2009.07.02
Top 100 Chinese restaurants
Chinese Restaurant News has named the best 100 Chinese restaurants in America for 2009. Surprise! None of them are anywhere near us.
Well, to be fair, it depends on your definition of "near." If you think Alexandria, Annandale, Leesburg and Prince William County are near us, then congratulations -- you've got four new restaurants to add to your to-dine list. Those restaurants are:
* China King Restaurant, 5 S. King St., Leesburg
* Asian Garden, 12857 Braemar Village Plaza, Bristow
* Sampan Cafe, 6116 Franconia Rd., Alexandria
* Szechuan Star, 6960 H Bradlick Shopping Center, Annandale
I think I was most amused by the names of some restaurants in CRN's 2009 dining guide. I like the Takee Outee, Two Guys from Hong Kong and Wok N Roll the best. But the OK Chinese Buffet? Not aspiring to much there, eh?
If you were voting in a Best Chinese Restaurant in Southwest Virginia poll, what spot would get your vote?
My vote would go to Chopsticks Chinese Restaurant, located at Bridgewater Plaza at Smith Mountain Lake. They have a great buffet, individual plate menu, super sushi bar and hibachi grill. Dining indoors and out on a veranda with a view of the Lake. Owner Shawn Lin and his family are wonderful people and the food and atmosphere at Chopsticks rank at the top. Highly recommended!
Comment by Rebecca Jackson — July 2, 2009 @ 9:16 am
It makes me sad to say it but I can't think of any Chinese restaurant that would get my vote. My boyfriend moved here from NY and he's been heartbroken that he can't find good Chinese food. Luckily he learned to make fried rice from a friend of the family who is Chinese so we rely on that and I make pretty good eggrolls. I willing to try new places but have just about given up...
Comment by Angela — July 2, 2009 @ 10:11 am
If the old adage "cops know the best places to eat" has any merit, China Wok at Williamson and Hershberger wins hands down. I manage to eat there at least twice a week myself.
Comment by Art Hill — July 2, 2009 @ 10:43 am
Chopsticks? Yikes. Their Sushi is horrible. Yes the staff is very friendly.
Comment by ernie — July 2, 2009 @ 10:56 am
Szechuan is my favorite in Roanoke, but I do feel like its quality has declined somewhat in the past 10 years. I still love to eat there though (for dinner, not the buffet).
I really like China Wok in Salem too. For cheap take-out, it's really quite good and by far the best of that type I've ever had in this area.
Comment by Sara — July 2, 2009 @ 11:46 am
Szechuan (419) and Cafe Asia are the only two that deserve a nod around here. The rest are pretty much cookie cutter Chinese joints.
Comment by Rich — July 2, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
China Inn across from the Blacksburg Library is the best IMHO.
Comment by Henry — July 2, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
I agree with Angela...there just aren't any. The last time we ate Chinese food from a take-out my daughter got a metal sliver stuck in the back of her throat from it. We thought it could have been the metal staple from the box but the school nurse, who thankfully extracted it with a pair of tweezers, said it was too thin to be a staple. That was that for us, until we head back to NYC...
Comment by Roanoke RnR — July 2, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
Cafe Asia is our favorite it's almost in our backyard. It keeps us from having to drive all the way to Crossroads / Town Square for Szechuan.
Comment by Nona Nelson — July 2, 2009 @ 9:25 pm
Szechuan/Ridgewood Farms for the buffet, and I agree w/ other readers that Chopsticks is very good as is Cafe Asia. And China Wok/Salem for takeout is also the bomb! Nothing original from me, huh? I'm just agreeing w/ the previous comments!
Comment by Dennis — July 2, 2009 @ 10:39 pm
Cafe Asia has my vote...but I still miss the old China Gate on Williamson!
Comment by Lisa — July 2, 2009 @ 10:55 pm
The best one, in which I hve eaten so far, is either location of the Red Palace; Tanglewood beside Kroger and on an outparcel at Valley View. Not the best oriental restaurant in which I have eaten, however, the best one around Roanoke.
Comment by Jack Maxwell — July 3, 2009 @ 9:33 pm
After Eating for 5 years at the China King in Leesburg (listed above), I simply cannot eat Chinese food in Roanoke. None of it comes anywhere close to China King. I had access to PF Changs, which everyone seems to love to death, but even that didn't compare to China King. It's amazing considering that place is extra tiny in a town with horrid parking. You think it's bad here? You haven't been to Leesburg.
