The Best Chinese Restaurant in Every State

All the basics are offered here, along with such slightly more adventurous fare as spicy beef tendon, hot stir-fried frogs’ legs, and spicy pork intestines in hot pot. Yelp reviews tend to use the words “real” or “authentic” — and the atmosphere and service get good marks, too.

Voted the area’s #1 Asian restaurant a dozen times in the Fairbanks Daily News Miners’ Reader’s Choice poll (North Pole is a town near Fairbanks, known for its year-round Christmas decorations), the 30-year-old Pagoda offers an eclectic menu that ranges from the expected egg roll and kung pao chicken to such unexpected offerings as jalapeño scrambled eggs with shrimp or chicken and General Tso cauliflower. The restaurant is currently open for dining only in its bar area — not the main dining room — as well as for takeout and delivery.

In addition to the usual American Chinese restaurant dishes, this establishment in the Ozarks, near Bentonville, specializes in such Szechuan dishes as sliced fish with pickled vegetables, clay pot seafood and bean curd, and cold ox tongue and tripe with roasted chili peanut vinaigrette. Regular dining service is currently suspended, but customers may sit at tables to eat food they’ve ordered to go.

Anyone in Phoenix who’s looking for chop suey, chow mein, lo mein, egg foo young, chow fun, wonton soup, moo shu pork, and other old-style Chinese-American specialties will surely appreciate Wong’s — for the service as well as the food. “Not only is the food absolutely fabulous, the staff at the restaurant are equally fabulous as well,” Yelped a visitor from Wisconsin.

This international Taiwanese chain has 13 U.S. locations, all on the West Coast, plus another dozen in Taiwan and countless others all over Asia and in Australia, the UAE, and the UK — but they’re known for consistent quality everywhere. (The Daily Meal once named their original Taipei location the best restaurant in Asia.) Their specialty is xiao long bao, the broth-filled buns everybody calls “soup dumplings,” which the late L.A. Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold once called “small miracles.” There’s plenty more on the menu, though. “This place is a must try,” wrote one Yelp reviewer about the chain’s elegantly airy San Diego location. Currently, only takeout and delivery are available here.

“Authentic Shanghainese cuisine is our passion,” reads this two-level restaurant’s motto. The ground floor portion of the place serves what are described as “street style eats,” meaning such fare as steamed or pan-fried dumplings, Shanghainese street noodles, or jasmine curry with beef, shrimp, or vegetables. Upstairs, COVID-19 protocols are not in force, the chef prepares a more formal menu, with no dumplings or noodles involved, for just four tables of diners. Seafood hot and sour soup and black pepper halibut are typical dishes.

Peter Chang is a celebrated Szechuan chef-restaurateur, once known for continually going to work at and then disappearing from restaurants throughout the Southeast. Chang finally settled down and opened a chain of top-level places in Virginia and Maryland. Early last year, he opened this place, his first in the Northeast. Expect such uncommon fare as scallion bubble pancake, spicy dry-fried eggplant, and Shan City pigs’ feet.

Yelp reviewers love such dishes here as “awesome” spicy fish, salt-and-pepper fried chicken wings that are “a must try,” and beef and cilantro soup that’s “so good we almost licked the bowl clean.” Among the chef’s specialties are frog with spicy chili pepper and cumin spareribs with garlic.

“[E]ven more amazing than the reviews could make it seem,” wrote one Yelp reviewer about this restaurant in suburban Miami. “One of the best dining experiences that I’ve had in a long time,” enthused another. Taiwanese picadillo (described by the Miami New Times as “ground pork belly aggressively seasoned and served atop a bed of rice with strands of pickled mustard greens”) is a specialty. The restaurant is now open only for takeout and delivery, but there is a table outside at which one party of diners at a time may enjoy food they’ve ordered for takeout.

