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First Chinese Barbecue
Categories: Restaurants Chinese Restaurants Barbeque Chinese, Barbeque [Edit]
10901 N Lamar BlvdSte 401
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 835-8889
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 9:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
164 reviews for First Chinese Barbecue
Review Highlights
"and yes First Chinese beats Din Ho."
(in 39 reviews)
"the roast duck was refreshingly delicious."
(in 27 reviews)
"Their water spinach/snow pea leaves dishes were amazing."
(in 6 reviews)
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164 reviews in English
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Review from Jake W.
This reliable standby doesn't need another love letter, but here goes.
I have eaten here twice -- once almost 3 years ago -- and the owner, Hung, remembered me!
The dining room is reminiscent of the clean, modern interiors of that crop of new restaurants found all over Flushing, where I used to live in New York City, yet the food is tasty, plentiful, and authentic.
They are also good at customizing dishes, adding or subtracting ingredients upon request. If you don't see something you like, ask, and I'm sure they can accommodate. -
Review from Nilesh N.
1/22/2012
Chinese BBQ at its best.
This place can be a little daunting for those who are not used to authentic Chinese restaurants. As soon as you enter you will see an assortment of roasted ducks hanging from the ceiling along with a butcher chopping up meats and yelling in Mandarin or Cantonese. When we got here it was really busy but we got seated quickly and the service prompt. The roasted duck and BBQ pork is the specialty here and we were not disappointed. We also got some spicy fish which was great as well. -
Review from Stephanie S.
Austin, TX
Updated - 1/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
What the heck happened to First Chinese BBQ??
We went in for lunch yesterday and noticed that they added "lunch specials" of the Americanized crappy Chinese variety. My husband, in his very bad judgment, ordered the Kung Pao Chicken. (Are you kidding me? What were YOU thinking?) I ordered my standby of BBQ duck won ton noodle soup. I also notice a spicy fish filet special on the wall for $8.95.
They give us a little bowl of fried won ton strips. ? ? ?
"Egg Drop" soup comes with my husband's Bok Wei special. He says it is the blandest most tasteless liquid he has ever sampled.
The duck won ton soup comes out and I have to search for a few little slices of duck. Where is my duck leg that used to come in this bowl???? Searching around, I found maybe 4 wontons. The broth is still delicious, but talk about cheap with the duck and the won ton!
The fish filet comes out. It is a hefty portion of fish, covered with sliced celery. I waited for the rice bowl, that should come with every damn entree, right? Finally a waitress comes by and I ask for rice and get it. The celery is weird and overwhelms the dish. The sauce on the fish is oddly flavorless. It has some spice in it, but little flavor. I am very surprised at how crappy this special is. Normally if you order off the wall on a good Chinese restaurant, you rarely go wrong.
Then the "Kung Pao" comes out. Hey, check it out, we are at Panda Express.
The bill comes and this lunch was $33, so with tip, it comes to almost $40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think they charged us extra for rice. This bill for this meal is unforgivable. For Christmas dinner, we spent $40 at Ho Ho and got fresh seafood noodles, fresh pea shoots, beautiful duck won ton soup, a huge plate of BBQ meat, rice, etc.
First Chinese wants to be Panda Express or one of the other gazillion horrible Americanized Chinese restaurants in Austin. I notice that the lunch crowd is smaller than it used to be.
This is tragic. There used to be 4 good Chinese restaurants in town. Din Ho, Ho Ho, First Chinese and T & S, that kind of took up the rear.
First Chinese has chosen to take itself off the list.Listed in: Good Asian Food in Texas?, Stinky Foods!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/8/2007
Its about time I got around to writing a review of this place. I have to admit I've been here a few… Read more »
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Review from Monica T.
1/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
Whenever I'm in Austin, it's usually with a large mass of family members. That means we need a place with tasty food that can handle large groups. First Chinese Barbeque fits the bill nicely.
