Chinatown

I've eaten at Chinatown many times. Most times I eat there, everything is fine. Lunch today was horrible. I'm not sure if they were cutting corners on staffing, but our waitress was pretty much non-existent. From having to remind her 3 times that she had forgotten my drink, to waiting 20 minutes for the food to arrive, service was horrible. The table for the three of us was stacked with unpicked up plates. The Sahara had more water than our water glasses. Had to wait another 15 minutes after she acknowledged we were done for the check. The only saving grace was that the food was good as usual. more

lunch was a disaster....so over-salted it was painful... inedible. two dirty plates returned before the meal even started. we are not picky folks but probably will never return after this first experience. was looking forward to a meal like described in most reviews. more

This is another place I would have never gone to if it wasn't for the great reviews on this site. We had excellent service right away. The crab puffs were the best my husband and I have ever had, and we've been to many asian restaurants in many different cities. The two dishes we had were from the Country Style section of the menu, and they were both outstanding. We ordered a couple of $7 glasses of Pinot Grigio that tasted like they should have been $20 a glass. I had my 20 month old daughter with me and I asked for some fried rice for her; the waiter, John, had it on our table within two minutes. Our water glasses were never even half empty, and he was very busy with several tables. We glanced at the sushi menu and it seemed a little steep (minimum $10 a roll), so we didn't order any this time around. But we'll definitely go to Chinatown many more times. The food was awesome!!! Pros: Awesome chinese; flavorful, fresh Cons: Place could use some remodeling; sushi was expensive more

My favorite place to eat in Austin. Pros: Always fresh more

We frequently eat at Chinatown, always at the bar, and always have an awesome time! I recommend asking for Jimmy because he is knows the menu and the wine list very well; he is always ready with great ideas for each person's tastes (or allergies). I order Sushi and believe they have some of the freshest ingredients and best rolls in town. The Chinese menu is also wonderful and every time we get a different dish it is by far better than other Chinese restaurants in terms of taste, quality of ingredients and portion size. I will definitely have to try out the dim sum because I have heard wonderful reviews, but so far we have always left very happy with the food and service! Pros: Good variety for food & drinks ~ Friendly and knowledgeable more

The dim sum is spectacular! Every dish is spectacular and aesthetically pleasing. The wine list is one of the most expansive of any restaurant, and is the only Asian/Chinese restaurant that has made the second tier of the Wine Spectator. For those of you who complained about the food being too salty or greasy, you should probably avoid ordering the dishes that are prepared in that way. There are an abundant amount of dishes served there that are not too salty or greasy, and if you don't like dishes like that then don't order dishes prepared that way! Food is amazing do not change a thing Chinatown!! Pros: food is amazing, good service, great wine list, best sush, b Cons: pricey but worth it more

Ok, let start off with the ok side - the Chinese meals are just ok. I mean heavily breaded, everything red and fried - like the 1970's Chinse food of yesteryear...not bad just heavy and fried. \r Now the Dim Sum - spectacular. I was thrilled. I mean I grew up in the Bay Area CA and have Chinese buddies to take me out to Dim Sum so I can say I've had the best before (in the States) and Chinatown is excellent. We must have tried 10 dishes and didn't find anything we did not lov e- from the tarro root, the dumplings, Char-Siu Bau (steamed BBQ buns) - all delicious as were the dessert dished (loved the coconut treats). \r We will be going back. Remember this is drive by eating - so gab the carts you want and don't be afraid to be pushy. In SJ I go to places where 70 year old Chinese women try to push it all on you and start placing on your table whether you want it or not and if you say no they might not come back - part of the game. Here it is all english speaking kids that were very polite. Can't believe someone got stuck int he corner...speak up! Pros: Dim Sum, Service Cons: Reg Chinese dishes - need updating and fresher/lighter versions more

