By Marianne Weaver | Photos by Mark Gilvey
At least once a month, someone in Prince William hits social media looking for Asian restaurant suggestions. There’s one restaurant that routinely garners more recommendations than the rest: Ben Jin’s Asian Bistro, located among a row of small businesses in the Bristow Commons (9100 Devlin Road, Bristow).
“I’m from New Jersey so I’m constantly on the hunt here for decent Chinese and Japanese food and this place was a find,” said Kimberly Crotty, Manassas. “It’s a little more high end than say, a Panda Express, but accessible and the food is good. The meat was high quality and a departure from the sort of questionable consistency of most places. Overall, if good Chinese is the goal, it’s a great spot and they have sushi items as well, also very good. A nice one-stop shop.”
Ben Jin Yu, president of Ben Jin’s Asian
Bistro, opened the restaurant in 2015.
Ben Jin Yu, president, opened the restaurant on Tuesday, May 12, 2015. “I picked this location because I thought this is a new area with lots of potential and the chance to grow my business,” he said. “I designed the restaurant as a cozy, friendly but with a little vivid environment that makes customers feel relaxed.”
What he has created is a go-to spot for dine-in or take-out. They are opened Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sundays.
“This is a family-run restaurant,” he said, “Their roles are chefs. It is important to have them work with me because that is the main reason that quality will remain the same. New chefs normally take a long time to adjust and fit into the new work environment.”
Healthy Asian Recipes at Ben Jin’s
Ben Jin’s might be a top recommendation for Chinese food, but that covers just a portion of the menu.
“Our cuisine is Asian fusion but focused on Chinese and Japanese dishes,” said Yu. “The menu I created focuses mainly on healthy concerns, like less oil, moderate seasoning, and no canned foods.”
Yu has drawn on his 20 years of experience in the restaurant business to tweak and adjust the dishes he makes from scratch. He worked at Sushi Ko, D.C., from 2005 to 2007 then moved to China Village in Sterling to perfect his knowledge of Chinese cuisine.
“I personally consider myself as chef – I stay in the restaurant seven days a week,” he said. “I work and monitor every area to ensure we provide the best food quality and service to meet and exceed the
customers’ expectation.”
The menu includes Chinese staples: Hunan Chicken, Moo Goo Gai Pan, Beef with broccoli, shrimp with garlic sauce, Kung Pao scallops, Ma Po tofu, and curry tofu. Generally, vegetable entrees cost $10, chicken is $11, beef is $12 and seafood costs $13. Chef specialties, which include General Tso chicken, tofu or beef; crispy shredded chicken or beef; and Mongolian beef, range from $13 to $15. There is also a Bristow Treasure, which includes shrimp, scallops, beef and chicken mixed with fresh vegetables in a brown sauce for $17. The house specialty, Triple Delight, is a combination of chicken, beef and shrimp mixed with fresh
vegetables in brown sauce for $15.
“For the first time diner, General Tso chicken, Mongolian beef, fried rice and lo mien would not disappoint,” he said. “My favorite items are General Tso chicken and shredded chicken with pepper.”
Beyond the traditional Chinese favorites, Ben Jin’s offers Thai cuisine, teriyaki entrees, a selection of dinner bento boxes, and sushi.
Renee Hansel, Honolulu, was living in Bristow and tried Ben Jin’s for the first time shortly after the opening.
“I am a big sushi lover so anytime there is a new Asian bistro I always make a point to try it out,” she said. “What kept me going was the quality of the food. My favorite order was their Rock’n’Roll and Yummy Roll.”
The special Rock’n’Roll ($13) is a spicy tuna roll with crunch on the inside and avocado on the outside. The Yummy Roll ($13.25) is shrimp tempura inside, topped with spicy tuna.
Whenever possible, Yu said, food is locally sourced, usually from Alexandria or Baltimore. “The most important is the food quality control,” he said. “Freshness maintenance counts.”
Ben Jin’s Asian Bistro is located at 9110 Devlin Road, #130 in Bristow. For more information, visit
benjinsbristow.com.
Marianne E. Weaver (mweaver@princewilliamliving.com) is a freelance editor and writer. She earned a BA from the University of Pittsburgh and an MJ from Temple University.
