Award-winning

Bar Chinois - DC

Name: Bar Chinois - DC
Address: 455 I St NW, Washington, DC, United States, 20001-3054
Telephone: (202) 851-6250
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.6

4.6 (682)

$30 and under

Chinese

455 I St NW, Washington, DC 20001-3054

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 1, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 48 times today

About this restaurant

Hot spot
Lively
Great for happy hour

Bar Chinois is recognized for its constantly-evolving Chinese menu and French-inspired cocktail and wine program. Recent accolades include being listed in the Michelin Dining Guide USA, the Washington Post Fall Dining Guide, Modern Luxury DC Best of the City and 2024 RAMMY Award Winner for Best Bar in DC.

Located in Mount Vernon Triangle, Bar Chinois is a short walk from the Washington Convention Center, Capital One Arena, National Mall and Union Station. We offer happy hour specials Tuesday-Sunday from 5 pm-7 pm and a bottomless brunch on weekends.

If you are looking for an energetic Washington, DC dining experience with great food, drink and service, we would love to host you!

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Chinese, Cantonese
Hours of operation
Bar Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–1:00 am Fri, Sat 11:00 am–2:00 am Sun 11:00 am–12:00 am Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–5:00 pm Dinner Tue–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–12:00 am
Phone number
(202) 851-6250
Website
http://www.barchinoisdc.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Chef Satang Ruangsangwatana

Location
455 I St NW, Washington, DC 20001-3054
Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
Neighborhood
Shaw
Cross street
5th and I Streets NW
Parking details
Metered street parking. Numerous parking garages and lots within a three block radius.
Public transit
Closest metro stations are Chinatown, Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center, Judiciary Square and Union Station. DC Circulator bus stops on Massachusetts Ave. NW and 5th Street NW and a number of other bus stops nearby.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Wonton Soup$8.00
Pork & shrimp wontons, shiitake mushrooms, chicken bone broth, spinach, garlic
Marinated Cucumbers$9.00
English cucumbers, sesame, chili flakes, soy
Roasted Mushroom Salad$11.00
Shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, harissa, black vinegar, confit garlic, scallions
Red Chili Wontons$11.00
Pork & shrimp wontons, garlic, chili-oil, scallions, soy vinaigrette
Har Gow$10.00
Crystal prawn dumplings, bamboo shoots, toasted sesame, Chef's soy
Chili Karaage$11.00
Chinois-style fried chicken, spicy chili & garlic sauce, shaoxing wine, toasted sesame seeds, arugula (Gluten Free available)
Salt & Pepper Shrimp$12.00
Garlic, ginger, scallions, Szechuan peppercorn, shaoxing wine (Gluten Free available)
Crab Rangoon$10.00
Fried crab & cream cheese wontons, homemade apricot duck sauce, toasted sesame
Gyoza de Boeuf$11.00
French onion beef gyoza, gruyere, swiss, pickled onions, cilantro aioli
Steamed Shumai$10.00
Chicken & shrimp, water chestnut, fried garlic, scallions, Chef's soy
Pork Belly Bao$15.00
Homemade tian-mian bean sauce, mustard, cucumber, spring onions
Lu Rao Fan$17.00
Slow braised 5-Spice pork belly bits on rice, soy egg, scallions, ginger, arugula salad
Char Siu Chicken Rice$18.00
Hong Kong Style BBQ Chicken, red soy, swiss chard, soy egg, ginger chimichurri
1970's Garlic Noodles$16.00
Egg noodles, shiitake, spinach, garlic butter, parmesan, Chef's soy
Zi-Char Chili Garlic Fish$18.00
Singaporean fried fish with spicy chili & garlic sauce, shaoxing wine, jasmine rice. Gluten Free available. Substitute tofu or shrimp

Desserts

Matcha Crème Brûlée$7.00
Chocolate Cheesecake$7.00
French Vanilla Profiteroles$9.00

What 682 people are saying

Bar Chinois - DC reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.4Service
4.4Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

District of Columbia
Hot spot

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Bar Chinois in DC offers an energetic atmosphere with "amazing happy hour" deals, including "half-priced cocktails and $1 dumplings." Patrons rave about its "delicious food" and "excellent service." While some find it noisy, the vibrant setting and "trendy vibes" make it a hotspot for social gatherings.

