Asian Kitchen

I have eaten here before and returned because I enjoy eating the shaved noodle. The noodles had great texture and the stewed beef soup had a rich flavor. The bowl of noodles was a great portion for the price and I even took some home. I did not like the stewed beef because it was very chewy. They didn't prepare the beef the way I hoped and there was not enough fat in the cuts of beef to break up the texture. It was very hard to chew. Overall I rated it higher despite the experience with the beef because the server was nice and gave good suggestions and was transparent about the portion differences, several individuals came to check on our table, and the restaurant had no wait on a weeknight/the food came out quickly. I think the restaurant could be cleaner but overall it is not a bad place to stop for good noodles. The restaurant gives the traditional Chinese restaurant feeling in terms of decoration.

So happy we found this place! The food was phenomenal! We ordered from the traditional menu where we got hand pulled noodles that were tender, chewy, and soft! The ox tail soup was just what I needed! It was clean, savory, and a bit of herbal ness to it. I would definitely come again!

Asian Kitchen, which has been around since at least February 2010, had a resurgence thanks to a concerted social media effort beginning around August 2023. Content for this business really ramped up in 2024. In early 2024, my wife saw a Reel for Asian Kitchen on Instagram and that's how we came to get takeout from and dine in here.At the time, we thought to ourselves, "Wait. *That* Asian Kitchen in the Harris Teeter shopping center (Hope Valley Commons) near our apartment?" We lived in the area for four years and didn't think much of this place because it looked like just another run-of-the-mill Chinese takeout joint. Kudos to the staff/owner(s) on what I think was a successful rebrand. It certainly reached us.Check out Asian Kitchen's Instagram account @asiankitchen.nc to see high-quality pictures and videos of their chefs at work, hand-pulling Chinese noodles, along with their now-popular dumplings and other dishes: https://www.instagram.com/asiankitchen.nc/My wife has been here more times than me. My first experience was takeout and then I revisited twice with my wife and parents for dine-in. The first time, we showed up at 2pm on a Sunday and the place was unexpectedly slow. The dining room was mostly empty with servers idling. The second time, we showed up at 7pm on a Thursday and the place was busy. During that visit, the restaurant seemed short-staffed.At both dine-in visits, there was no one at the hand-pulled noodle station for the duration of our visits -- I understand because of demand and the time of our visits. That said, I've been to other hand-pulled noodle restaurants that keep the show going for whatever reason. Maybe those other places make smaller and/or made-to-order batches.Asian Kitchen's menu offers a fairly extensive selection, but it could be a lot more descriptive. For example, what makes their dishes "Hunan?" What comes with the "Hot Pot Beef?" You have to rely on your server for answers. If the menu did get more descriptive, they'd have to switch from simple laminated one-sheet menus to more expensive magazine-like menus, so I get why they designed theirs the way they did.While "Asian" is in the name, this restaurant is Chinese. There are lots of "authentic" dishes on the menu, from Sauteed Frog ($28.99) to Dry Hot Pot Lamb ($22.99). This isn't an American-Chinese place, though they offer those dishes too. Lunch specials, about $10 and under, are available Tuesday-Friday, 11:00am-2:30pm.Here's what I've tried:Hand Made Ramen* H3. Spare Rib Ramen ($12.99)Shaved Noodles* H10. Spare Rib Shaved Noodles ($12.99)Special Noodles* H29. Dan Dan Shaved Noodles ($11.99)Appetizer* A3. Shredded Tripe with Chili Sauce ($12.99)* A4. Sweet & Sour Short Ribs ($12.99)* A9. Steamed Chicken with Chili Sauce ($14.99)Chef's Special* C6. Stir-fried Pork Tripe with Peppers ($22.99)Pork* D3. Stir-fried Pork with Hunan Style ($16.99)Vegetables & Tofu* F1. Eggplant Stew ($15.99)* F4. Sauteed Ong Choy ($15.99)Off-Menu Items* Bean Sprouts in Garlic Sauce ($16.99)* Stir-fried Snow Pea Tips (I forgot the price, probably around $16)In general, all of the food we've had from Asian Kitchen has been good. My wife considers it comfort food (we both grew up in Chinese households). The noodles, which are Chinese lamian, are made from wheat flour dough. Here, the difference between hand-pulled (or hand-made) and shaved (or knife-cut) noodles is the shape of the noodles. Hand-pulled noodles are round while shaved noodles are flatter. It's a subtle difference and you can't go wrong either way. We thought all of the noodle dishes were solid. They were fresh and flavorful (broth and ingredients), and the noodles had good texture. Well made. We asked for chili oil to add to our lamian. They can bring a jar to your table upon request.As for the other (non-noodle) dishes, we enjoyed everything. One thing I like about Asian Kitchen's Shredded Tripe with Chili Sauce is the generous portion size. The Sweet & Sour Short Ribs were tasty and addictive. The short ribs could have been meatier, but the portions we got weren't unreasonable. One of my dad's favorite dishes is Chinese steamed chicken and he seemed to enjoy Asian Kitchen's spicier version. The Stir-fried Pork with Hunan Style, Eggplant Stew, Bean Sprouts in Garlic Sauce, Sauteed Ong Choy and Stir-fried Snow Pea Tips were all fresh and delicious. The latter two are my top two favorite Chinese vegetables. Asian Kitchen made terrific versions of them. The ong choy was especially addictive. I couldn't stop eating it.Despite the spice level shown next to each dish on the menu, you can customize the spice level on many dishes.Service was very good for our takeout and first dine-in experience. When we dined in the first time, the staff was extra attentive because business was slow. When we dined in the second time, there was only one server and one food runner for the entire dining room. You can guess how that went.

