Full Kee Restaurant - Authentic Chinese Cuisine - Falls Church, VA

5830 Columbia Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041
(703) 575-8232

If you don’t know it’s there, it’s easy to miss Full Kee Restaurant at the Bailey’s Crossroads Shopping Center, home to Best Buy, Trader Joe’s and Moe’s Southwestern Grill. But miss it you should not. That is if you really enjoy delicious authentic Chinese food with no fanfare, lousy service, second- (or third-) rate ambience, and a variety of dishes that can keep you coming back for years. Yes, Full Kee is a gem of an ethnic dive.

Our friends recommended that we eat at Full Kee on Christmas Day. Good thing we made reservations! Even though we had a relatively large group, the restaurant was packed with people waiting for a table even at an unusual meal time in-between lunch and dinner, we went at 2pm. Had it been only several of us in a party, considering the slow inefficient service, it would still have made sense to reserve ahead. Yelp says that they do not take reservations, so perhaps Christmas Day was an exception to this policy, we just are not sure how flexible they are, especially if there is a language barrier with whoever picks up the phone. (Note that they have a new feature on their website where you can reserve a table online.)

If you are looking for an immaculate setting, service with a smile (or even with good English), personalized explanations of the extensive menu with literally hundreds of choices consisting of items that are for the most part unfamiliar to the American Chinese diner (although a whole section that is familiar), then this is not the place for you.

If you enjoy trying a variety of flavors, you will not be disappointed if you eat here! We ordered just under 20 different dishes of appetizers and entrees to share among the 8 people in our party. There was not a single dish that was bland or unsatisfying, all were wonderful. From the dumplings to the lo mein to the variety of their popular meal-portioned soups to the beef, shrimp, pork and poultry dishes, all were delightfully savory with just the right amounts of sauces, flavors, and variations. With prices so affordable, if we had bottomless stomachs, we could have easily stayed in Full Kee until they close (at 2am!) to try as many of their choices as possible. 

To us the quality and flavors of food are worth coming back to Full Kee and recommending it to our friends, the same way we found out about it. Thanks, Joe!

Sweet Rice - Thai Cuisine - Falls Church, VA

1113 W Broad St
Falls Church, VA

(703) 241-8582

Don’t blink when you’re driving down Rt 7 on the east side of Falls Church City or you’ll miss Sweet Rice.  Hidden in a small 2-store building on Main St in Falls Church City next to a bakery and across from the Giant/Staples strip mall is a bit of a hidden gem.  A small, clean, and comfortable restaurant which was not too busy the night we visited.  An added benefit is that Sweet Rice is a very local place for us and we’ve eaten there before.  The décor is borderline sparse, but it’s the food that drew us back, not the orient-themed vases, prints, and plants.  This was our second time dining there, and Sweet Rice did not disappoint.  The staff was friendly and courteous and the food was tasty.

Have a favorite Thai dish that’s not on the menu?  No worries.  If Sweet Rice chefs know the recipe they’ll make it for you.  Elena loves Num-Tuk and did not see on the menu.  Not only did they make it for her, but made it with non-traditional ingredients like chicken instead of the traditional beef.  Needless to say, it is TREMENDOUS!

Our favorites at Sweet Rice start with a few appetizers including the unique Blanky Shrimp, 5 large shrimp wrapped in an egg noodle and deep fried served with sweet sour sauce.  Entrees included the Nua Ka Ta, a sizzling platter of marinated beef flank stir-fried in sesame oil and served with pickled vegetables and the stand-by Chicken with Cashews.

We’ve never had a bad experience at Sweet Rice.  One time we had a wonderful evening with friends, other times as a couple.  Each time it’s a new experience in eating some great Thai food. Bottom line, if a good close location adds to the overall appreciation of a restaurant, then this place gets a few extra notches.  Since its close, we are excited about returning there for more great meals and wonderful service.   

We recently heard that Sweet Rice has updated their wine list, so definitely worth going back for a visit.