Mama Chang is a Chinese restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia that is owned by acclaimed chef Peter Chang. The restaurant offers a casual dining experience with a menu that focuses on homestyle Chinese dishes. Mama Chang's menu features a wide variety of dishes, many of which are quite spicy. If you are not used to spicy food, be sure to ask your server for recommendations. We enjoyed everything we ordered, but our favorites were the Peking duck, soup dumplings, and crispy pork. The service at Mama Chang is fast and efficient. However, due to the restaurant's popularity, the wait staff can sometimes seem a bit overwhelmed. Most of the time there is a line, so be prepared to wait if you have a large party. Parking can be a bit tricky at first, but there is plenty of parking available in the back of the restaurant. However, it is important to note that the prices are not exactly cheap. We spent around $50 per person for our meal, which is more than we would typically spend at a Chinese restaurant.

The best spring roll! Large, meaty, and filled with meat and vegetables but not noodles or cabbage. It was large and deep fried and hot when it got to me. Really yummy. Each one of the spring rolls was about the size of a hotdog in a bun. The four desserts are good with a classic old school snack of fermented rice cake, a modern pudding of coconut and citrus, warm fresh backed pineapple buns with egg yolk. And the sticky chewy rice cakes covered in brown sugar. Be brave and get them all. The pea shoots are a favorite alternative to steamed spinach. But you get the same healthy vibe. The fried pork belly is a Peter Chang classic but a bit heavy with the deep fried pork belly coated in batter. The lamb skewers are a nod to the Muslim cuisine and the skewers are toothpicks so easy to get to. Heavy on the cumin. Tossed with spring onions and red 🌶️. The fried rice is okay but nothing special. The brown sauce with the eggplants is amazingly scrumptious. I wanted to lounge in that sauce. The chive seafood dumpling were solid balls that will be better in a soup later… go for the spring rolls… the price was not too bad. About 114 for all that we got and we had lots of leftovers. They are open on Christmas Day but already fully booked. They only close for thanksgiving. Lots of vegetarian options.

Went on a Wednesday evening, 6pm, they open at 5pm. Place got filled up quickly. Food was out super fast and by 6:47 we were ordering dessert. But they were sold out of the citrus coconut pudding, we could get one for the table. It appears the play is to order it first then proceed to eat everything else. The people around us knew it. Overall a fun dining experience. The waitress was very helpful. The place gets loud and crowded. Many unique dishes, like the other Peter Chang restaurants. Definitely heading back.

As a Google local guide and expert restaurant reviewer, I highly recommend Mama Chang's Chinese Restaurant. The pork dumpling appetizer with spicy sauce was delicious, and the Farmers Chili was very good. I also enjoyed the Lucky Dog beer. I will definitely be going back!

Clean roomy atmosphere. Everything was extremely tender Smokey and flavorful. It beats a lot of casual spots in the Nova area. Highly recommend the pork belly and tea egg with rice. Beef chowfoon and seafood stew was also super pilllowy and tender. Nothing lacking that comes to mind. Everything you see is about $100 worth of food before tip. Its a more nicer place but the quality is there. Portions could be bigger for what your paying but overall no big deal. I would come again for a special occasion.

We came when they opened at 11am on a Saturday morning... this place fills up fast and it's a pretty good size restaurant! So glad we made a reservation for our group of 7. Service was efficient. Food was solid with plenty of options. The stand out for me was their spicy eggplant. But everyone at our table had their own favorites. We would definitely return. It's a great place for large groups.

Went to Mama Chang to celebrate my parent's anniversary. The vibe of the restaurant was very calm and not too loud, even though it was full on a weekday night. The food was excellent, highly recommended the lamb shank and braised pork belly with the tea eggs. Service was overall good and friendly, but I did feel a bit rushed as my bill was brought out while I was in the middle of eating my entrees (1hr into our service). But overall, it was a positive experience. I would definitely come again and try their dim sum later.

Authentic home-style Chinese Cuisine with lots of peppery and numbing dishes that I can’t get enough of 😋 I highly recommend the spicy cumin lamb as a lot of the meat comes in pieces and is most easy to eat off the bone. For veggies, we got the seasonal snow pea tips which are always a staple and Chinese restaurants, and went with the scallion pancake, mapo tofu, and hot and sour duck soup which were all solid choices as well. All of these were very filling and all 6 items (2 main dishes, 2 soups, and 2 sides) amounted to about $36 per person (4 people total). I will definitely be back, next time to try their braised ribs or pork and will definitely tell all my friends about it!