Sampan Cafe
6116 Franconia Rd, Alexandria, VA, 22310
Sampan Cafe Menu
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Address :
6116 Franconia Rd
Alexandria, VA, 22310 - Phone (703) 971-5404
- Website https://www.sampancafe.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 11
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
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Alicia G.
When I walked into Sampan Café with family friends (who are all Chinese, might I add), I noted a couple things: 1. It smells like China 2. Only Asians were eating here (save for the white woman married to a Chinese guy + cute hapa children) 3. Oooh this is gonna be good (and I was right!) The four of us ordered four dishes to share family style- eggplant and stuffed tofu with black bean sauce, steamed cod, ginger scallion chicken and beef with jie lan. Though I'm definitely not a vegetarian, the standout for me was the eggplant and tofu. It was piping hot, well-seasoned, wonderfully fresh and oh-so-delicious. The steamed cod was also delightful - flavorful sauce and the fish was nice and flaky. I only wish the piece of fish had been bigger! The beef was good - the jie lan was fresh and crisp. The chicken was okay. I'm not huge on steamed chicken but I found their rendition to be more appealing than what I had experienced at Bob's 66 in Rockville. The accompanying bowl of ginger and scallions really does make all the difference. The place was full but the service was pretty spot on. My water was constantly refilled and they were not annoyed to help when we spilled a cup of tea. Should I find myself in the Virginia area again, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a return trip here. But who knows when that will be? =P
(4)Watchdog B.
Too salty. Clear soups don't taste clean, but greasy. Dim sum: passable for a quick fix but not good; I wouldn't be surprised if they were factory frozen. Service was pretty good. But roaches scaling the wall isn't a good sign. Take your good friends and your 1st date somewhere else.
(2)Mark S.
For dim sum in the springfield, va area.. this is pretty darn good. Yeah it's not like the big dim sum places, but they serve the same stuff. everything is delicious and tasted yummy. We went right when they opened and it wasn't crowded at all. It wasn't until later on when we were almost done that the place started to have more people. i would recommend going at around 12 or 12:30 when it's a bit more crowded.
(5)E L.
Dim Sum - 1 stars Beef stew noodles - 1 stars Service - 3 stars
(2)Yan W.
After a so-so visit here a few months ago (at the tail end of dim sum time on a weekend), I decided to give this place another try. Good thing I did! The service is hands-down fabulous. Usually, at Dim Sum places, it's hit-or-miss because they know you are addicted to the food. [Feel free to make veiled references to food addictions here, I will pass on this one]. Here, they speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. Like the other yelpers recommended, I asked for lobster, but the waitress "corrected" me by taking my finger off the menu and pointing to the much cheaper "lobster special" option. Just point to the neon blue sign above the bar for non-Chinese reading folks. That's an extra bonus star in my book. Good hometown honesty. Their Dim Sum is pretty good. They only have the carts on the weekend, but the waitress told us, we could still order it on the weekdays, you just have to wait for the chef to make it. Freshly made dim sum? Heck, I'd wait days! For those folks who like kong xin cai () or Rau Mung XÃ o and have been having trouble finding it (something about it being restricted, since the spinach like plant grows and covers up storm drains?), you can find it here. A couple of drawbacks - their limited dim sum menu and their location really isn't close to anything I frequent.
(4)Michael K.
Like you, I was looking for a good dim sum place. I saw Sampan on Yelp and decided to give it a try. In few words, it was so so to a disappointment. they only had very few choices, in fact, only one cart with about 8 choices. that was it. Other than that they had on additional cart for bakery items. that is not what I call a dim sum. After the first cart we waited for more carts, but no other carts came except same cart came around 3 times. They are not going to attract many new dim sum followers with their current selections. I don't think I am going back. In the meantime, although little out of the way, I just have to go back to that other dim sum place in Rosslyn.
(2)Alex A.
Food was "meh" ... overpriced for the quality/taste. Servers were very friendly. The beeps and boops from the touch-screen game on the bar emphasized how the restaurant was completely empty except for us. Empty, that is, if you don't consider the two employees sleeping on another dining table.
(3)Mel J.
I have been here several times...lately it seems like the food that we have been getting comes out cold and it take longer to actually get some one to pay attention to you when you sit at the table. Not to mention...the workers there definitely do talk about you...whether it is nice or not...it is pretty obvious. There is variety...dum sum is decent, Fortune in Arlington has a better variety and quick service.
(2)Lia M.
Based on the reviews, I was hoping I would like it more. But alas, I did not. It is not awful, but not amazing. The fried rice was very good, but the Szechuan chicken & Kung Pao chicken was OK. I might go back and try another dish or two, but I'd rather spend my money trying another place.
(3)Brooke F.
Ordered delivery from here and it was quick and great tasting. The crab rangoons are awesome!
(4)Epic N.
First off, I do not like leaving negative reviews, however this past experience at Sampan was so terrible I have to warn others about a place that I had a TERRIBLE experience at. My experieince: Dim Sum Quality: 2/5 Stars Service: 1/5 Star (would be zero except the waitress who kept our water filled) Overall Experience - 0/5 Stars (as in there is a very small chance I will go back) I was really excited about this place since they make some of my favorite chinese dishes and looked like a pretty good restaurant according to reviews of other Yelp'ers...unfortunately my experience did not resonate with these good reviews... I came here on a Sunday for some dim sum, not expecting anything great but something decent based on a 3.5 star rating...My gf and I were seated relatively quickly and we ordered from the cart some some sticky rice, shrimp shumai, scallop shumai, and asked if there was any chicken feet which I was told by the waitress would be out quickly and that they would have different things too... 20 minutes later... A bread (dessert) cart comes around and we ask where the other cart was and she said it would come out soon...(meanwhile all the wait staff is not doing anything) and we proceed to order some eggplant with shrimp that was bland and cold...at this point we ask for a bowl of rice (which costs extra) and wait... 10+ minutes later - My gf and I are ready to go and losing the appetite we'd come in with for some dim sum...then finally the lady comes out with our rice and we see the dim sum cart coming out and we reluctantly get the chicken feet, not because we were hungry, but to see if the chicken feet was any good (for future reference) which it was =) only good thing of the whole meal... I ask for a check and I see everyone around us who ordered their checks after us getting their checks first and it comes almost 14 minutes after I asked for it... Overall, I was extremely dissatisfied with the quality of service...its a different story if it was a super busy day and their food was so amazing that it was worth the wait, but it was not busy at all nor was the food that good...I can't even use the word great anywhere in this description except in terms of describing the lack thereof. Extra Things to Note about Dim Sum: Each bowl of Rice is 1.50 extra Tea is 50 cents for each person Shrimp Shumai - 4 pieces Scallop Shumai - 3 pieces Skip the sticky rice wrapped in leaves - not that good Get the chicken feet if anything Rice flour shrimp is all dough ...gross... I am by no means a snob but have expectations... if I am going to a 3.5 star place, I expect a decent meal, and decent service. I received neither of those.
(1)Julia N.
I personally am not a big fan of Chinese food, but if I had to eat at a Chinese restaurant, I would eat at this one. The dim sum is fairly decent, better than the ones I've had before at other Chinese restaurants. The service is pretty good, at least to me since one of the waitresses is a family friend. When we ordered fish this time, the chef used a dead fish instead of a freshly caught one, and she said she protested against it and that if we didn't like it, she'd get a new one for us. We didn't have to pay for the fish in the end which was nice.
