Edit: Messed up the title. Was supposed to be "My take on the DMV's best crab rangoon"

A while ago, I saw a post about the best crab rangoon in the DMV. I was originally just taking notes of the places I wanted to late visit but got so excited that I decided to do a crab rangoon tour of as many places as I could during December and January. Below are my thoughts on the best crab rangoon the DMV has to offer.

BLUF:

1st New Big Wong (Chinatown)

2nd Barrel (Capitol Hill) & Full Kee (Chinatown)

3rd Thai Select (Arlington)

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25 Dec - Dragon City

Crab Rangoon

Dragon City's crab rangoon come 8 per order. 2 of us split 1 order. There wasn't anything remarkable about them. They weren't bad, just so-so.

Food

Their Google listing says they still do dine-in. They don't. I went here with another person and we both ordered spicy dishes that didn't seem to have any spice to them. The food wasn't bad, it was just so-so.

Overall

Even when we ate it, we knew Dragon City would be bottom tier compared to what we would try. Our food wasn't spicy, it wasn't hot (granted, we did drive about 15 minutes after leaving with it), and it was just so-so.

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27 Dec - New Big Wong

Crab Rangoon

New Big Wong's tri-tip/crown-shaped crab rangoon come 6 per order. It was just 2 of us so we only ordered 1 serving. Ours were slightly puffy and fried hard so they had a good crunch, which I love but wasn't necessary for the person I was with. New Big Wong's crab rangoon are definitely better than Dragon City as of writing this (they would go on to be tied with Full Kee for my hands down favorite after visiting Full Kee).

Food

I don't remember what we had (although I'm certain I had duck) but I do remember that we loved it. I took what we didn't eat home for left overs the next day and it was one of those times where I was excited for lunch the next day.

Overall

Definitely better than Dragon City as of this writing (they would be tied for my top spot with Full Kee after going there). The food was great and the rangoon were amazing. When I think about great DMV crab rangoon, my first thought is of New Big Wong.

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12 Jan - Full Kee

Crab Rangoon

Full Kee's crown-shaped crab rangoon come 4 per order. They weren't overstuffed but were definitely plump. What set their rangoons apart is that they are unapologeticly oniony. Fried well, creamy, and with the green onions on full display. And the dipping sauce that comes with it makes them even better! I ended up pouring the leftover sauce on my rice (and may have snuck some on my entree). Everyone who tried the rangoons, even those who weren't on our tour, said they were among the best they've had.

Food

Richard, the owner, makes it clear that the food is cooked fresh when it's ordered. One person in my party ordered the 2 style bbq, the other ordered a chicken dish. They both added that it was made with love. I had the shredded pork Szechuan style. It wasn't shredded as I thought it would be, more like pork strips; it was just ok (but made a great lunch the next day).

Overall

Tied for top spot (with New Big Wong) when it comes to DMV crab rangoon as of writing this. The creamy onion taste with the dipping sauce is hard to beat.

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14 Jan - Haikan

Crab Rangoon

Haikan's crown-shaped crab rangoon come 5 per order so we got 2 orders for the 3 of us. They came in the standard 4-point shape. Since they were thinly breaded, there wasn't much of a crunch like I like. You could taste the cream cheese in the filling. What seals the deal with Haikan's crab rangoon is their dipping sauce. They have a sweet jalapeño jelly that pairs amazingly with their crab rangoon style. We definitely did the right thing by ordering 2 orders.

Food

Haikan is a raman bar where the ramen comes w a default set of ingredients (ground meat, nori, etc.). The entrees are differentiated from each other by the base and extras that you add. I got the Spicy Shoyu with pork belly, corn, and an egg. It wasn't spicy at all but was still good. Everyone I ate with also liked their entrees.

Overall

As of eating here, Haikan is in my top 3 for crab rangoon (the jalapeño jelly really sets it off). I put them behind New Big Wong and Full Kee but ahead of Dragon City.

