I am not entirely sure what has happened to Peony as it was our local "go to" for Chinese take out but we will be forced to find a new place. We did take out last night along the usual lines - veggie fried rice, veggie dumplings, chicken and vegetables combo, hibachi chicken, etc. It was all pretty bad, the only thing good being my plain steamed rice. The chicken dish was bland tasting, very little spice or flavor, the sauce sort of milky and sweet. The hibachi chicken was equally unsatisfying and even the fried rice was not good, so much so we stopped eating it. The veggie dumplings were uncooked and inedible and went straight to the trash. On a service note, they left out the spring rolls we ordered and also the hot and sour soup for the combo dinner. When I called to get a refund for the missing items they mentioned they have "lots of new staff." I know staffing is hard right now for many restaurants, but the truly low quality plus poor service may have been the nail in the coffin for our time as customers of Peony. read more

Tried this restaurant for the first time after a pleasant pickup when doordashing and the food was well cooked, tasty, perfect temp, great value for the price and ready quickly. I'll definitely make this my new spot for Asian cuisine read more

The sushi was pretty good. Service was ok. My boyfriend ordered sweet and spicy chicken and they didn't even toss it in the sauce (they just put it in a cup on the side), so that's the main reason for the three stars. read more

Peony Asian Bistro - Sweet and sour chicken bento box - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Had take out last night and very disappointed We eat there at least once a month and have for 17 years The steak hibachi was tough and very dry, the soup was so salty we could not eat. I know the times are extreme but still disappointed read more

Was seated within seconds of walking in. Waitress was very friendly and we waited less than 10 minutes for our food to arrive after ordering! The sushi here was surprisingly very good! Will definitely come here again for their amazing Pacific Roll! Absolutely fantastic! read more

Had the steamed pork dumplings and a variety of sushi rolls. Everything was fresh, well-prepared, and tasty. Buy one get one sushi roll was a great deal. Excellent service as well. read more

Peony Asian Bistro - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I love this place! I wish they were closer (though it is probably better that they aren't- I'd be there every day). Great quality and delicious food, both on the Chinese and Sushi menus. The servers are kind and attentive. Give them a try! read more

Peony Asian Bistro - Carry out menu 2 - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Thoroughly dissapointing after spending $42 on 2 main courses and 2 appetizer dishes. Where do I begin- If you're fond of mediocre, overtly sweet flavored Chinese food- this is it. My wife ordered the Sushi Burrito, which was essentially a fat version of the Kimbab or a California roll that I paid $12.50. My main course was the House Special Shrimp with mixed vegetables, I specially told her spicy and what I got was the same old, same old extra sweet sauce with no hint of spiciness with overcooked broccoli. It's nothing special here- your run of the mill Chinese food with a 30% mark up from a regular Chinese take out joint. I would skip this one if I were you. read more

The sashimi was actually pretty good, but they just got docked a star for having the motherf**king 700 Club on their TV set above the bar.

Just the best sushi! Fresh ingr and friendly service! it's a great place to OR take out!

Love this place for sushi, has great value BOGO rolls and everything we've had has been delicious. Service is usually pretty good and they're open later than a lot of other sushi restaurants in the area. read more

I've been coming to this bistro for years and ye food is alway amazing. Covid hasn't stopped their excellent quality

So, we gave them another chance and it's even worse. We went to the site she told us to and placed the order. We received an email confirmation and were told to pick up in 5 minutes. Yeah! 1 hour and 40 minutes later, still no food. My husband waited with many others. Several left. She came out and sId they didn't have our order ( an hour into this mess). Fortunately I'd printed out the confirmation and sent it with him. Then he was told the order hadn't come through. 40 minutes later he finally got our order. We live 3 minutes away. The food was cold. My sweet & sour chicken was tough and tasted like it had been refried. We won't be going back - ever. Who wants to pay for bad food and get yelled at while they are waiting for it. Not us. read more

