“Peter Chang Announces His First DC Restaurant”

1200 19th Street, NW formerly home to Mai Thai

From a press release:

“Today, Chef Peter Chang and his daughter Lydia Chang announce Chang Chang, a new dual restaurant concept coming to the Dupont Circle neighborhood of downtown Washington D.C this fall. The two-in-one restaurant will feature parallel dine-in and carryout services, which will function as fully separate entities, with little to no menu overlap between them. Beyond signaling a split nature, the name Chang Chang is also a nod to the fact that there are two Changs behind the restaurant, with Peter and Lydia collaborating on all aspects of the project. The announcement of Chang Chang caps a busy spring for the celebrated chef, who in March was named as a national finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” award. District firm Nahra Design Group will be behind the look of the 5000 square foot space located at 1200 19th St. NW, which will include seating for 200 along with a bar and seasonal garden seating.

“Chang Chang feels like a homecoming, even though this is our first proper D.C. restaurant,” said Lydia Chang. “No matter how far from the area we open, so many of our guests are coming from The District and its closest suburbs. The dual concept at Chang Chang lets us finally offer some of our most loyal guests a more convenient way to access our best loved dishes, while also creating something completely new and forward looking. The word traditional gets mentioned a lot when people describe my father’s cooking, and he does have a love and mastery of classic flavors and techniques. But he’s also never been afraid of evolution and refinement. Anyone who has spent time at any of our restaurants will understand that.”

In the words of Peter “Chang Chang is an amalgamation of all things culinary in Chinese cuisine, where we bring together specialized talents under one roof. In addition to Chef Simon, continuing to work with Pichet Ong – who’s a family friend and inspiring chef that has collaborated with my daughter Lydia on Nihao – was a happy success. I look forward to all that is coming with Chang Chang, especially with an exciting and innovative baijiu program.”

Chang-In, the full-service side of Chang Chang, will be something new and unique, offering a new take on seasonal modern Chinese cooking. Helming the kitchen will be rising star Simon Lam, a Chinese American chef who started at NiHao, and whose resume also includes a decade long tenure at Chef Jose Andres’s China Chilcano, both in Las Vegas and Washington, DC.

Chang-Out, will feature a carryout and delivery menu with favorite dishes from Peter Chang’s popular locations from Virginia Beach to Connecticut.

courtesy Courtesy Peter Chang

About Peter & Lisa Chang

Chef Peter Chang owns and operates 12 restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, and Connecticut, and will soon add Washington, D.C. to his territory. He began his career in China, attending culinary school in Wuhan, where he worked in several luxury hotels and made appearances on Chinese television, including CCTV. He first came to the U.S. in 2001 to be chef in residence for the Chinese Embassy, serving many formal state dinners. In 2011, Peter and his wife Lisa Chang, opened the first Peter Chang in Charlottesville. Lisa heads up all dim sum and continues to build a Chinese pastry program for all their restaurants. She is also co-chef to all kitchen operations – her scallion pancakes are, without a doubt, the restaurants most iconic dish. Her delicate Chinese pastries are an indispensable part of his restaurants’ draw, particularly at Q and Mama Chang, which garnered “best new restaurant” in the 2019 Spring dining guide in Washington Post.

As a chef, Peter is known to be a master of bold Sichuan flavors. However, his creative takes on fresh seafood, Peking duck, and classics from his home province of Hubei are also popular among locals and travelers from around the globe who visits the DMV area. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washingtonian, Eater, Garden & Gun, Esquire, the Economist, and has appeared on Food Network and PBS. He lives in Washington DC and is currently working on a cookbook as well as additional dining concepts.”