TNR Cafe

I TNR when I first moved to Courthouse two years ago, and I was disappointed by the delivery food I received. I thought it was bland, soggy, and arrived cold, so I have avoided eating here since then.
However, during the recent snowstorm, desperate times called for desperate measures, and I am very happy that I gave TNR another shot. I ordered the steamed dumplings, the Szechuan string beans with shrimp, and General Tso Tofu, and found them all to be excellent. The dumplings are dense but very flavorful, and the filling had good flavor, the string (green) beans had the right amount of spice, and the tofu was some of the best I’ve ever had.
I’d now probably consider TNR the best Chinese option in the Courthouse vicinity that I’ve tried.

If what you’re looking for is some classic Chinese take-​out on the couch, this is the place to call! My favorite delivery/​carry-​out Chinese place hands-​down… I lived in Courthouse for a year and got dinner from here at least once a month. When I moved to Crystal City, I could not find a delivery Chinese place that even came close in quality. We usually get vegetable lo-​mein, orange chicken, chicken fried rice, vegetable egg rolls, shrimp and chicken spring rolls, and occasionally some miso soup. The time for take-​out/​delivery is always reasonable too.

Nice Chinese food (in Arlington area), relatively fast delivery. Roasted duck over rice is pretty good, both my roomie and I love that.

First off. This place is okay for the food and that’s considering it as Chinese takeout (hey, it’s a guilty pleasure though I usually prefer serious Chinese). I would normally say it’s 3 stars for some of the dishes here and the boba is only okay.
But tonight I’m giving a one-​star for the game they played with Eat24 and me. In the past, it’s been okay. But I was really hungry today and 10min after placing my order, I get a notification saying the restaurant is really busy and needs more time. ETA 75min. WHAT?! I decide to cancel through Eat24. One said it was canceled and the other said the restaurant promised my food in the next 20min (I’m still not sure why he decided for me to keep the order). Time goes by and I’m getting increasingly hangry… I’m usually a cheery person but I go to negative infinity real fast once hungry.
Do you know when my food got here? Delivery guy is tap dancing on my door more than an hour after I had placed my order and definitely 40min after the restaurant had promised that my food would arrive WITHIN the next 20min. Don’t believe them because now I know they still stuck by the 75min ETA rather than the new promised time just so they could keep my order. I still don’t know if I’m getting charged though I’m assuming I am with all the mess that was happening but I think I’ll be steering clear even when I’m itching for some Chinese takeout. I did try to tip the delivery guy for having made the drive but I was clear with him about my disappointment with the restaurant and Eat24 service tonight.

Solid Chinese food. Tons of vegetables (they use full bell peppers).

4.5 stars rounded up. Got delivery twice from them and im very pleased. Tried the hunan beef, hunan shrimp, and vegetable lomein. Very satisfied with everything and it was piping hot! Delivery takes about 45 minutes but its worth it

I’ve never actually eaten in the restaurant, but am a regular when it comes to take-​out/​delivery. Their Roast Duck Noodle Soup is well balanced with flavor, not too salty, but enough to not need shoyu (soy sauce). The noodles are just the right tenderness and I love the baby bok choy. The roast duck is moist and tender with a wonderful flavor. When I lived closer I would get delivery and it was always within a relatively quick timeframe. Now that I live further I’ve come for take-​out; at first I would order when I got there but now I’ve discovered the online ordering and it makes it even easier. Either way, the wait for my order is usually never very long.

Omg! This is the absolute worst Chinese food I have ever had in my life! It is unbelievable this place is in business. First off, the orange chicken was fatty dark chicken meat — if that was chicken. The spring rolls were so gross I didn’t eat it all. My colleague had the chicken with veggies which should’ve been called veggies with 2 pieces of chicken.
Do not waste your hard earned money on this crap unless you want to be sick to stomach and at least have a stomach pump. You have been warned.