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24 Jan - Barrell

Crab Rangoon

Barrel's bomb-shaped crab rangoon (square bottom w 4 "fins") come 4 per order so we got 2 orders for the 4 of us. They were well stuffed with thin breading but fried slightly hard so there was a bit of crunch when you bite into them. I loved their oniony taste and felt it paired well with their garlicy dipping sauce.

Food

We made it there in time for happy hour and had the barbecue platter, the Brussels sprouts, and rangoon ahead of the entree (along w a couple drinks and shots; they are a whiskey bar after all). We decided to split the platter that had pork shoulder, corn pudding, and more. The 4 of us had enough to eat and loved it all. This place is even better if you're a whiskey person.

Overall

As of dining here, I put it at #2, behind New Big Wong and tied with Full Kee. Others thought it was tied with or above Full Kee (which they put at #1) and ahead of New Big Wong.

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29 Jan - Thai Select

Crab Rangoon

Thai Select's crab rangoon are officially called purse-shaped but I thought they were more floral looking. They come 5 per order so we originally split an order between the 2 of us but ended up ordering another one they were so good. Thai Select's crab rangoon were very cream cheesy to the point where the onion flavor comes in a distant second; more like a hint of onion taste than the others we've tried. For my guest, these were hands down the 2nd best behind Barrel. It was harder for me because although they're very good, they're not very accessible to me which means that I won't get them often. Based solely on taste, I'd agree with my guest in that they would come second: behind New Big Wong for me, tied with Barrel, and ahead of Full Key which gets bumped to third. Overall, though, I'm ranking them in third behind Barrel and Full Kee (tied for 2nd), and pushing Haikan out the running.

Food

Thai Select is obviously a Thai restaurant but also serves Japanese fare such as sushi and bento boxes. We ordered the drunken noodles and Pawkoo with Duck, opting for the side of spring rolls that come with it. As is my custom, I ordered some Thai tea with no ice (I want as much of the drink as I can get!). No complaints from either of us on the food, it was very good without any one thing standing out.

Overall

Very good rangoon but it's location in Arlington will be difficult for many and is a big reason why I'm putting it at 3rd as of this writing. For those who can get there easily, you're gonna be rewarded every time but for me and those like me, it's a place I'll get to when I can with no special plans to go.

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Honorable Mention

07 Feb - Panda Gourmet

I'm giving an honorable mention to Panda Gourmet in NE DC. The sage advice given was don't let that it's in a Days Inn fool you. They didn't have crab rangoon available (so I can't officially put them on my list) but they did have spicy wontons. The real star of the show was the food. We had 2 orders of the lamb curry, Mongolian Lamb, the frogs, spicy rabbit, General Tso's chicken, and sesame chicken. It was served family style on a big rotating wheel so we all got to sample outside of the dish we ordered. No one was upset.

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11 Feb - Lucky Danger

Crab Rangoon

Lucky Danger's crab rangoon ended up being just alright. They have the crabbiest filling of anywhere I tried, which is a big plus, but served them in paper thin wrappings, a huge minus. They were fried hard which is usually a plus but because the wrappings were so thin it felt like the rangoon were wrapped in potato chips. Overall, they don't make my list.

Food

I ordered the orange beef and my guest ordered General Tso's chicken. I liked my orange beef. It was flavorful and once I made it a fourth of the way into the container, I found all the sauce they'd cooked it in. My guest didn't like the General Tso's chicken. It was dry and although it was supposed to be spicy, it lacked any heat at all (I confirmed with a bite).

Overall

Being in Arlington makes it a trek for those not in the VA side of the DMV (especially with the yellow line being down right now). The crabby filling in the rangoon doesn't make up for the thin wrapping they use. My ranking remains the same as when I went to Thai Select: #1 is New Big Wong, #2 is Barrel and Full Kee tied, with Thai Select taking 3rd.