Queen Amannisa

Yummy food, but slow service. The beef noodles were good but a little cold when they came out. The manti (dumplings) took a really long time to come out — it’s okay to have food take longer, but the waitress should have informed us. Overall, a great find in the DC area.

First time I went to the restaurant it was good. The service wasn’t awful but very slow during this visit. The food was good.
The second time, I ordered delivery and was completely disappointed. When I got the order it was covered in oil. I checked the bag after I cleaned the oil off and found there was no rice. The Spicy Tofu I ordered came with rice but they forgot it. When I called them about the problem I spoke to a man who didn’t know what I was saying, and handed me off to another man who apologized. «Have you tried our restaurant? You should come to the restaurant.»
To top it off, the Spicy Tofu (labeled Vegetarian) had meat pieces throughout it.
Now I have to go out and buy a meal from another place.
$ 30 down the drain.
Do not order delivery in case you need to confront them about a problem.
Update:
The owner contacted (six text messages) and refunded me. I do appreciate this but at the same time she wrote «the vegetarian we use different oil and wok to cook it. I don’t think the meat it’s from the food that we prepare…». I am a Vegetarian and do not eat any meat, fish, poultry, gelatin, etc. I do not have any meat in my house, or the hotel room I am currently staying in. The other item in my order was the Tiger Skin Fried Pepper chile (very good) and that doesn’t have meat in it either.
My recommendation still stands. Do not order delivery. Visit the restaurant or order for pick-​up, BUT check your order before you leave.

When I was there they royally screwed up my order, but it was Ramadan and they did have a large, annoying, and demanding party to serve that seemed to consume all the wait staff’s strength. Trying to just rate the food but the staff was abyssal.
The chicken in the «Big Plate Chicken» was very tender and the sauce was very rich. The potatoes slightly overcooked and the noodles cooked to mush.
The chopped noodles (lagman) with diced veggies and meat was good. Not as good as you get in western China, but still well worth it.
The three treasures salad had too many noodles and not enough carrot, mushroom, and greens. Worse the greens were a weak parsley rather than cilantro. The sauce lacked bite.
The kevabs were tender and relatively lean. Not real Uygur size and the price was kind of high.(even for the US) The meat was well marinaded. We asked for them to be spicy, and after some racist disbelief on the part of the wait staff that white people can indeed like spicy food they related and put in the order. The kebabs that were served though did not have any spice on them and the wait staff insisted on eating some of them to ensure they really had no spice before they agreed to send them back to the kitchen.
They brought the wrong vegetable stir fry and kept trying to leave it with us and hopefully charge us for it. We kept insisting we did not order it and that we wanted what we ordered. They first told us they would make what we ordered, then they said they were out of what we ordered, then told us they were making it, then finally brought it. Nearly 45 minutes passed between their mistake and our getting the correct dish.
Still waiting for our side of yoghurt. No clue where it is.

One of the best restaurants in Crystal City! This was my first time trying Uyghur food and I loved it.
Great service, clean place and very authentic. Sooo glad they came to my neighborhood!

I love trying new international cuisines, and I had no idea what to expect with Uighur food. Turns out I like it a lot! There’s a regular printed menu as well as a photo menu. Usually those turn me off because the food rarely looks good in those pictures, but in this case, it was really helpful. The server was awesome too — she kept coming back to see if we had questions and to explain different menu items to us. We got the lamb samsas and minced meat laghman. I think the samsas would have been good if I liked lamb! I’m not a big fan of lamb, but this seems like a lamb-​heavy cuisine so I wanted to give it a try. The lamb had nice seasoning and the dough surrounding it was fresh and delicious… it just had that lamb flavor that I don’t like (my own damn fault). The laghman was incredible, though! The noodles were hand pulled and had that delicious chewy texture and just soaked up the sauce. They were covered in chopped beef, diced peppers and some other vegetables in some sort of sauce. I can’t quite identify what all the flavors were, but it tasted just like I would have guessed — a mix of Chinese and almost Middle Eastern flavors. I highly recommend it!
By the way, the servings are very generous. The samsas and noodles were plenty for two people.