Tried this place for the first time. Ordered extra spicy red curry chicken. (Lunch special). Presentation was nice and way more than I could eat. Included brown rice and egg roll. Amazing flavors. Peppers, snow peas, onions, mushrooms and Thai basil. Just delicious. Janet was our server, fast, friendly and efficient. read more

My favorite place for a to-go sushi. Affordable prices, always fresh and ready within 15 minutes. I always order at least 4-8 rolls. Also, their shrimp dumplings are very good. Visited this place more than 15 times, and will be coming back for more. read more

I need a Pavlov situation going in order for my husband to go shopping with me and the promise of Peking Duck at PAB does the trick every time. Peony is a no frills, Americanized hodgepodge restaurant serving up standard Asian fare. My husband comes for the duck and I come for the bento boxes.They're like a perfectly portioned buffet where you get a little sampling of everything and I dig it. As long as you come here with lowered expectations and don't expect gourmet, you will enjoy yourself. This past visit we came on a Sunday afternoon just after opening and they seemed to be very popular with the after church crowd. I for one will continue to visit when I'm in the mood to eat with chopsticks and drink a pot of hot tea. (FYI-Total Wine and DSW are in the same shopping center, your welcome). read more

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Great food- Garlic Chicken - chicken is not breaded! Fresh vegetables in the dish, not over sauced. The staff is very friendly and professional. My new favorite Asian restaurant in Chapel Hill area! read more

Laid back atmosphere, I usually get sushi and the menu/selection is great with rotating featured new roles. Presentation and quality is always great. I always recommend this place as a more 'off the beaten' path place to grab sushi. If you like waiting and waiting to go to a cramped place with average food that's just pop culture overload filled with sorority girls having OMG SUSHI NIGHT WITH THE GIRLS then you'll like Shiki - but if you want a no-nonsense place with great food and service, try Peony. read more

I like my sushi fresh, not fried. The last time I got take-out from here, there were bits of gratuitous fried flakes in every single roll, which made up 1/3 to 1/2 of the bulk. I realize we're in tough economic times, but it's not a very cost-effective business practice to sub fish with fried bits. They're not fooling anyone. I do want to note though that I've been here over a handful of times since they've opened, and I haven't always felt this way about their sushi. I used to really like it here! They're at a convenient location and used to do a good job of filling the middle-market for sushi on days when I didn't want to pay $20+ for a meal, but didn't want to resort to sushi boxes from grocery stores. Who knows? I may still give them a shot to see if they improve. I've had the Chinese food here, and thought it average. read more

I think that reading other Yelpers may have steered me wrong today on Peony Asian Bistro. I had eaten there 2 years ago and been pleasantly surprised with the two Chinese dishes I got (shrimp w/honey walnuts & chicken w/broccoli)--it wasn't Chinatown great or California good but it was better than average Chinese for this area. But after reading the reviews on Yelp, I thought I'd avoid the Chinese menu and try the sushi since so many folks thought highly of it AND 2 for 1 always is appealing. However, the sushi I had was, in short, disappointing and in one instance, inedible. I ordered the yellowtail with avocado & the eel with avocado (I was killing time since my dog was getting groomed at Petsmart). The yellowtail was so-so--I've had much better at places like Waraji & even Shiki Sushi. The eel was AWFUL--I ate two rolls, felt a bit ill, and when I tried the third I ended up spitting it out because the fish was chewy/tough and didn't taste right. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the won ton soup--the broth was flavorfull and full bodied (not like a lot of gringo Chinese places where it's watery--again, not as great as Chinatown or California Chinese but good for this area) and the 3 won tons were also tasty (and unlike some places, they did give me 3 won tons instead of a stingy single won ton). The won ton soup saved this review from being a 1-star. I may try Peony Asian Bistro a third time--this time just the Chinese menu--but I will NEVER EAT SUSHI THERE AGAIN. It was so bad that if it weren't BOGO I would have demanded that they take the eel roll off my bill. At this point, someone would have to pay me to eat sushi at this place--actually, no, you couldn't pay me to eat sushi at this place--it's THAT BAD. read more