They have lots of big round tables with lazy susans. We'll order a variety of stuff and do it all family style-like. We've never had a bad dish. Some highlights: the BBQ duck, wonton soup, and beef with flat noodles. Services is perfunctory but always good, prices are super cheap for what you get, and they are unphased by a large group of loud New Yorkers infiltrating their establishment.
That works for me. -
Review from Tricia K.
Rio Rancho, NM
1/19/2012
I would give this place 3.5 stars based on my life long experience of eating authentic cantonese food in CA. The duck here is fresh and tasty, a solid 4 star experience. Not knock your socks off Monterey Park, CA good but very good and worth ordering. The house crispy fried noodles with huge gulf shrimp was also a 4 star experience. I would skip the beef and tendon clay pot stew as I found the 5 spice powder to be way too over powering.
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Review from Sarah S.
Austin, TX
12/25/2011
I got the BBQ pork and marinated duck over steamed rice. It was so good and flavorful, and there wasn't even any sauce! The Hot and Sour soup was really good, as well. I can't wait to come back and try other stuff.
Granted, we had a long wait, but that's because we got there at 6:45pm on Christmas--it was Packed. No worries, it was worth it. -
Review from Titus L.
Austin, TX
11/15/2011
Lots of reviews for First Chinese, but also plenty of haters too.
First off all, I have a confession: I like First Chinese. Okay, now that that's out of the way, I'll leave my review to dishes that are actually meaningful to me. I'll gobble down most of the items on their menu, but I leave you with my SITUATIONAL list of FCBBQ dishes.
UNDER THE WEATHER
- BBQ Pork Soup Flat Noodles - This is a very simple soup noodle dish--three ingredients all within dish's name. If you're not feeling well, and you've been stuck on Campbell's for the past few days, give it a try! It's enough flavor to satisfy your recovering body, and plus--chicken noodle was SO 1990's anyways!
TEXAS WINTER
- Beef w/ Egg on Rice - Texas' typical, anti-climactic 40-degree winter is on the loose- You've been out in the weather running errands, and you need something hot and hearty. Dig in. Tenderized beef flank steak sits in a thick white egg-drop gravy with peas/carrots on a bed of rice. Most people don't see Chinese food as hearty, but this should change your mind.
- TIP - If you're not in the mood for rice, ask to swap out it out with flat noodles. It is a very solid dish either way.
I'd love to share any other recommendations if you're interested!Listed in: Best Chinese Food
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Review from Paul L.
Austin, TX
11/27/2011
First chinese bbq is our go-to place for delicious chinese food. When good home-cooked chinese food isn't within reach, we resort to First Chinese BBQ. Their menu is packed! It's seriously loaded, so I'd highly recommend the following dishes:
*On a cold rainy day, their shrimp wonton and roasted duck noodle soup is delicious. The broth has a slight sweetness, and their egg noodles have great texture. The roasted duck is always loaded with flavor, and their shrimp wontons are large enough to fill the soup spoon. In this dish are probably 5 pieces of duck and 6 pieces of wonton.
*Get their combination over rice. It comes with their chicken, roasted duck, and bbq pork. Make sure to ask for the duck sauce (to pour over the rice). The duck sauce is really the secret ingredient that brings this whole dish together. Don't make the mistake of not getting the duck sauce. My sister asked for the duck sauce on the side a year ago, and ever since then, I've lived with a little regret that I didn't order the duck sauce for all the years I've been to First Chinese BBQ.
*Beef Crispy Pan-Fried Noodle. The portion is big enough for two. Wait for the noodles to just cross the threshold from crispy to soft! At that moment, the noodles have a great texture.
Service is spotty. But the cashier lady is really nice. She said my mandarin is great. -
Review from Mary F.
Austin, TX
10/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
We used to love this place. And if I had checked in every time we come here then I would have been the next regular or princess of this place! hahaha.