If you haven’t tried urghy food this is the best place to do so around here! It is some of the most flavorful you will ever taste– imagine if Chinese food married Turkish food and had a baby– that’s pretty much how amazing this food is. Everything I’ve tried (and I’ve tried A LOT on their menu) is perfection!
And don’t even get me started on the incredible service. Both times I went were with big groups of people and they handled it effortlessly. They make you feel like your a part of their family and it’s simply heart warming.
Please go check them out– you will thank your self!

I’m going to start by saying I have never had Uyghur cuisine before. And what a treat! It was quiet on a Friday night but the restaurant was very open and welcoming. The menus come with a menu of all pictures to help people see what the different dishes are. The servers are all friendly and patient. They understand not many people have had Uyghur food before and are happy to help you decide what to order.
We got homemade lamb samsas and the minced meat laghman. The samsas were ok — good bread outside and filled with lamb and onions. I might have liked it more if I enjoyed lamb flavor more as it is a very lamb-​forward dish. The minced meat Laghman, however, was made with beef and was quite tasty. The noodles are hand pulled, which makes a huge difference. The meat and veggies were cooked in a spicy flavorful sauce with Asian and middle eastern influence flavors from what I could tell. Mix that into the noodles, and you’ve got a winning combo!
The appetizer and one dish was enough for two people. If you want to try a new cuisine, stop here!

4.5 stars if Unilocal allowed it. My first time trying Uyghur cuisine and I will probably be back.
The noodles are greasy, but very tasty. I took some home to my wife and she loved them. The lamb dumplings were also pretty good. My friend ordered what I can best describe as a lamb pancake (which they describe as a meat pie), goosh nan, and it was very filling, but tasty.
Their fruit juices are just that. It’s fruit, probably put with ice in a blender. Their teas are loose leaf.
Unfortunately, I can’t remember what everyone in my group had, but I heard no complaints. We were a large group and they were able to seat and serve us promptly. I suspect the reason they’re never quite full is because they don’t serve alcohol.
Service was very friendly and the waiter gave specific recommendations and a nice introduction to Uyghur specialties.

Omar the manager, was there for us, from beginning to end. This was our first time here. We never felt abandoned with a menu that with which we were unfamiliar. He recommended his favorites, and we fell in love with the food.
Fresh cucumber with sweet hoisin like sauce, fresh noodles with minced meat,(minced meat lagham), thin skin manta– a beautifully made dumpling, with minced meat and juices. Honey cake, unlike any you’ve ever had, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and Turkish tea, throughout the meal, served with a rock sugar like sweetener.
If I wasn’t so full, I’d want to turn around and taste more dishes. We can’t wait to return!

Disgusting.
My first experience here was above par: the big plate chicken did taste a bit more authentic than many Chinese restaurants here and the décor was unique. So I thought I would give it another try.
And it was such a disappointment.
This place has NO HONESTY and DO NOT CARE ABOUT PEOPLE’S HEALTH.
We went a little adventurous and ordered a won-​ton soup (appetizer, serving for 1) and later got charged $ 14.95. Now you are gonna guess that it must be Kobe beef or exotic Australian lamp inside the won-​tons BUT NO! It tasted exactly like the frozen won-​tons available from the Chinese super markets. Shall I mention that the size of the won-​ton is smaller than cherry tomatoes, and they only put less than 12 of those in the bowl?
What’s truly outrageous was that the PRICES on menu WAS WRITTEN WITH SHARPIES and CAN BE ERASED and CHANGED ON THE FLY. When we were ordering, the white box (where they write down price) for won-​ton soup was empty and the waitress did not even bother to explain or let us know what the price was. Since I saw the price of the soup on the left of won-​ton soup was around $ 6, I thought the price of won-​ton soup should be around that ball park and did not question it. The naivety led to the ultimate, over-​the-​roof $ 14.95 price for the soup.
Shall I also mention that the lamp kabobs tasted like they were seasoned with meat tenderizer powders? I just hope that the powder they used was purchased here (which was extracted from vegetables) and not from China (which was synthesized from chemicals). Shall I still mention that the potatoes in Big Plate Chicken were fried, not sauteed as it should be? Thanks for the extra calorie bombardment.
Most importantly, this place precooks the meat, put it in the fridge and pull it out later and reheat with sauce when people order. We ordered Lamb with Homemade Nan and the lamp cubes WERE COLD INSIDE! It tasted so ill and disgusting and really fired me up. Are you FREAKING KIDDING ME??? If Queen Amannisa really wants to fake a dish and trick customers, at least put some more efforts and get the meat cooked through, okay? I guess when Queen Amannisa was preserving the music and knowledge of the Uyghur people, the lamp cubes she ate were freshly prepared and not bloody cold inside.
DO NOT go to this place if
1) you are having a date, or taking people out for lunch/​dinner because you don’t want to inquire and confirm the price of every single dish you want to order for the fat chance that they are pricing the dish on the fly
2) you care about yours and the others’ health because they precooks meat and don’t give a damn about food safety
JUST DO NOT GO.

