Fat Dragon Chinese Kitchen and Bar

They have REALLY good Hot & Sour soup. The Basil Beef was pretty good. The portions are not huge but not too small. I would have liked more. The service is really good & our waiter made a great suggestion to add to our meal, which was not an uncharge. So I appreciate that. You can tell its a place for singles & for dating. The most obvious thing was that the staff are extremely quick. Its a good restaurant/​bar.

Ok, the Jalapeño fried rice is ridiculously good. I was mostly happy with the entrees. This place is actually pretty easy to get to for it being downtown and it has the right ambiance for a romantic setting.

My parents, sister and I went here on Chinese New Year. The food was amazing and very reasonably priced for a family style dinner. Our server was very personable and the bartender was good conversation while I waited on the table and my family. The only reason that I couldn’t give this place 5 stars is because my server while she was personable, she wasn’t attentive. We needed drink refills, silverware, and sugar for the hot tea (which I was surprised wasn’t nicer to not need sugar) and she was nowhere to be found. Also, my mom called and the host said that we don’t need a reservation but it took 30ish minutes for a table once I got there and out our name on the list.
We had the calamari as an app. For dinner we had the Golden Prawns, firecracker shrimp, chef zhao’s chicken, and the garlic chicken. Everything was delicious and beautifully presented.
They also have a pretty good beer selection from lots of local brewery’s which I enjoyed!
Even with the few mishaps, I’ll definitely be back and I’ve been recommending it to people– I’ll just make sure to insist on a reservation even when told that you don’t need one!

I’m glad I went here again to give this place another try.
I made reservations for Valentine’s day because I knew it would be crazy and it sure was. (Take note people – make reservations when you know it’s going to be busy!)
The service was excellent! The food was great! The server from the table next to us kept getting us mixed up with one of his tables. That was quite odd but our server told us that the seating arrangement had changed because of Valentine’s day.
I’ll go back, hopefully on a night that isn’t so busy.

I’ll have to give them immediate credit for sitting my group of seven (7) that showed up randomly with no reservations pretty swiftly, as they have very little waiting room and the bar area was packed because of the AFC championship game this won them some praise in my eyes. Service was pretty good for the most part, host was friendly, wait staff was great with managing orders and keeping water glasses filled.
Place is nice to look at, very modern, cool art work and a private room for those looking to spend time with your group in a more intimate setting.
Foot was a bit of a letdown, my appetizer outshined my entrée by far. The chicken rolls appetizer was well cooked, a good portion size with with a sauce that proved to be flavorful but with also a hint of spice. My entrée was underwhelming, I had the Enter the Dragon, a seafood medley in a white sauce, this dish was all around bland, lacked flavor, lacked anything that would make anyone seek it out and was quite a letdown.
Ambiance, and service are good but the food wasn’t a home run.

Great food and service. We arrived shortly after they opened and we’re able to secure a table for three. The waitress was friendly and although she had a other tables to attend, she still provided us with good service. The manager speed by s few times to make sure we were being taken care of as he made his rounds and even exchanged a drink my wife didn’t like and brought her something more to her liking. The food came out very fast, even though they were definitely getting busy by 530 and or 5 yr old ate his meal without effort or drama, that’s how good it was! We are definitely going back!
PS. The place was packed by 6pm.

They have changed something and the food is on point! I don’t love Chinese food, but this place is amazing. We recently tried the beef jalapeño fried rice and it was so good. Everything is better here lately. I will definitely be back and be back soon.

Super cool Chinese restaurant with innovative twists on traditional dishes! One thing to note due to some confusion is that the restaurant does open for dinner at 4:30, however from 4:30 — 5:00 is only bar service and then the dining room opens up at 5. The ambience is very hip and trendy for sure and the noise levels can get pretty loud, but if you want some good beer or wine and a good meal on a Friday in RVA, this should be on your list!
The waitress was super awesome and was so attentive and it made for an even better experience. As I don’t drink, I got my customary water and hot tea. I was able to choose from a selection of Bigelow teas and it came in a really cool square teapot and cup to boot. My husband tried various beers and since ’tis the season, he tried two local Christmas brews and was quite content.
The food was very good and the kitchen was pumping it out very quickly! We ordered the Tsingtao beer battered mushrooms which were served with a sriracha hot mustard sauce for an appetizer. When we got the plate we were so surprised at the portion; there was easily a whole carton of mushrooms! There were also yummy fried bits of jalapeño and scallions on the bottom which were a nice surprise. Overall, this dish was good but because of the amount of spice and salt, I think it could have benefitted from something like a sweet Thai chili sauce for its condiment to balance the flavor profiles.
For entrees we ordered the chicken and rice noodles and the fei lone beef. The chicken and rice noodles was a robust serving with a lot of flavor! The noodles were Singaporean style with a subtle curry flavor and there were fresh veggies and yummy chicken breast strips galore. My husband got the fei lone beef which was cooked to a perfect medium rare and the sauce was scrumptious. It was accompanied by baby bok choy, mushrooms and white rice which were cooked very well. One downside was that the temperatures in this dish varied as the meat was warm but the vegetables seemed to have been cooked before and after the beef.
If you’re in Richmond, VA and would like to try a twist on Chinese cuisine, Fat Dragon is the place to try! Caution however with parking as it is street parking and is very limited.