(3)calvin c.
Good dim sum. They serve it during lunch hours on the weekend.
(3)Mai T.
Sampan Cafe is a decent place. I've had dim sum here once, but not impressed. Their selection was limited and just not very good in my opinion. However, I order delivery from here when I want Chinese. My usual order consists of Intestine with Sour Cabbage, Spicy Crispy Pork, and Seafood Fried Rice. Today, I ordered Beef Chow Fun in addition to my usual, and I was disappointed. My sauce was on the soupy side, and bland. Maybe I'm spoiled by my Canton Cafe Chow Fun. Sometimes, I'll opt for the Kingdom Pork Chop, but it's not that great here. The Intestine with Sour Cabbage, my sound odd, but it is very very good. I've also tried this dish at Big Wongs, and Sampan is much better. It's a sweet and sour flavor and perfect along with white rice. All in all, I don't know if I would travel to eat here, but it sure does beat the other Chinese delivery places here in Kingstowne.
(3)Keith K.
Three words: authentic, delicious, stuffed Frequency: once Decided to check out this restaurant after seeing the positive reviews and had a great dinner with the family. We entered the restaurant optimistic and left with four full stomachs and big smiles. I then fell into a food coma, but I digress. The food was great. We order several dishes which we shared including vegetables, chicken, beef, rice, muscles and squid. Each of us was given our own bowl of rice. The service was good and the waitress was able and willing to suggest some menu items for as since it was our first time there. I am anxious to get back and try the dim sum next time.
(4)Bob S.
I lived in Asia for a number of years and love authentic Chinese food, not the Chinese American food found in so many Chinese restaurants. Of the seven restaurants in Northern VA that serve authentic Chinese food, Sampan Cafe is the best. I have never been disappointed with the food or service. Live fish with black beans and ginger, steamed jumbo oysters with black bean sauce, the lamb cassrole, chicken with snow pea leaves, salt chicken with ginger and scallion sauce, and on and on, all so delicious. On Saturdays and Sundays, their dim sum is outstanding, very fresh from the kitchen!
(5)Lyn W.
I've just moved to this area recently and am ecstatic to have find this little gem. It's nestled in an older shopping strip but don't don't just a book by its cover. The food is outstanding and sooo authentic! Tea and water awaits as you settle into your table. They have great family style menu that is very reasonably price. Everything I've tried has been good from the chicken and ginger with scallions to the crab/fish soup, deep fried pork chop pieces to the lobster. What's even better is they finish it off with complimentary red bean dessert or fresh oranges. I highly recommend this place. Can't go wrong!
(5)Lauren C.
I ordered takeout from here for the first time this past Friday, and I was extremely underwhelmed. The leftovers we ate the rest of the weekend tasted a little bit better than the first night, but I've often found that to be the case with Chinese takeout. Here's what I ordered followed by what I thought: 1) Egg rolls: Inedible. I took one bite and threw the other one out. They tasted, quite frankly, completely rotten. 2) Hot and sour soup: WAY too sour. It was just off, I don't know how else to describe it. I pretty much enjoy this soup anywhere, so I was very disappointed. 3) 1/2 Peking Duck: The duck was good. I enjoyed this the most out of everything. Nice crispy skin and plenty of fixings for the price. Still, I decided that for my local Peking duck needs, Oriental Cafe in Rose Hill Shopping Center does it better. 4) Sesame Chicken: I got this for free with an order of $30. It was OK, exactly what you'd expect for free sesame chicken. Much better reheated the next day. 5) Beef with Garlic Sauce: It wasn't spicy as it was supposed to be, and had about three pieces of beef in it. Overall, I just didn't really "get" the dish. 6) Roast Pork Lo Mein: Decent. Like the sesame chicken, pretty standard and what you'd expect. Much MUCH better reheated the next day. 7) Fried Chicken Wings: These were fabulous. Crispy and delicious. I even ate some cold later that night and they were amazing. I won't be ordering from here again. In fact, I posted a reminder on my refrigerator to avoid it since I get a lot of takeout menus in the mail and am afraid of the meal escaping my recent memory!
(2)Janet L.
i've been here once. and only once because the food didn't meet my expectations. once i went in, there were no customers. the place is well-decorated with colors of red and decorative chinese furniture. the waiteres and waitresses were extremely nice and gave us smiles and great service (probably because we were their only customers). they eagerly offered to take photos for us when we had trouble including everyone in the snapshots. however, sadly, their dim sum was lacking in flavor and texture. har gaw: i didn't care much for this. taste was bland. shrimp crepe: generous amount of shrimp! however, the noodle was way too thick and gummy. siu mai: nothing exceptional, but not terrible either. egg tart: served hot, sweet. wonton soup: the wontons were too salty and spoiled the soup. overall, i wouldn't recommend this restaurant for dim sum, but i still gave them two stars for their friendly and good service that you don't find often in chinese restaurants.
(2)Phil V.
Call me racist, but the first thing I noticed upon walking into Sampan Cafe tonight was the overwhelmingly Asian clientele - a definite plus when trying to determine a Chinese joint's "authenticity." Tried the: Egg drop soup (a bit too thick, but good), egg rolls (among the best), chicken fried rice (awesome) and beef w/ vegetables (good, very fresh tasting). Will definitely be back again.
(4)Steph L.
I probably would never have set my foot in this restaurant if it hadn't been recommended by a Chinese colleague. I tend to eat more Beijing and Sichuan food when it comes to my Chinese dining, so I'm not as familiar with the Cantonese restaurant scene in the area. Sampan Café being a Cantonese restaurant had not been on my radar as one of the to-try Chinese restaurants, but after my colleague told me they had $12.99 lobster specials, the frugal Chinese in me could not pass up the chance to go. I was surprised to see how big the restaurant was on the inside. From the outside, it looks like it's about as big as any typical Chinese take-out place, but inside it was spacious and spotlessly clean with quite a few big round tables for large groups. Good thing to keep in mind for big Chinese parties. Tea was brought to the table and water glasses were filled immediately as soon as we sat down. Besides the regular menu, Sampan also has a dim sum menu, albeit relatively limited compared to Oriental East and such. We started with 3 dim sums, the sweet and spicy chicken feet, the black bean spare ribs, and scallion and ginger tripe. The ribs were the best among the 3, tender, juicy and flavorful. The tripe was perfectly cooked, neither over nor under done. The chicken feet could've used a little more heat. For the main dishes we ordered lobster two ways. One was stir-fried with scallion and ginger, the other was deep fried first (I think) and then stir-fried with spicy minced meat. Wanting more meaty substance and of course veggies, we rounded up our order with a lamb and tofu skin casserole and garlic stir-fried Chinese watercress. Of the 2 lobster dishes, I preferred the scallion and ginger version. It was light enough that you could still taste the lobster. The spicy one just had too much going on that the natural sweet taste of lobster was lost entirely. And to be honest, I was a little disappointed by the lobster dishes. They chopped up the lobsters into pieces (not sure how many and what size lobsters they used in each dish), and for some of the smaller pieces, it was really tough to get to any of the meat. The highlight of the meal was the lamb and tofu skin casserole. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender and there was a good amount of it in there. The tofu skin was cooked just long enough to be soft yet still retained its bit of chewy texture. This is a dish that'll keep you warm for hours on a frigid winter day and the best way to eat it is to have it with a big bowl of steamy white rice. The watercress was on the pricey side for a veggie dish, $11.95, but since you don't see much Chinese watercress in restaurants in the area and it was delicious, I wasn't too upset about it. My friend says Sampan is owned by a member of the Hong Kong mafia thus their late hours of operation - open till 11pm or later everyday in a little traffic strip mall. He claims to have dined their one late night and saw a Chinese guy in all black sitting at a table in the back corner with bodyguard typish men standing around him and two more squatting by the front door. But hey, if Hong Kong mafia brings good food to the area, then I say, the more the merrier.
