Check it Out: City Lights of China

Chinese food for me equals comfort food. Being Jewish, nothing says Christmas to me like gathering with relatives and chowing down on Chinese food from my favorite Chinese restaurant. It’s a tradition that I hate to miss out on; so coming down to DC I had to find a suitable spot that could give me that same feeling of joy as my favorite restaurant back home (shout out to Bernard’s in Brookline, MA). Considering that, more often than not, DC’s Chinatown leaves a lot to be desired, I figured it wasn’t going to be the easiest task. But, if you face a similar dilemma, than fear not dear readers, because I once again have the solution - City Lights of China.

Located in Dupont Circle on Connecticut between R and S this cozy little restaurant serves delicious Chinese cuisine for reasonable (albeit a little bit high) prices. The food is amazing, and they always prepare my favorite dishes to perfection. In my mind, there is very little better than pan-fried dumplings (also known as Peking Ravioli), but making them right is difficult. The dough shell and meat ratio is complicated and easy to screw up. A dumpling that is too doughy just won’t do. The dumplings created by City Lights of China however are light, savory, delicious, and as a result make a perfect appetizer.


For the main course I go for Sesame Chicken, and again they City Lights does it right. Its light and crispy, not too heavy, and while the chicken is lightly fried, the sauce is not overwhelmingly thick and syrupy, but still sweet, so it comes together fantastically. All of this will run you around $20, which for a really good Chinese food meal (and the definite possibility of leftovers), is well worth it.

If you love Chinese food like I do, and are looking for a more refined meal than those served by the usual dime-a-dozen Chinese take out spots, than I recommend you head over to City Lights of China. I’m guessing you won’t be disappointed.