The best Chinese restaurant in the greater Charlottesville area since the reopening this summer…read more2026. The previous owner ran it into the ground since buying it from Peter Chang, but now the original owner is back. We have had two family banquets here over the past month and they were fabulous. The sleeper on the menu is the great curry fish soup. Peking duck is available every day and is simple and superb - crispy skin and slivers of rich meat. The "party room" has big round tables with huge lazy Susans, so passing dishes is easy. That room has a wall size TV which was playing the World Cup both days we were there. The main dining room is more elegant. They are still waiting on their wine and beer license as of July 2026. We ordered a huge amount of food and the bill with tip came to $50 a person. Also recommended is the fragrant numbing hot pot. Don't hesitate to order very spicy - this is Cantonese cooking, not Szechuan. Any drawbacks? Well, although there are lots of vegan options, don't expect to find low fat. steamed vegetables- this is traditional authentic Chinese with a heavy hand on the oil in most dishes. The soup dumplings were a little disappointing, too doughy. Final recommendation: split an order of the burnt sugar glutinous rice for dessert - it comes with 4 big pieces, easy to share.

Nothing to write home about. Ordered take out. Menu and prices have changed. What used to be full…read moreportion is now tapas size. Tiny portion of dried green beans. Barely a cup full. Cost was $9. Shrimp fried rice had very few shrimp in it. Taste was decent. Two items cost $31. I guess that's one way to pay for renovations. I was impressed with the new layout.

After a morning of driving and apple picking, we rolled into Café88 for a bite. This place feels…read morejust like a classic diner - friendly owner, a steady hum of conversation, and many Asian folks/families, either dining in or grabbing a few boxes to go. The menu offers solid portions at a fair price, so we left with enough leftovers for another day's lunch. Our top picks? The Taiwanese popcorn‑chicken combo that crackled with crunch, a juicy pork chop crowned with scallions and a kick of chili, and a steaming bowl of beef noodles that hit all the right notes. Every plate was downright delicious. If you're hunting for a comfortable, no‑fuss spot that serves up genuine Taiwanese flavors, Café88 belongs on your diner‑tour itinerary.

The best Taiwanese cuisine I've had outside of Taiwan. The beef noodle soup, spicy beef w rice, and…read morethe popcorn chicken are the top of my list.

Seeking something Asian I hadn't tried in the area before, I turned to an AI search which yielded…read morethis Chinese place. It was definitely more on the side of actually Chinese than American Chinese, based on the menu and the people working there. They did have a reasonable vegetable and tofu selection. Among the dishes that you don't usually see at the more American restaurants was a dry cumin tofu preparation. It had abundant cilantro, and I'm in the category of people who gets a weird soapy aftertaste with cilantro but still likes to eat it from time to time; this dish gave me a ton of aftertaste but was otherwise good. A ma po tofu had proper fermented bean paste and leeks, albeit not a ton of numbing sensation that I could discern which is really the bar for the best rendition of the dish. Their cabbage dish was described as "hand torn" and it strikes me that this is the sort of place where that's probably true, and it was a tasty saute and a nice contrast to the rest. Their online ordering system wanted to offer me a free egg roll for my order but wouldn't let me get a vegetable one. I wish they'd label some of the dishes more clearly for dietary needs or just plain description. But overall, it was solid food for a town with a relative dearth of this cuisine.

I enjoyed my lunch at the Taste of China, in a large dining room with helpful service…read more I had the Kung Pao Calamari. The seafood was cut into unusual and decorative shapes, while still being one inch or longer pieces. This dish included a basic Kung Pao gravy that was slightly sweet, sour and a bit spicy. There were stir-fried vegetables and peanuts in the dish, including fresh green pepper chunks. The restaurant has a large and broad menu and next time, I will try a more exotic dish.

It's hard to find a better Vietnamese restaurant anywhere in the area. Truly authentic, well…read morepriced, and tasty. The people here were extremely kind and helpful on my take out order. The ordering system is simple. And the food.... excellent. Definitely a must try if you're into this type of food

We were in town and let Yelp guide us and we were not disappointed. This is a small mostly to-go…read morerestaurant in a strip mall. There are 3 tables inside, so we chose to eat in. I chose the Vietnamese sandwich. It was so tasty. Bread was toasted and crispy and the mix of chicken, pickled cucumbers and fresh herbs were great. My daughter ordered the bulgogi beef rice plate (with kimchi on side) and a strawberry lemonade with strawberry popping boba. She loved both. Food comes out fast. Overall excellent!