It’s not every Chinese restaurant that serves such specialties as Hakka stir-fry pork belly, calamari, bean curd, and Chinese chive flower; stewed Chinese okra with crab meat and roe; or lamb with leeks and cilantro in hot bean sauce — but you’ll find those and a lot more at this Taiwanese place in a community just outside Atlanta. One Yelp commentator hailed its “fresh, delicious food” and phenomenal service. The dining room is closed for now, but there is outdoor seating, and takeout and delivery are offered.

One Chinese-American reviewer on Yelp describes this hole-in-the-wall counter-service place as her “all time favorite restaurant in Chinatown,” and notes that she “[w]ent today for the 100th time.” Beef tendon soup with chow fun gets high marks from almost every commentator, while some also hail the pork and shrimp wontons (“PERFECTLY seasoned”) and pork liver rice soup.

There’s nothing too exotic on the menu here, but Yelp fans love the crab Rangoon, egg rolls, General Tso’s chicken, Mongolian beef, and other Chinese-American standbys at this “quaint little hole in the wall…in a strip mall.” “If you like places like Panda Express…,” proposed one reviewer, “but also like to support local businesses, Long Xing is going to make you very happy.”

Promising a range of offerings from “traditional comfort dishes to fascinating new flavors,” this restaurant in a Boise area city (considered one of the fastest-growing cities in the country) serves a menu that encompasses everything from pot stickers and spring rolls to Mandarin spicy shrimp and flaming garlic pork. (There is a second location in Mountain Home, southeast of Boise.)

“MCCB,” says this Chicago favorite, stands for “Modern Chinese Cook Book.” In addition to such familiar dishes as kung pao chicken and mapo tofu, the restaurant offers less common fare like piña-colada-flavored shrimp and the house specialty of charcoal-grilled whole fish as prepared in the style of the Chinese city of Chongqing. The word “amazing” tends to appear in Yelp reviews.

This “sit down and eat” Chinese restaurant (as opposed to takeout places) pleases Yelpers with its lemon chicken, Peking pork, General Tso’s tofu (and also chicken), sizzling beef, and more. “The restaurant itself could be a set of a cool Wes Anderson movie,” wrote one reviewer of this “old-fashioned Cantonese style” place. At this time, only takeout is available.

Offering “familiar dishes in casual digs and serving dim sum all day,” ABC has been described on Yelp as the area’s “single most authentic Chinese restaurant…[serving] the equivalent of Chinese home cooking” and a “place [that] lives up to the hype!” The 40-plus dim sum choices include barbecue pork puffs and chicken spring rolls with seaweed. Specialty dishes include chicken and eggplant hot pot and salt and pepper tofu.

The menu at this restaurant in a community across the Ohio River from Cincinnati (where Oriental Wok has a second location) offers “Old Chinatown” dishes like chop suey, chow mein, and egg foo young, as well as a good selection of other fare. This includes seafood preparations like four varieties of fish cooked in one of three manners and a dish of stir-fried Cantonese lobster tails.

“This hole-in-the-wall restaurant is a little slice of heaven,” wrote one Yelp reviewer, who came without a reservation and had to wait an hour “but it was very worth it” for a meal that included, among other things, “the BEST tasting shrimp” he’d ever had. Other commentators call out the soup dumplings, the crab and crawfish bao, the sizzling steak, and the “really good” chive cakes.

Not surprisingly, clay pot dishes are featured at this cash-only Chinatown establishment. Versions made with yellow eel, Chinese sausage and pork belly, and chicken with Chinese mushrooms are among those specifically praised by Yelp users. Other dishes, including Shanghai rice cakes, ginseng black chicken soup, and stir-fried watercress with garlic are among the other dishes that win plaudits.

House specials at this place in Wheaton, near the nation’s capital (there is a second location just to the south in Silver Spring), include ginger and scallion lobster, crispy shrimp with walnuts, and Peking duck. Dim sum is also featured, with Yelp reviewers saying particularly nice things about the beef shumai, radish cakes, deep-fried shrimp, and sticky rice in banana leaf, among other items.

