Hunan Cafe

Hunan Cafe has been my family's go-to for Chinese take out for several years now. After trying other places around the area, I still deem it as my favorite spot.My favorite is the General Tso chicken. They use big chunks of white meat chicken and enough sauce to give it a good flavor, but not too much to where it over powers the dish. A close second is the shrimp lo mein. Plenty of shrimp, and not overly greasy. One thing I did notice about Hunan Cafe (in comparison with other places) is that their food isn't as greasy as doesn't leave me feeling like crap.If you're in the Fairfax Greenbriar area and looking for some Chinese take-out, definitely give Hunan Cafe a try. They have a friendly staff and a couple of tables inside, but I've never eaten inside.

Synopsis: Really good. Will probably be my go-to Chinese takeout in Chantilly. Prices are a bit higher than the well-known China King of NoVA.We ordered online for pickup. There are 3 tables in the place, but there are dry supplies stacked against some of the walls and really no space to dine-in. I would consider this a strictly take-out place. We ordered a small hot and sour soup, shrimp fried rice, eggplant in garlic sauce, and twice-cooked pork.The hot and sour soup had a good, flavorful base and lots of ingredients. These included mushrooms, wood ear, tofu, and egg. There were bits of green onions and red chili in it as well. It did not have bamboo shoots or water chestnuts which are sometimes in other preparations. While the taste was good, I feel it could be both tangier and spicier.The eggplant in garlic sauce was good as well. I always go back to this dish and I'll probably keep ordering it going forward. The eggplant was cut into large bite-sized chunks. It was very soft (some might consider it overcooked) but I think the texture is just right. It had a nice garlic flavor but only a hint of spice. As a non-meat dish, I think it's a really good option.The shrimp fried rice was really good and chock full of medium-sized shrimp, along with the standard egg/peas/cubed carrots/diced onions you should find in any good fried rice. This fried rice is two magnitudes more flavorful than what you'll get at, say, Panda Express (whose fried rice is actually tasteless).The twice-cooked pork! That was the star of this meal. I look forward to the traditional flavor profile of this dish whenever I go for Chinese take-out. The sweet, spicy, wok-hei-smokey flavor always gets me excited. While I couldn't really detect much of that last element (and I admit, it's hard to fault take-out restaurants for not being able to impart some good wok hei into their cooking), the overall dish was great! It was jammed with sliced pork and cabbage and some slivered carrots. An interesting but pleasant surprise was the inclusion of mushrooms, green AND yellow bell peppers, AND a few large slices of zucchini. These all added a really good vegetable complement to the pork. Equally surprising was the spice level in this dish. While it wasn't "Thai hot," it delivered heat I'm not used to finding at a lot of these types of places. There were the same bits of red chili flakes in it that I found in the hot and sour soup. But I also found thin slices of jalapeno pepper which really raised the level of this dish.With the loss of China King in the Chantilly (and Herndon) area, Hunan Cafe really does take over that space quite competently if you live close by.

My mom is staying at Inova l Fairfax and we were looking for a place to grab a quick bite to eat. Originally we were looking for another resturant but the place closed at 8:00 which seemed to be usual for this area. We were headed back to the hospital when we saw Hunan Cafe. Now it's more a take out place than a sit in resturant but they do have two or three tables and they provided us with plastic plates and cutlery. The food is delicious. Everything is tasty and fresh and the service is awesome. Everyone was so accommodating and nice. We ordered a whole bunch of dishes but the Mapo Tofu was my favorite. It was just the right amount of spicy. Second was the Mu Shi Chicken also very flavorful and not a greasy mess.

We liked everything we ordered so far, but especially, the eggplant dish was our favorite. The portion was generous as well!

Fresh takeout! Each time we've ordered here the food is piping hot and is always delivered faster than anticipated.

I am writing this review as a reminder for myself. DO NOT GET THE CHICKEN WINGS (not your usual Chinese takeout chicken wings IYKYK). I've tried this place twice now. Once Ubereats and once in person. I don't remember what I order last time cept the ck wings also. Combo fried rice was 4/5 and Singapore noodles are like 3.5/5. Shrimp seemed a bit over cooked in both. Wonton soup is like 3/5 the broth is fine the wontons were not that great. Ck wings are thickly breaded and they seem to have a bit of curry twist to it. 2/5 I like to support local Chinese takeout places but this one is just okay. A bit slow and not much customer service. Just telling you what to expect.

I like this place, partly because it is close to where I live. All the food I have ordered has been good, and I'm a big fan of their "Hot and Sour" soup. Chicken dishes are also excellent. Definitely worth a try.

Love this place, we order once a month and they always deliver in a timely manner with great food!

Hunan Cafe is a fantastic Chinese restaurant. I am a delivery only customer and am writing this review from a delivery customer perspective. Hunan Cafe dishes are made with very fresh ingredients and their consistency is unbeatable. They take the time to slice their ingredients (vegetables and proteins) in a very consistent manner (so easy to eat with chopsticks!). I love their seasonings in every dish I have ever ordered. Never over salted. Just great flavor. Online ordering is painless. Delivery drivers are so polite and friendly. Keep doing what you are doing Hunan Cafe!

The food was all tasteless, white rice was the only part that I enjoyed because it's supposed to taste bland. General Tao's tasted like the chicken was sauced with water. The crab Rangoon's had minimal filling and the dough tasted like cardboard. If you like flavor, AVOID THIS PLACE!!