My wife and I really love Chinese food and this place looked good based on Yelp reviews. The restaurant layout seemed like a more upscale restaurant. The waitress seemed impatient that we didn't order right away or a few minutes later. The food really bombed for me. Flavoring was great but the King Pao Chicken I ordered was mostly the fatty parts of the bird and some pieces were hard from using tendons. My wife got the Chicken Lo Mein and it was better than my dish. Wrong building for low end Chinese food. Very unimpressed!! read more

Came here for lunch, with a group of 6, without a reservation, following UVA graduation. Even though the place was packed with graduating students and their families, the host went out of his way to accomodate us, which we appreciated greatly. While I'm a bit horrified by the health violations cited in the review below, the restaurant seemed clean and the food was actually pretty good. Nothing was "above and beyond", but it was solid Chinese. The beef with garlic sauce was a group favorite. read more

There are not many restaurants of this style in Charlottesville, with big tables and food made and served for sharing, so its always a nice change coming here. Make sure you come with a group, as you'll be able to order and share different dishes. This is szechuan-style food, so most of it is very spicy. Personal favorites are the fried eggplant appetizer, scallion pancakes, braised fish in chili sauce, bamboo fish, the spicy braised tofu dish, and most of the stuff served in clay pots. I would avoid the more familiar Chinese take-out menu fare, like general tso's chicken or orange chicken. This place makes szechuan food and makes it well, leave the other things to the many take-out spots. The service is fine, nothing special, sometimes can be slow if the place is busy, but overall very friendly. read more

Sadly, our last experience here was not that great. We ordered three entrees and pork dumplings. The dumplings were very good but everything else was meh. We ended up mixing some of the dishes together to give them more flavor. When we left we all basically agreed that we wouldn't go back. This may be one of those places where you have to really know what to order in order to enjoy it. Sad because I liked it a lot the first few times I went. read more

I travel frequently (and around the world), and have sampled Chinese food in many different places: San Francisco, Portland, New York, Chicago, and so on. Charlottesville is lucky to have Peter Chang's--the quality measures up to what you'd find in a major city. And it's far better than what you might get in a typical Midwestern or Southern town. Peter Chang's offers dishes that I've never had anywhere else, and that I'll remember my entire life. Most of them are appetizers, including the dry-fried eggplant (a must-have), the Szechuan bean noodles in Szechuan sauce, and shredded tofu skins. Fabulous every time. I'm also a fan of their Szechuan green beans and shredded chicken/pork dishes. My partner loves the cumin beef. Some of the entrees are just average in comparison, but still very good. If my family ever visited me in Charlottesville, I'd take them to Peter Chang's for dinner the first night. It's special. read more

The Bamboo Fish is one of the best Chinese dishes that I have ever eaten. Light crisp batter surrounding juicy tender flounder dusted with cumin and pepper powder, tossed with cilantro and hot dried chilies. read more

Peter Chang's China Grill - Grandmas stir fry pork - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Dry fried eggplant came highly recommended by the server so we tried it as the appetizer. I don't recall a picture of a hot pepper on the menu (to designate spiciness) but this stuff was pretty spicy to me (a non spice eater). Delicious texture - you'd never know you were eating eggplant. For our main courses, my bf and I had a few questions for the server. Since none of the items on the menu have a description, it is unclear whether/what kind of sauce is on the meal, or what vegetables are included, etc. The server not only didn't know how to answer our questions, but he stood there awkwardly/uncomfortably for way too long with no helpful information to guide us to a decision. We ended up getting a tofu and vegetables in a crock pot (me) and Kung Pao chicken (for him). The chicken dish was designated as one pepper spicy but was nearly too hot for my spice-loving bf - can't enjoy a meal if it's burning your mouth off, can you? My tofu meal had a ton of tofu and vegetables in a hot broth. Nothing special as far as seasonings, but for $11 it was a good amount of food (took most of it home). In summary: good food, poor service (at least this one particular guy). But wait, there's more: My other complaint is simply a nit-picky one. The nice handpainted signs for the restrooms are beautiful but contain the following error: "His" and "Her's". Oh apostrophe, who invited you to the party? read more

