City Lights of China

Frommer's Review

The best of the Washington area's Chinese restaurants are not in the city at all, but in the suburbs. Chinatown, of course, still has several, including Tony Cheng's. City Lights, meanwhile, has done quite well for itself in its Dupont Circle location since 1987, feeding the office and after-work crowd hungry for dumplings and fried rice. You can join the fray and dine in, if you like, but if you are staying at a nearby hotel, you might consider ordering food to go, as well; takeout prices are cheaper for some items. Some of the most popular dishes include crisp fried Cornish hen prepared in a cinnamon-soy marinade and served with a tasty dipping sauce (this is an appetizer), Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce, stir-fried spinach, crisp fried shredded beef, and Peking duck. The setting, a three-tiered dining room with much of the seating in comfortable leather booths and banquettes, is unpretentious. Neat white-linen tablecloths, cloth flower arrangements in lighted niches, and green neon track lighting complete the picture. There's a full bar.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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