We'll this time, I noticed few differences in the food we ordered. The BBQ pork and marinated chicken were cold. The combination lomein was really greasy. Our waitress asked us if we want our entrees to be re-heated. And we were like, duh? yes, of course! The prices have went up too but the portion size is still the same.
I will give them another shot but I am leaning more towards DIN HO as my 1st Chinese restaurant choice. -
Review from Mike L.
Austin, TX
10/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
1. First Chinese BBQ
2. Ho Ho Chinese BBQ
3. Din Ho
.
.
4958. Panda Express -
Review from Ray C.
Austin, TX
11/14/2011
I live near the Chinatown shopping center and eat there once a week. I've never had a bad dish here and recently in a neighborhood poll, we voted it the best with Din Ho a close second.
Even the American Chinese dishes here are a clear cut above anything else out there. It'll make you give up buffet food forever.
I love to explore the menu, but I can't seem to get away from the stir fried curry noodles (drooling thinking about them). My only slight complaint is that the fried rice could be a bit better. Awesome place for take out. -
Review from Frank L.
Austin, TX
12/25/2011
Open on Christmas and packed. Peking duck was good and they had great, fresh vegetables. Not too bad for Chinese in Texas.
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Review from Allen C.
Austin, TX
10/16/2011
I've eaten here many times over the course of 4 years.
It's no surprise that First Chinese Barbecue is popular and highly rated on Yelp. Chinese people enjoy the company of eating with other Chinese, regardless of customer service and food quality.
The food merits a range of 2-4 stars. The quality of food is subject to high variance, and is dependent on the amount of customers currently eating(more people = worse food, less people = better). Unfortunately, the service is rock-bottom at First Chinese Barbecue. I waited over 40 minutes for 3 dishes with my group, and the waiters merely responded with a rude "It's coming"(No shit, it better be) or essentially "Mind your own business."
Fortunately, like other reviewers mention, the owner is polite enough to thank you for coming. But this makes me wonder, is it really that hard to train your staff to put on a smile and pretend to be polite? If this were an American restaurant, customers would never come back for the horrible service. -
Review from Stephen O.
Round Rock, TX
11/5/2011
Came here the 2nd time in 2 months, ordered the dishes from menu instead of the bbq *(chicken, duck, pork), and the dishes were not nice. In fact, i found the pork they cooked not fresh at all.
Cleanliness is there, service is ok, but you better only order the BBQ menu only. -
Review from Aron Y.
Austin, TX
9/18/2011 3 Check-ins Here
When you're been spoiled by the abundance of Asian food at places like the Chinatown in Houston, the availability of similar food in Austin might seem pretty decimal. But no fear because First Chinese BBQ is a good place to get your Asian fix by ordering some authentic Chinese food.
This is a branch of the First Chinese BBQ in the Dallas area and the quality of food is up to the standard of those store. The place is very casual and can sit a up to a party of 10~12 in their big round tables. The serving size is pretty decent and rice is free (you would expect it to be free everywhere but it's not). The waiters can all speak Chinese and will give you great recommendations. Their special menu of the day is also written on the white boards on the wall.
Some of my favorite dishes are the bbq eggplant, the fried rice, and the sizzling plate. They have some 'americanized' dished but I'm not really a fan of them. This is the first place I would bring for people who wants Chinese food. -
Review from Mark K.
7/24/2011
First, I'd like to apologize to the hostess who I completely ignored once the display of roasted ducks and barbequed pigs beaconed me like a tractor beam. My heavy hunger breathing fogged up the glass like Jack and Rose in a Ford Model-T (Titanic reference). I just sat there as time slipped by like a cat perched in front of a fish tank, or Hepburn eating a bagel outside of Tiffany & Co. I finally pried myself away from the delectable exhibition once my buddy reminded me, "You can't eat it until we're seated."
