Springfield, VA's Hunan West: Decent Chinese Food at a Good Price

Hunan West is a small, pleasant, local Chinese restaurant in Springfield, VA, in a shopping center off Braddock Road. For a map to the restaurant, click here.

The service I found at Hunan West was quick and courteous. Although the waiters clearly spoke a lot more Chinese than English, they were polite, helpful, and prompt. My order was taken quickly, and the food was ready almost immediately. The restaurant was tastefully decorated, although nothing particularly fancy caught my eye. The atmosphere was very nice - quiet, just the right temperature, and very much conducive to eating a nice meal. The only thing I would say against Hunan West in this regard was that the restroom was a little dingy. It wasn't filthy, by any means, and I didn't mind using it, I just wished it had been mopped and had the counter scrubbed down a little more recently.

I ate at Hunan West in the early afternoon, ordering off of their lunch menu. On this menu, entres are typically between $6 and $8, which I've found is typical for a small Chinese restaurant in the Annandale and Springfield area. However, the entre, at that same price, comes with a bowl of soup and a side, such as an eggroll. I thought that the eggroll was a little bland, but it was a nice addition to the meal once I put some duck sauce on it. The soup, on the other hand, was by far the best Hot & Sour soup I've had at any restaurant in a long time. It was spicy and filling, with chunks of mushroom, tofu, and chicken in it.

I ate the "Crispy Orange Chicken" entre. The chicken was quite good. It was spicy, but not enough to be unpleasant, and the meat was warm and tender. Some Chinese restaurants, especially those in the lower price bracket, often serve orange chicken that has gotten soggy, but this was not the case at Hunan West. The chicken was crispy and flavorful, and overall, a delightful experience to eat.

The most striking thing about the entre, however, was not its flavor, which was good, but its size. I couldn't finish it. This fact honestly surprised me, since I have a habit of going back for a second or even third plate of food at Chinese buffets, when I spent $7 on a meal that came with soup and an eggroll, I was expecting the entre to leave me hungry, but it didn't. I left a little chicken and a good bit of rice on my plate, and went home feeling very satisfied. Hunan West also has a fairly extensive wine list, which is very unusual for a small Chinese restaurant.

Overall, I'd say Hunan West doesn't offer the best Chinese food I've ever tasted, but it is very affordable (my girlfriend and I ate there for $16.20, with tip), and the food is quite good considering how little you pay for it. The restaurant's location in the Kingspark Shopping Center near Braddock Road makes it an easy place to stop for most people living in Springfield or Annandale, and it's a good place to stop for a lunch if you're out running other errands, but I wouldn't drive more than half an hour for it. Also, most of the entres nearly double in price after lunch, which would make the restaurant a little too expensive for the quality of food.