This place was SO good! First of all, I love how unique it is to have an Uyghur restaurant. Seriously, I had no idea what that even was, but after eating here, I want to go! I went for lunch in their first week or two of being open, and unfortunately they didn’t have a lot on the menu, so I ended up getting the Amanni style Lagham with beef. O.M.G. those noodles. And the sauce? It was nothing like Chinese food and the flavor was like nothing like I’ve had before. So everything worked out in the end and man, was this place delicious.

My first time eating Uighur food, and I will definitely be back for the dry-​fried noodles (deeeeeelicious)! By far the best dish they serve. The other dishes we ordered were fun to try, but I couldn’t quite get into the unique flavors (particularly the sour-​ish soup). The food in general is very Western Chinese-​ish (lots of lamb). Come here if you are looking to try a different cuisine. Also, fresh watermelon juice! Restaurant is large and nicely decorated. Friendly, helpful staff. Free parking at the garage on Crystal Drive and 23^rd Street after 6 pm.

Have you thought of how amazing it would be to have two of your favorite cuisines combined ?!
Queen Amannisa does just that for us.
Kebabs + Chinese food = winning for days.
They started us off with a bread basket and some yummy kimchi style salad. Thank you!
Their lamb kebob was succulent, SO tasty and blended with on point spices. We also ordered their speciality noodle dish with beef which was delicious! The curry, spicy oil and meat, all blended so well.
Located in crystal city, this place is a bit of a trek/​but well worth it!
Go with a fellow foodie and try more things!

I am usually into trying different foods and I have a open mind to unique flavors and different ways to prepare things. Overall, I was not impressed during my first visit to Queen Amannisa. And the meal left much to be desired.
We came with a big group so I was able to try several dishes. I ordered the chopped fried noodles with beef. The meat was a ‘lack thereof’ situation. It was mostly noodles and peppers.
It wasn’t bad… however, it didn’t seem like an entrée but rather a side dish. Something was missing.
As aforementioned, it was a big group and we all tried each others food. The only dish that really stood out was the Amanni Chicken.
I don’t think I would return.