(4)Jamie S.
I live in west Virginia and am often in the metro area. Recently I went to sampan cafe to try out the food sense I was in the area. I found the food was great as well as the service. Best Chinese I have had in a while. Try the hong Kong menu while your there it was the first time trying it found that it was very good.
(5)Bobby N.
I've been going here for the past 17 months (whenever I'm in Virginia / D.C. area) for DIM SUM. Delicious! Service is prompt and great. There is never a wait.
(5)Wendy L.
I've eaten here a couple of times but they were all so long ago I can't remember if I liked it then. My mom saw that they had dim sum in the paper so we decided to try it out. The ad in the Chinese newspaper said they had fried milk, which I've never had but my parents remember from when we lived in HK. Well I still haven't had it as they didn't have any. We first asked a waitress about it and she said she would check but never came back. Then we asked the man that looked like the owner but he was too busy schmoozing with either his family or friends to pay us any mind. Overall dim sum experience here is mediocre and choices are limited. There were only three push carts and the table set up isn't conducive to the pushing of the carts. The noodle crepe is as another reviewer mentioned made from the chow fun noodles. The fried turnip cake was weird because their dried shrimp looked like weird. The steamed pork and chicken buns were good and the only items that came out piping hot. The fried taro dumpling was good too. The har gau was made with a thick and mushy wrapper. Egg tarts were good but could be flakier. If I were friends of the owner I would probably come back since they got VIP treatment, but I am not so not worth a return trip.
(2)Brittany R.
My favorite Chinese food in the Nova area, maybe my favorite Chinese food ever. This place is the go-to takeout place for my husband and I. We probably eat here at least once a month and have never been disappointed. We've never eaten in, but the restaurant is very large, clean and nicely decorated. The staff is so friendly and they've always thrown in egg rolls when we buy two entrees. It's pretty reasonably priced for the large portions and freshness of the food you get. Great variety and flavors. Be sure to try the egg drop or wonton soups, spring rolls, crab rangoon and crispy spicy beef. Delicious!
(5)Mary R.
We ate at Sampan yesterday. We had both dim sum and ordered off the menu. We had 2 different shrimp dim sum dishes - both were excellent. We also had the shrimp stuffed eggplant and the tofu and vegetables. Both were very good, and the servings were huge. We brought home enough food for another meal. One thing that is important to me is cleanliness - this place is clean! Service is also good and I think the food is probably authentic since we were the only non Asians. We will go again!
(4)eddie p.
Sampan is good, real good. I been in the area all my life. I heard about this spot from the local Thai news letter. My usual weekday spot is Mu Kee off Arlington Blvd and Fu Kee on Columbia Pike. If you are worried about time, no problem; they close at 1 maybe 2 on the weekdays. If I don wanna drive far, I go to Canton Cafe in Springfield Plaza. I must say though, Canton has fell off. i have been going there nearly 10 years. Believe me, if I don't have to I would not prefer to go there. Only thing that is really helping them out is the Dim Sum on weekends and Dim Sum on a daily basis and Larry (owner). If you don't mind listening while eating, he has stories and jokes for days. My weekend spot after the club, defiantly has to be New Big Wong in Chinatown. Food is fabulous and service is like it is in China. I never been to China but i know their food. Those of you who know real Chinese food know that the service sucks, chips and dings in silverware, and loud Chinese through out the restaurant means great Chinese food. I went to Sampan Cafe for the first time this week, so far I been there 3 times. My family loves Chinese food as well, they have also given the approval. The service is great as well, not that it matters to me given my opinion on real Chinese spots. But those that do mind than yes, food, service, and cleanliness are great. The only, I mean only thing my family and I noticed were that some of the dishes were lacking that extra taste. I can't describe it but those of y'all that eat Chinese food like me know what I mean. So far I have tried Seafood Chow Mein, Seafood Casserole, Hong Kong Wonton Soup, Fried Sea Bass, etc... Did I mention they also do Dim Sum daily and the carts on weekends. I will be there soon to try their weekend Dim Sum. If it beats or even comes close to Marks Duck House or Fortune than Arlington/Alexandria.... We have a problem. oh, last but not least, Sampan Cafe is owned by the same owner as Mu Kee, big plus on that.
(4)Hsiu C.
This place is nicely decorated. There are enough space between tables to give some privacy and walk way. Waiter we had today can speak 7 to 8 different languages. Awesome right? I think so. I did not get his name. We order 7 dishes, let me see if I can remember: clams in black bean sauce, sizzling steak with black pepper sauce, pork intestine with pickle veges, pork knuckles ??? with pickle veges, pork chop in the sweet & sourish sauce with couple pineapple chucks, and garlic stir fry veges pea leaf (?), and half a roast duck. Sorry I don't all the names, the person who ordered order in Chinese, so I'm trying my best convert. My favorite was the pork chop dish, yummy sauce which I mixed in with my rice, which was bottomless, the waiter keep the rice bowl full and the tea pot filled. Next dish was the roast duck. It isn't the best I had, but it wasn't salty like other places I have tried, this roast duck actually has flavor! The other dishes we order were more intestinal dishes I eat but not great at judging them.
(4)Joseph Y.
Service was awful. The place was almost empty, but the owner wanted to seat us at a cold table near the door. We asked for another table in the middle and he grudgingly agreed. 10 minutes later no waiter had come to take our order so we walked out.
(1)Tracy D.
This place is a family favorite as we have develpoed a rapport with the management and staff. It's also a convenient location from home. Some of our favoites are the crispy chicken (order when you are seated, takes 30 to come out and is well worth it!), seafood fried rice, walnut shrimp, garlic and snow peas, and some other dishes that I don't know how to translate into English... Over time though I think there's just a bit too much msg in their food... always leaving me thirsty after our meals. Prior to ordering, my parents will remind the staff not to put so much msg or oil when cooking our food. My mom is vegetarian so we also make some adjustments to dishes we order. They are always very courteous of these requests.
(4)Chamell N.
Although it was an spontaneous run in, don't worry with the free appetizer offer because it has no expiration date and the lady says its no longer being honored. All in all the service and food was good.
(2)Michelle R.
Order took over an hour to be delivered. When I called to check on the delivery status, the lady was short with me and then proceeded to hang up on me. Horrible costumer service.
(1)Amie C.
It's the only place in VA with garlic & salt deep fried Dungeness crab & black bean sauce oysters. I've been looking for this since we moved here in 2008. They also have great dim sum selections on weekends.
(5)Qing X.
