Enjoy Bold Sichuan Flavors at Peter Chang

Peter Chang is a name that carries real weight in the world of Sichuan cooking — and Arlington is lucky to have not one but two restaurants bearing his name. The original, simply called Peter Chang, is located at 2503-E N. Harrison St. in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center. Born in Wuhan and trained in Chengdu — the heartland of Sichuan cooking — Chef Chang came to Washington, D.C. and built a reputation that generated what locals dubbed the “Peter Chang cult”: devoted fans who would follow rumors of his whereabouts from restaurant to restaurant across the region. His Arlington location, which opened in 2015, seats 120 guests in a comfortable, booth-lined dining room.

The menu is an education in Sichuan cooking: aromatic dry-fried dishes, mala (mouth-numbing spicy) preparations, and the house-made bubble pancake created by his wife Lisa — a Chinese pastry chef — that has become a signature item across all Chang restaurants. Must-orders include the spicy beef noodle soup, cumin lamb, crispy pork belly, dry-fried eggplant, and the famously addictive Wuhan sesame noodles. His daughter Lydia Chang opened a second Arlington restaurant, NiHao, at 1550 Crystal Drive in National Landing in May 2024, focusing on shareable dim sum-style small plates and Sichuan cocktails in a more modern setting. Hours at Peter Chang Arlington are Monday–Thursday 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5–9:30 p.m., Friday–Sunday 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.