai with glutinous rice (not as much flavor as I was hoping for) and every time we go, my uncle loves to get their pork belly (Kal Yuk?). I know I'll be back!

Food was terrible. No flavor. Szechwan shrimp were encased in 1/4 inch of breading. Dinner plates were plastic and food was served in plastic containers. Don't understand the good reviews.

Very authentic it is the best Shanghai restaurant I have ever tried in the country. The food is simply amazing.

Decent food but nothing special that makes you want to go back again. Always fast service and friendly people.