Normally, I would say that using the adjective «fat» would be quite the insult,
but in this case, «phat» would be more appropriate! Unilocal reviews have not steered me wrong yet, and we were in search of a restaurant near the Washington Redskins Training Camp.
This discovery turned out to be perfect!
I enjoy noticing unique touches, which included the fresh herbs growing in the
front windows, and reclaimed wood.
They did have lunch specials. Great service, but no parking lot, so street parking only.

First of all, I was shocked at how PACKED this place was on a Tuesday night! Despite this, my party of three was seated immediately and our appetizer and drinks came within a few minutes of ordering.
We ordered the Crispy Chicken Rolls appetizer, and it was great. Think of a crispy chicken and tofu piece of sushi.
As for entrees, I played it safe and ordered the Chef Zhao’s chicken (similar to a General Tso’s chicken) and it was perfection. Crispy on the outside and very flavorful sauce. The rice is served family style to be shared amongst the table, but they give everyone their own fresh container of rice when they pack up the meals to go, which is a nice touch.
Overall, great service, amazing food, and stellar Happy Hour specials. I will be back!

This place was unexpected as it has great service and wonderful twists on traditional and modern versions of Chinese foods. We had a large party which they seemed eager to accommodate and honestly that’s a hard sale nowadays with gratuity included most usually don’t give their (A) game but they gave it an Allstar experience. I would say as a tip to make sure when they say spicy or add some spicy it might be hotter than expected but over all a delicious experience with a slight upscale appeal

It’s been over 2 and a half years since my last review and visit and some things have changed and some things haven’t.
Some of the features that have changed include the following:
— The wait time for the food has decreased exponentially. It came out within minutes of placing the order and came out piping hot
— The Chefs? Our waiter informed us that the cooks are originally from some providence in China and prepare really authentic «chinese» cuisines. I was really excited about this since I do love more cultural dishes than the Americanized ones
— Prices have increased by a few dollars and most of the main dinner menu items are around $ 15 and increase from there
I got the basil beef which were strip steaks in a brown sauce with onions and mushrooms and a side of rice. The beef was really tender and cooked a medium rare but the flavors didn’t really separate themselves from lets say another Americanized Chinese restaurants like P.F. Changs. The rice was also not cooked well and very dried out. My friend got their version of General Tso’s Chicken and also said that it was just okay and also didn’t enjoy their fried rice either. Good service, high prices (for what you get), and lackluster food. If I want authentic Chinese cuisine i’ll make sure to go to Full Kee or another establishment.

I could not agree more with Tony A’s review. This is one of my favorite happy hour spots. They have a great local beer selection and bartenders make great fun drinks! I’ve always had awesome service here as well.
I’ll be honest and say that Asian cuisine is not my first choice but the food at Fat Dragon is very unique and delicious. I usually like to keep it simple and just get regular vegetable fried rice which was not on the menu but they gladly made for me. The presentation of their food is what sets their Chinese food apart from other restaurants and every dish that comes out always looks amazing!
Great service, great food, and fun atmosphere, makes me positive I’ll be back to Fat Dragon often.

This was the first place we saw getting off the highway in the middle of the night on our trip to Richmond. We kept seeing it every day and the reviews were good so we decided to check it out for lunch before we skipped town. What a great choice. The atmosphere was very cool and I could totally see this as a nighttime hot spot.
If you’re coming in for lunch, arrive hungry. The portion on the lunch boxes is huge. We started with soup, then the box comes with an egg roll, side of kimchi, fried rice (for an upcharge over white), and you’re entrée choice (also a huge portion). I wanted to order everything on the menu, but after careful deliberation, I decided on one of the lunch boxes (aka bento box). I’m a sucker for bento boxes and can’t deny myself one when it’s on the menu. I normally go with chicken, but decided to mix it up and get the basil beef. It was great, but I shared some of my friends chicken and it was fantastic… best of both worlds. The wonton soup was one of the best I’ve ever had and I wanted to take home a bucket of it back to SC… still wishing I did.

