Chef Lee's Element

The food is phenomenal. I grew up in an Asian area and usually the asian food in the DMV is just ok. But Chef Lees is VERY authentic chinese food. I liked the varying flavors (from spicy sichuan, to more mild flavors like cucumber). I liked that the food was overly salty or oily like most chinese places. It was super busy on a friday night but Marcie and Maggie were so efficient and great at customer service. We didnt have a wait to get seated and food came out FAST!!! Service by maggie and Marcia were amazing. They were great at English and chinese. The environment was very clean. Maggie and Marcia were very attentive and great at recommending dishes. They truly made the experience great. We ordered the: 1. spicy chili chicken: more wet but a non fried option of chongqing chicken. Ve

Chef Lee’s Element is one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants I’ve found in the U.S. The food feels very close to what you would experience in China—rich, bold, and full of real Szechuan flavor. The spices are pronounced and savory, and the dishes have that true homeland style that’s hard to find here. Our server, Marcia, was excellent—very friendly, attentive, and incredibly fast. She made the entire experience smooth and enjoyable. If you’re looking for authentic Szechuan cuisine rather than the typical Americanized Chinese food, this place is absolutely worth visiting. I’ll definitely be back.

Ordered take out and loved the dishes! We ordered the zhong dumplings, chongqing chicken and boiled spicy beef. The boiled beef was definitely the spiciest, but the chicken was probably the tastiest! It was crispy and perfect amount of heat. Highly recommend this spot! Beware, the portions are huge, so order a few dishes to share!

I think this place has improved since the last time I visited. We were passing by and we decided to give this place another try. Some dishes were good, some fell flat, but overall, the experience is better than the last time we were here. Love the updated interior and they have better seating and ambiance. When we were here, there were people in more intimate settings. It works and everyone seems to be doing their own thing. Service could be faster, but the wait staff had to deal with customers and to-go orders at the same time so they were running around a lot. I think it's worth a try.

We came here for a group lunch with friends at noon on December 24th. The interior decor is clean and cozy, and the seating is spacious. The service was great, and the food came out at a reasonable pace. The Grilled sea bass (spicy chili) was very fresh, tender, and flavorful, and it came with a generous portion of side dishes. The beef in golden sour-spicy broth was quite spicy and numbing—you have to be careful of the Sichuan peppercorns while eating it. Everyone really enjoyed the shredded potatoes with salted egg yolk. As for the Liangpi (Konjac Noodle), they felt a bit different from what we usually have; they were decent but standard.