In Roanoke, Every Chinese place, the chicken is fatty and often mixed with dark meat (no no!), the sauces often taste as if they have been sitting in a pot for days... Noodle offerings are weak and overcooked. I have tried Szechuan, Red Palace, China Star, and several other places that have come and gone. The state of Chinese food in Roanoke is absolutely pitiful. You're better off going to the Asian market and making it yourself. The Iron Chef General Tso's sauce is really good with some batter-fried chicken and rice.
The only good noodles I've had here are the Chow Fun fat noodles downtown at the the "Pay-By-The-Pound" place on the corner of Campbell and Jefferson (I can never remember the name of that place, but they also have good sweet curry.)
That said... it is not all asian food that's bad. Japanese food/sushi seems to be doing pretty well here. Sushi at Ben-Gui and Wasabi's is pretty good considering how far we are from a big city. Metro's sushi is creative, I'll give them that but would be better if they doubled the portion and sliced the price by about 30%, but that's to be expected there, where everything is obscenely overpriced. Tong's Thai Too on Franklin Rd is really good, I love their Panang Chicken Curry. I have also never had a bad Indian meal at Nawab or Taaza. Swagat was another story, but they're no longer with us.
Comment by scott — July 5, 2009 @ 5:17 am
Peking Restaurant in Wytheville, VA is by far the best Chinese Restaurant in this area. The prices are very reasonable,the service is excellent, the atmosphere is wonderful and the portions are exceedingly generous. The owners are very nice and have been in the business for over 25 years. Over the years, I have entertained guests here from all around the world (even many from China and Taiwan)and they have been very impressed with everything.
Comment by Michael Grady — July 5, 2009 @ 11:33 am
When we want really good Chinese, we go to Ming Garden in Waynesboro. Worth the drive.
Comment by Shannon — July 5, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
in rke, i really think double dragon on williamson has the best take out.
Comment by jenn c. — July 5, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
I'll have to try a few of these places I have not yet tried, including Chopsticks. I'm intrigued to see such a wide range of suggestions on this entry because it tells me that no one place is standing out.
I'd like to add a name to the mix for discussion -- Fiji Island. Personally, we love Fiji Island, but I have to disclose a personal connection -- my husband worked there as a young buck and the owner, Charlie, is a respected friend. Still, Charlie has described recipes in great detail to me before and I know those same recipes are used in the kitchen.
One complaint I hear about not only Chinese restaurants in Roanoke but also Indian and Thai places has to do with authenticity. Friends have described experiences where they assured the waiter that they wanted the food hot, even Indian hot or Thai hot, and it still was disappointingly mild.
Comment by Lindsey Nair — July 5, 2009 @ 6:02 pm
Our favorite is Taipei on Melrose (next to KFC). No buffet - order from the menu. Their General Tso's chicken is the absolute best - tender and moist! I have eaten at the well known chinese buffet's in town, and while their food is good, I have yet to find any chinese restaurant locally that has better General Tso's chicken than Taipei. Shrimp w/peanuts, Shrimp w/vegetables, Chicken and broccoli, Four Combination, Won Ton Soup - so many good dishes. We've been eating there for many many years as we know we can get a great meal when we go there.
Comment by Janice — July 6, 2009 @ 12:51 am
For delivery my boyfriend and I usually call Shin Shin in Salem. It's decent, if typical, Chinese takeout and the portions are large enough for us to get 2-3 meals out of it each.
I also had a really great meal at the Red Palace over at Tanglewood one year for Chinese New Years. We got the Peking Duck and it was delicious. We also ordered sides from the menu instead of doing the buffet and it was all fresh and delicious.
Comment by Bailie — July 6, 2009 @ 9:09 am
Red Palace has wonderful atmosphere,great service, great quality, and tremendous selection! The shrimp dishes as well as the chicken and rice are fantastic! The buffet is hot and well arranged! I can hardly imagine a better place to eat Chinese!
Comment by Kate Campbell — July 6, 2009 @ 9:51 am
Someone mentioned the old China Gate on Williamson and I remember that place fondly. When I was a kid, we'd go there on weekends. My dad worked in DC during the week and ate a lot of Chinese up there and he loved China Gate. I loved the decor and the food. We also used to go to Szechuan on 419 a lot on Sundays.
I'd probably have to say our favorite is Szechuan, but not the buffet. We also like Red Palace. I'd say Chinese food around here is a bit like Mexican food - tailored to the tastes of its customers. Our Chinese food and Mexican food is by no means authentic. However, I hope that tastes are changing, one example being the success of Alejandro's. While not totally authentic, my husband says it's a little closer to what he could get in California. Now if we could just get the same with the Asian food...
