The Most Delicious Chinese in Philadelphia

Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House

★★★★☆ 4.2 (2431) • $$

"Great food and quick service. Came here with a hungry group, and our food came pretty quickly and hit the spot!A few of us split a scallion pancake, and it was quite good--flaky/not hard and had some nice layers. It was on the small side but still good for sharing.I tried the knife cut roast pork stir fry noodles and enjoyed the flavor of the meat and the slightly varied textures of the noodles! Very flavorful but not too rich. I enjoyed the veggies that gave a nice texture contrast with the noodles.I also sampled some of the house noodle bowl with the hand pulled noodles, which were also great! The broth was tasty, and there were a lot of varied meats and veggies included.With the solid food, fair prices, and good location, I'd definitely come here again!"

Nine Ting

★★★★☆ 4 (1320) • $$$

"I've been here a handful of times for hot pot and each time a member of the group has been celebrating a birthday as the birthday person enjoys a free meal! The service is pretty standard, not overly attentive but if you need something a server is around to assist. The portions of the food brought to the table are very reasonable and the produce has always been fresh - I love the fried tofu! The highlight is the sauce bar - they do have a little guide to help you make something you'll enjoy but if you're like me you'll make a few mistakes until you find a combination you enjoy. I love that each meal has ended with a little ice cream and fresh fruit. It's a good place for a 4-6 person group! Just remember it's a BYOB!"

Sang Kee Peking Duck House

★★★★☆ 3.9 (1101) • $$

"Solid but not the best I've had. The duck was on the dryer side and quite bland, needing hoisin sauce for flavor. While the skin was crispy, they should balance the crispness without overcooking the meat. The service was nice and friendly. The pancake was standard. I tried some pieces immediately after picking it up to taste it at its peak, but finished the rest later. There are better spots I've been to for about the same price."

Sang Kee Asian Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.1 (607) • $$

"I was having lunch with a friend. "Let's go ethnic," I said. "Chinese, Thai, Italian .... I don't care." When she suggested Sang Kee, I was disappointed. I pretty much wrote the restaurant off, but as I try to be a good sport, I agreed. And y'know .... lunch really warranted four stars!They have a $15 special. I think they call it a "bento box lunch," though it doesn't resemble any bento box I'm familiar with. You get a choice of three items plus rice -- either steamed or brown -- and portions are generous. Their hot and sour soup is always good, and the dishes I chose were great: crisp vegetables, plenty of shrimp. While there are restaurants I prefer, I'd have no problem returning for lunch. Keep it up, Sang Kee ... and maybe I'll give you another try for dinner."

Banana Leaf

★★★★☆ 3.6 (783) • $$

"Banana Leaf offers quick and affordable Malaysian food. I was craving a hearty meal and had never tried Malaysian cuisine before so I gave it a go. A table for me and my two colleagues was available immediately during the lunch rush. This place is huge! The waiters and waitresses walk around with pitchers of water to give refills anytime they're needed. The staff working behind the counter were nice; welcoming us on the way in and greeting us on our way out. I ordered the Banana Leaf Mango Sauce with tofu. There is also an option of chicken, shrimp, or beef. The sauce was smooth and not spicy (I didn't want to burn my face off). The mango was cut into medium slivers and the tofu was crispy. The only thing I wish it had come with was rice, however, the rice was an extra $1.50 so I opted to have it sans rice. I boxed the leftovers and will probably add rice at home. Overall, I had a good experience here! They have several vegetarian options and can even customize existing dishes to include vegetables and substitute meat for tofu."

Spice C

★★★★☆ 4.1 (543) • $$

"Took me far to much time to get the name "Spice C" "Spicy" but it's a nane I won't forget. Located right in the heart of Chinatown, Spice C boast a large menu with a bunch of tasty items. Came for the hand drawn noodles which were amazing. Compliments to the waiter for suggesting the Pork dumpling soup. Spicy, savory, and just all around satisfying for a cool autumn night. Service was quick and efficient. Perfect for how I like noodle spots to be. They accept all forms of payment (credit/debit/cash) Can't wait to come back."

