East Ocean - Haymarket

This restaurant is fantastic for halal Chinese cuisine! Their crispy chicken is absolutely incredible. We also tried the General Tso chicken today, and it was fantastic as well. The food is fresh, and the portion sizes are generous! I highly recommend this place to everyone.

I'm giving this restaurant 5 stars for its location and the fact that they provide zabihah halal options. I'm glad to see more halal businesses opening in the area. However, I would rate the food at a maximum of 4 stars, as there's definitely room for improvement. My chicken lo mein was a bit bland—adding some color would have helped (see photo). A small portion of veggies would have really enhanced the dish. For great halal Chinese, my go-to is "New Dynasty" on P Street in DC—definitely worth a visit if you haven't been there yet.

I recently hosted my rehearsal dinner at East Ocean Restaurant because I wanted a relaxed atmosphere where everyone could feel at ease. The owner and staff were incredibly friendly and allowed us to use a private area for about 20 people without charging an additional fee. They even asked if it would be alright for people to come in for take-out during our event, and I happily agreed, wanting to ensure we had enough space. A woman, who I believe is the manager, called me the week before to go over all the details and discuss how I wanted the setup. The entire process was easy to coordinate, and everyone had a wonderful time that evening!