Let’s start with the apps:
Chicken rolls
Tempura fried shrimp
Entrees:
Basil beef
Fat dragon tofu:
Our service was AWESOME. Great personality, totally owned forgetting to put our apps in (I absolutely respect a server who can own a slip up — plus they were mad busy… seriously, this guy was great!).
I found my food (tofu) a little underwhelming and needing salt but my only table side option was soy sauce. I will say I had leftovers yesterday and it was AMAZING the second time around :) the kimchi is also a real treat if you like spicy… you won’t be disappointed. Absolutely enjoyed this date night :)

Love this place!
Great atmosphere, great service, fantastic food.
I’ve been several times and have always left happy.
There’s great happy hour specials and a good draft list. The calamari is so good – I always get this. The Fei-​Lone Beef is amazing. Most of the entrees I’ve tried have been great, but I always come back to the beef. Also good: mushrooms, wings – all the starters are delicious, and a great deal at $ 2 off during happy hour.

Hands down five stars.
I’ve been here way too many times than I’m willing to admit. I come here with friends, family, coworkers and everyone loves it. Their appetizers, killer. Their main courses, scrumptious. The only downside to this place is the parking, but honestly, you’re in a city so it comes with the territory.
Favorites:
Appetizers: Beer battered mushrooms (SPICY but UH-​mazing), calamari (the sauce they use is out of this world), and crispy chicken rolls (not spicy for those who are sensitive)
Main course: Basil beef, chef’s stir fry ramen, fei lone beef, and golden prawns.
They also have a great happy hour special. I got some local craft beers for $ 2. They have a great selection of beer, wine (on tap!), and mixed drinks.
The neighborhood may throw you off a bit, but don’t fear, Fat Dragon is a must if you’re hankerin’ for some Asian cuisine.

Divine love! Some of the best Asian food in Rva. Awesome staff great local beers and appetizers. My favorite are the green beans and the Stone cider has just enough sweet to top you off. This place is also friendly to vegan and vegetarian eaters. Check them out for Happy Hour. Across the street you have Bow tie Cinemas and Buz and Ned’s Barbecue. What a great place to be.

My boyfriend and I were going to see a movie at the BowTie across the street so when it came time to figuring out a place to park for dinner, the lightbulb went off in my head. I’ve been wanting to try Fat Dragon for foreeeevs and this was the perfect night to do it.
I really loved the interior. Like, a lot. The big windows are super inviting and the bar is poppin with all types of people. I can dig it. Between the two of us we ordered dumplings as an appetizer, garlic chicken, and bourbon chicken. Neither one of us was too impressed with the dumplings and the sauce was pretty salty… but take that as a grain of salt (pun intended) because I’m sensitive to salty foods. We both liked our entrees, though! You can tell that they take a lot of pride into their food. The presentation was fabulous. We went on a night that a crazy storm was coming and the lights actually flickered a couple of times, but the staff did a great job navigating that little issue.
We’ll be back! Especially on a day when we’re going to the BowTie.

I’ve been to Fat Dragon three times and have thoroughly enjoyed myself each time. My least favorite trip was lunch. I felt the lunch dish was just OK. On my two most recent visits I stayed for cocktails and appetizers. This was a much more fun and festive experience! The bartenders here certainly know how to mix a drink.
One such drink is the Manadarin Samurai (Manadarin blossom vodka, sweet & sour, Chambord on a half sugared rim) yeah I know it’s a girly frou-​frou drink but your mom likes them and, on occasion, so do I. Life is too short to always drink highballs. This place is great when you want to spoil yourself with a fancy cocktail. It’s a lost art and I’m proud that Richmond is bringing this trend back. NetFlix has a nice documentary by director Douglas Tirola titled ‘Hey Bartender’ which delves deeper into the lost art of cocktails. You should check it out.
The appetizers or «starters» or whatever we are calling them are on point. The firecracker shrimp are excellent but the crispy calamari is even BETTER. I think I ate the entire starter by myself.
Fat Dragon serves a great selection of local craft beer and I really liked the Devils Backbone Chengdu Weizenbock. I’ve also had the Strangeways Uberlin Berliner Weiss which was also excellent. I don’t think you can really drink a bad craft beer at this place. I mean, you either like it or you don’t but’s all loaded with flavor.
The wait staff is as cool as the other side of the pillow. They make us laugh, are always cheerful, and just all around solid people. The décor is also pretty sweet. It’s a little bit of a drive for me (living in Mechanicsville) but it’s worth the drive. Any place that can pull me from the comforts of my little suburb is doing something right. Keep up the good work Fat Dragon!
At the time of this writing (1÷12÷15) my lady love informed me that yesterday they put on tap… the legendary, the WORLD CLASS, rated a perfect 100 by the BRO’s on
, the one and only: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier. I’m speechless.