Fantastic restaurant that only has great food but also a well designed building that relaxes the customers.

It's official. After years of going here against my will, tonight was the last straw. Never going back. The food isn't good, and never has been. I have been a few times over the years, and I refuse to go back after tonight. We ordered fried rice; the server brought steamed rice and insisted it was fried. I had the Mongolian Beef. The sauce was sickeningly sweet, and the "beef" was tough and chewy. Soup is not included with an entree, which I thought was standard for Chinese restaurants. Our service was terrible. There were 5 of us at the table, and the server brought our entrees out one or two at a time, with about 5 minutes between each delivery, never once saying "sorry". If this is the "best Chinese food in Columbus", I will wait until I travel out of town to eat Chinese food again. I really don't understand the appeal. Don't go! read more

The service was fine however I was highly disappointed with the Peking duck. I recieved a "chicken fried" duck that was tough and also very greasy. I should have taken pictures but I was so upset that I instantly threw it away after tasting it. read more

Your basic Chinese buffet, wrapped in a colorful candy shell. During a recent lunch, a former North Korean Army officer who had escaped to become a waiter in Columbus, Ga., yelled at me and my co-workers for taking too long to order. The egg rolls come wrapped in an inpenetratable fried shell that will shatter enamel off your teeth. read more

We were looking for a place similar to a Hunan Garden close to columbus that served sizzling rice soup & so we stopped in to try it out. The inside is beautiful & we were greeted promptly. We ordered the sizzling rice soup, pot stickers, garlic chicken & shredded pork in garlic sauce. The sizzling rice soup was delicious, tasted just like Hunan Gardens. The pot stickers are deep fried and I prefer mine boiled then browned so I was not a fan & their pot sticker sauce is pretty much just soy sauce. Now for the entrees..we both ate a handful of bites and that was about it. The garlic chicken was not very garlicky & very salty tasting and the shredded pork was very bland. Once we received our food we pretty much didn't see our waitress until we were done so ordering another drink was not happening. It's not a bad place, it's just a place not for my taste buds. read more

Nice place but my fried wontons for my soup tasted old. I got food poisoned once from here and the egg drop soup wasn't good. This place has gone downhill. My entree was delicious though. I paid my bill and gave the waitress my change. She got a $2 tip. Maybe I am too nice.. read more

I think that the restaurant is absolutely beautiful on the inside, very cute if you are looking for a casual evening Chinese cuisine. Though if you are a gnat for cleanliness... I think the manager should really look at having them do a better job of keeping the floors swept and the booths free of crumbs and left overs. That can be a bit disgusting as I have actually sat on remains of things... but it's only in the booths. Plus they sit too low. Other than that... awesome ambiance, good food, I recommend it. Especially in the afternoon. read more

I don't know how authentic the food is (as far as being Chinese), but it's fantastic! I don't typically like Chinese food. The pot stickers and the egg flower soup - so good!! And the restaurant is super clean, has great service, & is well priced. read more

It's not too bad... Would've went with the sushi across the street but it was closed. For 6.99 a person. They have a good selection and the Mongolian bar is part of the purchase as well. , I've ate here once before an it's not usually too busy to get in immediately. Grab a bite here if your on a schedule an don't want to spend much. read more

We used to love eating at Chef Lee's, however, recently the service has not been great. The hostess and servers are rude and the quality of the food is not up to par. The shrimp used to be large, but not are tiny. Also, the fried rice is weak. 3 stars at BEST. read more

I visited this restaurant on July 5, 2014. The waitress was unfriendly and acted like she had a chip on her shoulder and hated her job. Everything I ordered here was very bad. The sauces on the food were truly awful. I ordered Sesame Shrimp and Cashew Chicken, and they were both TERRIBLE. The sauce on the Sesame Shrimp was WAY too sweet and disgusting. I ordered the barbeque pork ribs appetizer, and it was hard meat, over-cooked and very tough. The couldn't even get something simple like that right! I also ordered a Crab Wonton appetizer, and it tasted like fake, cheap crab meat. Also just terrible. I have been to MANY Chinese restaurants in my life, and this was by far the WORST Chinese food I have ever eaten. If I were the chef in this place, I would be truly embarrassed to serve this terrible food to an unsuspecting public. read more

The food is great. This restaurant has earned all the kudos it has recieved. The menu has all the standard "chinese" items on the menu but if you want to order real chinese food and it is either szechuan or hunan style they'll prepare it for you. I have eaten the best chinese food you'll find in Vancouver British Columbia. It is where the chinese chef's came when the communists took Hong Kong back. This restaurant rivals the best I have found there but you have to know what you want and how to order it. My favorite is "Ma Poo Tofu" give it a try. This restaurant knows how to make it. read more