We were ushered to our booth by a perky oriental waitress. I mean this in the least racist way possible, but I find it incredibly reassuring when the ethnicity of the staff matches the food I'm about to consume. After bringing our drinks with ninja-like agility, our server quietly lingered just outside of our personal space until we signaled her strike.
"I'll take the Szechuan eggplant and pork." I said, catching her eye like a fly in between a pair of chopsticks.
"Huh?"
"A-19" I repeated, pointing to the menu.
"Oh yes! Berry goo!" She confirmed while jotting a series of indiscernible characters on her ordering pad.
Authenticity for the win! Within fifteen minutes, I was starring at the largest dish of food $7.50 (plus tax) can buy. But how was the quality? I broke apart my chopsticks, pinched a giant chunk of sticky rice and Szechuan swine and shoveled the oversized bite into my mouth without sacrificing a single drop of the savory sauce. GOOD GOD!
For YEARS I had been in search of an Asian restaurant that could adequately prepare eggplant like the one where I worked as an impoverished undergrad student. Call off the hounds (No Asian/dog jokes, please). The illusive dish has been found at First Chinese BBQ. Say what you will about Italians and their Eggplant Parmesans,but NO culture can coax the flavor out of this underrated nightshade like the Asians.
After consuming copious amounts of rice, pig and vegetables (with an entire take-out box to spare), I washed my meal down with a Banana Boba Tea from Short & Sweet Cafe and settled my stomach by taking several laps around MT Supermarket. I think I've just found my favorite weekend ritual. -
Review from Henry C.
Austin, TX
12/15/2011
This restaurant has the best cheap Chinese food I've had in Austin. It isn't too oily or bland. And they don't just have BBQ! I've been several times. It is authentic and delicious. Just don't let the chickens hanging around in the front scare you! The food also always comes out very fast. Would recommend in a heart beat for anyone looking for good, inexpensive Chinese food, and possibly if you wanted to try something that isn't on a regular Chinese menu, although none of the items are that unusual.
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Review from Anjie S.
Austin, TX
9/20/2011 8 Check-ins Here
Love this place. My bf and I go here about twice a month. We usually split a duck platter and a beef chow fun. The duck is tender, moist, and flavorful. The beef chow fun is about as good as the place I go to in Orlando.
Service is a little lacking, could use a "hello, how are you" from the waitresses. The owner always says "Thank you" as you head out, which makes up for it sometimes. -
Review from Everett f.
Austin, TX
10/1/2011
First Chinese BBQ- how do I love thee, let me count the ways...
1. Roast duck noodle soup-paradise set in broth with noodles.
2. BBQ pork soft noodles-you call my name in the night.
3. Vegetarian delight-the finale to the holy trinity.
4. Crispy pork skin-crunch never tasted so good.
5. The people-so friendly, you'll want to take them home.
alas my time is short and there are too many more to list. See for yerself, and become a convert. -
Review from Hanna M.
Bellaire, TX
12/4/2011
Best bbq pork in town! I have had wonton and bbq pork beef, sesame chicken, and chinese broccoli with beef. They were all pretty good and they give a lot of rice.The broccoli beef did not come with a lot of beef. It was like broccoli with beef in it and a little too salty. The bbq pork is great every time we go. I like that it comes with sauce on it so it is not dry.
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Review from Wei H.
Chicago, IL
7/22/2011
Love the variety of the menu items. They serve very "exotic" dishes like ox tongues and stomaches that are considered common by native Chinese so for those that are away from home, at this place you can definitely have anything Chinese you want. That said, they also incorporate "Americanized" Chinese cooking like veggies/seafood on crispy noodles (which i liked a lot coz i am a chips/anything crunchy person).
Being a native Cantonese I won't say the restaurant is Cantonese per se but it does have the signature dishes like roast duck and pork. Many others are northern China style - use a lot of spices and sauce, stronger/richer flavors. Dishes overall are greasy although their taste is more authentic than many other Chinese restaurants in Austin.
