For some time now after I ate at Cafe Asia 2, which I consider one of the best if not the best…read moreAsian Restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia, and I encourage you to read my review for that restaurant, I have been wondering if there is a Cafe Asia, the original one. After being awarded the NC Triad Yelp Squad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, celebrating their contributions and accomplishments throughout the year, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Cafe Asia, in Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. One day by searching the net I so happened to finally find it. I gave them a call right away to confirm that it was the original of Cafe Asia 2, and once confirmed, I made a commitment to go there for dinner that day. Before arriving I did my research and found out that it was founded by Feng Chen in 2008 "to offer autentic Asian cuisine for everyone to enjoy." I also found out that this first location in the Bonsack area of Roanoke County, offered a pan-Asian menu that included Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese dishes, alongside a sushi bar. And that due to the success of this family-owned business, the second location, Café Asia 2, opened on Electric Rd in 2013. When I arrived, I was surprised that it was located in the same strip mall as Sal's Italian Restaurant which I had reviewed some time ago. As I entered the restaurant the decor was not as modern as the second one but was still very clean and nice for its time. It had a very comfortable and friendly atmosphere. The Host gave me a very friendly and warm welcome and took me to my table. I noticed that decorating the place they had strips of picture frames with pictures of customers of the restaurant, almost like saying, we put our customers first. My server was also very friendly and helpful. He answered some questions I had about the extensive menu and I gave him my order. To start off with I had a Thai Iced Coffee. As appetizer I had a Sunflower Roll from the Sushi Bar. It had spicy lobster salad, mango, avocado, with soy paper. I walked to the Sushi Bar and watched the Sushi Chef make it for me. He was very friendly and appreciated me recording the event for my readers of this review. He came out with a Culinary Masterpiece. I really savored every bite. As my main entrée I had the Pad Thai Combination. It was so good. For dessert I had two: The Mango with Sticky Rice and the Combination Mochi Ice Cream (Mango & Strawberry). It was truly a memorable meal. In conclusion, I highly recommend this restaurant and clearly see the reason for its success. It has a beautiful decor and friendly atmosphere. A menu with a great variety of items. A wonderful Sushi Chef that can work wonders making culinary masterpieces. They use quality and fresh ingredients, and the Chef can also deliver wonderful dishes. All amounts to an extraordinary dining experience.

I ordered 4 sushi rolls: when I got home the sushi smelled bad and tasted horrible. I immediately…read moredumped it all in the trash to avoid getting sick. Cafe Asia 2 is the best. I will never go to this Cafe Asia again. A waste of money in sushi.

Sometimes in the least expected places one can find the most exquisite restaurants. Looking for a…read moreplace to eat after an upset with 419 West Restaurant for not having enough parking spaces to accommodate their booked customers, after canceling the reservation that I made through Open Table, I drove off to a tiny strip mall next door, and there I found this place called Szechuan Chinese Restaurant. After being awarded the NC Triad Yelp Squad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, celebrating their contributions and accomplishments throughout the year, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Szechuan Restaurant in South Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. As I was walking towards the restaurant after parking my car, since I hadn't had an opportunity to research it to find out if it was good, I asked one of their customers who was also headed that way and he replied: "After more than 40 years of being their customer, I haven't found a place with better Chinese food." What an outstanding live testimony to the place, I thought to myself. Then as I got closer, Their windows were displaying framed articles about the restaurant. Inside, the owner was seated at his open office located in front of the restaurant, and the walls around him were inundated with framed awards and photos related to the restaurant. The owner, very friendly and hospitable, greeted me, and explained how since Covid they no longer had table service. But you would look at the menu, order and pay there, and then the food would be taken to your table in take out containers by a young lady server. As I went through their beautiful and extensive menu, he was able to notice that I was not too familiar with many of the items on the menu, so he helped me by asking me some questions of my likes and providing some recommendations. I ended up ordering a Coke to drink. A Vegetable Spring Roll as appetizer, as well as a Scallop Roll from the Sushi Bar. And as my main entrée I ordered the Pork Szechuan Style with their Fried Rice. And for dessert they had only three options Cheesecake, Chocolate Cheesecake, or Donuts. I went for the Chinese Donuts because I always wanted to try them. After ordering and paying with my credit card, I went to their dining room to look for a table to sit at. I picked a booth next to a window to provide enough natural light to be able to photograph the food nicely. The server brought me a plastic bottle of coke with a styrofoam cup with ice. The dining room was very nice and had the most beautiful and elegant fish tank that I've ever seen in a restaurant. It's a pity that they hadn't return back to regular table service since Covid is now under control. While waiting for my food to be prepared, I walked over to the Sushi counter to watch the Sushi Chef prepare my Scallop Roll. I invite you to view my photographs and videos accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. Finally, the friendly young lady brought my food to my table on a tray which she placed on the table. Both her followed-up to see how I found the food and to see ifvI needed anything else. What can I say, the food was amazing! From the Sushi to the Pork in the Szechuan sauce, to the Spring Roll, and Fried Rice. By the time I ate the donuts they had cooled down and hardened and were a bit dry inside. While I was enjoying my meal, several customers stopped by to pick up their To Go orders that they had ordered by phone or through their website. Others came with the intention of eating in but when they found out the situation, they ordered for Take Out instead. And a family who came to eat in, left when they found out the dining situation. The dining experience is not the same eating out of plastic containers. It's like drinking wine out of a plastic cup is not the same as drinking it out of a Baccarat wine glass. I highly recommend that the owner return back to the normal way of operating a restaurant. The inside of the restaurant is much too beautiful and the food much too exquisite not to do so.