Big things definitely come in small packages!
This place is one my favorite go to spots for American Chinese food… while in the Arlington/​Clarendon area. Judging from the outside and small layout inside, you might not be as excited to try them. But, once inside and taking a look at their menu you will be surprise to see this place has a lot to offer. They run the full gamut of American Chinese fare and have a pretty good list of Bubble Tea options too.
The food is always fresh, made to order, and most of the typical-​main items that I do order are very good. And, surprisingly, no mystery looking or shaped meats! TNR is all good in my book.
I cannot speak to the entire menu. I tend to order the same items every time I visit and stay off the adventurous path… although there isn’t really one at TNR. So in short:
* FAVORITES * — Items of honorable mention, big winners, kickin’ in flavor, and/​or done well.
— General Tso’s Chicken (Skimpy though on the Broccoli. On average served with 2 crowns of it)
— Spicy Orange Chicken
— Mongolian Beef
— Singapore Noodles
— Seafood Fried Rice
— Hot n’ Sour Soup
— Bubble Tea (Mostly all flavors; especially the Mango/​Strawberry)
* NOT SO FAVORITES * — Items I personally didn’t care for and/​or will not waste my hard earned minimum wage on again.
— Sweet n’ Sour Chicken
— Egg Drop soup
— Beef n’ Broccoli
With that said… Clean restaurant, great staff and customer service. Solid Chinese food and the lunch specials (dine-​in only) can’t be beat. It’s not the best I have ever had in the DC area, but this place is definitely worth a visit when craving some decent Chinese food while in the Arlington/​Clarendon area.

3.5 Stars. Place was good, Shrimp lo mein was mixed with shreds of carrots and chopped green onions, had good flavor and a decent amount of shrimp. I’d say 10 or so medium small size shrimp. Kung pao chicken was good, with a decent spice kick. The chicken was mixed with red and green peppers, white and red onions, garlic, and peanuts. Not bad, my only issue is that the onions were all cooked to a different level, some tasted cooked some tasted raw. I didnt mind it but someone else might.
Service was good, waitress checked in on us and refilled water, no complaints.

Best beef stew noodle soup ever!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe the WHOLE menu deserves five stars, but after reading some of the bad reviews, I just had to set some things straight. It’s really hard to find a restaurant where EVERYTHING on the menu is good. So, I’ve made a list of menu items that deserve your attention. When TNR Café does something good, they’ve really hit it out of the park.
Super items: all of these items are cooked perfectly and have a lot of flavor:
Sesame chicken
Orange chicken (if you like a lot of orange)
General Tso’s chicken
Mongolian beef
Egg rolls
Steamed pork dumplings
Chicken fried rice
Not so great items:
Egg drop soup– not creative, just eggs and broth (sometimes I order it when I’m sick)
Crab rangoons– virtually no crab
House noodle soup– ok, just super bland broth
Sweet and sour anything

As an update to my review, one of the owners contacted me to refund my entire meal and to offer me a second chance on the house. He tried to reassure me that what I saw was a grain of black rice that got in my white rice from cross-​contamination of the rice scoop. I can see how that would be possible, but I am almost certain that what I found in my rice was not a grain of black rice. It did not have the consistency or appearance of a rice grain. There was still no apology for the distress caused by possibly seeing crap in my food; only reassurance that I was wrong.
I’ll throw in another star for the full refund and for contacting me to try to explain the situation, albeit in a condescending explanation.

Stopped one night for a bubble tea, and it wasn’t just a disappointment, it was revolting. The bubbles were lumpy and falling apart, and we had a hard time believing the serve lady when she advised us the bubbles were cooked recently. We have been to enough tea shops to know without a shred of doubt that they weren’t, and believe that no business should get anything out that they wouldn’t eat themselves. Maybe they would?
Wouldn’t rule out ever going back for food, but unlikely.