Ting Wong Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (502) • $$

"This is my number one roast duck in North America so far, it's very delicious, another recommended dish is beef brisket noodles"

Dim Sum House

★★★★☆ 3.9 (354) • $$

"Came here for restaurant week with a group of friends and we were all overly stuffed and satisfied. 100% would return again!Nothing special inside with the decor but a decent size venue with casual dress code. Our waitress was very kind and friendly!The amount of food you get for $45 is insane! I ordered pork soup dumplings for my first course, Mongolian beef for my second and vegetable fried rice for my third course.They gave me 8 pieces of pork soup dumplings! A bit doughy, but the flavor was on point especially when you added some chili oil. The Mongolian beef was okay, but my friend's general tso chicken receives a 10/10. The veggie fried rice looked simple, but it was delicious and seasoned perfectly. The dan dan noodles is a must. Spicy, porky and addicting!We were all so full, but couldn't stop picking at our foods. We each had leftovers, so you definitely get your moneys worth. Great spot! Winners were pork soup dumplings, general tso chicken, dan dan noodles and veggie fried rice!Skip the chicken and mushroom dumpling, Mongolian beef, shrimp typhoon and chicken lo mein."

David's Mai Lai Wah

★★★☆☆ 3 (566)

"David's is the old reliable, mainstay Chinese food restaurant in Chinatown. Nothing fancy, in fact it's kind of ANTI-fancy. The waiters are taciturn, bordering on cranky, and they've been there since dirt, but they'll remember you, and take good care of you.The food is good, but what brings everyone back is the dumplings. The dumplings, the dumplings. They have been referred to as dumplings with crack sauce, and rightfully so. They are addictive. They are delicious.Right now there is no indoor dining, which is a shame, because that was part of the experience. Anyway, old, reliable David's. Can't go wrong."

Tai Lake Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (333)

"This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Philly! Coming from California where there's an abundance of Chinese food, I can say this restaurant serves really authentic and yummy Chinese food. Whenever I miss those authentic Cantonese flavors, I will be coming back to this restaurant!We asked the waiter for recommendations from the menu and he told us that they're known for seafood dishes. They have multiple tanks of different kinds of live seafood at the entrance of their restaurant so you can bet on them to serve you the freshest seafood! Most of their live seafood don't really have a set price. It's calculated by market price (by pound). The service here is really quick. They bring out the food really fast and it comes out piping hot. The waiters do not check up on you to see how the food is but that is typical service at a Chinese restaurants. They offer bowls of white rice at no extra charge to go along with your food.FILLET GROUPER AND BEAN CURD - 3/5The first dish that came out was the fillet grouper and bean curd. The grouper (fish) in this dish is fried before they mixed it into a clay pot with some sauce. The grouper is already deboned which made it very easy and pleasant to eat. To my surprise, there is a layer of Napa cabbage on the bottom of the pot which is a nice way to incorporate some veggies. The flavors in this dish wasn't too great. I've had better but it was decent. I wish it had more sauce. I would probably try something else from their menu next time.I forgot to take photos of the other dishes because they all looked and smelled so good LOLSNOW PEA LEAVES WITH GARLIC - 5/5This was delicious! The snow pea leaves weren't too tough, you could tell they used good quality young snow pea leaves to make this dish. It was stir fried with some garlic and had the perfect amount of seasoning. A classic veggie dish to go with the rest of your meal.CRAB AND DRIED SCALLOP FRIED RICE - 5/5Out of the 3 items that we ordered, my favorite is their crab and dried scallop fried rice. This fried rice tasted super authentic and had all the flavor notes that you would look for in a fried rice. It was seasoned perfectly where it would make your mouth water. There is umami flavors from the dried scallops and they use real crab in their fried rice! None of that imitation stuff. The rice wasn't stuck together and had the perfect texture. I would come back just for this dish.At the end of your meal, they even bring you a free dessert! 3 dishes from their menu was enough variety to feed 2 hungry adults plus some leftovers to take home."

China Wok

★★★★☆ 4.4 (244) • $$

"This is our favorite Chinese place in the area. They have all the classic Chinese food options and everything always tastes delicious. We typically order general tsos, beef and broccoli and egg rolls. The food is so flavorful and the egg rolls are always crispy. The staff is always friendly and greets us every time we come in. We've always had a great experience ordering here."

Unit Su Vege

★★★★★ 4.6 (222) • $$

"Huge selection of vegetarian food and all of it sounds amazing. I suffered severe decision paralysis. I think next time, I'll have to bring a huge group in order to try everything, because I'm sure it's all good. They've got milk teas and fruit smoothies, too, and the texture of the boba in the milk tea I got was perfect.Quick notes on the food: -get the peking duck. This is the best vegetarian version of it I've eaten, and it's really pretty good! The soft warm buns are excellent, the duck is a bit tough on the outside instead of crispy but the overall mouthfeel is like a less-greasy (healthier!) duck-the sizzling tofu was just okay. A bit too salty, a bit too sweet, but otherwise flat on flavor.-vegetarian meat shumai was mushroomy and lovelyPlenty of seating with modern casual decor. Service was friendly and pretty fast! Prices were reasonable. They prefer cash over card but they do accept it.I will definitely be back to try more! Hopefully, I'll bump this up to a five, but for my first visit, it's a very solid four."