service. Even on Christmas Eve when half of Roanoke wants Szechuan and things get a little busy,…read morethey are uber-professional. Dumpling SAUCE is amazing. I think it's made fresh. I would LOVE the recipe.

We were looking for a place to eat in our house. We just happened to see the review. Someone left…read moreabout anyone saying this is not a five star review is on crack. I laughed so hard. We decided to try it. The review is on point the man working there was super nice at the counter and the food was awesome. My kids don't usually clean their plates, but they suck down the orange chicken and then wanted more. Definitely if you're in the Moneta Rocky Mount area go here.

Something changed for the better. Tried twice before I'd leave a review. We ordered Kung POA…read morechicken and Mongolian Steak. Ordered to go on New Year's Eve. It was crowded with to go orders. The girl at the front desk was kind and helpful with suggestions plus working a phone and the counter. She was great and the food was too. Flavored with the amount of heat/ seasoning we wanted and crispy egg rolls were perfect. Nice to have a good oriental food place close.

They're fast They're going to get your order right…read more I go back on my lunchtime to this restaurant.

I was going to have dinner at China Fresh in Lakeside Plaza for the first time, but didn't realized…read morethat they close on Mondays, so I decided to go try out Hibachi Express instead, which was open. Hibachi Express is located in a large space on the right corner of the Plaza. It has a nice architectural design restaurant front Inside, it has a reasonably clean dining room and open kitchen. The glass or plexiglass in front of the grill looked a bit dirty or wasted with age. But the ordering counter and large menu on the wall looked clean. However, their run down soda machine situated in a back corner of the restaurant was extremely dirty and some of the drink selections were closed down. It looked so disgusting that I even didn't feel like taking a photograph of it. They also had a display refrigerator with bottled sodas. The owner and employees of the place were Chinese with knowledge of Japanese cuisine. There were a couple of customers in front of me that made Take Out orders. When it was my turn to order the owner and order taker gave me a friendly greeting and and asked to take my order and if I was going to eat in or take it To Go. As appetizer I order a House Special Egg Roll and some Crab Rangoons. As my main entrée I order the Hibachi Steak and Shrimp combination. The price was very reasonable but the the size and amount of the pieces of steak and of the shrimp were very small. They came with pieces of onions, broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms, together with steam rice that was also cooked over the grill possibly with Japanese butter. They also has Yum Yum sauce in little bowls, and Soy sauce. Besides the owner who took the orders, and spoke English, there was also an older Chinese gentleman who did the cooking, and a lady who came out once from the interior side of the kitchen. The food was served in a regular ceramic dinner plate with plastic silverware. The food tasted well, just a little bland. For the price, the food wasn't bad, especially for those who work and live around the area, but I wouldn't make a special trip just to go eat there.

