The next course

Peter Chang is ready for its second act.

Fourteen years after its launch, Peter Chang China Grill closed last October. But only seven months later, Peter Chang is back—and in the same location.

It does not, however, look the same: The cozy 1960s-ish ambiance has been replaced by a sleek new look after a $455,000 renovation. “We changed everything, from the kitchen to the front of the house; everything is brand new now,” says Jin Cai, food and beverage director for the Peter Chang restaurant group. 

It’s also under new management: Cai admits that after the pandemic reopening the Charlottesville location was neglected while the company focused on developing newer venues in other cities. “It was under our standards,” Cai says of the Barracks Road spot. “We brought a whole new team from D.C.—from the front of the house to the back of the house” from Chang’s Herndon restaurant.

The menu mixes old favorites like scallion bubble pancakes with a new assortment of dim sum and Chinese tapas selections. “Now,” Cai says, “we can trust our food, trust our service, and all the quality should be different.”

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