Atmosphere-wise, it's bigger and cleaner than other restaurants at the same price range. Service is pretty good. They don't have a limit on how many cards they take on a table which is awesome for a group of friends who wanna go dutch!
Overall, i will recommend this to anyone who loves Chinese food! -
Review from Anthony C.
Carrollton, TX
8/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been to most of the 1st Chinese BBQ in the DFW area since I was in elementary school. I have to say when I came to ATX, I was blown away by the food. Granted all of the restaurants carrying the same name have the same menu the cooks in the kitchen in ATX have it together.
Try the BBQ pork if they have any left. I usually order the salt & pepper pork, crispy noodle (any of the toppings work).
Just about everything on the menu is good. -
Review from kimberly m.
Austin, TX
1/8/2012
I dream of beef flat noodle!
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Review from Ansa C.
10/20/2011
Solid chinese. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing stellar either. I've definitely had better. Seemed a bit bland, but the environ was nice enough. Dunno....nothing much to say. Which says it all, I think.
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Review from Audrey P.
Austin, TX
11/23/2011
When I lived in Plano I came to First Chinese almost every other week...and then my family moved to Austin and I was sad that I had to part with my favorite go-to Chinese restaurant. A couple months after moving to Austin I was ecstatic to hear that First Chinese was opening up a location in Chinatown (seriously, what are the chances?). Same great food and even the same owners! I always order the roast duck and BBQ pork. Beef flat noodles, beef stew hot pot, szechuan eggplant with pork, and the combination fried rice are also dishes I order frequently. I've never been disappointed with any dish that I have ordered here. This is a great place to share an authentic Chinese meal with your family and friends.
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Review from joe k.
Austin, TX
6/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
My original plan was to visit Pho Saigon Noodle House but the lunch rush line was ridiculously long. Having only an hour break left me Yelping in the parking lot. First Chinese Barbecue had great reviews and it was right across the way. It was almost a full house inside, but no line. Service was quicker than expected as well, though comically cranky ( I always attempt to choose humor when service workers act possessed by Satan).
The food was hot, but had no flavor. Both dishes served, the garlic chicken and kung pao beef, lacked any unique taste of their own. My first though after trying both dishes was "too much MSG". The eggdrop soup was better than expected and I ended up having two of them. Upon paying my check the overall impression of First Chinese Barbecue was that it was and average place and that I would not return. As soon as my companion and I returned to our jobs, the food was racing through our bodies; making for a horrible last 4 hours of work. Never again FCB, and no stars for you! -
Review from David W.
Cypress, TX
10/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wo hen xihuan zhi ge difang. Order the meat special (chicken, pork, and duck), pork with eggplant, and bok choy with garlic. I call this my Fab Three!
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Review from Erin K.
3/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was yet again taken against my will to a great restaurant.
We arrived and were seated immediately, our drink order was taken and we had to tell them we needed a few minutes because the drinks came out so fast we hadn't decided what we wanted to eat. The whole place is super clean and all the food was within my affordable price range (cheap college student budget).
The Chinese broccoli here was fantastic, as was the BBQ pork. The chicken wasn't the greatest thing I've ever had but my boyfriend ate his perfectly willingly so it was obviously just a "me" thing. The experience was great and I'm definitely going to be back! -
Review from Mimi G.
6/1/2011
This is one of my top favorite chinese resturants in Austin! It really is one of the only places I go.
When you arrive the first thing you see is a friend pig hanging upside down near the register as well as other dishes that you don't see in your traditional chinese resturants (cooked intesines, ears, livers, and so forth) . I'm seated very quickly and they have accomidated for large groups as well.
Besides the language barrier that can hinder the service expierence, the people are very nice and do waht they can to get what you need. My favorite dishes to get is the Beef Lomein or the Beef Hot Pot. The food is just delicious! i've never had bad smelling food or anything that has been undercooked. I have not had any problems with any kind of bugs. They are fast and have all of the basic every day chinese items that you see at any chinese resturant but they also have a ton of dishes that you never knew existed. They have way over 50 types of dishes available. I feel like you do get some kind of authentic chinese food while your their.