Ray's Café & Teahouse

★★★★☆ 4.4 (238) • $$

"What an unexpected pleasure to find Ray's for lunch today! It's a unique combination of tea house, artisan coffee, and handmade dumplings and delicious dishes. The food is all handmade to order. Yes it comes out from the kitchen piecemeal as it's ready. But every bite was delicious. Even the basics like hot & sour soup were the tastiest I've ever had. It's very small, the family who run and staff it are friendly, passionate, and have high standards. Excellent and unique experience!"

Hippot Shabu Shabu

★★★★☆ 3.7 (316) • $$

"Somehow I have been walking by this place for years and didn't come in for hotpot till now! I was pleasantly surprised when I first came at how clean the place was and well-ventilated. The prices are also reasonable, I liked the service, and I was happy with the quality of the food! I came with a group of four and we didn't want to do unlimited/buffet so we ended up saving some money by ordering individual ingredients. We opted to share a pot as a group that was half pork bone broth & half spicy broth rather than each have our individual pots.Some of my fave ingredients from here: spam, frozen tofu, pumpkin, beef balls, fried shrimp balls, taro, sweet potato...all stuff that soaks up the flavor of the broth well. :)I love the huge selection of dipping sauces! Here's what I put in mine and was really pleased with: garlic oil (this was a first for me!), sesame oil, peanut butter sauce (hadn't put this in my usual sauces either), hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame paste, cilantro, chili sauce. Really I'm writing this here so I don't forget myself haha."

M Kee

★★★★☆ 4 (261)

"Great Peking duck and pork egg roll. Very good price. A must visit in Chinatown. Will definitely come back"

Tsunami

★★★★☆ 4.2 (228) • $$

"Fire! Great food (Japanese and Thai), fast service, and very reasonable prices. Tsunami has been one of the few restaurants I've found have NOT been affected by COVID. The fish for sushi is amazing. Their Thai dishes authentic. Highly recommended dishes -Gyoza - any of the kinds, including the veggie, are perfectly crispy but not too crispy in the best waysRock shrimp - lightly fried in some spicy sauce. Six hefty pieces of shrimp Green curry - all the sauce. All the veggies and tons of protein. Drunken noodles - super saucy. Large noodles definitely with some spice. LOVE this dish. Can't wait to be back soon!"

Soybean Asian Grille

★★★★☆ 4.3 (207) • $$

"We enjoyed a nice meal at Soybean Asian Grille! It was a weeknight a my gluten free family was craving Thai food. We were happy to learn that almost all meals could be prepared gluten free. Chicken Tom Yum soup was served as a large portion and was delicious. Edamame was also a good choice to snack on. I was happy to find that salmons could be added to meals, and enjoyed the garlic sauce. Mai Tai and Sea Breeze were great house specials!"

I Tea

★★★★☆ 4.2 (178)

"I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. I-Tea is a solid place for when I have a craving for anything from a good fruity tea to a hearty Chinese dish. But above all else, this place has AH-mazing fried chicken wings. Holy cow...after a long search for some crunch-worthy fried chicken, I finally found it. I love love love that each wing is a hefty size and that their soy garlic sauce has the right mix of sweet and tangy flavor that makes each bite oh-so-good. I can't believe it took me this long to finally give this dish a try. For only ~$13 for 10 pieces, I consider it a really good deal considering the value-packed quality of what you get. Can't wait until I try their spicy sauce next!"

Poseidon Asian Cuisine

★★★★★ 4.5 (148) • $$

"Very yummy! Nice ambiance and the service was great. Very fresh vegetables and well cooked meat!! Sushi delicious"

R & G's Ping Pong

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (263) • $$

"I've dined in and gotten take-out a few times from this location. The menu is extensive, with traditional offerings, which is always a welcome sight.Whenever I see authentic Chinese cuisine offered at a local Chinese restaurant, I always have to order something. It's not that common out here in the burbs. I've always had a positive experience dining in here and the food for takeout is always piping hot and well-seasoned."

Yantze Chinese Gourmet

★★★★☆ 4.1 (166) • $$

"The food was delicious when we ordered delivery, but when we went in person we had to walk out after waiting to be seated. There were two people at the front counter and they greeted us, but they didn't offer to seat us and we had to ask. Neither could seat us and we had to wait for the host. After waiting around for the host, we decided to leave. It was a Friday night. Not sure if I want to come back in person again."

