Shanghai Alley

I came here for the first time yesterday and had such a great experience! Their dimsum is fairly authentic. I didn't like my radish cakes as much as some others, but the stuffed eggplant and green pepper were so tasty! My boyfriend's dad ordered sweet and sour ribs. Quite delicious!Our server was very attentive. Food came out fast. The venue is pretty upscale, just worryingly empty when we went.

I had a great experience at Shanghai Alley in Cary, NC! The service was good, and the prices were very reasonable. I tried a few items from the dim sum menu, including the soup dumplings, and from the regular menu, like beef and broccoli--both were satisfying and flavorful. The restaurant was easy to find with plenty of parking available. I went around 2 PM on a Sunday, and it wasn't packed at all, which made for a relaxed dining experience. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area!

I've wanted to try this place for years based on driving by and we popped in on a whim tonight. We were one of only a few tables with sufficiently quick service as a result. The menu is expansive: we shared steamed dumplings, I had vegetable tofu soup, and my husband ordered Mongolian beef. We both favored the dumplings and the unique dipping sauce (a sweetened soy sauce?) and I enjoyed my soup, especially for the sub $8 price. He liked his dish but said the meat wasn't particularly great. We didn't even notice sushi on the menu which was pictured and what drew us in so we will visit again in the future for a weeknight sushi fix. $37 without tip.

Update: March 2024 4pmAsian restaurant Food still yummy. They changed the menu unfortunately from a year ago. So we tried new things. 3.5 stars Food: My stir fry beef with special chili sauce had very good flavor. My hubby's pad tai w shrimp wasn't great but had good amount of shrimp according to his opinion.The veggie spring-roll was yummy and its sauce.1 star: Timing of food from the kitchen still needs work. My hubby's food came out first. I had to still wait for mine. The spring roll appetizer did not come out first before the main dishes as expected. They really need to work on these kitchen issues. 3.8 star: Service was quick and pleasant. Booth table was clean. I've become more sensitive to how loud a restaurant is, thus this place was quiet- great for conversations. We look forward to going back when in the area.

I can't believe I've never tried going to this resto before. I love the atmosphere of it. It made me nostalgic. Also, you can order dim sum anytime!!! I miss my weekend dim sums. So, you know what I got when I visited, dim sum!!! We tried almost everyone off the dim sum menu. Everything tasted fresh, the fried pork ribs is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the shrimps in everything wasn't over cooked. The only thing that we didn't like much is the congee. I normally like congee but there's something inside that we didn't enjoy. If you had any questions, the wait staff is very helpful. When we were done, we had to order some plates to try them at home. They were a hit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Came back here to celebrate my birthday for supper and they didn't disappoint. We ordered a lot off the dim sum and a couple of dishes from their menu, orange chicken, roast pork, and salt and peppered tofu. Food was fresh, fried items were crispy yet not dry. The soup dumplings was good and the bottom didn't stick so all the soup was intact. Don't forget to add the sauce and ginger. The chicken and pork were devoured in a flash. The tofu had heat and not too salty. Everything was so good and I especially enjoyed the Chinese broccoli and shrimp dumplings. The other dishes were equally delicious. I was so happy that we were able to have some leftovers. Loved it!Will definitely come back!

We came here for dim sum, it's pretty ok, not great but not bad at all. The service is very good, our waitress was very attentive, with a smile, unlike many of the wait stuff in Asian restaurants, it makes the experience that much better. The four stars are for the service, food would be around 3.5 stars.

Came by for Dim Sum on a Saturday. Was pretty busy with people getting Dim Sum and regular plates. Like most Asian restaurants, this place was completely understaffed and service was poor. I was surprised they served Dim Sum considering it is a Hong Kong specialty (not Shanghai) but some dishes were quite good like the Har Kow (shrimp dumplings) and chicken feet. The shumai here is terrible (big fat pork pieces with no flavor). If you want the fried dough rice noodles or Shanghainese soup dumplings, I would advise ordering those when you arrive. The fried dough rice noodles was lazy, just 2 rolls barely even cut. The soup dumplings (6 per pack) were OK. However skin was much thicker than usual. If you want dim sum in the area, this may be your place with hits and misses along the way. There is staff walking around with dim sum carts, which is a lost art. Most staff members spoke Mandarin with the boss lady speaking Cantonese. Tea price is charged per person

I was stunned how busy this place was on the weekend for Dim Sum. I realized we were in for a treat. They have two carts that make the rounds at the restaurant - steamed and fried options. Since this was our first time, we were a bit lost and no one explained anything to us. Do we just start accepting food directly from the cart without talking to a waiter? We did, and the staff filled out a card as we went. After asking for items we learned what items were on what cart and got the hang of it. It was just awkward to get food without talking to a waiter. The service was short staffed. Noticed other tables wanted to order from the menu vs Dim Sum and it was challenging for them to do so. The entire time we were there we had no assigned waiter which made ordering Dim Sum confusing or even getting a drink other than water. The dim sum was very good. I'd return. Just bring your patience on the weekend.

Please know, they don't have a sanitation grade of 93.... it's currently 85.5. Poor service

Went out to lunch today. Drove around Cary for a bit looking for something new or interesting. We noticed Shanghai Alley and decided to give it a try. What a happy surprise. Very good authentic. We were expecting to order entrees but ordered all Dim Sum instead. Everything was very good. A lot of the choices were served table side. If you are looking for a different type of Chinese restaurant experience... definitely give them a try. We will be back soon