I always come back, -
Review from Henry Z.
Austin, TX
10/15/2011
The food here is really good and is really authentic (I'm Chinese and I would know). However my only problem with is it that the water tastes really weird here, so I would suggest getting a drink instead.
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Review from Jina C.
1/24/2011
Let me preface my rating by stating that the FOOD quality here is on par with 4 star rating, but the service hovers around 2-stars. I figure that averages about to an overall 3 star experience. Let me just say something about chinese restaurants in general. Your quality of life (yes, LIFE) dramatically improves if you go with someone who is actually chinese. Since there's like a gazillion of them, i'm sure it wont be difficult to befriend a china man/woman in Austin or wherever you may be. Here is my reasoning for bringing your token chinese friend to restaurants
1. "Same Team" Bonus: The servers will generally treat you better because he/she feels a sense of camaraderie. Hence, the "same team"
2. You get to try foods outside your usual Americanized choices such as "orange chicken" "chow mein" etc.
So a big group of us (nine) came here for some Sunday afternoon lunch. We ordered 9 dishes of various kinds and shared it family style.
Here are some of the dishes we ordered
1. beijing style bbq pork ribs (must have!!!)
2. orange chicken
3. chicken in black bean sauce
4. roasted/fried duck
5. noodles with shrimp (don't know the exact name)
For all this food, the bill only came out to about 78ish dollars so thumbs up for that
THE UGLY: we pretty much waited 20 minutes are so for our check and when we finally got it back, they messed everything up. They overcharged the gratuity and it was pretty much a nightmare. I suggest if you are going to come here with a big group, please bring CASH and pay at the FRONT, don't let the servers handle the check. -
Review from Jessica C.
Austin, TX
9/9/2011
2nd best Chinese food in Austin after Asia Cafe. Better location since it is a little closer. The owners and people who work there are really nice. Everything on the menu is pretty much amazing here. I usually get the roast duck and stir fry water spinach (my favorite veggie!). They also have good vegetable + tofu soup, BBQ pork, and beef flat noodles!
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Review from Mike S.
Austin, TX
9/13/2011
I want to give 4 stars for the food, the BBQ pork and roast duck are tasty. The menu is authentic and variety.
However, the place is very dirty and not clean. Foods and greases everywhere on the floor. I don't know how they pass the food inspection. It seems like they have never mobbed at all. You don't want to go inside their restroom. I warn you !!. -
Review from Vincent N.
Austin, TX
11/14/2010
This place is full of Chinese. This place is full of win.
This place is like the Asia Market restaurant off of Spicewood Springs, but on easy-mode. I love Asia Market also, but I find its a little hard to order sometimes. Ordering is made much easier at First Chinese. What is also better at First Chinese is that its not in the back of a grocery store and they have plenty of room for you (whether you are a loner or with a big group).
First Chinese is clean, fast, affordable and it tastes of awesomeness. Nothing I've ever had there was bad, it was all good. Some of my favorites are 1. duck & bbq pork, 2. pork & tofu hot pot and 3. anything with the crispy noodles.
Sometimes I wish I had a Chinese girlfriend that loved that place and had to have it every other day, so I wouldn't just look like some chubby American guy coming and eating their pork " way too roften."
Its everything you can imagine: crispy, salty, warm, gooey, chewy, crunchy, tender, beautiful. -
Review from Allison J.
Austin, TX
12/26/2010
What do three Jews do on Christmas Day after going to a movie theater to watch a movie...No this is not a trick question, this is tradition...duh...Go get Chinese food.
We knew we had a good shot at finding an open Chinese restaurant open in the Chinatown Center off N. Lamar. After circling the parking lot, the area that had the most cars parked in front made the decision for us.
We found an open table and were immediately served our beverages.