This dumpling shop has multiple locations. I found it quite confusing ordering online. Some of them…read morehave online ordering and others don't. They have confusing names. The menus have not always been the same when I looked. But to their credit, when I placed an order at the "downtown" location only to discover that they meant something other than Charlottesville's pedestrian arcade (which is where this one is), I was able to call them and get it corrected. My order was transferred over and was ready for me with no trouble. The vegetable dumplings weren't fancy, but there were a ton of them, and what seemed a small sauce proved more than enough. I also got a veggie bun, but the filling was so trivial as to not really be worth it. This place does have some space to eat in, although it seems most popular as a takeout.

The fried pork dumplings were the best I've ever had. Small, which is perfect for me. My husband is…read morevegan and his were fantastic. Ordered a to go order for him to take to a winery tomorrow. Service was great.

Really nice inside! Fun decor, food Was really good…read more Scallion pancake was our favorite. Really nice and polite staff. Ran in for a quick bite while at medical appointments and looking forward to coming back when we have more time!

Food was great. Came out hot and quickly. The dumplings soup was delicious. The sesame balls were…read morecrispy on the outside and soft inside. The garlic cucumbers were smashed in bite sized pieces and just the right amount of garlic and chilis. Lots of folks ordered take out - so the kitchen was busy. Our server was always smiling. The playlist had today's music as well as some older songs which was a nice mix.

Great for Takeout…read more There is no shortage of bad, and I mean AWFUL Chinese food in Virginia. Ask your average Food Lion shopper and they'll tell you how frustrating choosing the right takeout Chinese can be. Luckily, the rare gem of a not terrible, not bad, not decent, not only good, but GREAT Chinese Takeout is finally here in Charlottesville. The Red Lantern has tasty, well-portioned takeout food for a decent price. I was more than satisfied with the General Tso's Chicken and Sesame Chicken my fiancée and I ordered. The rice didn't taste like cheap-o quick rice, and the egg rolls were made in-house. Granted, it's still takeout, so don't go in expecting this to be a life-changing American-Chinese experience. But, if Christmas dinner falls through, I'll be turning to The Red Lantern this holiday season.

I come to visit my Fiancé and was craving Chinese food Im not sure why but the food was HORRIBLE…read morethe egg foo young was burnt didnt get rice to go with it had to eat some of his shrimp fried rice the bourbon chicken couldn't eat just terrible we were staying 30 min so by the time we got to out Airbnb they was closed called the next day and was hung up on twice spent over $50 on this trash and I want my money back I really think you did this on purpose. Will be back in town 3/13 will want to see the manager or speak with the owner. Thanks . you can call me as well 202-302-9789

Stopped here for dinner while passing through from a hike and OMGosh SO glad we did! It was an hour…read morebefore they closed on a weekday and it was already so busy w many takeout orders but we were able to sit down quickly. We planned to share everything b/c we were hungry and wanted to try Thai in a different city. We ordered the Chix Satay which came in a decent amount of time after ordering and was presented in planks vs on a stick which Im used to but regardless, cooked SO well and came w carrot & cabbage twirlies and peanut sauce! Delish! Entreés; My bf ordered the Pineapple fried rice and I ordered the Crying Tiger. OMG. The meat was very well seasoned, spice sauce served on the side and more carrot and cabbage twirlies. The Pineapple fried rice was also very DELISH and a decent portion with enough to take home. There was a SOLID chicken to pineapple ration which is so so important when considering mixing chix and pineapple

I love Thai food, especially when Thai Basil Fried Rice is involved. I got the chicken version,…read morewith a spice level of 4 out of 5, and it was perfect. The only thing that would make it better would be if it was ground chicken. There was a ton of it, so I had lunch covered too. I also tried the Crying Tiger appetizer and it was delicious. It came with some chili sauce so you could spice it up to your taste, and that was appreciated. I would like to have had the option of chopsticks, but since it was close to closing time, and I eat faster with a fork, I didn't ask for any. The service was great, a team effort, and that seemed to fit with the casual yet classy feel of the restaurant. It's a great place to go have a chill evening with spicy Thai food and a couple of cold beers. I would definitely go back.