Yummy Yummy

★★★★☆ 4.1 (162) • $

"This is rapidly becoming my favorite go to spot for eggy-waffles in all of Chinatown, partly because they sell it for just $2.50 and there's only one waffle machine, making the wait seem a little bit more magical and slows down your daily grind. CASH ONLYMust get: eggy waffles, takoyaki (takes 15 min)Meh: curry fish balls, pork/veggie buns (beware of the rice paper)Missed: noodlesWhen you arrive, it's clear that this little store has something for everything, and it's all within $2-4. My favorite of course, is the eggy-waffles that is made right in front of you with the store's secret batter. The magic of the waffle is not just the fact it's made fresh, but it forces you to take the time and wait patiently as the batter sizzles and forms into hot little balls of magic that's sweet on the tongue, but not overwhelming. It's an amazing snack to devour solo or share with friends. The first time I had it, it was perfection, the second time felt a little less cooked.Yummy Yummy's next best item is the takoyaki, and I highly recommend eating it while it's still piping hot and inhaling as you eat. I like how the bonito flakes dance around and I was glad that the balls weren't too oversaturated with the mayo-sauce.Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of the pork buns, despite it's $0.90 price, as there was just not enough filling. The curry fish balls were good and juicy, but a little on the pricier side for just 4.At the end of the day, the eggy waffle stole the show and I highly recommend visiting this little shop."

Pho Kitch'n

★★★★☆ 3.7 (198) • $$

"The PHO deluxe is very good. Fresh and plentiful. In the day that a fast food burger is $10 - this $14 Pho is awesome."

China Gourmet

★★★★☆ 3.8 (179)

"I'm so glad there's an authentic dim sum and Cantonese restaurant in the Northeast and with a parking lot. Saves a trip all the way to Chinatown! We've had their dim sum and dinner several times and it always hits the spot. The service isn't bad either - it's usually easy to flag someone if you need something and they follow through pretty quickly. During dim sum service if there's a dish you haven't seen on the carts, you can ask the servers about it and they usually put an order in. My favorites are the shrimp rice rolls, shrimp dumplings, turnip cake, egg custard buns, and snow mountain baked buns with roast pork filling. During dinner service you order family style, meaning the dishes are all shared between the table vs ordering individually. The photos in this review are what we typically order."

Lau Kee Restaurant

★★★★★ 4.5 (127)

"Super delicious. The duck is amazing. We ordered just the quarter to try it. I also got the Vegetable pan fried noodles. The sauce was so savory and the noodles were of perfect texture. Fiancé got the General Tao's Chicken--this being a very authentically Chinese restaurant, I questioned that choice. He gave me a taste--it was okay. Nothing more to say. I gave him some of my noodles to compensate. If you go to a duck place--order duck. The complimentary jasmine tea they serve at every table was amazing. So aromatic. Ambience is pretty hole in the wall (I often prefer this as I have great luck with locations like this) but very comfortable. The ducks and chickens hanging in the window definitely add to the authenticity of its vibe. Service is amazing. So attentive and quick. They speak Mandarin Chinese so bonus points for being able to 练习一下。"

Sangkee Asian Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.9 (168)

"This place is excellent! ProsLightening fast delivery!Food is still hot upon arrival!If you order a noodle bowl your noodles arrive in a separate container from your broth to keep it from getting mushy.Pork Noodle wonton soup was flavorful, bok choy was fresh, mei fun noodles cooked to perfection.Duck Noodle Wonton soup - the duck was bursting with flavor, even once the meat was gone I was still sucking on the bone for all is flavor! I also love that the duck didn't have an overly gamey taste. ConThe last few times I've ordered delivery I didn't receive a call or a text. I just happen to go to my door and saw that my food was dropped off on my steps. So it would be highly appreciated to receive a text or call next time. Other than that this place is official! The food is cooked with love and even the take out containers are high quality."

Bamboo

★★★★☆ 3.6 (196) • $$

"More like 3.5 stars. We were there tonight. Honestly, food is pretty tasty, but the service can be "weird". What I experienced tonight was not very pleasant. I was with my husband. First of all, we were sitting there with no one paying attention to us for about five minutes. At one point, I was considering leaving but I kept waiting. Finally one of the female servers came to us asking me in Chinese what we wanted to drink. Because I was with my hubby who speaks no Chinese at all, I by reflex said "water". Upon hearing my answer, the server went on questioning me quite sternly (again in Chinese): "Do you speak Chinese or not?" I was a bit upset. Of course I can speak Chinese, but isn't it also natural that I speak English when I'm with my English-speaking husband? I just don't understand why she grilled me about it. After she brought us the water, she didn't want to let us order. I heard her telling the male server in Chinese that we don't speak Chinese so she doesn't want to deal with us. I couldn't believe my ears! In short, the food is good (but there were two mysterious string-like pieces in my chicken), but the service is just lacking in professionalism."