Tried this on Sunday evening. Very generous portions and amicable staff. We spent $40 on edamame, tea, kung pao chicken, and a nice (BOGO) sushi roll. That might sound like a lot, but we had more than enough for *3* more meals afterward. I fried up my leftover chicken with some veggies, and my fiancee and I ate that the following evening. She also had the free sushi roll left, so she took that for a work lunch early this week. It was pretty cold inside. Bring a sweater/jacket if you easily get the chills. read more

We have been here twice, and both times we have been pleased with the food and service. As others have said, its primarily chinese food, with a nice sushi selection. There are two things that differentiate from the other asian/sushi restaurants in durham. 1) The bento box, priced at 995, is a fantastic deal, and you are left with a town of food! 2) The special spider roll was delicious...the soft shell crab was nice and lightly deep fried, and it seemed to be a heartier variety than the other restaurants. read more

1.5 stars for the sushi. 3 stars for the other food. I honestly don't get this BOGO concept---why not just make the sushi cheaper?? Regardless. the sushi was pretty terrible. We got both basic and special rolls and all small with too much rice, too little meat (which maybe was a blessing in disguise) and I finished it only because I was starving. For other food we got the Singapore noodles which were average quality, good quantity. Did take out so can't comment on the service. Overall unlikely to be back, and would recommend the main dishes over sushi. read more

I've never upgraded a review before, but Peony has earned it. I stand by my review about the quality of the Chinese menu being sub-par and still detest "pan Asian restaurants." However, I was taken to try the sushi and was pleasantly surprised...to the point where I've been back a few times since then. The fish tastes very fresh and they do have "simple rolls" for purists. The 2 for 1 maki everyday, all-day makes it a pretty good deal. Just remember that they will take off the cheapest rolls from your bill and count those as the free ones. Bottom line: 2 stars for Chinese, 4 stars for sushi = 3 stars. read more

Very Americanized. The sushi my friends and I ordered (we tried six varieties) was slathered in eel sauce so that they all pretty much tasted the same. Decor is really cheesy - overwhelming amount of red lighting on the interior, blown-up photos of the food on the building façade. Service is alright. Do not come here if you're expecting authentic Asian cuisine. read more

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I've been coming here for years. Reasonably priced. Great service and healthy options. Bogo on sushi! What more can you ask for. Clean establishment and friendly employees. read more

Peony Asian Bistro - Beautiful healthy sesame avocado salad! - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I found myself in the Patterson Place shopping center recently so I decided to Peony up for a late lunch at Peony Asian Bistro. The place is in a strip mall area and small-ish, but very modern and nicely decorated. I particularly like their large fish tank near the front. I had been there at least once before and ordered the shrimp and broccoli and remembered that being quite good. The lunch sushi special was two rolls + miso soup for around $10. Not a bad deal and it definitely filled me up. I wasn't crazy about the miso soup. I think it was just not one of my favorite kinds of soup. A bit too sour tasting and sea-weed-y for me, I much prefer egg-drop, but I am always willing to try something new. I liked, but didn't love my sushi rolls. One was spicy salmon and the other was crunchy shrimp. Sushi purest might frown upon their sushi as not being authentic, but to me, a non-sushi purest, it wasn't a problem that they had cooked sushi. I tend to like to like my sushi fried and crunchy! My server was very attentive, but then again I was one of only a hand-full of people in the place. Overall I wouldn't say Peony is a sushi destination. That is I wouldn't make a point to go there on the regular just for the sushi. I know there are much better sushi offerings in the area. I think their entrée items are worth checking out though. They have quite the extensive menu. Give Peony a try! I think they need some love. Every time I have been there, it hasn't been too busy. read more

Not the typical chinese food. Peony's menu is mostly chinese with Sushi and one Thai dish that I remember seeing. I have not had any sushi here just because I love the chinese dishes that much more. The potstickers are very good. The portions are large enough to ask for a "doggy bag" for the remainder of your meal. I will absolutly be back to eat here. Food A Staff B Location B Decor C Health Inspection Grade 99.0 read more