Came here for Dim Sum after reading the positive reviews on Yelp. The quality is good and the taste authentic-- I would have given it a 5 star, had it not been for the somewhat limited Dim Sum menu. I will be back to try out the regular menu soon.
(4)Hugh A.
One visit so far. Two of us for lunch had Spring Rolls, Hunan Beef, and Vermicelli Singapore Style. It was plenty of food with leftovers. I loved the way they served the spring rolls. The duck sauce and mustard were in the same dipping bowl. Every time we dipped the spring roll, we got a mix of the sweet and tangy sauce with hot mustard. After all these years eating Chinese, I never mixed the duck sauce and hot mustard. Enlightening!! The Hunan beef was really good. It had a dark and slightly sweet and spicy sauce with fresh broccoli. My wife tore that dish up. The Vermicelli Singapore Style was my favorite dish with rice noodles, curry spice, pork, chicken, egg, and green bell peppers. I will go back for that dish alone. The menu was massive. I can't wait to try the dim sum and some of the more traditional Chinese dishes.
(4)Paul J.
SAVE YOURSELVES !!! DO NOT EVER ORDER FROM THIS NIGHTMARISH PLACE !!! What an amazing THANKSGIVING I had, courtesy of the Manager of SAMPAN CAFE. I ordered Chinese Food from this place SAMPAN CAFE through GRUBHUB and it was the WORST food I ever tasted so after a few bites I called GRUBHUB and asked that they contact the restaurant for a refund. The restaurant demanded "return of the food" so fine, I packaged up the food and waited. I got a bad feeling though and when the Chinese Manager arrived, clearly looking for a confrontation, I am standing in my driveway in shorts and a short sleeved shirt in this 27 degree temperature (thinking it would be quick by assuming he'd be professional.....wrong). He refuses to even show me my money without my opening the bag and him going container by container through it for him with him complaining I ate "a little of it." I am saying to him "Hey look, I am giving you back 90% of your awful food, I am standing here freezing, and all I want is my money back." I even offered to let him keep the tip (after bickering with me) and then offered to take back only half my money and this guy STILL was bickering with me saying "no refund, no refund" so finally I said I was calling the Police and he laughs and tells me to go ahead, then I told him what I do for a living and he says "I no care if you Lawyer" so then I said "What if I came to China and RUINED your biggest holiday of the year, Chinese New Year, like you just ruined my Thanksgiving" and finally, after that, he hands me back the money. This was the worst experience with delivered food I ever had. SAVE YOURSELVES !!! DO NOT EVER ORDER FROM THIS NIGHTMARISH PLACE !!!
(1)Terry W.
Upon a recommendation from a friend, we stopped by there for lunch on a Sunday. Even though the place was half empty, we were seated in a back table close to the kitchen (1st red flag) and it took a while for the waitress to come over with the tea (2nd red flag). We sat there for 10-15 minutes while we saw other people get seated and served (3rd and final red flag). Finally we got up and started to walk out and the hostess stopped my friend as I was already at the door. My friend explained about the VERY POOR SERVICE, but at that point, I didn't care, was hungry and just wanted to go someplace and be treated like a customer. My friend felt so bad because she suggested the place, but it wasn't her fault. Will never go back.
(1)Lily Z.
Sampan is the closest authentic Chinese restaurant from my home. I tend to come here whenever I have the craving, but doesn't want to drive to Falls Church. The food can be inconsistent at times and I would only rank it as a three stars if it wasn't so close to me. Many of the Cantonese dishes here are pretty good (ginger scallion lobsters, salt and pepper pork chops, walnut shrimp, stir fried pea shoots, black pepper beef, special seafood fried rice, chow fun, etc). Sampan is not a bbq house like XO or Mui Kee. The Cantonese bbq items are not freshly made in house and tasted awful. Since having good bbq is an integral part of many Cantonese dining establishment, this really takes away from the overall positive experience at Sampan.
(4)Tanzina A.
I had dim sum here for the first time after desperately looking for dim sum spot in my new neighborhood. My experience was good, could have been better. I was seated promptly by one of the server (employee?) and after I ordered, another server took over and her tone was really rude. She asked if we were done with the menus and snatched them away as soon as I said "yes". But anyways for the food I had it's a 4/5, but for the service 1/5.
(3)Benny A.
Pros: food tasted decent (shumai, bbq pork buns (char siew bao), chow fun noodles, sticky rice (lo mai kao)). Cons: way under staff. 2 workers for the entire restaurant. Thus the service was slow. Came here for the dim sum and they werent even pushing the cart around. It stood at the exact same place for the entire time we were there. Overall: i feel like someone else supplies their dim sum and they just heat it up. The dim sum used to be mediocre here but not anymore. The regular food is pretty good. If its dim sum alone, this place would be 1/5. But since im puttong the regular menu food with the review, its 3/5.
(3)Steve L.
The lobster is really damn good. It's a flash fried and then steamed from what I understand. Since the lobster is fresh, the meat is tender and falls off the bone nicely. The sauce that comes on the top of the lobster is delicious. The restaurant is located in a non-descript strip mall but don't underestimate this place!
(4)Kim D.
I've probably been here more than any other Chinese restaurants combined! The service here is excellent! The owners are super friendly and the waiters take good care of you. As for the food, it is pretty authentic and the portions are huge! They can be a tad bit oily, but c'mon, it's a Chinese restaurant! The best part is if something is too salty or sweet for your palette, they are willing to adjust it for you. To top it all off, free dessert soup at the end of your meal! :) I almost always get either wonton noodle soup, eggplant in garlic sauce, seafood fried rice, crispy beef, or their fried tofu.
(5)maravick r.
Finally, a close encounter with the best dimsum this side of the DMV area. It's a 15 minute drive from home, so for certain this will now be my GO TO place if I am craving for ha cau, xiu mai, steamed roast pork buns and chicken feet.... Did I say their pork fried rice is legit? My only regret is I never knew about this place until today! I recommend you make reservations as the place fills up fast with regular customers. Now I no longer have to travel to the Bay Area in California to have authentic dimsum... It's now within my reach ... Fast, inexpensive and delicious.
(4)Davina L.
WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER. A friend and I came in at 1PM on Friday. Barely anyone here during lunch. We ordered lunch menu Wonton noddle ($6.99) soup and Gerneal Tso's chicken ($5.95). The bill came out to be $10.99 for the chicken and 6.99 for the soup. The owner (i assume) said "when you eat in we charge you Dinner menu'. I never hear of that??? He started to raise his voice where everybody at the restaurant was looking at us. This is really EMBARRASSING . I suggest the owner needs to work on his customer service skills, There is no reason you should fight with customer over $5 .
(1)Alicia L.