A unique option in the DMV area, Queen Amannisa offers Uyghur cuisine in a welcoming environment for very affordable prices. Don’t worry if you have no idea what Uyghur means; it’s actually worth a quick Wikipedia to brush up on this interesting culture of people who are who widespread throughout Eurasia, and have a unique cuisine that blends elements of Chinese, Halal, and Asian Fusion. Kendal Ann M. and I were both very intrigued to try Queen Amannisa, and I’m glad we had the chance to do so.
They do accept reservations, but you’ll likely not need them on a weeknight. The space in the Crystal City area is along a smaller street, but there is on-​street parking and garages in the area. The restaurant’s interior is expansive and is sparsely decorated with Uyghur art and knick-​knacks, as well as a TV in the bar playing lively music.
If you find yourself completely unfamiliar with the cuisine or what to eat, they will supply you with a «picture menu,» which is somewhat helpful in determining what to order. You’ll be supplied complimentary bread and a somewhat sad salad consisting of a few romaine leaves, a carrot, and a cucumber.
In terms of entrees, it would appear as though the portions are very generous. Kendal Ann and I were eager to try the more well-​known dish, Laghman, which consists of thick, house-​made and dry-​fried noodles, stir-​fried vegetables, and your choice of meat. We opted for beef, which was mostly tender, but somewhat greasy and a little tough in some bites. There was more than enough for the two of us to share, especially after an order of «Samsa,» or two lamb-​filled puffed bread triangles. At only $ 7, you should definitely try an order of Samsa to tide you over before your entrée arrives.
Overall, I was expecting a bit more spice and pizzazz to the Laghman, but it was still definitely a comfort food that was warm and filling and satisfying. Moreover, the atmosphere in the restaurant is conducive to good conversation, as it’s neither too loud nor awkwardly quiet. Service was fine throughout most of the meal, although we did experience a bit of a wait once we had to bill in order to have our payment processed.

Queen Amannisa is a friendly, family-​run business that specializes in the cuisine of Xinjiang, particularly of the ethnic Uyghurs who call that region home. A Eurasian people, the Uyghurs prepare dishes that seem to be a blend of Middle Eastern and Chinese foods. They’re known for their handpulled noodles as well as their kabobs and breads (called «nan»). Though I’ve never been to Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, I can say that everything that I tried at Queen Amannisa was outstanding, and enjoying their dishes requires no prior knowledge of Uyghur cuisine.
For our starter, we shared the dry fried string beans, which weren’t too oily and very flavorful. Lots of garlic, as with all other dishes we ordered. As a garlic lover, I couldn’t be happier. The string beans were sauteed in an oil that reminded of mala oil, though it may or may not be the same thing. We considered some other vegetable-​based appetizers, but the kind and extremely helpful server steered us towards this dish, saying it was her personal favorite. Now its one of ours, too. Thumbs up!
I had the chopped noodles for my main dish, and they were amazing, one of the finest pasta dishes I’ve ever had. Obviously handmade, the chewy, small noodles are tossed in garlicky sauce with green bell peppers and some other veggies. The serving size was pretty generous, but I honestly could have finished the entire plate in one setting.
My mom and hubby shared Amannisa’s famous chicken stew, a gargantuan plate meant for more than one for sure. Turns out that this chicken stew, called dapanji, is a very well known and popular Uyghur dish.
Dapanji smelled heavily of star anise making me think of five-​spice powder. The bone-​in chicken pieces looked tender and juicy, and companions confirmed this was the case. Boiled potatoes were well-​seasoned by the meat sauce. Handmade noodles in the stew resembled tripe, looked toothsome and delicious.
The napoleon cake, also recommended by the sweet server, was fluffy, light, and delicious. Never been a major fan of sweets, but I could probably eat 10 of these cakes by myself!
Complimentary salad was very good too.
The nan was the only item on the table that my dining partners seemed less enthused about, saying it was only «okay.» Perhaps it’s more a matter of taste.
Housed in a sunny, slightly more formal, white tablecloth kind of place, Queen Amannisa’s setup reminded me of Shamshiry. However, the proprietors effectively warmed up the space, making it feel less cold and corporate, by hanging paintings, tapestries, and traditional instruments on the walls. The cheery Uyghur music in the background helped, too. Definitely a good special occasion option. As mentioned earlier, serving sizes are huge, so best to come with friends or family to share a few dishes.
Very happy to be able to enjoy Uyghur dishes locally, and in such a lovely setting. Queen Amannisa is now one of my favorite restaurants.