Dim sum and “traditional and modern Chinese soul food” are the specialties here at this handsome establishment, which occupies the site of “Portland’s first deluxe Chinese restaurant,” The Empire (1916-1953). Lobster dumplings, pork potstickers, Singapore rice noodles, orange beef, and bacon fried rice are among the many dishes here that Yelpers love. Only takeout service is available currently.

Whole steamed fish, crispy Cantonese-style chicken, and beef brisket hot pot are among the signature dishes here. Per Yelp, the food here is “ridiculously delicious,” the place is “a gem,” and the portions are “large…[and] reasonably priced.” One visitor added “It is top notch by any definition.” Michigan has halted all indoor dining until further notice, but China Chef offers delivery.

“Serving Cantonese food to the West 7th neighborhood for 30+ years,” this restaurant announces by its name that what it serves will be familiar Chinese-American cuisine. The menu lists both “quick service” and “cooked to order” variations on chow mein, as well as egg rolls, fried shrimp, lo mein, moo goo gai pan, beef with broccoli, and other such fare. No indoor dining is currently permitted in Minnesota, but takeout is available here.

A Chinese restaurant connected to an Asian market, Mr. Chen’s has been hailed on Yelp as “a great little restaurant” and “the ONLY place in MS with REAL Chinese food.” One reviewer wrote “I’m Chinese and live in NYC, but this is one of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve been to in the country.” Favorite dishes include twice-cooked pork, lotus leaf sticky rice, and basil clams.

This “undeniably cool Chinese” place (according to its website) limits its menu — as its name suggests — to a dozen starters (dumplings as well as scallion biscuit, duck wrap, crispy tofu, etc.) and 14 noodle or rice dishes involving things like Chinese-style pot roast, black bean chicken, and braised organic tofu. “Blue Koi gets better and better every time I go,” reported one Yelp reviewer.

“This is a great place for Chinese!” enthused a Yelp reviewer visiting from Washington state about this establishment in a community just outside Bozeman. Other opinions: “the Mongolian beef is near ‘almost gourmet,'” “From the first bite of egg drop soup I KNEW it was going to be a slam dunk!,” and “Fantastic Chinese cuisine and great service … everyone walked away full and happy.” Only takeout and delivery are currently available.

“Every meal has been spot on” at this Omaha favorite, according to one Yelp reviewer. The restaurant promotes its “famous sesame chicken and our signature egg foo young.” A wide choice of fried rice, lo mein, and chow mein variations are also available, along with all the other expected dishes, from egg drop soup to sweet and sour pork.

“Shang Artisan Noodle aims to both honor and elevate the Chinese culinary tradition on handmade noodles,” reads the mission statement for this fast-casual restaurant. The menu is brief: a few appetizers (spicy wontons, beef and onion potstickers, etc.), half a dozen noodle soups (pork rib and seafood among them), five sauced noodle dishes (one with minced pork and preserved vegetables, for instance, and another with stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs), and seven fried rice and chow mein variations.

This establishment in the Granite State’s largest city advertises its “Mandarin, Szechuan & Private Home Cuisine” based on combining “the freshest ingredients with popular Asian herbs and spices.” Specialties include Yu-Hsiang shrimp and sea scallops, crispy sesame beef, and two-flavored chicken, but there is also a selection of moo shu dishes, lo mein, chop suey, and other Chinese-American standbys.

There can be no confusion about this B.Y.O.B. restaurant’s main selling point. According to a diner from a Shanghainese family, reporting on Yelp, the eponymous soup dumplings are “probably as good as it gets in the States.” Other dishes — the “plus” — recommended on the review site include eggplant with garlic sauce, scallion pancakes, and pan-fried pork buns.

“[H]idden away in a strip mall but worth looking for — per Yelp — this “little gem” is as “authentic as it gets for Chinese food in Albuquerque.” Menu offerings include Uncle Tsai’s spicy dumplings, mushroom duck, bean curd “home style,” and Hunan pork. Lo mein, chow mein, moo shu, and egg foo young dishes are also available. No indoor dining is permitted in the state at this point, but the restaurant offers takeout service.

