THE STORY OF THE CHINESE STREET MARKET DC & DÀN DÀN BOY

Dàn Dàn Boy is the natural outcome of the love we have poured into growing the Chinese Street Market DC community. We started CSMDC in 2019, envisioning a space for sharing authentic regional Chinese culture with cuisine as the vehicle for connection. Since then, CSMDC continues to host cultural events, cooking classes, farmer's market popups and more. In CSMDC, our audience has found a trusted, safe, relatable place to share their cultural passion and identities. The pandemic heightened our community’s desire for exchange and mutual education.

During our events, the regional treats we offered to our members got very popular. Starting with the beloved street food dàn dàn noodles, each component of the dish (Sichuan alkaline noodles, Sichuan chili crisp, and dàn dàn sauce) eventually garnered its own fan base. We were thrilled to see this dish get so much love, especially because this dish is from our hometown of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province. 

During the pandemic, we began packing these items separately with instructions for our members to cook at home. In 2021, these items were even voted by Washington City Paper’ Best of DC poll as the runner-up for Best-At-Home-Meals, coming in just after a Michelin rated restaurant.

Then, one day, a child tugged at her mother at a farmers’ market and pointed at our stand and shouted, “look mom, that’s the dàn dàn boy!” Hearing this name from a child, we knew we were creating something special and recognizable. Historically, dàn dàn noodles were sold on the streets by young boys who hauled the food on a pole (pronounced “dàn”) on their shoulders, and that was where the name of the dish originated.

Nowadays, you can find these delicious, packed grocery food products online, at farmers markets, local grocery stores and more to come. These grocery food products are perfect for anyone who is looking for fresh and easy meals to make at home.

This year, we have expanded our grocery offerings to other Chinese regional noodles, sauces, dumplings, and frozen meal kits. We decided to move all our food products under the name Dàn Dàn Boy because now each of these items has its own following, which makes Dàn Dàn Boy a standalone brand outside CSMDC.

In June, DC-based food hall Union Market brought us on as their new market tenant. At Union Market, we plan to offer freshly made, curated regional Chinese dishes under the Dàn Dàn Boy name. This will allow us to introduce Chinese regional dishes to a wider audience and further develop the brand, while CSMDC will continue building its community through dumpling diplomacy classes and cultural events. We believe these two paths can happen at the same time and we can do both. We will go as far as these offerings are still in demand by you, our supporters. We want to send you our deepest thanks for your help to continue building this community.

Union Market DC Hours:

Sun - Thurs: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Fri - Sat: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

1309 5th Street NE Washington DC 20002

Menu:

• Sichuan Street Food - Dan Dan Noodles or 担担面 *Washington City Paper Recommended *

• Sichuan Street Food - Spicy & Sour Glass Noodles (V) or 素酸辣粉

• Sichuan Street Food – Sichuan Beef Noodle Soup or 川味牛肉面

• Sichuan Street Food – Individual Mala Mao ( instantly boiled ) Hot Pot Bowl or 四川冒菜

• Sichuan Street Food - Zhong Dumplings or 钟水饺

• Xinjiang Street Food - Braised Chicken Hand-Pulled Noodles or 新疆大盘鸡裤带面

• Sha Xian Street Food - Fujian 13 Spices Scallion Oil Stir-fried Noodles or 沙县千里香炒面

• Hong Kong Street Food - Cantonese Styled Shrimp Wonton Egg Noodle Soup or 港式云吞面 seasonal

• Sichuan Street Food - Mapo Tofu Rice Bowl or 麻婆豆腐盖饭

• Sichuan Street Food - Garlic Eggplant Rice Bowl or 鱼香茄子盖饭