Comment by Lori — July 6, 2009 @ 11:16 am
Well said, Lori. I don't really consider Fiji Island Chinese, they are more Polynesian, although they do have some Chinese entrees. I like Red Palace and Szechuan, even though not authentic, although the people who run those places may argue.
Comment by Kathy — July 6, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
I would say if you really want great chinese food then you need to go to Vinton and eat at Red Jasmine. The food there is awesome! Try it.
210 S Pollard st, Vinton, VA 24179
Enjoy.
Comment by hungry — July 6, 2009 @ 5:43 pm
For all the bashing of Roanoke area Chinese food (not just here- I hear it a lot), I have to say that when I lived in southern California, I found the Chinese food there to be much worse (surprisingly). Someone mentioned dark meat mixed in with chicken dishes here- that was 100 times more common in southern CA. There's also pretty much no lo mein, only chow mein, and fewer menu options in general. I did prefer the Japanese, Thai, and Korean food in southern CA, but I did not like the Chinese food. I wouldn't say it was more authentic than what we have here either.
Comment by Sara — July 7, 2009 @ 9:35 am
Hey Hungry, Red Jasmine is a Thai restaurant, not a Chinese restaurant. But you are exactly right -- it is a really GOOD restaurant.
Comment by Lindsey — July 7, 2009 @ 10:31 am
Guys, Sara is right...I tried China Wok in Salem last nite and had the Generals Chicken and Pork Fried Rice. It was awesome! I always preferred Szehwuan's GC, but China Wok's was lighter and crispier and was great. I will definately go back!
Comment by Christobal — July 7, 2009 @ 10:41 am
I'll second Peking in Wytheville. Their food is better than anything else in the area and the owner is a classy lady. Try the wonton soup and you will never order it anywhere else again.
Comment by Brian — July 8, 2009 @ 7:43 am
I have a fun story about the old China Gate on Williamson. I swear I'm not making this up. It was a Christmas day about 20 years ago and we weren't eating dinner for quite some time. This was long ago at a time when nothing was open on Christmas day. So me and my family set out to find something to eat, anything. Well, guess what, they were. So we called our order in and headed over there and hung out with the staff for a little while. I was only 10 and swore I was in the movie A Christmas Story. Long story short, the best chinese food I've had here and I can still remember the egg rolls. Wish they were still around.
PS, Red Jasmine is an amazing place for Thai food and if you want it spicy, they'll make it that way. Go see Noot, she's a sweetheart!
Comment by Sarah — July 8, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
In all of the years that I have been dining around, I have never seen such a great place to take your family to eat.. Red Palace (Tanglewood Mall) is one of the absolute best Chinese restaurants in Roanoke. If you like fresh ingredients and stir-fried food, you'll find it here. They refill the trays very quickly and the food tastes great! The food is seasoned perfectly, served piping hot, and adding to the wonderful dining experience, you will be treated like royalty! THE BEST!!
Comment by Lisa — July 30, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
Red Palace Is The Best: The food has a great taste and smell. I've been going to Red Palace for over 3 years now. They have a buffet style setting along with the traditional Chinese take out service. ! The food is impeccable, the service is the best anywhere and the cleanliness is wonderful! The price is reasonable, and you will leave STUFFED. I highly recommend this place is you enjoy nothing but the best.
Comment by Henry — August 2, 2009 @ 11:12 pm
Red palace (Tanglewood Mall) is my most favorable restaurant in Roanoke. Their General Tso’s Chicken is the best Chinese dish that I have tried in town. It was so crispy & the taste was so good that I can't stop until the last bite. Their waiters are very helpful & friendly to me & my family. Their fine wine list also impress me so much, I think no where in town can compare with their incredible price. I went to this restaurant since I moved to Roanoke in 2007, I love this restaurant because they can always maintain a very good service & food quality, I never been disappointed over there.
Comment by Rachel — September 15, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
Red Palace near Valley View, hands down - freshest, tastiest, cleanest Chinese restaurant. We used to live in the Great NW and every Chinese restaurant and boo-fay was 75% fried food, it was disgusting.
Comment by Shellie Leete — September 16, 2009 @ 8:00 am
My favorite Chinese restaurant, the Min Dynasty is actually just over the border in Bristol TN. The food is consistently good and the number of repeat customers I see confirms my opinion. They have eat-in or take out and plenty of room for large groups.
R.D. Barber
Comment by R.D. Barber — October 13, 2009 @ 3:30 pm