Okinii Modern Japanese

★★★★☆ 4.1 (151)

"I really wanted udon and this place fit the bill. The noodles were tossed in a flavourful sauce and served with fresh, large shrimp. We had crab Rangoon and vegetable spring rolls as apps and and both came out piping hot and were equally delicious. The spring rolls were the highlight for me and I will definitely get them each time we go.I also tried there creme brûlée which was okay. My boyfriend got the fried cheesecake which essentially was just tempura coated cheesecake that was fried and drizzled with chocolate sauce."

Rice Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (174) • $$

"I love this place! The food and the service the atmosphere all great! I've been here a few times for take out but decided to treat myself for dinner. Takeout has always been hot and ready good portion delicious fresh sushi! I love the tempura combo it's my go to order. They have a great sushi menu and hot food as well. Service was fast and friendly! Inside is very nice open clean and I love the lights they have beautiful little crystals on a string hanging down. It's family friendly and romantic and casual. Can't wait to bring my husband for a sushi date!"

Shan Chuan

★★★★☆ 3.9 (163) • $$

"Shan Chuan is a solid lunch option in this area of East falls, offering both Chinese and Japanese food. I've gotten the sushi and chicken/eggplant special in the past, generally doing take out. The order is always ready when I arrive, and the food is standard and solid for what you'd expect. The fish is fresh, especially for this type of 3 roll special and these days $17 is pretty much one of the better prices you can find these days, and they are made well (ie the sushi/rice doesn't fall apart - see pics) Service is friendly, and I've always called in my orders due to the service charge for online orders. Also $15 minimum for credit card fyiSolid neighborhood spot, would recommend this local restaurant for anyone craving Americanized Chinese food and simple sushi cravings."

Xun Yu Si Kao

★★★★☆ 4 (153) • $$

"Pros- offer two small complimentary appetizer dishes- the dishes here are authentic and delicious- menu is big with beautiful photos of the food: it makes you want to order everything - reasonable food portions- nothing is overly spicy, flavors bring me back to ChiCons- our server wasn't that great, it was clear that he didn't want to be there- a bit pricey when comparing to other Chinatown restaurants- you need to find your own parking- gets crowded and busy at peak times!"

Mandarin Palace

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (209) • $$

"I needed a new takeout/delivery Chinese food place and decided to give Mandarin Palace a try - very happy I did!I ordered delivery around 6pm on a Sunday. I was given a wait time of 45-55 minutes, which I felt was standard for a Sunday night. I was pleasantly surprised when the delivery was made in under 30 minutes!Based on the reviews I've read (and the prices), the meals labeled 'combination' seem to be smaller portions. They are still generous portions and could provide leftovers. I enjoyed the General Tso Chicken combination. It wasn't too saucy and I could actually taste the chicken - it wasn't all fat and breading. Looking forward to ordering again and trying their sushi!"

Golden Empress Garden

★★★★☆ 3.5 (196) • $

"My go-to spot for Chinese delivery. I love their shrimp fried rice and chicken lo mein. So tasty! Always very quick and friendly delivery. I'm about to order again right now..."

Peking Media

★★★★☆ 3.7 (166) • $$

"Take out review:Gorgeous restaurant inside, beautiful decors and interiors. Their menu also broad like other Asian restaurants, includes variety of dishes with beef pork duck, chicken, seafood and vegetables.We put in a take order with them. The order was prepared within estimated half an hour time. We liked the beef dishes, thin noodles. Triple crown (shrimp, scallop, chicken) was also good. The royal crown duck was disappointing. It was on the dryer side, not enough seasoning on it. The pancake was deep fried too much. They were very generous with us, gave us lots of side dishes, utensils and fortune cookies. Loved their FC, as its mixed with chocolate."

Wing Lee Cuisine

★★★★☆ 3.9 (148) • $$

"Great service as I called in for a takeout order. My order was ready when I arrived at the restaurant. Everything was perfect when I got the order home. Shrimp walnut sauce was cooked to perfection and tasty. The green beans were seasoned properly and they went down easy. Spring rolls were crispy and went down easy."