I wouldn't come here again. I would've given this place 3 stars for the food, but the service really dropped it down to 2 stars. We ordered the: -salt and pepper pork ribs $13.95 -salted fish and chicken tofu casserole $13.95 -triple delight $10.95 The pork ribs were way too salty. The meat had a lot of tendons that were really difficult to chew. I will say that the portion sizes here are decent! The salted fish and chicken tofu casserole was pretty good If you like how salted fish tastes like. My parents enjoyed this dish, but I'm just not a fan of ALL fish. Most of the dish was tofu though, so definitely don't order this if you're looking for more meat. The triple delight was just canned/frozen vegetables + meat drenched in oyster sauce and sugar...it was too sweet for my taste, but that's just my preference. I would say this dish is very Americanized and you should order this if you enjoy dishes like sesame chicken. The service was really pushy. We came an hour before closing, but since they were clearing all the tables, they asked us if we needed the condiments on the table because they were clearing the table. We said we still needed it, since sometimes we add it to our food...then, a different waiter came back 5 minutes later asking us the same thing, and took them away. Umm it's 1 hour before closing and you won't let us keep the salt, pepper, or spicy sauce in case we need it? Ok then. I took my credit card out towards the end when I was ready to pay (was waiting for the bill anyway). It was weird because the waiter grabbed my credit card on the table before she even brought the bill...so she charged me before I got the bill. What?! And they came back in less than a minute to check up on whether or not I tipped yet...it's like they were trying to kick us out. I know it closes at 10 pm. Please have some patience - I had my pen in hand ready to tip so please stop rushing me. Overall, I wouldn't come back here again. Most authentic dishes here are around $16, which is pricey for me. I'm not from the area, so I don't know what the cost of living here is, but back in Dallas and California Bay Area, I can find most authentic chinese dishes to be around $14.
(2)Lope S.
No. Starter was crab rangoons which were horrible, just chives and cream cheese with what tasted like bbq sauce. We ordered bean curd and sesame chicken as our main dishes. They were both awful. Sesame chicken was just bread, and the bean curd was just giant blocks of tofu and no vegetables. The only thing that was edible was the rice. And my fortune cookie accused my boyfriend of cheating... rude... :p
(1)Jonathan C.
It's the best real Chinese food in Springfield.
(4)Mario B.
My family has been coming to this place for 5+ years because the food in this place always great! Their customer service could be improved and their place could also use a little upgrade so to speak. I could give the food 5 stars, but the customer service of this place just tanked. I don't even know if it is legal, but THEY AUTOMATICALLY TAKE 18% GRATUITY even if you're just dining in for two. I asked why are you charging me 18% right away, I was just told it's our new policy. I will give even 25% for an excellent service, and won't deny an at least 18% for a huge party, but what they're doing is just uncalled for.
(2)Susan J.
Worst service for a restaurant when there are no other customers during Monday at 1245pm. Ordered a minced beef over rice and the seafood pan fried noodles. I complained to a waitress (who was cleaning the chairs with windex) who told another waitress (who was scrubbing the fish tanks) who told an older man and the man said,"that's what it's supposed to look like, what do you WANT me to do?!?" Seriously. Not apologetic at all. The minced beef with rice was a gelatinous gloop over some chunks of beef. It was beyond appetizing when my two year old said it was "yucky." And not once did the older guy or the two waitresses ask if everything was ok. Service was horrendous and so was the food. Shape up or ship out. Well I guess the lack of customers should have been my clue.
(1)Nam S.
Our family favourite restaurant. We've been eating here for about 7 years now. Good food, easonable price. Chow Fun Noodle with Broccoli & Pork (usually it's beef on the menu) in Gravy is our favorite dish.
(4)Linda P.
We ordered the salt and pepper shrimp, sea cucumber broccoli, steam chicken with ginger, seafood asparagus soup, seafood fried rice, and stir fry garlic morning glory to share family style. The food was traditional Canto cuisine and tasted very good! Not greasy or anything. Food took a bit to come out and service was slow (we had nice servers) since It was a packed restaurant with large families. Was initially worried about the low reviews here, but I think those ppl must have ordered the wrong thing, were impatient or didn't know what actual Chinese food should taste like. We didn't mind waiting for the food since we knew the kitchen was finishing orders from the larger tables which arrived before us. Folks should come here and order the traditional Chinese food!
(4)Jake S.
Terrible dim sum, the worst one I ever tasted in the dc metropolitan area, meat is smelly ...wasted my money, will not come back again.
(1)Heather B.
Dim sum here is pretty good. They dont get overly crowded like every other place in fall church. They do have a cart but you can also order all your normal dim sum fair and they'll mke it and bring it out to the table so its still hot. Definitely worth a try if you don't feel like driving far and having to wait for a table.
(4)Taylor H.
My first time here and I found a roach fried into my sweet and sour chicken. I was sick to my stomach. When the delivery guy came to give me my money back and I showed him the roach, he wasn't shocked at all. Just nodded and left. One roach means there must be many. Will never eat here again.
(1)Em L.
The restaurant itself is very old school. It is not the cleanest or fanciest restaurant out there, but few decent Chinese restaurants are. The food here is great! Authentic Cantonese cuisine. They have congee, which I love to eat when I am feeling under the weather. I also recommend the crispy spicy pork chops.
(4)Amy D.
This is my go to Chinese restaurant! I'm vietnamese and my husband is Chinese so I know my Asian food! Never crowded, best Chinese food around. I think it's ran by a family and they're so nice and attentive. My favorite dish is the ginger scallion chicken and spicy fried pork chop, so good. I've tried to find a closer authentic Chinese restaurant that can make those dishes to my liking but it's been a fail so I've stop trying to mess with perfection.
(5)Soph T.
I don't know how they managed to win all of those Washingtonian awards back in the days ? But then again, that was back a couple years ago. Ever since the new management came in, quality of food has gone down drastically and service is a joke here. I ordered ahead of time for take-out, but was left waiting 35-40 mins for it to be prepared once I got there. The whole point of ordering take-out is so I wouldn't have to wait for my food to be made once I got there. It should have already been packed and ready to go ! I should have walked out right then and there but stupid ol' me already had it paid on the credit card. :/ Save your money and patience and trek down to Falls Church for better Chinese food that won't leave you feeling frustrated with inept customer service !
(2)Meri P.
One word: Authentic. It's just too bad the outside of this place is like the weird anti social kid sitting in the corner wearing a hoodie, with greasy bangs swept in a fashion to purposely cover his face. Your location is horrible and nobody notices you (for all I'm concerned all that existed in this plaza was a Wells Fargo and 7-11), and if they do notice you, they shy away from you because you look dirty and unappetizing. People over look this place but like the anti social kid, there's more than meets the eye. Upon arriving, I was expecting crackheads or prostitutes loitering nearby but I forget that I don't live in Los Angeles anymore. Like the anti social kid in the corner, the inside of this place surprised me. It was reminiscent of the "fancier" Chinese restaurants in California with the white table clothes, hanging roasted ducks and various sea creatures swimming in tanks ready to be slaughtered and devoured. Ahhh..the unmistakeable scent of an authentic Chinese restaurant. If a clean bathroom and sea world had a baby, it would smell like an authentic Chinese restaurant. Having come from a place where a big Chinese community was a short drive away on top of having Chinese grandmother, I have taken authentic Chinese cuisine for granted. I might as well have moved to Idaho considering the lack of authentic Chinese cuisine. The service shocked me. Horrendous service comes standard at Chinese restaurants. But this place actually refills your water without you having to use a bullhorn to wave them down. My waitress was attentive and great This place is a gem tucked away in butt f*ck Virginia. The Cantonese dishes were on point. I can't say much for the Sichuan and HK food as I haven't tried it yet but if they are anything close to the Cantonese food they're probably amazing. Dinner ends with the standard complimentary red bean dessert soup. I WILL be back.
