Tnr Cafe

The came here for Sunday lunch without a reservation, but we got seated immediately without any waiting. Both the fried rice and fried rice noodle were good although the fried rice noodle was not exactly the Taiwanese style I was hoping for. The 1/2 roasted duck was crispy. Basil eggplant was standard. Overall, we enjoyed our lunch here and will come back whenever coming to this area. Street parking in nearby areas was not bad around noon on Sunday.

Overall my experience was pretty good. I had previously gotten takeout and wasn't really a big fan. However, I decided to give this restaurant another chance with dine-in, and the atmosphere is cozy and modern. My wife got the Thai Tea Bubble Tea and loved it! The food is about the same as when I ordered takeout. It had good flavor, but I was a little disappointed that the wonton soup had just two wontons. My wife and I also ordered the General Tso's Chicken and the Garlic Eggplant. The chicken was very good, and the portion size in the eggplant was huge. It did seem they were understaffed, since it was a little hard to get the waitress' attention or get refills on our drinks.

tl;dr: Delicious and authentic beef stew noodle soup in a location with a classy date night aesthetic and atmosphere. I am going back to try the other foods they have! Beef Stew Noodle Soup - 5/5: The soup is bursting with umami and the beef is perfectly tender without completely falling apart! Reminds me of soup my grandmother would make me (which is the highest praise). I want to try the other foods, but the beef stew noodle soup is just sooo good! Decor - 4/5: Nice and clean decor that reminds me of restaurants in Beijing. The ambiance was date night vibes! Not sure if this was also a place to study though because they also have a cafe with baked goods, coffee, and tea. More restaurant vibes than cafe vibes where people congregate. Bathrooms - 4/5: 2 binary single stalled restrooms that are ADA friendly.

Make sure to ask for the lunch menu. Can’t seem to emphasize that more. If they don’t hand you a lunch menu, ask for it. There were so many menu items that it was hard to decide. I ended up choosing something that the waitress said had pumpkin in it but the dish didn’t come with pumpkin. The lunch menu, which I ended up getting after the meal, had a much more complete and detailed description that would have aided in the decision making process.

This place is amazing. It started out as a small hole in the wall and has now, deservedly so, expanded double. Newly remodeled, the ambiance has greatly improved with full bar and some good beer prices, but who cares, it's about the food, and this Chinese can't be matched. ATTN: Foodies Yes, they have the traditional American Chinese selections, but executed so much better. They also have a traditional Chinese menu which tells you this place has an real Chinese chef and it does. Best of all, like some places who treat you rudely for modifying or asking for something off menu, everything here is freshly made and the servers are happy to accommodate your requests. The server Rui is an absolute delight and will make you feel like you've known her forever. You want a special treat? Trust the waiters. We were guilty of ordering the same thing every time. We had a favorite waiter, Wei, who has since moved on, but he took us on a culinary tour of China I never knew existed in the DMV. We told him to surprise us. He did. One night, he brought "Cauliflower in dry [iron] pot." Cooked at high heat with fresh ginger, garlic, onion, herbs and spices, this dish turned a cauliflower indifferent to a super fan. The cauliflower Hera ever so slightly charred on top of this slightly spicy sauce. Next visit, he brought "spicy beef broth." Again, similar herbs and spices, but in a delicious brown broth with thin-sliced beef. Epic. Next, it was "cumin lamb." OMG. Spicy, thin-sliced lamb with fresh garlic, ginger spring onions, cilantro, hot peppers, and, yes, plenty of fresh cumin brought to you in a sizzling iron pot. Finally, "shrimp casserole." No, not your grandma's casserole, but another hot pot with lots of fresh garlic, onion, and herbs with mushrooms in a slightly sweet sauce over lightly breaded jumbo shrimp. Of course, we also still order out two standbys: Szechuan green beans and Kung-Pao tofu without green peppers but added snow peas. AMAZING.