Everything about this restaurant was great! My kids and I LOVED the decor - both inside and out. To begin with, you are served a big bowl of rice and the portions of food are extremely generous. We ordered egg rolls, my children split the chicken chow mein, and I ordered the orange chicken. The orange chicken was amazing and is not at all like the orange chicken you order at the take-out places - they're actually thinly cut lightly fried chicken strips with a light orange sauce and slices of oranges. We will definitely be back to dine there again! read more

First time visiting this place was Christmas Day, 2016. The place was crowded - usually the sign that you are eating at a good location. In this case, it was. The food was incredible. Nothing wrong with the flavor. There is enough food in one order to feed TWO people. My only complaint was the atmosphere. It was noisy. It was cluttered. But it was clean! I will visit this place often when I am in Columbus...which I also hope is often! read more

Everyone in Columbus raves about Chef Lees. I am from San Francisco, grew up on Yuet Lee and Yank Sing (yelp them) and know my chinese food. Chef Lee's is better than the average Chinese restaurant, particularly, I imagine in the South. Which is not to slight the South, just to note there are few Asians in the Deep South. Mediocre and pricey, but great stereotypey fancy Chinese-restaurant atmosphere and great people watching. If I was a prom-bound Colmbus high student, I'd love Chef Lee's on prom night. read more

Best Chinese food and service! The restaurant is gorgeous!

I would give this place 5 stars, but some of the wait staff is not very good. There is one girl I really like because she is very attentive, but it is hit or miss when I get seated in her section. Usually the other waitresses show up, take my order deliver it and I never see them again until they give me the check. They never come by to ask about the meal or even offer a refill except for that one girl I like. The food is not bad though, and the lunch specials are really great and you get alot of food for little money. read more

Service sucked. Horribly. Brought out wrong drink. Waiter didn't care. Brought out soup with no spoon. Waiter didn't care. Sent back full bowl of cold soup. Waiter didn't care. Never refilled my water (since I wasn't drinking the wrong drink). Fried rice was cold before entrées came out. Waiter didn't care. When it came time to pay and leave a tip, I hope he didn't care about that either. read more

Twice cooked pork and Peking fried noodles. For all the praises I heard about this place, it really didn't match my expectations. It is amazing for the American taste buds. I'm comparing this to the Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles. The noodles were a bit too soupy. Decent. Three stars mainly for ambiance. read more

This place is very nice and clean. The staff are very friendly. They made it seem like you were in China one you entered, with their beautiful asian decor. Their food is tasty also. read more

Overall I am disappointed. They didn't include any silverware with the take out, and the General Tso's chicken was very bland. The crab Rangoon had some sort of after taste, I'm assuming from the fryer. I would not go back again. read more

My husband, my mother in law and I went to Chef Lee's for mothers day. It was super busy we were told there was going to be about a 20 minute wait. We sat at the bar and or number was called within 10 minutes not bad. Once seated our server was prompt to come to the table and friendly. She took our order and we got our food within 15 minutes. Also not so bad being so busy on mothers day. Our food came out hot and just as we ordered. The food was awesome and it was a great visit. Worth going too. read more

This restaurant is really nice, beautiful architecture (mostly imported from China), and quick and friendly service. The food was great and the cocktails were excellent. Try the pot stickers for appetizers, you won't regret it! read more

First time visit for takeout meal of Happy Family. It was terrible, Gooey sauce thrown over shrimp, scallops and a few chewy beef pieces. Few vegetables mashed in, undistinguishable taste. Worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. Overpriced. I can go to other restaurants and get authentic tasting Chinese food for a third less. read more

Why don't more people talk about this place? Food is great, service is great, and the environment is really impressive. Its not too often you find a restraunt in Columbus of this caliber. Absolutely the best Chinese Restraunt in Columbus. read more

My wife loved her sweet & sour chicken and I agreed. My father-in-law loved his Kung Pao Chicken. I thought my beef & broccoli was okay. The sauce was a bit too bland for my taste. Great atmosphere & service though. I'll go back but order something different next time. read more

Been here twice. This place is all show. Food is mediocre at best. Typical American Chinese food where you sit down and order one (1) entree. Same as the other places. I think it's frozen Chinese because the meats are cut the same with the other place. Service was nice though. Clean. It's just hype and show. read more

Chef Lee's is one of the best restaurants in town to eat at for lunch or dinner ! I eat here all the time and never have had any bad experiences . The food is 100% fresh and the staff is the best at what they do. One of there bartending employee named, Ed was the best ! We always look for him when ordering a take out meal so we can have a couple of good drinks and chat. Ed is a great asset to Chef Lee's . My wife and me thank you so much Chef Lee for giving our community a clean , honest and great place to eat and blow off some steam ,lol . Good Job everyone ! read more

Better than the ubiquitous chinese buffets in Columbus, but nothing interesting or authentic on the menu. The same menu as you get at any take-out chinese in a strip mall. Yes, the food is better done and fresh, but it's still boring. There is szechuan food listed, yet I asked and they had no szechuan peppercorns...infact, no one knew what they were (?). For great more authentic interesting chinese food, try "Tasty China" in Marietta GA. Chef Lee's does have the most aesthetically pleasing restaurant in Columbus....beautiful woodwork, plants, and decor. read more

Bomb ass Chinese food and I've been to china. Friendly staff and killer atmosphere. Great service and quick. A must for the area.