This Upper West Side Szechuan restaurant — one of nine locations in New York City and the Philadelphia area (the first one opened in the suburb of Exton in 2007) — is noted for its dan dan noodles, which one Yelp reviewer called “incredibly flavorful” and another pronounced “the best in New York.” Other Yelp praise has gone to the dry pepper chicken, the dry hot pot with fish, and the cumin chicken.

Handmade dumplings, from a menu that changes daily, are the big draw here, including varieties filled with chicken and napa cabbage, lamb and carrots, beef and cilantro, and shrimp with pork and Chinese chives. Chinese “burgers” on steamed buns — pork, beef, or vegetable — are another specialty, and there are also a few sauced meat dishes (spicy pig ear, beef in mushroom sauce) and noodle preparations, some involving noodles made with carrot juice. Citing challenges in meeting customer demand for its dumplings, Sister Liu’s asks patrons, via Yelp, to “please pay attention to website dynamics” regarding changes in business hours.

According to comments on Yelp, diners here can expect “Sooooo much food…always very flavorful,” “Employees [who] are really helpful & friendly,” and “classic American-Chinese takeout but with quality ingredients.” (There’s also a dining room, with counter service.) Expect inexpensive versions of spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken, salt and pepper shrimp, and the like.

“It doesn’t look like much when you walk pass this restaurant outside but the food will leave you begging for more,” wrote one local diner on Yelp last month, citing such dishes as the soup dumplings and the Chongqing SPICY beef noodle soup (caps hers) as examples. Noodles and dumplings are the things here, and other reviewers have liked the dumplings in hot chili oil, the Daoxiao pan-fried noodles with beef, and the pork noodle bowl. The restaurant is currently open for takeout only.

Signature dishes here include watercress fish, spicy fried cumin lamb, tofu pudding beef, and beer duck. Commenting on Yelp, diners have also singled out the egg drop soup (“full of noodles”), fried dumplings (“nothing short of perfect”), spicy boiled fish (“absolutely wonderful”), and spicy beef stew noodle (“cooked to perfection”). “Best Asian food in the Midwest,” opined a visitor from Arkansas.

A “delightfully updated, modern, and authentic Chinese dining experience,” promises this establishment’s website. “This little place packs in some BIG flavor and does it for a reasonable price,” according to one Yelp reviewer. Another was “a bit surprised by the outside…[which] doesn’t look very classy,” but was “tremendously surprised by the interior, food, and wait staff.” Recommendations of the site include curry fried rice, twice-cooked pork, and garlic eggplant. For the time being, the establishment is open only for delivery.

The name of this “Northwest Philly treasure” — as one Yelper put it — might suggest a rec center in the Pyrenees, but it’s a serious Chinese restaurant offering dishes both familiar and unusual. Among the latter are chicken kidney in chili pepper, mustard green and fish soup, sizzling stuffed bean curd, and spicy pork shank Chongqing style. (There’s a second location in suburban Wayne, Pennsylvania, called R&G’s Ping Pong. The Philadelphia restaurant takes its name from the Andorra Shopping Center.) Pennsylvania restaurants are closed for indoor dining at the moment, but takeout and delivery are still available here.

“I lived in NYC for 11 years and this food is pretty close to NYC Chinese,” wrote one enthusiast on Yelp. “Best Chinese ever,” claimed another one. Boneless spareribs, crab Rangoon, chicken and broccoli, and Szechuan beef with peanuts are among the dishes various other commentators have mentioned approvingly.

One Yelper found the fare here to be “Some of the best Chinese food I have had in the States!” and another, lamenting how hard she thought it was to find good Chinese cuisine in the South, said, “I think I’ve finally found it!” Big portions, representing “great value on American-style Chinese food,” are a plus here, and such dishes as steamed dumplings, General Tso’s chicken, and broccoli beef left another reviewer “shocked and impressed by the quality of…food here.”