(5)Lauren K.
They messed up my order (again) and then argued with me about it. I'm glad I checked before I left with my carry out, because the 2 soups I ordered were wrong. When I asked them to fix it, they only brought me 1 soup. I asked for the second, and they said I only paid for one when I had paid for two. I said I would pay for another one, but they continued to give me a hard time. I won't be returning, this wasn't the first time I have had difficulty getting my correct order.
(1)MinTfresh 1.
I been here about 4 times and I really enjoy this restaurant everytime we go. Im not picky, just deliver on promise and be honest with food portions. We had a large group and this place accomodated us no problem. The food was delicious and the waitress was really nice. We ordered family meals, and everything was delicious! My 2 complaint was the cold platter where 1/2 of the portion of squid was squishy. I guess they didn't have time to thaw? The other complaint was the deep fried chicken was too salty. Other than that, everything was delicious. When had a large group for a celebration, it was great. What I loved was that there were no customers for the evening, given the fact that itwas early in a weekday, it's like we had the place to ourselves! Thank you.
(4)Meagan T.
We ordered delivery and it was mediocre. Not the worst but definitely not the best. The pork buns were edible, the filling had good flavor but there was so much steamed dough around the tiny portion of pork that the flavor was lost. The spring rolls were not good. And the Moo Goo Gai Pan and Gen. Tso's chicken were pretty run of the mill. Fast delivery and reasonable prices.
(3)BinYun Z.
Friendly staff. My go-to restaurant for dinner in Virginia. Great food and decent price. They also have great selections of dim sum dishes.
(5)Toan V.
Love the food ...very good price for dim sum...best in town...shrimp crab balls are made to order so it fresh and hot
(5)Fortune Cookie W.
So out of your average chinese restaurants that have traditional chinese dishes and also dim sum options I would rate this place as one of the better places to dine when looking for authenticity and traditional if you are looking for that type of place in chinese food. Let me just say after reviewing their menu and dining in a couple times the food is not as Americanized as most chinese places are. Many of the dishes are very true to how they are flavored. I think one my favorite dishes is their seafood fried rice. It has an amazing flavor to it, with shredded fish and mixed with seafood, a nice luster and a nice sesame oil finish. I would suggest this place for people who like to eat more authentic chinese food.
(4)Allison I.
This is the best Chinese restaurant I've been too. Food is authentic and not salty! They have a really great crew and can communicate well with the customers. They are clean and very fast.
(5)Mariah S.
We were seated promptly and coming in from the cold, it was a plus the waitress brought out hot tea right away. The menu is extensive and a lot of interesting dishes to choose from both typical American Chinese fare (sweet and sour) to some exotic sounding ones using sea cucumbers and chive flowers. Decided on: Hot and sour soup - chunky full of tofu, bamboo shoots, black fungus, and slices of canned mushroom. Spicy aftertaste which I liked but a little too sour for my taste and what I'm used to. I wonder if they use a vegetable or beef broth. Spicy pork chop- breaded, crispy, juicy, and seasoned. I'm averse to Chinese five spice which unbeknownst to me is in this dish. It overpowers the pork. If only it came with a dipping sauce. Perhaps one with soy and lemon. I ended up using the table-side hot chili. Bean curd with mixed veggies- lots and lots of tofu, mostly all tofu. I thought it would be equal parts. Next time I'll just order the Chinese Broc and black mushroom. The sauce it came in was a little bland. It could use more garlic and perhaps oyster sauce. Lo mein - had that nice wok fried flavor but came out dark colored, covering up the beautiful golden color I enjoy seeing of the wheat noodle with too much soy. Ambiance is spacious with clean chairs and tables covered with cloth linen and big white napkins. There's a tank along the wall near the bar full of lobsters and fish awaiting their fates. You'll also see roasted duck hanging in the typical Chinese fashion on a hook by their necks. I'll definitely come back for dim sum and with a larger party. There is a separate menu listing various dishes worth trying and sharing with others.
(3)Amanda E.
*Event catering review* Sampan Cafe catered our Vietnamese Engagement Ceremony a few weeks ago and I was super impressed with every dish and their on site service. We had shrimp with walnuts, roast pig, seafood medley, shu mai, greens, sesame balls, noodles, and more dishes that I can't even remember. Everything was delicious. Everyone raved about the food and was not left hungry! We didn't have any leftovers, either - the sign of a good meal!
(5)debbie a.
I get it.. its a no frills place with a ltitle bit of a dingy feel and good food... but the service is spotty and while the atmosphere is not quite appealing, it isn't as bad as some of the reviews has made it seem (i.e. cockroaches etc.. - I didnt see any) I didnt like the service really, the guy was acting like he was impatient and wanted us to order other things, but hey.... it's what we were in the mood for. I have to give him some wiggle room though, sometimes cultures can differ in rules of social engagement. The rating was a star off because of the questionable cleanliness of the restaurant and the rude service when we ordered via telephone.. What i LOVED here: Chinese Vegetables OMG.. i love these. They give a huge serving, but since it is almost $13... they better not start decreasing the quantity What was not worth ordering again: Ma Po Tofu. Uhmm yeah, it didnt have much flavors in thos huge blocks of Tofu.
(3)James K.
Great delivery food. It would get 4* but it was half an hour later than quoted and cold. Flavors were great.
(3)Monk E. R.
UPDATE: Even the best Chinese joints can be hit or miss, depending on the time of day and whether the servers are having a lousy one because some clown spills dumpling sauce on their own lap and wants the meal comped. Been here half a dozen times and the food/service has been consistently good. Wanted some spicy clam dish and nobody around but Sampan serves it, so we hit them up for that, along with a cod and tofu hot pot and spicy pork chop. Pork chops are cut into slices, each with a bone in, so you're better off eating with your fingers. Nice crust and a big garlic pow! Clams were tender, sweet, with a nice ground sausage finish. Cod with tofu was mild so you could really taste the fish. A nice dish for a cold wintry day. Never ordered carryout so I won't comment on that, but every time I eat here, the wait staff is really professional. The menu has lots of Hong Kong style soups and casseroles that you won't find at your local Americanized Chinese place, so if you want to give frog or abalone a try, this is one of the few places that can cook them up for you. And the dim sum is a la carte, so if you're a tourist who DEMANDS their dim sum be served in a crowded dump from a rickety cart, go elsewhere. If you want it hot and straight from the kitchen, come here.
(4)Emily J.
A group of us were helping a friend move, and we decided to order from Sampan using a food app. When our order didn't arrive in 45 minutes, we began trying to call the restaurant, with no success for over an hour! I finally called the pizza place nearby and one of their staff walked over to Sampan to see what was happening. Their internet and phones were down and NO ONE HAD NOTICED! So our food had not been started at all! Dealing with this over the phone was a nightmare, so instead of having hot food delivered to the group of hungry tired people, two of us had to drive to the restaurant where they then tried to tell us it was going to cost us more money than the $83.55 we had already paid! The food was tasty once we finally got it, but the fact that the restaurant did NOTHING to make any of this better (no free food, no discount for next time, etc), means that they lost 8 customers who all live nearby.
(1)Angie T.
