Top Chinese Restaurant in Palo Alto
Hong Kong Restaurant
3691 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
This is by far my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Palo Alto/Los Altos area. This Cantonese restaurant has been serving the locals for over 3 decades. And because the owner is still the head chef, the delicious authentic dishes are still being served this day. Their lunch specials are such a bargain, especially after the recent inflation surge, they’d seem so much more valuable even when compared to fast food restaurants. The restaurant managers and servers are very friendly and accommodating. This establishment has my support and true appreciation all the way.
Taste
423 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Delicious! Try all the specialties; Ive been impressed! Also, dont worry about the spice level as they have a lot of great non-spicy options and the spiciness of the spicy dishes varies (mapo tofu is hot of course, but the sizzling cumin lamb is not very spicy).Caveat: Ive only ordered delivery twice so I cant speak to the dining experience here. Also, am a bit surprised that people complained about portion sizes. Maybe its related to the portions for the Shanghai dumplings and the regular dumplings? Admittedly its a little sad to get only four Shanghai dumplings in an order, but theyre good and its Palo Alto (University Ave no less!) so I dont mind. The portion sizes for things like sizzling cumin lamb and other dishes were pretty standard or a bit on the generous side in my opinion.Im a bit shocked that I never noticed this place. I thought Id tried all of the authentic Chinese restaurants in the Palo Alto/Mountain View area. With my second delivery order, they gave me an order of rice instead of one of my orders of scallion pancakes, but to be fair I ordered a lot of stuff (including another 2 orders of rice) so its pretty understandable. Everything else was correct and more importantly delicious. My first order was not quite as large and was correct and also delicious.Standouts:- Sizzling Cumin Lamb: My dad and I both loved it; tender and flavorful and not too spicy.- Beijing style Shredded Pork with Pea Sprouts: tender and flavorful. Its the rare restaurant that doesnt overcook pork at least a little. They do an impressive job here.- Sautéed Pumpkin (with egg coating): I first had a similar dish in Tianjin but this version is excellent with savory egg surrounding tasty pumpkin. My toddler is a big fan too.- Cucumber Salad: the right amount of saltiness with a generous amount of garlic. Tasty and refreshing!- Shanghai dumplings: I’d say they edge out Dumpling Garden near San Antonio. A little pricy at 4/$8 but they deliver and they’re way closer than Din Tai Fung.Good:- Mapo Tofu - tasty with the numbing green Szechuan peppercorns. Next time I’ll stir fry some ground pork and mix it in because we like meat and it will tone down the spiciness a little.- Dumplings: enjoyed the Chives and Shrimp - properly flavorful with the chives coming through. - Scallion pancakes: not quite as much scallion flavor or as salty as I would like, but am very impressed by the flaky texture they manage to achieve. (I still prefer the flavor of the scallion pancakes at Queen House in Mountain View but the chef there doesnt like cooking them when the restaurant is busy.)- Woodear stir fried with Chinese Yam: I love Chinese yam and mountain yam but not that many restaurants serve it. This dish was good.- Fresh lily bulb was tastyFor context, my favorite restaurants are R&G Lounge, Harborview Restaurant, and Dragon Beau in SF, and Dragon Taste and Baby Cafe in Oakland, plus Din Tai Fung. Locally I like Kirin and Dumpling Garden in Mountain View and Chef Zhao Kitchen in Palo Alto. My recent favorites are Taste in Palo Alto and Noodle King in downtown Mountain View.
Tai Pan
560 Waverley St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
Nice Chinese restaurant in a prime Palo Alto location. Waiters are wearing traditional Chinese garbs, which adds to the authenticity of the ambience. Food is good. Service is excellent. Waiters speak English and Mandarin and Cantonese.
P.F. Changs
900 Stanford Shopping Center Bldg. W, Palo Alto, CA 94304, United States
Not real Chinese...but the foodis fresh & edible. Pricey for whatyou get. Kind of ridiculous to callthis Chinese food. If you knowgood chinese food, it is wortha one time only stop....but youmay not be please with the bill,nor the lack of seasoning.The pleasant service is also kindof opposite of what you wouldexpect in most Chinese restaurants.
HE&C Tea Pot
544 Emerson St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
I heard about this place from a friend calling this an internet sensation so I had to try it. Wow, its expensive. And wow its expensive. Let me explain. First of all, its one of those personal hot pot places that originally were popularized by Taiwanese shabu shabu places such as Boiling Point from SoCal and later Tasty Pot in the Bay Area. I dont think the owner of this place is from Taiwan but honestly its not that hard so I dont really care whether it has Chinese or Taiwanese origin. The food portion is tiny as you can see from the photos. The lamb is cut a little thick but so few pieces. The noodle portion also is tiny. There is no additional portion of rice given. The food by itself is at minimum around $25 for basic beef or lamb pot (way more for wagyu beef). And if you add a tea thats $5 more and if you add up tax and tip it would be at least $35 -40 per person for a personal hot pot. Yes its in Palo Alto so you can decide whether its worth it. Its not bad but Ive never had bad shabu shabu as its one of those least difficult to operate as the restaurant goes. The pot itself is fancy but not flavorful enough to be authentic Beijing style hot pot. Also the pot takes awhile to come to boil. Overall its cool to try once and I personally would drive to other similar but more mainstream places.
Panda Express
2310 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
Theres a much better Chinese restaurant down the street, mmmm.