Wow. I went here for dim sum with friends 2-3 weeks ago. It was the best, best dim sum I had ever had. Period. I was amazed. Selections that no place else had. Presentation that made the food even more delicious.\r What happened to this place? Please fix it and get it back to where it was.\r Fast forward to today. I took my wife today. I had been carrying on and on about how wonderful the dim sum was. Boy did I eat those words. First off, we were sat in a corner, behind other tables, on a dead end. That doomed us I guess. The carts couldn't get back there. So, they didn't even try. The water waiter could so he came by 3-4 times. I filled up on water watching the carts pass us by. About 5-10 minutes being there, the second coming of the water waiter, our regular waiter walks up with dirty dishes from someone who actually got to eat dim sum and asked if we needed anything to drink. We said not at this time, but we would like to eat something. Thinking this would help him realize we were not getting cart service. Nope.\r About five minutes later, the third coming of the water waiter and we finally get some cart service. Nothing special, but we got it thinking we might not get another cart anytime soon. Everything was the same you can get anywhere else. Nothing special, but it could have been because we were water logged by now.\r Another waiter came by with a tray so we grabbed something off that. No more carts came though. So, we decide to leave. Our waiter drops the check and decides to clear all our plates immediately. He pours sauce on my wife's new purse, and walks off. No apologies, he didn't even bring more napkins.\r Chinatown, what happened?\r 2-3 weeks ago this was one of the best dining experiences I've had in Austin. Today, this was one of the worst. Please make sure that all tables are cart accessible. Please make sure your staff is aware of there customers and at least decent and courteous. Please get back to where you were. Pros: Once was good Cons: Be ready to leave a $0.01 tip. more

I called in for a take out order. I explained several times to the women on the phone that I was allergic to scallops and to make sure the dish she was suggesting to me did not have scallops. My husband picked up the food and brought it home. Much to my surprise and frustration, there were scallops and crab meat in my dinner. I was hungry and upset, so I called the restaurant and tried to explain my situation. I guess they were to busy to discuss this and told me they would just give me a credit. After one week I still have not recieved credit for a dinner that I could not eat.\r Becareful what you call in for, I don't believe they listen to your needs. more

We tried this place because I heard the dim sum was good so I figured the rest of the food would be tasty too. We ended up here during dinner service and were not impressed. I am more used to authentic Chinese food and this was not it. It was lacking in any flavor and it was pricey. The other diners around us were seniors sucking down bottles of wine so they didn't seem to interested in the actual food. Perhaps this is a good place to get tipsy, not to eat...I doubt I'll go back, even to try the dim sum. Pros: edible Cons: not tastey, pricey more

Superb is a correct rating for the dimsum! If one values really good food, you will have your desires satisfied here. The freshness and quality defy description. There are no fillers here. It is a mountain top experience. The attentive and enthusiastic service certainly made one feel a part of the whole experience. Pros: Freshness, quality of food. Thumbs way up Cons: It might be a little noisy at high peak times. more

Have lived in the neighborhood for 7 years, although it's within walking distance, it never occurs to me that I should try to dine here. I did go to Musashino to have my japanese food craving fixed from time to time. And sometimes when I waited to be seated in Musashino, I had a glance of how chinatown looked like. Just felt like an stereotype americanized chinese restaurant. Well, if I need that, I'd recommend people go to PF Chang's. However, since chinatown started to serve dimsum recently, and being a huge dimsum-holic, I decided to give it a try. Even the now famous Shanghai didn't really match up with my standard for dimsum. Every dimsum place in Austin screams CHEAP quality. But, be surprised, not here. Not in Chinatown. The quality of every dish I ordered was superb. All waiters and waitress were nice and attentive (well, you don't see that often in a Chinese restaurant). For a dimsum place, they charged the tee, which is rare, and a bit ridiculous to me. But they do offer you the fresh pack of tea leaves and brew it in front of you (in a very nice glass teapot, not the usual one). Quality of the tea is ok, definitely beat a lot of places where they serve the tea over and over until it's SO blend. I was born and grew up in Taipei City, where the dimsum is very good, but not as oily as the original HK version. Chinatown's dimsum resembles a lot like what I've had in Asia. I'd highly recommend its dimsum to everyone. Noted, I have never tried their regular dishes. Every good thing I've said is for their dimsum only. But be prepared, for something this good, it doesn't come with cheap prices. I sensed that when they told me I have to pay (a lot) for the tea. The bill to some people might be overpriced. But I'm willing to pay that much to go back again. Think I'll just reduce the frequency that I go to other cheap dimsum places. Pros: Dimsum is superb. Cons: Expensive. more

