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. 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. DCDining.com ranked it first among Chinese restaurants in Falls Church. Eight publications total have featured the restaurant since it opened. None of these changed the menu.

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 15 years into a consistent kitchen that knows what it's doing.

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.

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.

Parking in the Seven Corners Center lot is free. Reservations are accepted by phone at (703) 532-0940. Online ordering is available for pickup and delivery within 3 miles. Open daily 11 AM – 9:30 PM, last order at 9:15 PM.