Dan Dan Boy

My partner and I went to Taiwan over the summer and our favorite meal we had there was beef noodle soup. Since then we think about it often! We are in D.C visiting and of course came to Union Market where we were delighted to stumble on Dan Dan Boy, serving beef noodle soup. If I wasn’t in public eating this dish I probably would have cried at how delicious it is and how it transported me right back to Taiwan. 10/10 would recommend. I’d consider making the 14hr drive from Florida again just for this dish.

Paid $30 for dumplings and a bowl of noodles that we couldn’t eat. Packaging was so cheap that everything leaked through the bag and the food fell out by the time we got home. All the sauce with dumplings and noodles had seeped out. Seriously, why would you charge restaurant prices for a food kiosk and then not have decent, sturdy packaging?? And you charge an extra 3% for credit cards?

The eggplant and garlic was awful. Every bite, all I could taste was vinegar. The carrots were almost raw and the pickled radish on top only made it even more sour. Don’t get this unless you REALLY like vinegar. Rice was super good though, and the woman at the counter was very nice.

I can taste the love! I’m a native Washingtonian of 54 years. For years the DC food scene was refreshing, authentic and delicious! We get food pioneers but in the last couple of years the price of a meal outside of home has skyrocketed while the quality has plummeted. I’m more selective now when I eat out. Take out places are suggesting tips but cutting back on portions, flavor and presentation while raising prices. Check out Dan Dan! Today I had the beef short rib soup with noodles. The first hit was the broth, it smacked my nose and tongue in all the right ways. The noodles were tasty, flavorful and delicious. Add the crunch of bok choy, carrots, scallions and daikon radish with the perfectly tender beef short rib and you are in for a treat. If you don’t know, try some of Mama’s recipes

My go-to spot at Union Market. I spent my whole life in mainland China in a household full of amazing cooks before moving to DC and I would say Dan Dan Boy does a great job in preserving the authentic texture and flavors of street food in China while making it as accessible as possible to a broader audience. Dandan noodles, the signature dish, is very flavorful with the famous Sichuan numbing spiciness. The milk tea tastes as good as that of Canton cafes back home.