This restaurant is tucked away in such a strange little area that's kind of out of the way from everything that you'd miss it in a heart beat. But it's definitely a place to go out of your way for and to check out. The staff is fairly friendly there. I wouldn't go there for Dim Sum again as it's not as fun as the more popular places like Mark's Duck House or Fortune in Falls Church because Dim Sum is such a social event. But the great thing about this place is that you can order the Dim Sum off the menu at all hours. My favorite dishes by far is the Pan Fried Noodles with Beef and Chinese Broccoli and their steam pork buns are devine. Go out of your way to find this place. It's worth it.
(4)Susan J.
Just an update: Our food never came last night even though they received our order. I'm glad we didn't pay with a credit card!
(1)Keith L.
I went here for dinner on a Thursday night and was a little surprised by the giant lobster and fish tanks at the entrance - not concerned, just surprised. My dinner: wonton soup, their Seafood Combo with X.O. Sauce, and hot tea. I should have run out the door when the tea was delivered. It smelled like moldy sweat and tasted like it had been brewed in rubber. The wonton soup tasted like it had been boiling since Monday and the crispy wonton strips were stale and tasteless. When the Seafood Combo arrived, the flavor was O.K. (being slightly generous) but the seafood was so tough that it hurt my teeth and jaw. ALL THE SEAFOOD. Not sure how they managed that. I ate some of the vegetables and called it a night. Service: on the plus side, the waitress was super nice. On the bad side, she saw that I ate about 10% of the meal and asked me what was wrong. So, I told her. Her response: "Sorry. It's an expensive entrée to waste." I agreed. Did they take it off my bill? Nope. I won't be returning here.
(1)Ka W.
1. Typical Americanized lunch menus - nothing special 2. Dim sums were mediocre at best 3. Got overcharged for several dim sum items (got charged for large when the menu said small) 4. The owner refused to adjust the price and our total and said they changed the prices years ago. Excuse me, that's false advertising. And he was rude 5. Waitresses were not attentive 6. No one was pushing the dim sum carts that were in the corner I was starving and really wanted some dim sums. Came here because of the okay reviews. Plus my husband and I didn't want to drive an hour for our usual place. We ordered a total of 3 dim sum dishes before we decided this place was not worth it. We know Chinese food. We're Chinese! Soggy char siu bao (roast pork bun), Ha Gao (shrimp dumpling) were so gross... The shrimp were not fresh and 'squishy'? Yeah, I don't even know. We left as fast as we could. Pretty awful. I didn't try their lunch menu so I can't tell you the quality but scanning the menu, it was pretty standard like orange chicken and etc. I wouldn't advise going there for dim sum
(1)Jee D.
I've only come for dim sum but I like it here - it's close to home and it's not so popular that I have to wait to be seated. One of our favorite dishes are the taro balls, but we have to ask for them specifically every time, like they are saving (hiding?) them for their regulars. They have all the usual dim sum plates and they are all satisfying. One positive? They will deliver dim sum. Yes, you heard that right. Awesome.
(4)Angela D.
Mediocre dim sum. What a disappointment this place was. After reading reviews, I was hopeful then terribly disappointed by the food. First, choices are limited. If you've ever had dim sum in San Francisco, this is not even close. For example we ordered shrimp and pork wrapped in rice sheets (4get the name) and the meat and shrimp were miniscule. When we said something to the waiter, he said - well next time, don't order it. Yeah, that sandbag of a human being actually said that. To myself I was thinking, really, you think we're coming back? No flavor, no taste, in a dingy, dark room with indifferent service. The steamed pork bun was all bun and a teaspoon of pork. You'll only be sorry if you eat here.
(1)Veslie L.
The food was good but the delivery guy was horrible he practically man handle me because I didn't give him any tip. He said I'm suppose to give him tip because they don't pay him. Has a customer and college student to me that was bad service the fact that someone refuse to give me my food because I didn't give him a tip
(2)Chad I.
Great food, big portions. Their service is so-so, but this is my go-to place for Chinese food in the Kingstowne area. In previous experiences they had thrown in extras in my deliveries for me to sample. I will continue to order here and recommend to others in the area. Delivery is fast and FREE to most in Kingstowne area as well. Overall great experience.
(4)Q. S.
So my husband and I went here again on valentine's day to get the gift card the owner offered me(owner sent an email to thank me writing a good review for them and offered me a gift card). I was really surprised, but I wasn't thought it would be a big deal, that's why I didn't go there in a hurry. When I got there I showed the waiter that email, he seemed like a bit confused. Later the older lady came over. I was a little bit put off by her tone when she asked me what's my name. But i understood she didnt know what s customer service. Later they found my gift card, it totally surprised me and made my day---$20 value. I would be happy enough to receive a $10 value. The owner actually gave me an idea to use this way for my ice cream store. Everything was good as usual besides the chef might forgot to put salt in my Chinese watercress. I have to add salt by myself. Lobster was raised to $18.95 already, but I had gift card, I couldn't have complain. My only complain was I have been noticed every waiter or waitress there have had a same bad habit, which was their finger always touched food when they hold the plate or bowl, made me uncomfortable. Overall, I still like this place. I am willing to come back soon.
(5)Cindy S.
My boyfriend loves going here for Dim sum on Sundays. The ladies here are always very nice to us. My favorite item here is the rice crepe with the pork spare ribs on top. The chicken feet are pretty good here too. We also like it because its less than 2 miles from where we live and its nice that we don't have to travel all the way to falls church.
(4)Charisse G.
Best dim sum in the area! This place sucked growing up so I hadn't gone back in years, not knowing it was under new ownership. So mad that it took me so long to go back. Great, authentic Cantonese food. Hidden within a low-key shopping center, and never really crowded even on weekends. Delivery is a god send. I suggest the special scallop stuffed shrimp balls!!!
(5)Food F.
One of the worst Customer service I have encountered. It was almost hilarious how bad it was and they don't seem to show any sort of wrong doing. The food portion was minute compared to all the others, but worst of all the food was terribleee!!! How can you do bad on general tso and call yourself a Chinese food establishment??? I feel one star is an overreach after this experience but I guess they hav no where to go but up cuz this is the bottom guys loll like I signed up for yelp to write this review.
(1)AH S.
I ordered food from here the other night for delivery. The speed of delivery was actually not bad compared to other Asian restaurants. I ordered the food via Eat24hours.com . When I answered the door I was told by the driver "Here is a menu. Use the telephone number on the menu next time. I really don't appreciate being talked to like I did something wrong by giving this restaurant business. My chicken wings were drenched in oil and did not taste like they were cooked long enough. My wife's food was also inedible due to a level of oil saturation I haven't experienced anywhere else. Don't worry Mr. Delivery Driver, there won't be a "next time".
(1)Beck E.
My parents and grandma like to go here a lot, but it's probably because they speak Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English here. The food is pretty good, and my little sister claims that their cha siu bao is the best that you can get in the area... Last night, we got the "Dinner for 6 ($118)," and it was a lot of food. A little on the oily side but still tasty. A few of the times I've been there though, I've found a short hair in my dessert or some other dish... but there's no way to tell if it's one of the workers' or mine... So three stars. (If it weren't for the hair thing, I could be talked into giving this place four stars though.)
(3)Natasha S.
