By far, the worst fried rice I've ever had! The terrible taste and smell of that thing which they call it "butter"!??? How about adding some seasoning, sesame oil and soy sauce to your so called "fried rice" instead of "butter"!
Food: 1
Amber Sok
Used to love this place and want to come back every weekend (and trust me, I would) but they changed the menu and got rid of my favorite dishes. A huge loss but the new food isn’t as good tbh. Probably not coming back.
Romana Quail
I will not be returning to buy food here or recommend to my work colleagues. The front server on cashier this lunch (12pm) was incredibly unprofessional. I could see my spring rolls on the counter wide open. No one was around apart from me and my colleagues. I asked her if they were my spring rolls and if I could have them. She said yes they were mine and that I would have to wait for her to bag someone else’s food. I asked her again if I could have my order as the box was wide open and already sitting there 3 minutes for no reason as it was not busy! she gave me a dirty look a number of times and handed my spring rolls and sauce to me without a bag. Disgusting customer service! And trying to serve me cold food!Please train her in customer service or get rid of her. My colleagues and I will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
David M
Fusion places are always tricky—it’s hard to replicate and mix multiple cuisines well—but Rice Crook does a really good job and I’ll be back! I’ve lived all over East and Southeast Asia my whole life and liked how this place fused flavors from across the region. The rice bowls are my go-to, and while this place isn’t cheap, the portions of meat (protein) are generous. The popcorn chicken was tasty (and would be stellar if even more crispy) and I tried the “mystery item” and was not disappointed! (Hint: It was a combination of some of the other menu items/options.) The location is also family friendly and spacious, in the Ballston Quarter’s roomy basement food court.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
jcasati
Great option for a takeout at the mall, or you can also eat there at the food court. They don't have pre-designed options anymore, so you have to make your own bowl (they have recommendations but none of them are vegan). There are two options of vegan protein: tofu and jackfruit. I went with a tofu bowl and it was delicious! Big portion for a fair price. Nothing too special but a satisfying meal.
Linnea L
This is my favourite place to grab dinner whenever I'm at Ballston Quarter. The food is always hot and fresh because it's made to order. They seem to have really long wait times though- around 20 minutes even if you're the only one there.They need a better system/flow in handing off finished foods. I've seen the front person grabbing a finished bowl from the window, but ended up spilling everywhere so the order had to be remade... which meant more time spent waiting. Service is friendly though.The food itself is really good. I like the OG Chinese Fried Rice base over the Kimchi Fried Rice. I always check off all the vegetables for the fried rice on the card (since they don't charge extra for it, might as well get my money's worth). I prefer the Sweet Soy Sauce Ginger Chicken over the General Tso Pulled Pork. The pulled pork doesn't get incorporated into the rice at all, it's just covers the rice in the bowl. They do give a lot of pork though, which makes it feel more worth the price. Their pricing is a little higher than I would like but it's not too bad.Vegetarian options: You choose what you want in your bowl, so you can pick tofu as your protein. They also offer their General Tso Jackfruit as a vegetarian option to their pulled pork.
Brandy Sunshine
Good day,First experience with rice crook. Brian was the cashier. I told him that this was my first time and if he recommended anything. He responded. Water. I asked him to please repeat what he said and he said water. I immediately felt like maybe I shouldn't eat here. I proceeded to order, once placed I made small talk asking who the owner was? Brian said "I have no idea?!?" I haven't tried the food yet, but I Already have a bad taste in my mouth. Too bad. I hope the food stands alone because professional service is lacking.Vegetarian options: Kimchi bowl
Brandy Clinkscale
Good day,First experience with rice crook. Brian was the cashier. I told him that this was my first time and if he recommended anything. He responded. Water. I asked him to please repeat what he said and he said water. I immediately felt like maybe I shouldn't eat here. I proceeded to order, once placed I made small talk asking who the owner was? Brian said "I have no idea?!?" I haven't tried the food yet, but I Already have a bad taste in my mouth. Too bad. I hope the food stands alone because professional service is lacking.Vegetarian options: Kimchi bowl
No line. Not busy. Placed my order 20 mins ago and still it is not ready. I'm not sure why it's taking so long other than they got confused so I guess they have to remake it. Not sure how you mix up a paper sheet order that's in front of you. Edit they messed up again so they refunded and will be making again
David H.
This is an interesting concept and an great addition to the Ballston Market.It is sort of the Chipotle model where you you choose your base (various types of rice or greens) then your meat (or no meat) and pick from a wide variety of toppings. You check boxes on a menu card and they make your bowl for you in just a few minutes. The jasmine rice was fresh as was the braised beef. All of the toppings were really enjoyable and I was glad to be able to get some kimchi on my bowl. Portions are really large and I was proud I was able to eat my meal using chopsticks without having to use the fork I grabbed as a backup. Prices aren't the cheapest but it's a good deal since you get a lot of food. I really enjoyed this place and would come back if I'm in the area.
Michael C.
Very fresh food at a decent price for this area!Came here to eat before my appointment in the area and wanted to try something different in the Ballston Market area. I ended up seeing a line surrounding this place and wanted to see what was up. You basically write out your order on a piece of paper as shown and within 10 minutes or less, your order is ready. The food tasted great. The steak was cooked well and the rice and toppings all seemed very fresh. I will definitely be coming back next time I'm in the area.
Dewon C.
Was originally going to pass on this place but took a chance. The OG Fried rice bowl with chicken was delicious! This review is based on my first and second visit. This is good food.
Tony T.
The kimchi fried rice was good. The beef and shrimp were not good. Very generous portion size. Not worth 19 bucks though or worth coming back again
I love this place!! Did you'll Ballston mall?