The food was hot and came out rather quickly. Among the three of us we had one egg roll each, egg drop soup, shrimp and snow peas and sesame chicken all for under $30, what a steal. The shrimp and snow peas were excellent. The chicken was covered in the typical heavy American style Chinese sauce. The meat was fatty and just made me want to eat more shrimp. The rice was hot and steamy. The soup, was a little bland for my liking. I ended up pouring hot and soy sauce to give it a little more flavor. If it were my choice I would of ordered the hot and sour soup but at this place, you were served a huge bowl of soup that was meant to be shared.
I enjoyed the company of my friends and the tradition of the day but would I go back, probably not but that's just because I never have a hankering for Chinese. But if you do, then I would say it's A-Ok. -
Review from Shelly W.
Houston, TX
This review is a little all over the place.
This is THE go-to restaurant for my boyfriend and me. Bbq pork and roast duck every single time + something new (or beef flat noodles with black bean sauce). Their duck is the best I've ever had. At other places the duck is nothing without the skin, but here it is juicy and sweet. But that's not to say the skin isn't the most crispy, aromatic, not fatty roast duck skin I've ever had. So good. The bbq pork complements the roast duck next to it in the combination plate perfectly. Though sometimes we get a darker cut that can be a little bit tougher. Also, their shrimp wonton soup is amazing, 12 enormous shrimp wontons for $6 (broth was a little salty though).
I WILL ADMIT, we don't receive the best cuts of the bbq every time (or what I prefer) and if the first time I came I got a roast duck with that thick layer of fat on it I would have thought twice about coming again. Sadly you can't just tell them that you always want the nice bbq pork with white meat and the roast duck that has the crispiest skin, so it's different a lot of the times we go there. Please try this place again if you were turned off the first time.
By the way why come to such a nice place just for American Chinese dishes (although I do have an unhealthy appetite for those sometimes) please try beef flat noodles, hot pots, noodle soups, etc. etc.
and yes First Chinese beats Din Ho. -
Review from Alexandra R.
Austin, TX
11/29/2010 3 photos
I so very much enjoy this busy, noisy, bustling restaurant. All the frills and thrills are in the food. The decor is modern, the place mats the typical Chinese astrology boilerplate, but the food is exceptional and a very good price.
There is a massive menu and I haven't tried everything, but I have many favorites. The roast duck ($8.50!) has a rich, crispy, almost bacon-quality skin and an excellent flavor. Sauteed Chinese broccoli is light, tender-crisp, and studded with chunks of fresh garlic. Steamed dumplings are light, pillowy pockets of joy. The fried dumplings are crispy and satisfying. Spicy fillets of flounder are saucy - watch out for whole dried chilies lurking next to flaky white fish!
I really appreciate how each table gets their own little quart container of steamed rice with a lid and serving spoon. The rice stays hot and fresh during the entire meal.
I look forward to trying clams in black bean sauce, and a sizzling hot pot, mainly because the little woks-n-sterno cans that come to one's table look so adorable. I also saw a table get Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, and I want to try that. -
Review from Jocelyn Q.
Austin, TX
12/3/2011
It's a very great place to get your foods at!
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Review from Jan A.
9/14/2010
Good menu offerings & great prices. Clean establishment. Okay service.
This place makes me very happy. Quick service, great food & so so cheap! It's a great place to go if you want to do dine family style & share all the yummy bbq goodness.
Roast Duck: I will surely miss duck since I have given up eating duck. The roast duck is yummy (crispy skin & great flavor)
Roast Pork: You MUST order this!
This is definitely a good place to go for quick, good Chinese food if you're in the area. -
Review from David E.
Austin, TX
7/31/2010
The atmosphere is lacking,
And the people are nice,
My pork and duck (Peking),
Were served with white rice.
The duck was a miss,
The pork was near-bliss,
A fortune cookie to go,
Eff this rhyme-scheme,
Next time Din Ho.