NEVER will I come here again. FIRST, the dim sum was DECENT. Not the best, however I had told my friends that were with me that it wasn't too bad and that I'd come back if I was craving dim sum and close by. WRONG. For dessert we ordered the Sesame Balls. While eating almost the last piece of mine, I saw an extremely LONG, COARSE and DUSTY hair in my ball. I mean... it was embedded into the rice part and did not just LAND on the ball but actually cooked WITH it. Although, I know how Chinese restaurants typically are. I thought hey they have a lot of American consumers here, so I will let the manager know what I found. I called him over and showed him the hair. He yelled 'WHAT?!' after showing him and him still not getting it. His waitress yelled 'HAIR!!' right behind him. He then just walked away. No acknowledgment or 'I'm Sorry'. So that I thought would be the end. We decided on no tip since he was extremely rude and additionally overcharged us on a dish, which we had to have modified and while doing so they were EXTREMELY rude. As we were leaving we were approached by a waitress whom yelled 'NO TIP????'. My friend looked at her and said.... 'Yes... no tip we were unsatisfied.' in a calm and cool voice. She proceeded to yell and asked why we weren't leaving them a tip. She explained that we were ignored entirely when showing the manager the hair, and we felt that it was unsatisfactory. She proceeded to barter for a tip. It was ridiculous. I have been never been approached when leaving by someone yelling for no tip. On top of that, the service wasn't even great. They never once refilled our waters or teas and we had been there for a while. So we then just left all msg-ed out and THIRSTY as hell. Thanks Sampan!
(1)Rebecca S.
I may up the star count here after another visit or two, because I really really want to like it. But based solely on our take-out the other night, I can only do 3. Usually, my favorite part about Chinese food is the soup. But both soups that we ordered were lacking. We had regular wonton and a Hong Kong style shrimp dumpling noodle soup, and both were really bland. The wonton soup just had a bunch of steamed wonton wrappers in the bland broth. The dumplings in the other soup were just fine, I just didn't particularly like the way they tasted. And the noodles were just basic ramen noodles, which doesn't seem to be the norm for Hong Kong soups based on the interwebs, but I'd never had it so I'm not sure what its supposed to be. So the soups by themselves - one star. We also ordered two appetizers - 6 spicy crispy chicken wings and an order of crab rangoon. The wings were cooked perfectly, and really tasty, but boyfriend wished they'd come with a sauce of some sort. I liked the crab rangoon, especially the filling, but they were the kind where they just fold the wrappers over into a triangle and he prefers the pouches, even though they're the same thing. I guess because all the filling is in one spot? I don't know. We also ended up with an extra in there. I'm not sure what they were, maybe pig knuckles? Whatever they were, they were fried bits of meat on the bone with lots of garlic and scallions on top. They were REALLY salty, and really tasty. Last but not least was the Young Chow fried rice. First of all, that's a HUGE portion of fried rice. It only comes in one size, and its a big size. But it was really good, with lots of pork and shrimp. I picked up instead of getting delivery because I didn't want to wait, and I'm kinda glad I did, because if I hadn't actually gone inside and dealt with the nice ladies in there and seen the place, I probably wouldn't want to like it as much. But the restaurant itself is a lot nicer than it looks from the outside, and the three servers I saw were all older Chinese women. Everything on the walls was in Chinese, and some of it was in English too. There seemed to be several regulars inside. The prices were also very reasonable - our entire bill came to $30, with tax and top. My review won't truly be complete, though, until we get some entrees, and I think next time I want to eat there. But next time I want to order soup, I'll be going somewhere else.
(3)Justin W.
Go to place that I like in Springfield. Very standard Chinese food. The seafood is ok and I generally go here if I do not wish to travel far from Springfield.
(4)Jim W.
Hubby and I tried something new last night for dinner. We ordered pan fried meat dumplings and jelly fish for appetizers. Then, we had tofu stuffed with shrimp paste, stir fry chive flowers with garlic, and seafood pan fried noodles. Everything tasted good. Yummy. The service was good too. They kept the water glasses filled. We will definitely go back and tried the lobsters and fresh fish.
(4)KD T.
So I like Sampan because it saves me from having to drive far for Dim Sum cravings. Granted, it may not be quite as good as the bigger, far away restaurants, but it still does the job well! My favorite thing other than location and dim sum.... Chinese Watercress and Beef and sour cabbage! My favorite two dishes which I have only been able to get at restaurants ending in Kee... Paul Kee... Full Key... Miu Kee... haha, I can finally get it closer to me! The chinese watercress stir fried with garlic is excellent.. the beef and sour cabbage did throw me off a bit... it was more sour than other restaurants... and had onions, green peppers and the beans in it... but still decent!
(4)Leigh K.
Wow, I can't believe how bad these reviews are. My family used to eat here a lot back in the day. I am glad they have remained open. When I was back a couple trips ago I ordered carryout from them and everything was just as good as I had remembered it. I only eat poultry, so that's all I can vouch for, but everything was good and fresh. Don't remember if I got sesame chicken or an almond chicken, but those were my two faves there, so it was likely one of them. The wait staff is friendly and they used to sell sweet little things like minature lanterns to be used as decoration. I didn't notice last time if they still did, but I was fascinated by that stuff when I was a kid. I broke my lantern. I should look into getting another one if they still sell them.
(4)t.sa c.
This' a restaurant that does serve authentic quality Chinese food but you need to know what to order. They have congee that's not on the menu, their duck (wonton, roast pork) noodle is very fresh and the noodle's texture is also "Q". We have family get togethers here and the food has always been pleasant (at least enough for the Chinese parents).
(4)Russell Y.
There is a Chinese restaurant virtually around the corner from my house, but I never go there. Why? Because the kitchen is staffed by Mexicans, and all the customers are white! Now, I am sure the food is "good;" it must be, because the place has been there for years and years. But anyway, I LOVE the Sampan Café. It has got real Chinese cooks (from China!), lots of Chinese customers, and most importantly, really good food! Sure, you can get the standard American Chinese fare... egg rolls, fried rice, etc... but the 'pan also has the real deal too. It's almost always darn tasty. And unlike a lot of good Chinese restaurants, the place is clean with a pleasant decor... even the restrooms are clean! Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, no surly Chinese wait staff! LOL... trust me, as a Chinese guy, clean restrooms and friendly staff are rare in Chinese restaurants. :P
(5)K S.
The cantonese food here is very good and price is very reasonable compared to Canton Cafe near by. The waitresses are polite and responsive. If you are looking for traditional cantonese food and live in the area this is a good place. They also have dim sum on the weekends. Although the selection is limited, every dish they do offer for dim sum is done well. Even better than some of the dim sum houses I've been to in Hong Kong.
(5)Lindane L.
The food here is awful! I was here on Sat morning, and you would think we would have the freshest dim sun during the busiest rush time. Nope! We ordered the fried glutinous balls, and they were soaked in grease. They were not puffy and light like they should be. Either the oil was not hot enough, or the balls were re-heated in the microwave. I think the latter because it was extremely hot on the inside. The shrimp crepe was OK. The black bean spare ribs lacked something I'd like to call "flavor". And their turnip was again, re-heated in the microwave, and didn't have the light goo-y texture on the inside and crisp exterior. The remainder of the food was "OK" at best. I am giving this place just 1 star because of the extremely rude wait staff, who refused to re-fill our water and tea, and defended their dim sum as being "freshly made to order". Yeah, well, made to order in a microwave!
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