Dragon River

I write a lot of positive reviews on Google, but HOLY COW this place deserves five stars.

I have never ordered honey glazed chicken that was actually crispy until Dragon River. And it was take out! Crispy take out! The food just tastes home cooked in the best possible way.

I've only had two things off the menu (honey glazed chicken and chow mein), but I know I need to come back and try more because this place knocks it out of the park. Please give them your business!!

Update: Go for the spicy eggplant. Trust me!

This is hands down the best Chinese food available in Bellingham. The egg drop soup, the chicken chao mein best I’ve ever had. The spring rolls and the honey glazed pork all piping hot and crispy! Rarely is take out still crispy anywhere you go. I got all that and my bill was under $40, rare these days to find food this good and at this price. And for everyone commenting on the owner I must be lucky or y’all need to work on your people skills. She was pleasant and even told me a funny story on the phone when ordering and perfectly kind when I went to pickup. Can’t wait to go back.

Delicious!!! All the menu items with a star * to indicate spiciness were not lying. They are SPICY!! Definitely will be back and will probably get more items that aren't spicy ;)
Take out/pick up only, as of August 2022.

Northeastern and Sizchuan cuisine! So good! The egg drop soup was hot and full of flavor. The sweet and sour chicken had an excellent flavor and texture. Everything on the plate was very hot. The server was also the hostess, and she did an amazing job. I can't wait to come back!

Here some guide for this very authentic place.
There are two different cuisines present here - North China and Sichuan(South Center of China). Photos are for the second one, it is key things is hotness, freshness. And this chicken is very good because of the large amount of spices.

The color of items in the menu mean how spicy is the dish. For certain dishes to get the taste try mixing it with rice - Ma Po tofu is a good example of it.

Don't expect good service or people smiling to you, consider this as a part of culture. But food is very good here and each dish can be shared between several people. Size is large too, so you can take something home.

Went to early dinner here on a weeknight. We had the restaurant to ourselves except for a couple of carry out orders. The waitress/hostess was pleasant and prompt. The food was good. I had a picky eater with me and was told he would eat there again. I had the honey glazed pork and we split the cashew chicken. The waitress said there would not be much "sauce" on the pork and there was plenty I felt. We came home with leftovers.

Excellent food and great service. The portions were a bit big, so it's perfect for sharing an entree! I highly recommend the pineapple shrimp and house fried rice

TAKE OUT ONLY right now. The food was delicious 😋! Definitely going to hit this spot up again & try some different dishes

Best Chinese food in Bellingham, hands down. Sue and Frank are so professional and always make delicious food. Get the Chinese Greens (bok choy and garlic dish) and the salt & pepper tofu. Best. Combo. Ever. Thank you Dragon River!

My litmus test for Chinese restaurants is the Mongolian Beef and Dragon River blew my mind.

The beef was perfectly cooked, not too chewy, not too soft. The Mongolian Beef sauce had a good flavor with a tiny bit of sweetness which I thought was an interesting twist. Even the white rice was sticky and delicious.

Definitely the best Mongolian Beef I've found in Bellingham if not in all of Washington. Highly recommended.

Delicious! If you're looking to escape the standard american Chinese food experience eat here! The best regional Chinese around, each dish is different and has been super tasty.
My favorite is the shredded three, the veggies, vinegar, and portion are perfect. I recommend eating"family" style with everyone getting a dish and trying a bit of everything. It's the best way! The honey pork is also choice!

Dragon river is my favorite Chinese food in Bellingham. Try their spicy chicken and green beans! They are take out/to go only.

I LOVE this place! The owners are kind, genuine, funny, and their food is absolutely killer. If you come to Bellingham, come here!!! Some faves are: Pork in Yu Xiang sauce, Ma Po tofu, the shredded potatoes, and Fish in thick spicy soup

Ordered crab ragoons, general Tso chicken and honey glazed chicken. All fried items were still crunchy, which is amazing for take-out. Ragoons were handmade and A+. General Tso had perfect amount of spice. Honey chicken was cut a thin so fried bites were a little tough but flavor was great. Overall I think we found our new Chinese takeout spot!

Dragon River is great. I really appreciate the owner’s no-nonsense manner. I think all the people that gave bad reviews due to her attitude are likely entitled and really want to be catered to. Just because someone owns a restaurant doesn’t mean they need to hold your hand and ensure your every happiness is met. Also, the owner is not from the US where this type of customer service attitude is forced on low-wage workers. Perhaps where she was raised, it was the norm to go to work, do a good job, without having to smile every second and be bubbly and happy to each customer. Maybe stop looking at this Chinese-owned restaurant through your whiny Western lens. I personally feel bad for how smiley and sweet all service workers are forced to behave at the threat of a bad tip or review. The owner is polite and kind, and serves really great food (personal faves are the Mongolian beef and egg drop soup.) I guess if you’re the type of person that feels like you want low-wage service workers to cater to your feelings and treat you like a princess maybe try Panda Express?

I was treated very kindly/warm on the phone and in person. Can confirm the pork fried rice here is fire, as well as the spring rolls. I ate here because my fellow Bellingham locals highly recommend this spot, and it did not disappoint.

Everyone that complains about the service here is a baby. The owner is very nice and the food is 10/10. Dragon river is my favorite restaurant in Bellingham. The Spicy chicken is so good.

Gosh this place has phenomenal food and very reasonable prices. The couple who runs this restaurant are very sweet and helpful! If you are looking for the best Chinese food in Bellingham, you found the spot! Cannot recommend dragon river enough!

This is the BEST Chinese (Manchurian) food. This is not your usual American-Chinese food, though you can order that. They have Manchurian and Schzewan food to die for. Service is grumpy, but the food can go up against any Chinese restaurant on earth.

Recommend the Xu Yang Eggplant, Crispy Sp8cy beef, and the Bao Tse as well as the Honey Pork.

Great people, great food, safe practices. I've been coming here for a while and I like how they're adjusting to the current regulations. The food is very good, never had a bad experience here. Some people say the lady is rude but I think shes just fine. Actually I really like her. And the vegetarian options are delicious.