1983 Chinese Cuisine

$40 per person is the right mental budget here: in Arlington, 1983 Chinese Cuisine is a Cantonese restaurant whose strongest fit is a lively, comfortable meal built around dim sum, roasted meats, and seafood rather than a formal or quiet dining-room experience.

The draw is the Cantonese focus and the setting. details describe an authentic Cantonese restaurant with elegant decor, dim sum carts, and seafood displays, creating a lively but comfortable dining room suited to families and groups. The overall feel is lively, modern, elegant, trendy, and casual.

Dim sum, roast duck, and seafood make this stronger for groups than solo dining

Choose this when the table wants variety. A grounded order can start with dim sum and Cantonese roasted meats, then add seafood and dessert if the group is hungry. Listed signatures include Dim Sum Platter, Signature Roasted Duck, Honey-glazed Char Siu, Seafood with Vermicelli Pot, Crystal Shrimp Dumplings, and Mango Sago Cream with Pomelo. That mix is naturally useful for sharing.

The value works because the price is about $40 per person, which makes more sense when a table can sample several Cantonese dishes. It is less useful to judge the restaurant from a single item.

How to plan a first meal

The schedule is 11:00 am–10:00 pm daily as of July 2026, so both daytime and evening meals are possible. A first visit can focus on the signature dim sum items, while a larger meal can lean into roasted duck, char siu, seafood, and shared plates. The kitchen identity should come from Cantonese cooking itself: shrimp dumplings, roasted meats, seafood, and dessert.

For planning, keep the meal simple and shared. Start with Crystal Shrimp Dumplings or the Dim Sum Platter, add Signature Roasted Duck or Honey-glazed Char Siu, then bring in Seafood with Vermicelli Pot if the table wants a larger dish. Mango Sago Cream with Pomelo gives the meal a sweet finish.

Where it fits in an Arlington night out

Within Arlington, this is the Cantonese choice to put on the shortlist when the group wants shared plates at about $40 per person. For broader local planning, use our Arlington restaurants guide and compare it with other Arlington dining by mood, price, and group fit.

If Cantonese is the research lane, compare 1983 Chinese Cuisine with The Peach Blossom Eatery as another relevant point of reference. The most useful distinction is not a fabricated score or award history, but the basics: Cantonese cuisine, about $40 per person, daily 11:00 am–10:00 pm hours, a casual but elegant room, dim sum carts, seafood displays, and signatures such as roasted duck, char siu, shrimp dumplings, seafood with vermicelli, and mango sago cream with pomelo.