The latest venture from Peter Chang—known for his multitude of Sichuan restaurants through DC and Maryland—is helmed by his daughter Lydia and chef Pichet Ong, inside a beautiful and ornate corner building in Southeast Baltimore. Traditional Chinese dishes, innovatively made to work as takeout kits for the time being, include Peking duck with sweet and savory sauces and brown rice buns, addictive shrimp dumplings with chili oil and crushed cashews, and chicken chow mein with heat that sneaks up on you. Don’t overlook the tofu—both the fiery mapo version with mushrooms and the chilled iteration served with a century egg that Ong remembers eating as an after-school snack.

NiHao in Canton cranks out dishes at a speed that one could only describe as “frantic,” which makes for a chaotically fun meal of excellent Sichuan dishes. Expect to reach over your friends with chopsticks to grab bites of eggplant with garlic sauce, popcorn chicken, and a satisfyingly crackly-skinned Peking duck. It all happens in a renovated townhouse with a back patio that’s perfect for big parties if you make a reservation in advance.

The Chang family has been a fixture in the DMV food landscape for their dedication to sit-down Chinese restaurants. Their Baltimore restaurant has carried on this tradition of excellence, with its owner, Pater Chang, earning a James Beard Foundation Awards finalist acknowledgement this year for the “Outstanding Chef” category. Their menu consists of highlights such as the whole Peking duck, which is served with whole wheat buns and various sweet and savory sauces; a myriad of dim sum items; a mix of fried rice dishes and noodles; and a tasting menu for two ($98) that includes house-made Sichuan pickles; crab and tofu skin dumplings; vegetable spring roll; Sichuan fry vegetables; noodles; smoked sea bass; cumin lamb sausage; and completed with a passionfruit tart.

This Canton Szechuan spot from Lydia Chang—the daughter of Peter Chang, who has built an empire of lauded restaurants in the Washington region—and pastry chef Pichet Ong has quickly gained national attention. The restaurant combines fresh ingredients and Chinese recipes with Western cooking techniques, resulting in a menu that is equally refreshing and comforting. The homey, handmade furniture and decor beckons you inside, inviting you to sit, relax and enjoy a thoughtfully-made meal.

NiHao: If you’ve been to NiHao in Canton in the past month, you might’ve noticed some major changes. Originally opened by Lydia Chang (daughter of famed restaurateur Peter Chang) in 2020, the Chinese restaurant reopened last month after a brief hiatus to reconceptualize its menu. Peter Chang is now much more involved, and patrons will find some of his signature items on offer, including the bubble pancake and mapo tofu, as well as the Peking duck, which, of course, remains an option.

NiHao , a contemporary Chinese restaurant, was up for the James Beard “ best new restaurant ” award in 2022. It is led by Chef Peter Chang, an expert in Szechuan cuisine who has made quite a name for himself in the culinary world. Trained in Wuhan, Chang’s accolades include cooking for the previous Chinese president and working as a chef at the Chinese Embassy located in Washington, D.C. NiHao opened in 2020 in the Baltimore district of Canton and has since remained a city favorite.

Book a table at NiHao, a contemporary casual Szechuan-style restaurant by award-winning chef Peter Chang, owner of multiple restaurants across Maryland and Virginia. The extensive selection of dim sum includes Chang’s signature pork soup dumplings as well as an oversized dome-like vegan scallion bubble pancake. Try the popcorn chicken, laced with red Sichuan chili peppers, and the crispy skinned Peking Duck, another Chang fan favorite.

The JBA recognized Carlos Raba, chef at the buzzy taqueria and mezcaleria Clavel, as a semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, while Peter Chang's Szechuan spot NiHao was a finalist for Best New Restaurant. Chef Cindy Wolf also received her 13th James Beard Award nomination for her French-influenced Southern cooking at Charleston, one of the city's best fine-dining restaurants.

Besides the forthcoming dim sum restaurant, scheduled to open this spring, Chang also plans to open another location of NiHao, a restaurant that got its start in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood. NiHao Arlington will debut later this year or early next year in Crystal City, near Amazon’s planned second headquarters, bringing the chef’s total number of restaurants to 15.

NiHao is a quick Chinese greeting, a hello, and a lighthearted icebreaker that is generally followed by “have you eaten yet?. ” However, this restaurant, NiHao, is a contemporary Chinese restaurant set to debut in Canton’s historic area in 2020. Chefs Peter and Lisa Chang, as well as Pichet Ong, collaborate on the menu, which is spearheaded by Lydia Chang.

You can be sure to enjoy special dishes like stir-fried rice, shrimp dumplings, crispy bamboo fish, and Peking duck. According to Yelp, all these amazing dishes come at a great price too, so you can definitely afford to eat here on a budget. The service is also top-notch, so you can be sure to have a great experience when you eat at NiHao.

A post shared by Nomtastic Foods Baltimore – Maryland & Beyond (@nomtasticbaltimore). This is easily the best Chinese restaurant in Baltimore. Located in Canton, NiHao’s a Peter Chang restaurant to expect to see his most famous dishes there – think his scallion bubble pancake (yum), peking duck (YUM), dragon eggplant and lots more.

The traditional Cantonese dishes at NiHao in Canton are authentic and delicious. I'm obsessed with chef Peter Chang’s spicy dry pot dishes, so packed with Szechuan peppercorns that they'll numb your tongue in the best way possible. It's the perfect spot when you want to grab a quick bite or have a proper Chinese feast.

Baltimore has a weird lack of Chinese sit-down restaurants so it was exciting when NiHao came to town. They have a large menu for vegans, which includes both dim sum and full meals. We tried the vegetable dumplings and the tofu and mushroom pot and both were delicious!

NiHao has been run by the same family for a few generations, bringing authentic Chinese food to Baltimore. Customers have the option of dining inside their newly remodeled building or out on the patio while they enjoy their meal.

For a true NiHao experience, try Chef Chang's signature Peking duck dish. ©vsl/Shutterstock.com. NiHao, a contemporary Chinese restaurant, was up for the James Beard “ best new restaurant” award in 2022.