682 Reviews

P
Philip
Hawaii12 reviews
4.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Food and drinks as advertised and tasted very yummy!
Is this helpful?
P
Prem
London3 reviews
4.0
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Drinks were great but dumplings did not live up to expectations
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b
barbara
San Francisco Bay Area3 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
First timers for our anniversary. Food was great. Service was terrific. They even gave us complimentary champaign and dessert for the occasion! But maybe not the place for true romantic dinner - noise level a bit too high for that.
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T
Tearea
Portland / Oregon1 review
5.0
Dined on June 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This was my first time at Bar Chinois the Happy Hour menu and drinks were absolutely amazing! The staff was amazing 10/10 definitely coming back
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M
Michelle
Unspecified1 review
5.0
Dined on June 14, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely spot and great food ! Small plates are small but filing too.
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J
Joel
Miami - Dade1 review
3.0
Dined on June 14, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 5
First of all, our reservation was for 9:00 PM. We checked in around 8:35PM with the hostess. She said it would be closer to 9:00 but she would let me know. I sat and watched her sit other people walking in one after another as the empty tables were filling up. She finally asked me if I was a walk in as I stared at her. She sat us in our table at 9:20 PM. Food overall was rated good, because my least favorite item was the soup dumplings. My main was the duck, while it was well flavored I wasn’t particularly fond of the texture as it was a little tough. The wontons were delicious. The stand out of the whole meal was the beef gyoza. The others in my party had the Char Siu Chicken rice and the Lu Rao Fan. Which both said it was just ok, nothing to brag about. The ambience was cool and trendy, I can see why it may be considered a hotspot. But it was extremely loud, not because of the music or anything like that. I found myself shouting so my party could hear me. My only other thing was the price, we got the reservation and sat down past the happy hour time special making the food over priced for what it was. I’d probably go spend my money and time elsewhere.
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D
Dane
Washington, D.C. Area8 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 9, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
The food is amazing. Inside the atmosphere is dark, loud, and hot. They could do with some soft surfaces to help absorb sound and lamps on the tables. Not sure why it’s so warm inside.
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R
Rory
Kansas City / Kansas1 review
3.0
Dined on June 5, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
This place has a hip and cool vibe. The vibe indicates that the food will be amazing like the food at Astoria. BUT the food can be described best as not bad. But there’s nothing at the restaurant that is earth shattering. It’s above average dim sum
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C
Catherine
Washington, D.C. Area1 review
5.0
Dined on June 4, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We came here to celebrate my dad's retirement and had a really nice dinner! The drinks and food were delicious and the service was excellent. Really appreciate how nice and helpful the hostess was. It was a great place to celebrate!
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J
Jescy VIP
Atlanta4 reviews
3.0
Dined on June 2, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The garlic chives gao were awful. Genuinely one of the worst restaurant dishes I have ever put in my mouth. The chili wontons and pork xlb dumplings were just okay. Entrees were pretty good, I would stick to those!
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FAQs

Bar Chinois - DC does offer delivery in partnership with Uber Eats. Bar Chinois - DC also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (202) 851-6250.

Bar Chinois - DC is rated 4.6 stars by 682 OpenTable diners.

Bar Chinois - DC does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 1, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 48 times today

455 I St NW, Washington, DC 20001-3054

Dining areas

Additional information

Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
Cross street
5th and I Streets NW
Neighborhood
Shaw
Hours of operation
Bar Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–1:00 am Fri, Sat 11:00 am–2:00 am Sun 11:00 am–12:00 am Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–5:00 pm Dinner Tue–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–12:00 am
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Chinese, Cantonese
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Metered street parking. Numerous parking garages and lots within a three block radius.
Public transit
Closest metro stations are Chinatown, Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center, Judiciary Square and Union Station. DC Circulator bus stops on Massachusetts Ave. NW and 5th Street NW and a number of other bus stops nearby.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Chef Satang Ruangsangwatana
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.barchinoisdc.com/
Phone number
(202) 851-6250

Featured in

12 Washington, DC restaurants that our local editor loves

Gift card

Send gift cards instantly by email or print to present in person.

Send a gift card

Bar Chinois - DC

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Dining areas

Additional information

12 Washington, DC restaurants that our local editor loves

Gift card

Main

Wonton Soup$8.00

Marinated Cucumbers$9.00

Roasted Mushroom Salad$11.00

Red Chili Wontons$11.00

Har Gow$10.00

Chili Karaage$11.00

Salt & Pepper Shrimp$12.00

Crab Rangoon$10.00

Gyoza de Boeuf$11.00

Steamed Shumai$10.00

Pork Belly Bao$15.00

Lu Rao Fan$17.00

Char Siu Chicken Rice$18.00

1970's Garlic Noodles$16.00

Zi-Char Chili Garlic Fish$18.00

Desserts

Matcha Crème Brûlée$7.00

Chocolate Cheesecake$7.00

French Vanilla Profiteroles$9.00

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Bar Chinois - DC offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Bar Chinois - DC restaurant rated?

Does Bar Chinois - DC offer gift cards?

Is Bar Chinois - DC currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information

Featured in

12 Washington, DC restaurants that our local editor loves

Gift card