Green Elephant Gourmet
3950 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303, United States
First of all, I have not been posting about restaurant reviews often but what I experienced today at Green Elephant restaurant in Palo Alto prompted me that I must share with more people. Though food and most of the service staff are OK, the lady owners attitude is most demeaning and very cheap. When I go there during the weekdays, I dont run into her as often. But I recall once she was the one taking orders from me and my business guests and my guests asked a few more questions, her demeanor became impatient and frankly quite rude. This weekend, I ordered a take out that consisted of 4 orders of fried rice and dishes for 4 of my colleagues working during the weekend. When I picked up, I asked for 4 chili sauce as all 4 of them want to get their own fried rice and chili sauce and share other dishes. The lady owner told the owner in a commanding tone in Chinese (she thought I could not understand Chinese) that he could only give me two chili sauce and I needed to pay if I need more. I could not believe how cheap she is when she said that to the male owner in such a tone. Firstly, I can understand if I ordered four fried rice and I asked for more than four chili sauce, I may need to pay as I could be ordering just one fried rice and I could ask for one chili sauce. Secondly, the plastic container they use for chili sauce is the smallest type you could ever find. The amount of chili sauce the container can hold is probably equivalent to one tea spoon. I have ordered from many other restaurants. Not only they give you chili sauce in a much bigger container, some even ask you to take what your need yourself. Thirdly, I am a frequent customer as I bring my business guests there quite often. I cannot believe how she treated a frequent customer with such cheap attitude. This weekends incident will permanently make me place their restaurant on the very bottom of my list due to the lady owners demeaning and cheap attitude. Regardless what a smiley face she puts up in front of you, she showed her true color and how cheap she is this weekend when she thought I could not understand how she commanded the male owner in Chinese. Just think about this - the male owner is not someone new there. He is the part owner of the restaurant for years. Doesnt he already know what is the policy in how much chili sauce they can give out for takeout orders? I actually just recommended her restaurant to a friend for a 10-people dinner gathering this coming Wednesday. She can be sure that we wont be going to her restaurant now. She does not deserve a customer to be loyal to her.
Chef Zhao Kitchen
2180 W Bayshore Rd #120, Palo Alto, CA 94303, United States
Great shanghai food restaurant in Palo Alto. Some really authentic dishes and very good xiaolongbao and guabao. Its a place mostly for Chinese, and waiters will likely talk to you in Chinese, but the quality and authenticity were on point. We were asked if we would we willing to sit with another party at the big table, which was a bit awkward but we gladly accepted in order to avoid longer waits. There is usually a wait at lunch.We also tried the beef noodle soup, wantun soup, malan tofu, and walnut shrimp
Jing Jing Gourmet
443 Emerson St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, United States
I 1st ate at this restaurant in the late nineties. I love all types of food. Chinese food is one of my favorite foods to eat. This is the best Chinese food restaurant I have ever dined at! If you have a favorite dish, its better here. Anything you order here will be Delicious! Great location in downtown Palo Alto, but plan to eat early because parking and tables fill up fast. The staff is curtious, tables are kid friendly, the ambiance and decor is ornate, yet subtle. The only criticism I can make is sometimes it takes awhile to get your check, and the bathroom is next to the kitchen. If you havent been to Jing Jings, GO. Tonight. You can thank me later.
Red Hot Wok
3345 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States
I am very touched to be able to eat authentic Taiwanese food in the United States.Although the taste is still a bit too strong, it is still in line with local tastes.Its cheaper to pay in cash (its about 17 yuan cheaper based on our bill)Moon Shrimp Cake: Deep fried and crispy, the sauce is also very appetizing, but remember that the sauce has a bit of spiciness, which is not suitable for children.Fried noodles with shredded pork: A little salty, but the noodles are hard, so it's not badBeef fried rice: rice grains are distinct and average.Bamboo shoots and chicken soup: I read the recommendations on the Internet, but the bamboo shoots have a bitter taste, and the freshness of the soup is slightly different from what I expected. I guess the chicken may be cooked until half-cooked first, and then the stock is added after ordering, so the color of the soup is very clear., and therefore the umami flavor did not enter the soup.Bacon cabbage: The stems were not removed and the cabbage was not cooked until soft. The bacon was not fried long enough so the aroma did not come out. Instead, it tasted like pork with a slightly fishy smell. Not recommended.Stir-fried green beans: The water in the green beans is not really stirred out, so the taste is a bit disappointing and the sauce is a bit salty.Three Cups of Fat Intestine: The taste is very sweet and salty, in line with the characteristics of Three Cups. It should be eaten with white rice. The intestines are very soft. RecommendedEggplant beef: It is also a dish with a strong salty taste. The beef is quite large and not too tough. The eggplant also absorbs the flavor of the sauce, which is not bad.Teppanyaki Beef Fillet: Compared with eggplant beef, the portion of meat feels smaller. It's a surprise to serve it on a teppanyaki plate. However, I don't particularly like the black pepper flavor, so it's just average.Pineapple shrimp balls: The fried shrimp balls themselves are good, and the canned pineapple is also very authentic; it's a pity that there is too much mayonnaise.The waiters speak Chinese from answering the phone to ordering food.The service attitude is also very friendlyThe store is a bit crowded, so its noisyRecommended: Moon Shrimp Cake, Three Cups of Fat Sausage, Eggplant BeefThe dishes are pretty good: stir-fried green beans, bamboo shoots and chicken soup, beef fried rice, shredded pork fried noodles, sizzling beef tenderloin, pineapple and shrimp ballsNot recommended: bacon and cabbage