But really a 3.5
On monthly spicy dinner date with fellow Elite, Megan C. we decided to hit Queen Amannisa. This place is a little gem. You will not leave hungry in any sense of the word!
Walking in, there was no one to greet me. I didn’t know if I should pick my own table or wait, so I waited. A few minutes later someone came out to seat me. I was waiting for Megan and browsing the menu. It’s really extensive. I must have looked confused so the waitress brought over the picture version… (hmmm rude, but okay).
Megan and I decided to split the Dry-​Fried Langham and Samsa. What a killer portion of food. I couldn’t take my eyes off the food that was being brought out to other tables in the restaurant. I kept saying to Megan, «I hope ours looks like that!» Though our food wasn’t like any of the options that came out, I was still excited for our entrée!
Before our entrees came out, we got this really sad looking salad to split. I’m not kidding when I say this it was two slices of cucumbers, 2 pieces of romaine chopped up, and several carrots chopped out. There was an interesting dressing on top, and it was just limp.
The main event: our food came out!
The Samsas were filled with lamb, potato and onion – what’s there not to like? The Dry-​Fried Langham was out of this world, other than the conversation with Megan this was my favorite part of dinner! These noodles are handmade in house and unlike anything I’ve ever had! You need to try this when you are here!
I’d be happy to come back to Queen Amannisa, but the service needs to be amped up. We stay with our plates finished on the table for well over 15 minutes and needed to request the check so we could cash out, both of those things put a bad taste in my mouth, but don’t be sad, I will be telling people about this place!

My fiancé and I tried Uyghur food for the first time at Queen Amannisa recently and absolutely loved it! The food was hearty and delicious and full of excellent spices. We had initially ordered it to-​go, but the food seemed very very small for its container, so we went back and discussed it with them. They said it was because the containers were large and it was actually more food than it seemed like. They then offered to serve the food to us in the restaurant and we sat down to enjoy the meal. They took care of it quickly and we enjoyed the food we ultimately ate.
We ate the Beef Laghman (fried noodles with veggies), which came with a lot of different veggies and in a semi-​spicy and flavorful sauce. Very delicious! My fiancé ordered the BBQ beef and really enjoyed it.
Service was great and the atmosphere is homey.
We’ll definitely visit again and plan to dine in from the beginning next time.
Oh, and there’s parking conveniently nearby in Crystal City.

Queen Amannisa has gotten me to reflect deeply about my study abroad adventures in China. I’ve buried some of my most joyful food adventures eating Uyghur food, and never would I have expected that the first-​ever Uyghur restaurant would open right in my doorstep. While the prices at Queen Amannisa are never going to reflect the cost-​of-​living prices in China, the dishes are very affordable and delicious for this area.
I’ve been here only twice. The first time felt like the restaurant was off a rocky start because service was very slow and we got someone else’s food (which was a plus for us but probably a negative for whoever ordered it). We ordered various laghmans (pulled noodle) dishes and kebobs, which the seasoning and spices were exceptionally flagrant. Devouring the food made us feel a pang of nostalgia — making us want to hop on a plane and go to Kashgar or Urumqi already!
The second time I came here with my boyfriend on a quiet afternoon. We were the only patrons in the restaurant, and so the service definitely did not suck this time around. We both ordered stir-​fried laghmans and lamb stew noodles, with manti on the side. I’ve never tried central Asian mantis before, so this was a new experience for me. (I am used to eating Turkish bite-​sized mantis.) The waiter warned us that the mantis would take a very long time to make, which was true. By the time we were done with our main dishes, the mantis finally came out. There were about 6 huge mantis (size of my palm), and they were so hearty but expensive for $ 15! I would have liked it to be served with yogurt as well. Even for the second time, I felt like the food was as good as the first, and definitely made me «study-​abroad-​sick» and want to go back to China!
I think the staff really care about the reputation of this restaurant, and they go out of their way to correct mistakes (i.e., someone wrote a review about wanting sugar with their tea. The second time I’ve come to this place, they served me Turkish tea with white sugar on the side, so it appears that they are reading everyone’s reviews), and they want you to feel at ease when you dine here. If you have questions, just feel free to ask since they want you to feel welcomed and understand more about the food and culture. I spoke with one of the waiters in Mandarin, and the conversation was delightful. The reason why I give this restaurant five stars is because I really do think there’s so much good potential here– the food is excellent, and the service has been improving every time I come back!
In the future, I can definitely foresee Queen Amannisa host an artistic music performance on Friday or Saturday evenings. It could add a nice touch to the atmosphere. However, there’s some things they need to work on before tacking that on!

