The June 2015 issue of Washingtonian lists the top 100 places to “eat great cheap,” where all meals are under $25.  Nearly a dozen are in or near Rockville:

1. A&J Restaurant, 1319 Rockville Pike (Chinese, Taiwanese dim sum)
2. Bob’s Shanghai 66, 305 N. Washington Street (Chinese, Taiwanese) [note the street address because there’s a Bob’s Noodle 66 nearby and it’s a different restaurant]
3. Bonchon, 107 Gibbs Street (Korean fried chicken)
4. China Bistro, 755 Hungerford Drive (Chinese)
5. China Jade, 1608 Crabbs Branch Way (Chinese)
6. Honey Pig, Germantown (Korean)
7. La Limeña, 765 Rockville Pike (Peruvian)
8. Moa, 12300 Wilkins Avenue (Korean)
9. Peter Chang, 20-A Maryland Avenue (Chinese)
10. Tortacos, 9629 Lost Knife Road, Gaithersburg (Mexican)

Notice a pattern? Yup, it’s dominated by Asian restaurants.  Along with specialized grocery stores, Rockville is becoming the place for Asian food in greater DC.  The best Thai and Vietnamese restaurants seem to be in Wheaton and Falls Church, so perhaps ours will make the cut next year.

A couple restaurants merited special mention by the Washingtonian:

Favorite across-the-board Chinese:  Bob’s Shanghai 66: “Though slow to find its form, the high-volume, cash-only kitchen has been impressive of late, rendering its long list of Chinese and Taiwanese standards with a clarity and depth that most of its competitors can’t touch. The saucing is, almost without exception, clean and tight, making even a simple stir-fry—bean curd and pork, for instance, with long, thin bands of curd that have the slipperiness and chew of egg noodles, or tiny shrimp in a surprisingly balanced sweet-and-sour chili sauce—a memorable order.”

Favorite dumplings by the dozen: China Bistro:   “The best reason to come is the speciality of the house—fresh-made dough hand-rolled and stuffed with any of 16 filings (we’re partial to the combinations, such as shrimp-and-chive or beef-and-celery) and steamed till they’re plump and juicy. Make dumplings the centerpiece of your meal (they come  12 to an order), and augment them with small plates—garlicky cucumbers, for instance, and a bowl of cold sesame noodles with its numbing chili sauce.”