Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
The D.C. area's go-to for serious Peking duck.
Peking Gourmet Inn is the D.C. area's most consistent address for Peking duck, backed by back-to-back Opinionated About Dining Casual North America rankings in 2024 and 2025. The Falls Church location rewards groups of four or more: tableside carving, family-style sharing, and a high-volume room built for celebration. Solo diners and couples will find the format less suited to their needs.
If you are looking for Peking duck in the D.C. area and want a room that takes the dish seriously, Peking Gourmet Inn in Falls Church is the right call. It sits outside the District proper, but the drive from central D.C. is manageable and the restaurant's consistency has kept it on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list two years running (ranked #688 in 2024, #686 in 2025). For a Chinese restaurant in a suburban Virginia strip mall, that is meaningful external validation. The question is whether it fits your specific occasion — and for groups and special celebrations, the answer is usually yes.
Walk in and the visual cue is immediate: whole ducks hanging in the kitchen window, the ceremonial carving trolley, and walls lined with photographs of the politicians and dignitaries who have made this a regular stop over the decades. The dining room is large and family-oriented rather than intimate, which matters for setting expectations. This is not a quiet date-night room in the way that, say, Queen's English or Tiger Fork might offer. The atmosphere is convivial and sometimes loud, driven by large tables celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and family reunions. If that energy suits your occasion, it works in your favour. If you need a quiet room for a business conversation, manage expectations accordingly.
The Peking duck is carved tableside, which is part of the experience rather than a gimmick here. The visual theatre of the carving is worth factoring into why you would choose this over a more contemporary Chinese address. For special occasion framing, the tableside presentation gives the meal a clear centrepiece — something that works well when you are hosting out-of-town guests or marking a milestone dinner.
Groups are where Peking Gourmet Inn performs leading. The restaurant accommodates large parties and the format , shared dishes, whole roasted duck, family-style service , is built for communal dining rather than individual tasting menus. If you are organising a corporate dinner, a family celebration, or a gathering of six or more, this format delivers a sense of occasion that is harder to replicate at smaller, trendier spots. The private dining options here are well-suited to groups that want a full-room experience without the per-head price pressure of a tasting-menu venue like Causa or Albi. For context, those venues run at $$$$; Peking Gourmet Inn's price point is more accessible, making it a practical choice when you are hosting a larger table and watching the total bill.
Parties of two or three will find the experience works, but the value equation tips decisively toward groups. Ordering a whole duck for two is feasible but slightly awkward portion-wise; at a table of four or more, the menu's logic clicks into place.
Booking here is direct. The restaurant is open seven days a week, 11am through 10:30pm Sunday through Thursday and until 11pm on Friday and Saturday. There is no evidence of significant booking difficulty , this is not a venue where you need to plan weeks in advance for a standard dinner reservation. The Falls Church address (6029 Leesburg Pike) means you are outside the D.C. core; factor in the drive or a rideshare from central neighbourhoods. If you are staying in the city and combining this with other D.C. dining, consult our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide for routing context.
The Google rating sits at 4.2 across 2,702 reviews, which for a high-volume suburban restaurant is a credible signal of consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. This is a place that delivers reliably, which is exactly what you want when you are bringing a group and cannot afford an off night.
Book Peking Gourmet Inn if: you are celebrating something with four or more people, you want Peking duck specifically and want it done properly, you are hosting guests who want a D.C.-area dining experience that feels locally rooted, or you are looking for a group dinner that delivers visual theatre and a shared centrepiece dish without a tasting-menu price tag. Look elsewhere if you need a quiet room, a contemporary wine list, or a solo dining experience with counter energy. For Chinese dining with a more modern approach, Mister Jiu's in San Francisco or Restaurant Tim Raue in Berlin show what the category looks like at a different register. In D.C. itself, Queen's English offers a more contemporary Chinese-American approach if that is your preference.
| Detail | Peking Gourmet Inn | Oyster Oyster | Rose's Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | Not published (mid-range implied) | $$$ | $$$$ |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate | Hard |
| Leading for groups | Yes (family-style format) | Small groups | Small groups |
| Private dining | Yes (accommodates large parties) | Limited | Limited |
| OAD recognition | #686 Casual NA (2025) | Not listed | Not listed |
| Hours (weekday) | 11am–10:30pm | Check site | Check site |
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peking Gourmet Inn | Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #686 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #688 (2024) | — | |
| Oyster Oyster | Michelin 1 Star | $$$ | — |
| Albi | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Causa | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Rooster & Owl | Michelin 1 Star | $$$ | — |
| Rose’s Luxury | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
Comparing your options in Washington, D.C. for this tier.
It works for solo diners, but this is not the format the restaurant is built around. The menu leans toward shared dishes and the Peking duck is ordered whole or in portions better suited to two or more. If you are eating alone, come at lunch when the room is calmer and ordering a single-serving dish alongside the duck is less awkward. For a solo Chinese meal in D.C., somewhere with a shorter menu built for one is a more comfortable fit.
It is in Falls Church, Virginia — not in D.C. proper — so factor in the drive or rideshare from central D.C. The restaurant has been ranked by Opinionated About Dining in both 2024 and 2025, which tells you this is a place taken seriously by people who track this category closely. The Peking duck is the reason to come; the kitchen signals this from the moment you walk in. Come with a group if you can, and book ahead for weekends.
Peking duck is the dish the restaurant is built around and the one that earned it back-to-back OAD rankings in 2024 and 2025. Order it. The shared-dish format means the table should pick a few supporting dishes, but the duck is the anchor. Do not come here expecting a broad dim sum or regional Chinese menu — the kitchen's reputation rests on this one preparation done consistently.
Lunch is the lower-pressure option: the restaurant opens at 11am daily and the room is quieter midday. Dinner runs later on Fridays and Saturdays (until 11pm) and is better suited to group celebrations when the full energy of the room makes sense. If you want the duck without a wait or a crowd, a weekday lunch is a practical choice. For a special occasion with a party, go dinner.
Yes, particularly for groups of four or more. The format — whole roasted duck, shared dishes, private dining rooms for larger parties — suits celebratory meals well. It has held back-to-back rankings on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list, so there is documented recognition behind the reputation. If your group wants a specific, centrepiece dish rather than a broad tasting menu experience, this is a stronger choice than a generic upscale restaurant.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