The individual combination dinner here, including an egg roll, a chicken wing, fried rice, and a choice of three soups, plus such main dishes as garlic shrimp, cashew chicken, or bell pepper steak, goes for $11.75, and other package deals, for two or more diners and with additional dishes added, cost only slightly more. Portions are huge, report reviewers on Yelp, and the food is “simply amazing.”

Among the house specialties at this restaurant in suburban Nashville are steamed sea bass, walnut shrimp, and crispy beef. An array of chow mein, lo mein, rice noodle, and noodle soup dishes are also offered. “I have been coming here for years and never had a bad meal,” wrote one fan on Yelp. “Make sure you either go hungry or with people to share with,” counseled another.

“If you haven’t tried Tiger Noodle you are missing out,” according to a local fan of the Katy outpost of this four-unit Houston area chain, writing on Yelp. “It’s really that simple.” With both a counter service and a full service side, the place offers a menu of Szechuan dishes that goes far beyond just noodles. Taiwanese sausage, Chengdu grilled sliced fish, shredded pork in Beijing bean sauce, and tea-leaf-smoked duck are a few of the specialties. Outdoor seating, takeout, and delivery are available here.

The variety of dishes in various styles at this no-reservations restaurant in suburban Salt Lake City includes Peking baby back ribs, Singapore vegetarian noodles, Szechuan halibut, and Nanking pork with yams and sugar snap peas. Yelp users particularly like the imperial noodles, cashew chicken, and char siu fried rice.

According to a review in the Virginia Pilot, “The freshness, quality of food at affordable pricing and pleasant service make Judy’s Sichuan Cuisine habit-forming.” Yelpers praise the place, too — both this location and another one in Virginia Beach. The wontons in chili oil, pork in Yu-Shiang sauce, dan dan noodles, and kung pao chicken are among reviewers’ favorites.

The menu here offers what it identifies as traditional Chinese dishes like seaweed with garlic sauce and aromatic sliced beef, as well as such specialties as tangerine chicken and sizzling beef hot pot. Comments on Yelp also call out such items as scallion pancakes, duck with basil, and Hunan beef. “So excellent!!!” exclaimed one local.

In addition to more expected dishes, this “great restaurant,” “a treasure in the area” — per Yelp — serves such items as seafood okra soup, chopped pickled chili fish fillet, salted fish and chicken fried rice, and shredded pork with dried bean curd and Chinese celery. “Ask your server about the mural on the wall,” one Yelp reviewer recommends. The “art shows people making the dishes on the menu.” Washington opened restaurants to limited indoor dining early in January if they could provide sufficient fresh-air ventilation, but Szechuan Brothers is currently operating only for takeout and delivery.

Fans of this restaurant in a Milwaukee suburb tell Yelp that they enjoy specialties like spicy Szechuan dumplings, chicken in spicy numbing sauce, and fish fillet in chili pepper soup. Even the “more Americanized Chinese dishes…are better versions of what you’d get elsewhere,” wrote one reviewer, though another one thinks ordering those would be a shame because “This is a really authentic Chinese restaurant with some excellent Sichuan style cooking.”

Hailed on Yelp for its “Friendly workers and good food!” and reasonable prices — one reviewer notes that prices are similar to those at fast-food outlets “but of a much higher quality” — China Spring offers an extensive menu of the usual favorites. “Best kung pao chicken I’ve ever had,” noted a visitor from Los Angeles (a city with a plethora of great Chinese restaurants). “Make sure you try the crab Rangoon and the steamed dumplings at the very least,” counseled another.

A recent transplant from California called this place in a southwestern Wyoming city “a life saver for Chinese food” on Yelp, while another asked rhetorically, “Wow, who would have expected such a great Chinese restaurant in this small town?” The “freakin’ fantastic” food includes crab Rangoon, braised tofu, sizzling rice soup, and honey walnut shrimp.