Little China Cafe, Washington

Fans of Chinese hole-in-the-walls will go gaga over Little China Cafe in Palisades, tucked as it is into a basement space along MacArthur Boulevard. Traverse the brick steps into the front door and beyond, where simple wooden tables and a low roofline make for cozy dining. The slightly confined space may be the primary reason most eaters call ahead for deliver or takeout, but when lunch specials come in well under $20, it’s hard to quibble over décor. The usual assortment of Chinese fare – much of it given an Americanized turn – populates the menu, from pan-fried dumplings and fried rice to moo shu pork, Cantonese-style fish fillets and the Happy Family, a mélange of roast pork, chicken, shrimp, scallops and beef, among other things.