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Chef Tan’s rapid rise in Vienna has earned the Hunan restaurant a place among the Washington Post’s 10 best new restaurants in the D.C. area.

Food critic Elazar Sontag ranked Chef Tan sixth on the list, making it one of only two Northern Virginia restaurants selected. Brasserie Royale, a French bistro that opened in Sterling’s Cascades Marketplace last July, took the No. 10 spot.

Chef Tan opened July 31 in Danor Plaza at 132 Branch Road SE. Strong early demand forced the restaurant to use a waitlist during its soft opening, as diners sought out Hunan dishes that remain uncommon around Washington.

Sontag highlighted the restaurant’s large and varied menu, particularly its regional specialties. After four visits, he wrote that he had sampled only a fraction of the offerings, including river snails stir-fried with pickled long beans and tender lamb prepared with cilantro.

The recognition surprised owner Kevin Tan.

“Being named on the Washington Post’s list was genuinely unexpected, and we deeply appreciate the recognition,” Tan said. He added that Vienna’s enthusiastic response since opening has been equally meaningful.

A native of Hengyang in China’s Hunan province, Tan comes from a family with four decades of restaurant experience. After moving to the United States, he partnered with regional manager Albert Yang and opened his first restaurant in Fords, New Jersey, in 2007.

Although that original location later closed, Chef Tan expanded to eight restaurants across New Jersey, Boston, Delaware and New York City. Vienna became the chain’s first location in the D.C. region.

Tan said the team chose the town for its central location and its community of warm, curious diners. That decision paid off as customers embraced the distinctive and frequently spicy flavors of Hunan cooking.

The menu has continued to develop since the Vienna restaurant opened. Newer offerings include Peking duck, Hengyang-style marinated rice noodles, sautéed frog, and spicy-and-sour river snails.

Sontag said he did not learn about Chef Tan until February, noting that the restaurant lacked a website and initially offered neither takeout nor delivery. In an April 2 review, he awarded it three stars, calling it “outstanding” and praising its precise preparation, layered flavors and emphasis on cultural immersion.

Servers also spend time explaining unfamiliar ingredients and cooking methods. Tan said that approach reflects the restaurant’s belief that dining should deliver more than flavor by connecting customers with the culture and stories behind each dish.

Chef Tan plans to keep adjusting its menu based on locally available seasonal ingredients and customer feedback while maintaining its focus on authentic Hunan flavors.

Tan said his goal is to make the restaurant a place that diners from Vienna and surrounding communities visit repeatedly to experience another culture and discover new expressions of Chinese cooking.