I found out this place serves bubble tea just before the hottest week of Summer. I then got bubble tea 3 – 4 times that week (I lost count?). Bubble tea is fairly abundant outside of DC, but in the city itself it isn’t as easy to find. It’s a quick drive from Georgetown to come here, although sometimes parking stinks.
So far I’ve had black milk tea, coconut milk tea, and almond milk tea. All have been great.
I’ve also ordered food twice with my bubble tea. It’s never been a bad experience, though the food has also never been remarkable. They’re remarkable for the bubble tea.

I have to update my review. While everything I said about the authenticity of the Chinese food here in my first review remains the same (it’s not necessarily the most authentic or most memorable meal you’ll ever have), I have to say this place deserves an extra star because their delivery is really what a restaurant delivery service should be. They never, ever take longer than 1 hour to prep and deliver fresh, hot food to your door. (They are usually much faster than whatever GrubHub estimates). They are very reliable, and the delivery guy is friendly. The food is consistent — it doesn’t change from delivery to delivery and once you figure out what you like on the menu, this is a godsend. They have never ONCE messed up my order either! If you’re ever starving, or it’s a snow day, or you’re in a bind and you need delivery, order from TNR! Props, TNR!
Update on hair: haven’t found another one since that 1 time. I’m back to trusting the food and digging in!

Only stopped by to grab a bubble tea. They use tiny ice in the drink so it tastes like a slushy and is very refreshing. Tapioca got the right chewiness and not too sweet. I ordered my green tea with milk with less sugar and it’s still a tad too sweet, but that’s my preference. Looks like a really clean restaurant and the boss lady was very nice. Speaks Cantonese and English.

I’ve steered clear of this place despite having lived 5 minutes away for years… Why? Because I once had rather off beef here, way too chewy and sketchy. I thought this seemed to be a cost-​cutting restaurant just scamming the easily-​fooled Arlington yuppie crowd. Who are more interested in themselves than in what’s on their plate sometimes, and are perhaps not discerning about American-​Chinese cuisine.
Recently I decided to be open minded and scanned through my normally trusty Unilocal reviews, and decided to give the bubble teas a try, as they came highly recommended. And I am addicted to bubble tea.
Wow. Never have I been led this astray by Unilocal.
The bubble tea was not properly sealed, the blending was off, not enough ice, blue powder was used as taro green tea, and I felt cheated beyond belief. The tapioca pearls with coffee built in redeemed it slightly. Yes folks it’s possible to get bubble tea wrong, come here and find out how. :-[
Got me once, fooled me twice, and cannot imagine what will happen to me after three strikes. Ergo, they will not be getting further business from me.
Chinese food is admittedly low on my totem pole as well.

Stopped by for some bubble tea and I was surprisingly impressed. I thought that you could only get good Taiwanese-​style bubble tea in Maryland in this area. I loved that I could also order it less sweet because most of the bubble teas offered in the States are cloyingly and unbearably over-​sweetened. The tea flavor was good and authentic and overall the drink was delicious. I would definitely come back to order some more bubble tea!
I have also had food here before. Good, authentic and quick but sometimes a bit too much oil for my liking. Nothing super noteworthy but pretty good authentic Chinese food if you need it in a hurry.

If you’re in a bind for Taiwanese food/​bubble tea in the Clarendon-​Courthouse neighborhood, TNR Café do the trick. They offer standard Taiwanese dishes, like shredded pork with bean curd (pretty good) and American-​Chinese food options like Moo Shu Pork (savory meat wrapped in steamy pancakes).
It is a bit pricey for take-​out level food, as they are a step higher in quality. But I wouldn’t come here regularly, as the atmosphere is nothing to rave about and I’d look around for cheaper food if I really wanted Chinese. TNR offers coupons in their mailer from time to time, around 20% off orders of $ 25 or more and free fried rice or egg rolls.
The bubble tea is meh OK. They used powdered flavored sugar vs anything fresh. It isn’t horrible, but aim higher — especially if you’re willing to drive further out in VA or MD. I’m glad TNR is part of the neighborhood, though, as it adds to the diversity of options on Wilson Blvd.