The first thing I noticed was the decor. It's obviously a clash of of everything stereotypically Chinese (paintings of past emperors, buddhas everywhere, etc) but the restaurant tables are nicely decorated. The restaurant DOES offer a very large menu as many Chinese restaurants do. The waiter was very nice and very attentive. I heard stuff from the Chef's Choices section(not sure if that's the name, but its a part of the menu that offers slightly more pricey dishes) tasted better. He said those tasted better. We ordered Cilantro Shrimp, Chinese style Calamari, and Beef with Aromatic Herbs. THe waiter said we chose the good dishes. The Calamari tasted like it was covered in cornstarch and then fried quickly. It tasted less greasy than most Calamari and preferred it. The Cilantro SHrimp was good and so was the Beef. but I could taste so much MSG in the beef and made me sleepy. Personally I thought the Shrimp tasted better. I love cilantro in my Chinese food and I don't find it very often in other Chinese restaurants. I seemed to be lucky with my choices. Don't order the cheap stuff or the same orange chicken you've always been eating. I have yet to try other stuff on the menu. I've glanced over it and saw typical AMericanized Chinese stuff. It does serve pretty small portions compared to other Chinese restaurants but its filled two people fine. It is more costly than other Chinese restaurants as well. Din H0 is a better Chinese restaurant in Austin and is more authentic Chinese. The food is a 3.5, but since the service was good i'd bump it up to a 4 Pros: good service, nice ambience, pretty good food, 3.5 stars Cons: pricier than most chinese restaurants and less portions too. more

Another restaurant with undeserving hype. Food is not authentic Chinese, completely Americanized. It is salty and expensive. My lips hurt afterward from the saltiness. Service was good and the ambience very nice. Another place where you're paying for the ambience. I would never come back here. Pros: service, ambience Cons: food (too salty!!), price more

OK, the food isn't great, but so far, it is the most consistently average I can find within a decent drive of the city. Tokyo Steakhouse is much better food (both Chinese and sushi), but much farther. Service is spotty -- either really good or really surly. One time, in a nearly deserted restaurant, I was refused seating because I asked for a table for 4, even though I didn't know if 2 people would be able to make it. I mean I was rudely refused seating by a loudmouthed ""hostess,"" in a virtually deserted restaurant. This place used to be great but within the last year or so both the food and employees have been pretty disappointing. If you really want good Chinese food, you won't get it in Austin. Good sushi? Downstairs from here at Musashino, or farther north at Tokyo Steakhouse. On the happier side, where else can you go to eat fried rice and Louis XIII cognac? Pros: convenient, usually easy parking, fast Cons: wait staff, hostess from hell, average food more

People tend to be polarized about Chinese food. I've tried over 30 places in Austin, and Chinatown is definitely my favorite. This place is near my office and I eat there at least once a week -- their sushi and chinese food are consistently VERY good. Ask for Jimmy for your waitperson; he is always very attentive. The bar is very well-stocked; someone there is a wine-master. The place is romantic (wouldn't bring the kids) or a good place for a business dinner. I've met the owner Cheng a couple of times and he seemed genuinely appreciative of our business. Great place. Pros: Good Food, Great Bar, Great Atmosphere more

I would say this place is one of the better Chinese restaurant in Austin. Their service was horrible, but dishes were decent. I ordered Hot & Sour Soup, Honey Sizzling Steak and Crispy Red Snapper. Soup was pretty bad, Sizzling Steak was too sweet for me but it is honey... I can't really complain. Red snapper was crispy, but not tasty enough. If I ever go back there again, I would try their famous Thai Chicken dish. Cons: Service more

service is great...food is horrible...would not go back if I wanted to eat REAL chinese food more

Chinatown is the best chinese food i ever had in Austin. The Waitperson are very friendly and experience. I will highly recomanded.. more

We went to Chinatown on our continuing quest to find a decent Chinese restaurant in Austin. The closest we have been able to find is PF Changs, which we know is not really Chinese. At Chinatown we had the General Tso's chicken and the Honey Walnut Shrimp. Both were overly fried and the General's chicken was soggy. Neither had much flavor. We do not understand the number of 10's this restaurant has received. Chinatown does not even begin to compare to average Chinese restaurants in LA, NY, and the Bay Area. Pros: easy parking, inexpensive, good service Cons: boring food, americanized chinese more