This restaurant is probably one of the tastiest restaurants I’ve been to in a while– an infinite improvement upon the Chinese restaurant that was previously here (formerly one of the worst restaurants I’ve been to in the DC area). I ordered the dry fried noodles with sesame (came with lamb), the ququr soup (stuffed dumplings in a flavorful broth with veggie and meat bits), chrysanthemum tea, and walnut/​vanilla dessert (napolion cake). We also got a complimentary cucumber salad and naan bread. All were amazingly good!
The dry fried noodles had a good kick to them (spicy but not too spicy) and were definitely my favorite. The flavor was reminiscent of Chinese stir fried noodles that my mom made growing up. You could easily tell the noodles were fresh and homemade. The soup was also very good– reminded me of Central Asian dumplings and spices I had at a Russian/​Uzbek restaurant. The cucumber salad was delicious, with a perfectly understated sweet flavor. The naan bread was also very good– not so much indian-​style naan bread but a puff style bread with sesame seeds a bit similar to the Chinese bakery pastries of my childhood. The walnut/​vanilla dessert was also on point– not overly sweet, flakey and flavorful in all the right ways.
I was very happy with this first venture into Uyghur cuisine. This restaurant is sure to be popular, as it should be– I will definitely be back with more friends in tow. There’s also a lunch buffet from 11−2pm daily which I am intrigued by, as I’d love to try more of the dishes.

Wow! What a great cultural and culinary experience this evening!
We were walking around Crystal City after visiting the underground art gallery and stumbled upon a sign for the restaurant. When I saw «authentic Uyghur cuisine» I had to google/​Yelp it and immediately went in– even though we weren’t hungry at all. Our thought was to get an appetizer or something to share… glad we decided otherwise.
We were immediately greeted and taken to our table by the hostess and our server immediately asked us if we wanted water/​tea. The owner of the restaurant was gracious and welcomed us as well. Everyone was very patient as they explained to us about Uyghur culture, cuisine, language and the history behind the restaurant. We absolutely LOVE trying new cuisines and so this was a fun adventure looking through the menu and understanding more about the Uyghur people. A basic history lesson is that the Uyghur people are from Turkey (thousands of years ago) but have since migrated to the Xinjiang region in Western China and so they speak both Uyghur and Mandarin. It was cool to get some cultural insight into the food/​region and also the décor is straight from Uyghur as well (especially the hand made hats that denotes your village/​town).
The server brought out their version of nan and a house salad. The nan is not what you would imagine if you like Indian food– it’s more of a sweet dense biscuit with sesame seeds on it cut into triangles. I would recommend them to heat up the bread before serving b/​c I can imagine it being really tasty but it fell short for this bread lover.
The house salad was delicious and reminded me of a seaweed salad without the seaweed but with tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley (almost Persian-​ish but not quite).
We ended up ordering one of their most popular dishes called daiping which literally translates to Big Plate Chicken. It’s a spicy hot chicken stew served with hand pulled noodles, peppers, potatoes and lots of spices. They said the dish is for 2– but honestly, it could probably be for 3 – 4 depending on how hungry you are and if you want to share other dishes. We ended up taking a lot of it to-​go. The dish is $ 28 but well worth the price b/​c it’s like ¾ of a chicken on the dish (bones and all). The noodles were fresh and had the perfect al dente to it and we ordered a side of extra noodles ($ 3) to eat with our leftovers. And unlike what other reviewers have said– the food came out FAST.
We ended up having a great conversation with the owner who said it was his dream to open up an Uyghur restaurant here in DC/​VA area. There are a few Uyghur restaurants in LA/​SF, but this is the FIRST one in the East Coast. We are definitely excited to come back– and maybe even during their lunch hour buffet.
Uyghur has only been open for less than a month so I’m sure they will have some kinks to work out– but I would definitely recommend them and can’t wait to see if Uyghur food culture expands. :)