The food is amazing, totally worth a look. Had it delivered and got what we wanted. Simply amazing and enjoyable. Shrimp in black bean sauce, chicken in orange sauce and smashed salmon. One better than the other, will have it again in the future. Hope they keep the consistency. Try it and you won't be disappointed!!! Thanks for enhancing my life! Forgot to mention the shrimp dumplings!! Yah baby life is not getting much better.

CHIKO dumpling brunch might be DCs best kept secret. To my knowledge it is only served at the Capitol Hill location on the weekends, and it is absolutely to die for. You order at the counter, and then they bring you your food at your table. My partner and I started with two dumplings, the fish and chips dumplings and the Japchae dumplings. They were both incredible, and could not be more different. The fish and chips dumplings were super crispy and filled with hot, flakey fish. Paired with CHIKOs take on a tartar sauce, these are a must order in my opinion. The Japchae dumplings were filled with glass noodles, and the texture and flavor was incredible. This was much more similar to a conventional dumpling, but both of these flavors were something I've never experienced in dumpling format before! Lastly, we got the Full CHIKO breakfast. This is a great way to try a variety of their menu items. The highlight for me was the soy glazed spam and the furikake butter rice. I don't think I've ever enjoyed rice more, it was addictive! The seaweed flavor of the furikake really took it to the next level. The eggs were also delicious, I love the addition of the tomatoes and scallions, and they had the perfect soft scramble texture. CHIKO is one of the most innovative DMV restaurants, and I absolutely loved their take on brunch. I can't wait to see what they do next!

So glad this place is back open for seated dining! I had gotten their salmon as take out once over a year ago and it was delicious. This was only my second time there and the menu is so intentional and diverse and original. They also have a vegetarian and gluten free menu which is awesome! My part of 4 got way too much food accidentally because thwir portions are large, but they made for great leftovers. The diakon side was a perfect starter. Then got the peanut noodles and wok green beans to share and I couldnt recommend the latter enough. they were perfectly charred and crispy!! I got the brisket for my main and it was creaming and delicious- absolutely no notes. The rest of my table also enjoyed their choices! Got this strawberry custard for dessert and I could've eaten the whole thing by myself. Staff was so kind and attentive and efficient. And gave great recs! Inside seating is limited and they get busy during dinner time, but the space was great!

This is a longtime standard that I finally made it to. Their online menu shows vegetarian options that weren't clear in-person, which was a bit odd because the two menus actually offered a lot of things that looked different. Eventually, I ended up with a wok-charred green bean dish that I take to be one of their signatures, as well as some cold noodles and a mushroom salad. Everything was covered in chili oil, not the worst thing from my perspective. The noodles had some included vegetables that packed a nice punch. The freshly cooked green beans with just a hint of numbing spices were indeed the highlight. I could have done with a clearer menu and maybe something that wasn't quite so oily for contrast, but this place arose in an era where DC didn't have much in the way of fresh or original Asian cuisine, and it still stands out as having something to offer.

While strolling through Eastern Market, we stumbled upon CHIKO by chance. A quick check of their reviews solidified this as our pick for dinner based on all the praise they've received. On a Sunday at 4:00P, the restaurant was empty when we arrived, but more customers arrived closer to 5:00P. The host immediately handed us a menu which consists of small plates, large plates and sides (like Korean banchan). We placed our order at the counter and then selected a table. I noticed that many customers opt for takeout, so even if you dine in during peak dinner time, you may have a good chance of grabbing one of their few tables. An employee brought over some bowls for us to share the entrées, but they were basically the size of rice bowls, so you could really only put one food item in them at a time. I would have much preferred actual plates. + CUMIN LAMB STIR FRY ($19): So good! Tender shredded lamb, mushrooms and caramelized shallots were mixed with the noodles that had a savory, slightly peppery flavor. There was also a vegetable reminiscent of bok choy, which added nice crunch. While ordering, an employee warned us about the heat, saying it's a 7/10 on the spice scale, so we asked for mild and it turned out barely spicy. If you can tolerate heat, I'd recommend leaving it as is. + ROSE DDUKBOKGI ($17): Now, this was spicy (in the most pleasant way)! Chewy rice cakes were fully covered in a rich Gochujang cream sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. It had a surprising hint of sweetness to it and a generous serving of mushrooms brought some earthy notes. + BLISTERED GREEN BEANS ($10): I love green beans and these had so much flavor from the toasted sesame oil, crispy garlic and smear of ssamjang on the side of the bowl. The beans were salty, crunchy and addicting. + NAPA CABBAGE KIMCHI ($4): I'm picky about kimchi, but this was great. It had an ideal spice level and wasn't too tart. The napa still had a perfect crunch, and I alternated bites of it with the lamb stir fry. + SPIKED PINEAPPLE LIME COOLER ($11): This drink was okay, but I wish the pineapple was more prominent... it was subtle compared to the lime. The drizzle of coconut cream on top gave it a light piña colada flavor. This amount of food was the right amount for three of us, and we enjoyed everything we ordered. I wish we could have tried more off their menu!

Stopped by here an hour before closing in a Sunday evening. Staff were friendly. We stayed to eat but it's very utilitarian vibes, clean and functional but not much more than that. Between three of us we got 1 app (green beans), 2 mains (three pepper beef, jajang) and 1 side (spicy cucumbers) - was around $60 (with a soda and lemonade as well) and there was enough food to have leftovers! Maybe like 1 more meal. The food was actually phenomenal. Like waaayyyy better than expected given that this place is not at all a fancy vibe. Honestly hard to say which item was my favorite. Flavor, texture, freshness - everything was amazing! The only kinda weird thing is that they all the items were being cooked in the same singular wok, so the items were a bit staggered coming out. But overall, delicious, easy, cheap especially relative to the quality for sure! Would come back and recommend.

I brought my out-of-town friend here who was craving Asian food on a Saturday night. Since it is mostly a takeout place, we were able to secure seats for 2 people without difficulty. Orders are placed directly at the cashier before seating. We ordered and shared the brussels sprouts and Lamb cumin stir fry. The brussels sprouts were unexpectedly delicious 5/5! I highly recommend this dish if you want a veggie dish. I expected the lamb cumin stir fry to be succulent based on a rec from an acquaintance and I was not disappointed! Don't be fooled by the white color of the noodles. It just was not mixed properly. So, all the noodles were on top while the lamb was at the bottom. The lamb was so tasty and tender that we almost ordered another plate! By the time we got to the lamb, we wanted more noodles but they were sadly all gone. Definitely order the lamb cumin stir fry!

This location only does take out. Ordering was easy online and pick up was quick. We ordered the spicy bulgogi stir fry and the soy glazed brisket. We enjoyed the bulgogi stir fry. The bulgogi (beef) was served on ttoek (rice cake). The rice cake was cooked through and was chewy and not hard. The brisket dish was served on rice and with a soy marinated egg. The brisket wasn't my favorite and this dish was served with a lot of pickled peppers--also not my favorite and it wasn't in the description of the dish. It was a unique dish, but not for me. Both dishes were packed in a cup like container, not really good for the brisket dish, it made the rice mushy. And they did put a lot of rice and peppers and not as much of the meat. Overall it did have pretty tasty foods and would try other things, though the prices are a little high for the portions ($19 each).