Came in for a business dinner. A few of my colleagues had been before so it came highly…read morerecommended. We were seated quickly and looked over the menu while drink orders were taken. Got the shogun potato and some Sashimi and rolls. All the fish was fresh, rolls nicely done Service was good, quick to refill drinks and take orders for other items Not much to look at inside, but a solid choice for sushi if you're in the area

The best sushi I've ever ate. Loved this place for Years!!! For Lunch get the Wasabi special…read morealong with the Sushi Special and skip dinner!

good food and fast service ordered the chicken and shrimp combo came with good amount of foodread more

food was super good besides the facts it gave me some serious food poisoning i believe the chicken…read morewas raw

After reading many online comments about this Asian family-owned restaurant business that…read moreunfortunately had to close down a while ago due to a fire; comments like "I love this place and check every weekend to see if they are back." Comments about how good the food was there, of how when they drive by they missed stopping for sushi and hibachi, of how they really hope they re-open, about how they can't wait to see this place re-open, about their awesome food and awesome people, I myself couldn't help but wonder how special this place must have been to so many members of our community, and to also hope that they renovate it and that they have a successful re-opening real soon. Today, I found out that they indeed did have a re-opening two weeks ago, and as soon as I did, I headed over there to try it out. When I arrived the first thing I noticed was how the restaurant was reasantly painted and had new signs: one on a pole close to Williamson Road, and one of their name with their characteristic red font on top of their roof. Colorful banners also were hanging from the roof to the walls of their front patio, and a red OPEN neon sign was flashing from the front wall of the restaurant. After I noticed the entrance was on the side of the building, I went in. The interior design was simple, yet warm in the minimalist style, with large artworks along the walls of the restaurant. Up front was a long counter starting with the Host's station with a computer and the rest with a Sushi station where two Sushi Chefs were continually making Shushis. A very kind Asian lady host gave me a warm greeting, took me to my table, and handed me the menus. She took my drink order: a glass of Iced Tea. And my appetizer order: a Pork Egg Roll and an order of Coconut Shrimp. The items were so fresh. The Pork Egg Roll was very crispy oh the outside and soft and juicy in the inside. And the Coconut Shrimp was one of the best I've ever had. The batter was light yet crispy so as not to overwhelm the shrimp taste, and the sauce that came with them was amazing. They brou As my main course I had the Teriyaki Filet Mignon and Scallops. It came with fried rice, and they also served me a salad after I finished the appetizers. The Filet Mignon was very tender as well as the Scallops, and cooked just right, just as were the vegetables that came with them: zucchini, onions, and mushrooms. And the Egg Fried Rice was also unbelievably delicious. As I was eating I had the privilege of observing the two Sushi Chefs making the Sushis. They came out as culinary masterpieces and the servers walked by me taking them to the customer'stables.. The view of the sushi made me want to return to enjoy some of them. It was only 5:30pm and the restaurant was already full. I was very impressed with the great numbers of customers and by the efficient customer service they were receiving by the servers, who all seemed to be Asian. My server was also very nice and hospitable. She came to check on me at the appropriate times and even answered me some questions I had about the restaurant and its owner. Even though the restaurant served Japanese Cuisine, the owner, the Sushi Chefs, and some of the servers were Chinese, with the Chefs trained in Japanese Cuisine. At the end I asked my server for the dessert menu. She told me that they didn't have dessert for now because since they opened two weeks ago, the restaurant was so full that they decided to hold on serving desserts for now to accommodate the volume of customers wanting to eat there. I invite the readers of my review to view my photographs accompanying this review to get an even better sense of this outstanding restaurant which I definitely highly recommend and will be returning soon.

Well...I was excited to try this. The Gyoza, spot on! The Steak/Chicken Hibachi however, nasty. I…read morespit the first bite out because I thought it was raw chicken, turns out it was so overcooked. $23 and I threw out 3/4 of my meal, what a shame.

Food is good but sushi should be colder. I use to eat here years ago and it was excellent. Quality…read moreof food could be better.

My soon to be husband and I had the best oriental food we have ever had from any other restaurant…read more We will surely be coming back and bringing our family soon