Fifteen Years at Seven Corners

Hong Kong Palace opened in June 2010 at 6387 Leesburg Pike in Falls Church, Virginia. The restaurant hasn't changed its approach since: a regional Chinese menu built around Szechuan cooking, prepared by chefs who trained in the techniques. More than fifteen years is a long time for any restaurant. In the DC suburbs, where turnover is constant, it means something.

The Accolades

Tyler Cowen, the George Mason University economist whose Ethnic Dining Guide covers the DC area with unusual precision, listed Hong Kong Palace and wrote that it was "probably the best Chinese place around." Cowen has eaten at thousands of restaurants worldwide. The description is not casual.

Washingtonian Magazine included Hong Kong Palace in its Cheap Eats list in 2015 and 2017, and later in its roundup of must-try Chinese restaurants. DCDining.com ranked it first among Chinese restaurants in Falls Church. Northern Virginia Magazine placed it on its list of the region's Sichuan kitchens. Eight publications in total have featured the restaurant since it opened. None of these changed the menu.

Diners have been steadier than critics. The restaurant holds a 4.5-star average across more than 630 reviews. A fuller account of the coverage is collected in our awards and recognition.

What Keeps People Coming Back

The Chengdu Tea Smoked Duck is the dish regulars mention first. Duck, tea-smoked over camphor wood, then roasted until the skin crisps. The smoking process takes hours. The flavor compounds with each step. It doesn't appear on most Chinese menus in Northern Virginia.

Ma Po Tofu with house-made doubanjiang. Szechuan peppercorns hand-ground before each service. Dumplings made fresh, not from the freezer. These details accumulate over fifteen years into a consistent kitchen that knows what it's doing.

The rest of the menu rewards the same attention. Twice Cooked Pork, Cumin Beef, and a Kung Pao Chicken built on the sour-sweet lychee profile rather than the sugary American version. Roughly a hundred dishes, most of them cooked the way they are cooked in Chengdu.

The Name on the Sign

The English name says Hong Kong Palace. The Chinese characters say 成都小馆 — Chengdu Xiaoguan, Chengdu Bistro. The two names point at different places for a reason worth its own telling, which we cover in the story behind the name. The kitchen has always followed the Chinese one.

The Neighborhood

Seven Corners has changed since 2010. Restaurants open and close around Hong Kong Palace. The intersection still draws the Asian-American population that settled in Falls Church and neighboring Bailey's Crossroads in the 1980s and 90s. That community, along with food-focused regulars from across Northern Virginia and DC, keeps the dining room full on weekday evenings.

The corridor is dense with competition, which is part of what makes staying put an achievement. We wrote a guide to the Chinese restaurants at Seven Corners because the honest answer is that several of them are good at different things.

Still Open at Seven Corners

Hong Kong Palace is open and operating at the same address it has occupied since 2010. Some outdated third-party listings suggest otherwise; they are wrong. Current hours are daily, 11 AM – 9:30 PM, with the last online order accepted at 9:15 PM. Lunch specials run daily from 11 AM to 3 PM. Catering is available for events from 10 to 150+ guests.

For First-Timers

Start with the Meat Dumpling and Crispy Beef Szechuan Style. Add Ma Po Tofu if you want to understand what the kitchen does best. Bring someone who can order a few dishes and share. The restaurant is built for that. If you want the wider regional argument, see why we are considered the best Sichuan restaurant in Northern Virginia.

Parking in the Seven Corners Center lot is free. Reservations are accepted by phone at (703) 532-0940. Online ordering is available for pickup every day, and for delivery within 3 miles on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between 4 and 9 PM, free on orders of $15 or more.