Good for average Americanized Chinese and Cheap Sushi. Like all the other places, they have BOGO sushi/sashimi. I've never had issues with the fish there and generally they give generous cuts on the sashimi. The Chinese side of the menu is fairly bland and uninteresting to me. read more

I'm from NY and its hard to find comparable Chinese food. Peony is the best Chinese in the area. Best veg fried rice. My favorite dish is fried tofu and broccoli. The service is consistent and efficient. read more

Peony Asian Bistro - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Peony and sushi should by synonymous. I heart their New Year roll and Lion King roll, but I've had 6 others and they were beautiful to look at as well as eat. My miso soup was hot and hearty. My hot sake was perfect, with the appropriate insulation around the neck of the bottle. Those in my party loved their cooked sushi, edamame, and authentic Chinese dishes, be they lightly fried or pan-seared/sauteed. Now, the 5th star was lost due to how long my party and I waited to be served, waited to have our drinks refilled, but didn't wait long for them to bring us receipts to sign. If you can move that fast for credit cards, I'll put 'em up in the air just to bring you over for wine and beer refills for my friends, people. I want to try EVERYthing on the menu, and hopefully they stay around long enough for that to happen! read more

Found my new favorite sushi spot. They're buy one get one deals unbeatable I tried the crunchy shrimp roll and got another 6 piece roll of my choice for free or about $9. They have so many different options to choose from it's great for new sushi waseaters to try a different pieces of sushi and still sticking to what you know. There's Sushi tasted very fresh read more

Peony Asian Bistro - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Peony has never disappointed. I tend to visit weekly and I am working my way through the menu. The place is always clean, the service good and the price, in a word... in... ex... pen... sive. Most days sushi is buy one get one free. For a weekly haunt, put Peony Asian Bistro on you list. read more

only good sushi tbh, and ive had sushi from many many places. it's a very good price and a very good taste.

So we're from out of state, staying at nearby hotel, ordered takeout from here, sushi and dumplings. The food was delicious. The sushi was great and so fresh. But...I had to literally leave off one star because the packets of soy sauce they give you are HORRIBLE, as in it tasted like salted water, absolutely no soy sauce taste, it was beyond weird and bad. This wouldn't matter if you're taking it home and having your own soy sauce. The dumpling sauce was pretty much just as bad lol. So, anyway, they need to step up the sauce game, like just a kikoman would be fine here...but the food was great. read more

We live so close to Peony, we come here all the time. Everyone recognizes us and has our order memorized and they are always very nice. The sushi is some of the best in the area and the BOGO makes it a great value. I always get the sashimi and my husband gets the Fantastic roll and we are never disappointed. When we move, we'll be sad to lose this place. read more

I love the food! Here it has a delicious taste to it like my mother in law says "Its made with love" and they always have great service. In addition to all that they have B1G1 on all sushi!! GREAT DEAL!! read more

I think this place just opened. They have a 2 for 1 sushi special. I ordered sushi and it didn't taste very fresh as they doused everything with lots of sauce. I could barely taste the fish or the rice. Also my friends commented that the hot and sour soup tasted funny. It has a nice decor but the food left a lot to be desired. read more

First, don't come here for sushi. Although it's cheap (buy one, get one), it's simply not good. Expect a lot of filler like fried flakes. That said, the Chinese food is decent and reasonably priced. I love their hot and sour soup, and have had a number of other dishes on the menu. It's by no means gourmet, but a solid option. I like the vegetable dishes more, like the ma po tofu. Even the pad thai, decidedly out of place, was pretty good. Have only done takeout from here, so I can't comment about the service or the atmosphere. read more

Never been brave enough to try the sushi here -- though my friends routinely get it. Used to be extremely convenient to where I lived, but I really don't have a reason to go there now that I've moved further away. It's just typical, uninspired Chinese (and a handful of other not-so-fantastically-impersonated ethnicities) food. The venue is pretty new (about 3 years), so it's modern and clean. And it never gets too crowded, so not much of a wait for service or food. read more

Peony Asian Bistro - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina