Peter Chang

Wonderful experience. This is a bit of a different style than Peter Chang's other restaurants as it's Chinese "tapas" style but it's a welcome change and a nice way to sample many different dishes.

Food was delicious with incredible depth of flavor and a reasonable size for being tapas style. We also tried the half roast duck and it was perfect.

Service was top notch and professional. The restaurant itself was clean and beautifully designed.

The restaurant was understandably very busy at noontime on a Sunday but we were able to snag a parking spot. Note that the parking lot is kind of small and fills up fast, but the restaurant is worth it.

We're so excited to have this higher end, quality Chinese restaurant nearby and look forward to visiting again.

4.5 stars for the food. Peter Chang restaurants keep growing with about 15 now open including this latest in Gaithersburg.

We ordered:
Spicy Dry-Fried Eggplant Excellent
Scallion Bubble Pancake Excellent
Steamed Pork Soup Dumplings Excellent but a poor value at $9. You only get 3 undersized dumplings
Xian-Style Pork Belly Burger Good
Xian Cold Skin Noodles Excellent
Lemoncello Walnut Shrimp Excellent

so this is very different from the peter changs in rockville. we ordered exclusively from the small plates. i’d say there’s less option, especially with seafood from rockvilles peter chang. for an individual person, i’d recommend a minimum of 3 small plates to get a proper meal.

we ordered the hot and sour soup with shredded duck, vegetable lomein, crystal shrimp dumplings, salt and pepper crispy shrimp, and mongolian beef with scallions and onions. the soup arrived first and the dumplings last, quite spread out in timing.

the soup was not spicy and there wasn’t much shredded duck. it’s a decent soup and price is good. salt and pepper crispy shrimp was also not spicy. both dishes had a pepper on the menu, but there’s no kick. the shrimp were not bland, there was a nice acidity to them. it did seem that they were cut pieces of shrimp which is a little disappointing. overall, they were addicting. the mongolian beef with scallions and onions was not my favorite but other people did love it. the meat is very tender and the onions were still crunchy, but i found it a bit bland. the vegetable lomein is the same noodles as the rockville location but i wish it had more vegetables or variety of vegetable. i also found it to be a little salty and the garlic a little overpowering.

the crystal shrimp dumplings. the best ones i’ve had in moco and the best thing here. i will genuinely dine in once a week to be able to order them. the wrapping is delicate not too think or rough. inside is whole pieces of shrimp and it’s delicious. the dipping sauce is a little sweet, a little spicy and makes it a perfect duo.

i highly recommend dining in to try the dumplings and shrimp. it’s also a great atmosphere, very tranquil. what’s nice about the small plates is it gives you a chance to be adventurous without regret. ordering something you haven’t heard of or are apprehensive about without making it your whole meal is a great idea.

Peter Chang Restaurant, under the ownership of the acclaimed chef, Mr. Peter Chang, first opened its doors approximately a decade ago. Since then, it has flourished into a chain of 13 restaurants spanning across Maryland, Virginia, and Connecticut.

The latest addition to this chain is the Peter Chang Gaithersburg, which recently debuted near the bustling Costco Wholesale Store. Unlike other Peter Chang’s restaurants, this new branch introduces a fresh concept by offering smaller, Chinese-style tapas dishes.

Eager to explore this novel dining experience, 13 members of our dinner club decided to give this new venue a try.

With a seating capacity for about 40 guests and an additional private room accommodating up to 20, the venue boasts a modern ambiance infused with elements of traditional Chinese décor. When we were there, the restaurant was abuzz with customers eagerly waiting in lines.

In addition to indulging in two larger dishes—Peking Duck (北京烤鸭) and Crispy Seabass (香酥鲈鱼)—each of us selected a tapas-sized dish. Overall, every dish proved satisfying, boasting vibrant colors and robust flavors.

I conducted a post-dinner survey asking which dishes are the top of the list, and their overall satisfaction of the restaurant, environment, service and food.
The top dishes included the Peking Duck (北京烤鸭), Lion’s Head (狮子头), Black Pepper Beef Fillet (黑椒牛柳粒), Shadow Beef Cubes (灯影牛肉粒), Oil-Splashed Noodles (油泼面), and Salted Crispy Chicken (盐酥鸡).
The average satisfaction score, with a standard deviation, ranged from 4.2±0.7 to 4.5±0.9, reflecting unanimous approval from our group. Oh yes, we are a group of people with analytic minds. We had to do it in a scientific way, LOL.

Thus, we all endorse this new establishment, recommending it to those seeking a unique twist on Chinese cuisine. As an added bonus, the venue offers karaoke entertainment for enthusiasts in the private room; however, we suggest investing in an improved sound system for a more enjoyable experience.

While the absence of alcoholic beverages was a regret, we were assured that this offering is forthcoming, adding another layer of appeal to this already attracting dining destination.

During the soft opening, we reserved a party room for our group of 10.

👎 Parking was challenging, and we had to use Costco's lot since the restaurant's lot was too small. And something even worse was that the entire space was too small to allow cars make a u-turn and exit.

👎 To our surprise, we found out that another group of 10 was already in the party room, leading to a cramped experience. And the 10 people who were eating in the party room got a big surprise as well upon our arrival. Despite the room being spacious enough, it felt awkward sharing it with strangers.

👎 The “small” dishes on the menu were tiny, requiring at least three per person to feel full.

👍 We ordered about 30-40 orders, which tasted as good as other Peter Chang's locations. (See recommendations via 👍(good)/👎 (bad) / 👌(so so) sign from the captain of each dish)

👎 Each person spent about $50 (no any drinks), and there were no leftovers.