Gotta agree with most of the other reviewers here. Food is mediocre at best. Seems the staff is more interested in the quantity of guests, not the quality of the food. The egg rolls are tasteless, there is only one choice for hot tea flavors, and no deserts were offered. The experience felt rushed from the hostess rushing us to our table to the food being rushed out to us (at various times by the way, the whole table was not served simultaneously as in quality restaurants) to the bill being presented to us before we were even finished eating. Not impressed with the hurry up and get up experience, the food which was clearly not prepared to order, nor the lack of personality in the staff. read more

I was at Chef Lees tonight and thought I would have a good dinner. Sadly to say I bit into a rock in my MuShu chicken and almost broke a tooth. I asked for a manager and never saw one. They did take my meal price off the ticket but its not about the money to me its about why is there rocks and dirt in food being served. I will not return after this. Going to Lemongrass next time. read more

This Resturant is very inconsistent. Hit or Miss EVERY TIME I visit. Some days they are super good then other days if I order take out they are horrible. They mess up orders constantly. I would suggest dinning in so that you can get your money worth if you decide to return your order and get a new plate. If they were consistent with fewer errors, they would easily get a 4/5. The food is awesome but the consistency of the service and the meals are awful! read more

I've never felt so rushed out of a restaurant. I entered the restaurant about an hour shy before close and was greeted with a scoff from who I believe to be is Ms. Lee, who was also our server, but I could be mistaken. Luckily my boyfriend and I knew what we wanted to eat shortly after we glanced at the menu, but she made it very clear she did not want us to comfortably take our time with our meal. She mentioned their closing time three separate times during our dining experience, which seemed to be her way of "nicely" saying, hurry up and get the hell out. I've never experienced a server who seemed to care so little about her table - for real. Whats really sad here, is that it's very hard to disappoint me or make me complain about things, but this blatant lack of care and courtesy towards clients was truly baffling to me. I was physically uncomfortable by how rushed we were. I'd also like to mention that our server mocked my boyfriend about how he looked like a girl, despite it being obvious enough that he is a man for her to bring up joking about it in the first place...anyway. The bad service was the most unfortunate thing about this, but as a side note - the food just aint that great. I got pineapple chicken and I'm pretty sure the #1 ingredient in that has gotta be red dye. Everyone has bad days, but the service was inexcusable. I overheard other servers that were much nicer. Our server could learn a thing or two from her more humble co workers. read more

There used to be two Chef Lee's, here in Columbus and they closed the one on Buena Vista Road and kept the one on Bradley Park. They both used to have great taste, flavor, lunch specials, and the sauces were amazing. The restaurant has lowered their standard and in their portions size. I used to love their Mongolian Beef and their sauce and used to order at the restaurant, picked up, and ate lunch. The last time I ate there, the server took my soup away, placed it in their dirty dishes and when I mentioned I wanted it back (not knowing it had already been in the dirty dishes), she gave my soup bowl back. I told her I didn't want it anymore. They also seated the four of us in the middle aisle, where we were pretty much sitting next to other people who were eating there. The server hit the man's head, who was sitting at the other table with her tray because there was not enough room. And the egg rolls are now small and over-cooked. I wish they could go back to their original style food and the portion size. read more

This is by far my most favorite Chinese food in Columbus. When we visit family from Alabama we take a road trip just to experience the one of kind experience. Try the Mongolian beef and house fried rice. read more

The egg foo young is great, everything else is not worth the trip for me or the family. Nice atmosphere, food is lacking.

Decent at best for columbus but NOT great Chinese food. And the guy at the front is rude. My kids like it and I will tolerate it for them but would never go there on my own. The building is kinda cool with the floor & the fish. read more

11/17/2012 Had lunch there today all by my lonesome... Food and service was awesome as always. Had the Kung Pao Beef with Garlic sauce. Spicy just like I like it. I always recommend this place to friends... read more

Was so disappointed. What a great exterior and interior design. Looks like a high-end Chinese restaurant, but looks is where that stops. Soups are obviously held in a holding pit and doled out when order, not made to order. Asked for hot and sour soup and explained I could not eat any meat and ordered a vegetable dish. Soup had egg and pork in it, servers said they tried to take all the pork out? As a vegan I eat at Chinese and other Asian restaurants for a reason, and have never had this problem. Only reason I gave it an extra star above one was for the excellent servers, all very friendly. read more