Food: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Rice
Delicious food, generous portions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
By far, the worst fried rice I've ever had! The terrible taste and smell of that thing which they call it "butter"!??? How about adding some seasoning, sesame oil and soy sauce to your so called "fried rice" instead of "butter"!
Food: 1
Used to love this place and want to come back every weekend (and trust me, I would) but they changed the menu and got rid of my favorite dishes. A huge loss but the new food isn’t as good tbh. Probably not coming back.
I will not be returning to buy food here or recommend to my work colleagues. The front server on cashier this lunch (12pm) was incredibly unprofessional. I could see my spring rolls on the counter wide open. No one was around apart from me and my colleagues. I asked her if they were my spring rolls and if I could have them. She said yes they were mine and that I would have to wait for her to bag someone else’s food. I asked her again if I could have my order as the box was wide open and already sitting there 3 minutes for no reason as it was not busy! she gave me a dirty look a number of times and handed my spring rolls and sauce to me without a bag. Disgusting customer service! And trying to serve me cold food!Please train her in customer service or get rid of her. My colleagues and I will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Fusion places are always tricky—it’s hard to replicate and mix multiple cuisines well—but Rice Crook does a really good job and I’ll be back! I’ve lived all over East and Southeast Asia my whole life and liked how this place fused flavors from across the region. The rice bowls are my go-to, and while this place isn’t cheap, the portions of meat (protein) are generous. The popcorn chicken was tasty (and would be stellar if even more crispy) and I tried the “mystery item” and was not disappointed! (Hint: It was a combination of some of the other menu items/options.) The location is also family friendly and spacious, in the Ballston Quarter’s roomy basement food court.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great option for a takeout at the mall, or you can also eat there at the food court. They don't have pre-designed options anymore, so you have to make your own bowl (they have recommendations but none of them are vegan). There are two options of vegan protein: tofu and jackfruit. I went with a tofu bowl and it was delicious! Big portion for a fair price. Nothing too special but a satisfying meal.
This is my favourite place to grab dinner whenever I'm at Ballston Quarter. The food is always hot and fresh because it's made to order. They seem to have really long wait times though- around 20 minutes even if you're the only one there.They need a better system/flow in handing off finished foods. I've seen the front person grabbing a finished bowl from the window, but ended up spilling everywhere so the order had to be remade... which meant more time spent waiting. Service is friendly though.The food itself is really good. I like the OG Chinese Fried Rice base over the Kimchi Fried Rice. I always check off all the vegetables for the fried rice on the card (since they don't charge extra for it, might as well get my money's worth). I prefer the Sweet Soy Sauce Ginger Chicken over the General Tso Pulled Pork. The pulled pork doesn't get incorporated into the rice at all, it's just covers the rice in the bowl. They do give a lot of pork though, which makes it feel more worth the price. Their pricing is a little higher than I would like but it's not too bad.Vegetarian options: You choose what you want in your bowl, so you can pick tofu as your protein. They also offer their General Tso Jackfruit as a vegetarian option to their pulled pork.
Good day,First experience with rice crook. Brian was the cashier. I told him that this was my first time and if he recommended anything. He responded. Water. I asked him to please repeat what he said and he said water. I immediately felt like maybe I shouldn't eat here. I proceeded to order, once placed I made small talk asking who the owner was? Brian said "I have no idea?!?" I haven't tried the food yet, but I Already have a bad taste in my mouth. Too bad. I hope the food stands alone because professional service is lacking.Vegetarian options: Kimchi bowl
Good day,First experience with rice crook. Brian was the cashier. I told him that this was my first time and if he recommended anything. He responded. Water. I asked him to please repeat what he said and he said water. I immediately felt like maybe I shouldn't eat here. I proceeded to order, once placed I made small talk asking who the owner was? Brian said "I have no idea?!?" I haven't tried the food yet, but I Already have a bad taste in my mouth. Too bad. I hope the food stands alone because professional service is lacking.Vegetarian options: Kimchi bowl
Restaurantji Recommends
No line. Not busy. Placed my order 20 mins ago and still it is not ready. I'm not sure why it's taking so long other than they got confused so I guess they have to remake it. Not sure how you mix up a paper sheet order that's in front of you. Edit they messed up again so they refunded and will be making again
This is an interesting concept and an great addition to the Ballston Market.It is sort of the Chipotle model where you you choose your base (various types of rice or greens) then your meat (or no meat) and pick from a wide variety of toppings. You check boxes on a menu card and they make your bowl for you in just a few minutes. The jasmine rice was fresh as was the braised beef. All of the toppings were really enjoyable and I was glad to be able to get some kimchi on my bowl. Portions are really large and I was proud I was able to eat my meal using chopsticks without having to use the fork I grabbed as a backup. Prices aren't the cheapest but it's a good deal since you get a lot of food. I really enjoyed this place and would come back if I'm in the area.
Very fresh food at a decent price for this area!Came here to eat before my appointment in the area and wanted to try something different in the Ballston Market area. I ended up seeing a line surrounding this place and wanted to see what was up. You basically write out your order on a piece of paper as shown and within 10 minutes or less, your order is ready. The food tasted great. The steak was cooked well and the rice and toppings all seemed very fresh. I will definitely be coming back next time I'm in the area.
Was originally going to pass on this place but took a chance. The OG Fried rice bowl with chicken was delicious! This review is based on my first and second visit. This is good food.
The kimchi fried rice was good. The beef and shrimp were not good. Very generous portion size. Not worth 19 bucks though or worth coming back again