I drove out this way to enjoy hand pulled noodles and shaved noodles. Both were amazing! We had the stewed beef shaved noodle and pulled noodles with bean paste with shrimp (kid approved). Also order the green beans and 2 orders of the pork dumplings. I will say the only I was disappointed in was there was a lack of flavor in the dumplings for my taste. But overall everything was amazing and I will be back again! I wish they were pulling noodles that morning. But we went when they first opened! If you want to see them work with the dough I would wait to go later in the day.

I've heard Asian Kitchen has had a change in ownership lately and bringing more authentic Chinese flavors to Durham. Those rumors must be true because I'm impressed! If you like Taipei 101 or Chengdu7, Asian kitchen is a similar caliber of authentic Chinese flavors while being right at the heart of Durham. I highly recommend getting the fresh noodles in whatever sauce you like. My favorite was the Dan Dan, it was savory without being incredibly spicy. I also recommend asking for the chef's special menu. It feature more authentic Chinese dishes that you can't find at any regular takeout place. The decor and service are straightforward and no frills, which was fine with me as I was there for the food. I would definitely return again and often!

I've driven past this restaurant many times but never had the opportunity to visit until a friend suggested we visit. Despite being an average looking restaurant from the outside, this place is one of the most authentic Chinese places in the area! It's a casual restaurant with quick and efficient service. Their noodles are handmade and delicious! There are many noodle options and other dishes if noodles are not your thing, but the noodle soup is one of the best in the area! Overall, I'm looking forward to returning to try more of their noodle dishes!

Asian Kitchen was recommended to my family by two separate people, so we had high expectations. When we came on a Monday evening, we were surprised to find a wait, which we don't often see at Chinese restaurants. The restaurant was very busy throughout our meal and even after we left, there were several groups waiting outside. They gave us a number corresponding to our party and told us that they would yell out our number when they had a table ready. This seemed slightly inefficient, as most restaurants I go to will take down your phone number and text or call when the table is ready. We waited for about 25 minutes before we heard our number being called. We ordered the shrimp fried ramen, eggplant stew, hunan roasted pork, tofu with minced meat, and sweet and sour short ribs. The food took a noticeably long time to come out and the dishes slowly came out one by one to the point where we had to wait a while between each dish. This may be expected of high-end restaurants with several course meals, but we often finished each dish with time to spare before the next dish came out. The noodles were alright but the shrimp was not well-mixed in with the noodles at all and seemed to be added in as an afterthought. The tofu wasn't bad but we found it to be quite bland. The eggplant stew was pretty flavorful but the portion size was smaller than we anticipated. I found the ribs to be extremely dry and difficult to eat, with strings of the meat stuck to my teeth after the meal. Overall, I considered the meal to be below average compared to the Asian restaurants I am used to. The food was also not worth the wait, but it is pretty authentic.

This place was quite a surprise to me! I loved it and finished my meal even though it was quite a large portion. The knife cut noodles have a similar texture to the hand pulled noodles at Oz9 Lanzhou in the Bay. The beef portions were generous! I loved the spice level as well. The spicy intestines we got for appetizer was really yummy, crispy, and flavorful but the portion was quite small for the price we paid. The dried chili in the dish packed a punch of flavor that I found myself gravitating towards it even when we had finished the intestine pieces. I look forward to coming back and trying other things on the menu. There was a slight mix up where they took in the wrong noodle and soup combination but they attempted to remediate this. The inside was quite busy and it was a good reflection of how yummy the food was. It reminds me of a traditional, Chinese diner--redwood tables, low lit, and warm.

We got a recommendation to give Asian Kitchen a try from my fiancés boss. They had been talking about how we like to go try new restaurants. Especially authentic ones. Her Bos's title her we had to try this place. She stopped with her kids one day and they fell in love We got there maybe 2 hours before close. It was busy but not packed. Comfortable. Welcoming. Staff seated us right away. Super friendly. We took a look at the menu and were excited to see so many genuine authentic Chinese dishes. For appetizers we got the :1.) beef Filet w/ tripe in chili sauce. It was soooooo good. I loved it. ( too spicy for my fiancé lol) The heat was very spicy but after a while you acclimate nicely. I enjoy tripe so Texture were really nice. (Be mindful if you not a fan of different/weird textures because you might not like it.) I still recommend trying it at least once! If you like spicy You won't regret it!10/102.) spinach and chicken dumplings to share. They came in an order of 10! Very flavorful, definitely handmade. We couldn't eat them all so a coup came home with us. lol . 9/10.For our mains we got the : Twice Cooked Pork - recommended by my fiancé boss as her family's go to dish. It did not disappoint. The thinly sliced pork belly packed a deep rich and satisfying flavor I'll be thinking about for a long time. It is CRAVEABLE. The peppers added a wonderful flavor and crunch to the dish. Served perfectly with a side of white rice. 10/10Short Rib Shaved Noodles - the only way I can describe this dish is life giving. It was one of the most flavorful, rich broths I've probably ever had. The shaved noodles were cooked to perfection. Beef short ribs so tender. As I was eating this dish all I could think was next time I had a cold. I'm ordering 2 orders of this incredible soup to make me feel better. I cannot recommend this enough. 10/10We cannot wait to go back and try more of this amazing menu!

I tried Asian kitchen on a whim and was not disappointed. The dumplings and wontons were delicious. I am really looking forward to my next visit so I can try more off the menu.