Ended up in the Hook on a Saturday evening and looking for a place to eat. The Corner and the Mall were packed with students and visitors so I headed towards the strip centers of Barracks Road when Peter Chang's caught my eye. I'm a big fan of the Richmond site but had heard mixed reviews of the C'ville location so thought I would drop in and make my own decision. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. First for being able to get a table on a Saturday night at 6pm but also for the high quality of the food. The dried fried mushrooms and tea-smoke duck were very good. The duck was a bit more dry than I would have preferred and included a couple pieces with no discernible meat on the bones but otherwise a perfectly cromulent meal ... especially when compared to the other restaurants in the vast culinary wasteland of Barracks Road. read more

It used to be my favorite restaurant to visit whenever I visited Charlottesville in the past, but its quality and authenticity has gone down. My friends and I had dinner here last night and we ordered about 9 dishes and soup to share. Overall it was an acceptable meal but I would not say it was authentic Chinese food based on its taste. read more

I think that some reviews from the first days it opened are dragging down the rating for Peter Chang's. But this is clearly one of the best restaurants in Charlottesville. I used to love Taste of China, but its quality started going downhill right after the New Yorker article was published about it; the quality of food at Peter Chang's, which started strong, has actually improved over time. Tofu Skins in Chili Sauce is a standout appetizer--not something I was familiar with before the restaurant opened, but now I'm addicted. Dry Fried eggplant has always been excellent. The bubble pancakes come with a pleasant curry sauce. The lunch entrees tend to be amazing, especially Chicken with Mushrooms, Shredded Chicken with Smoked Tofu, and Kung Pao anything. American-style chinese entrees are equally good. General Tso's and Shrimp with Broccoli are tremendous. Dinner specials are usually excellent--fish filets in house special sauce, for example, was really, really good. Don't expect too much from the service, which is friendly and serviceable but typically a bit awkward. But who cares about conversation with servers when the food is this good? read more

Only doing takeout. Had 2 shrimp dishes. The shrimp used to be large and very flavorful. Now they are small and have less taste, perhaps are now frozen. I suspect Covid financial constraints have influenced freshness of their food. read more

Overall 2/5 As an American who has spent years of his life in China, I am perpetually on the hunt for good Chinese food in the US. I am very sad to say that China Grill did not deliver. If you don't know what Chinese food is suppose to taste like, or perhaps prefer Americanized Chinese food, then this will be a good bet for you. I, however, did not find what I was looking for at China Grill. Food 2/5 We had the crab and asparagus soup (lusun xierou tang), dry fried eggplant (ganbu qiezi), vegetable tofu and fish hotpot (shucai doufu yupian bao) and sauteed lamb with green peppers (nanru yangyrou). The soup was fairly tasteless. The eggplant was overly oily and tasted like the chef was trying to make eggplant french fries. The tofu and fish hotpot was ok, but the flavor was not quite right. The lamb was just not that special. In all of the dishes they used American cilantro (xiang cai) instead of the Chinese version which has a very distinct taste (others may disagree). This only added to things tasting not quite right. Overall the food tasted Americanized and not that tasty. This is definitely not Sichuan food. Service 2/5 My party was seated promptly and the food came out quickly. However, our server was American who spoke no Chinese and knew nothing about Chinese food. When I asked what kind of tea was available she said, "you know, hot tea." Not her fault, but not what I want at a good Chinese restaurant. Particularly in an area like Charlottesville where there are plenty of Chinese you could hire. Atmosphere 4/5 Our booth was clean and I thought the overall restaurant looked nice. A nice change of pace from the cheesy neon lights and cheap sculpture of dragons and fish. But you know, I didn't come for the atmosphere... In sum, China Grill let me down. I expected a lot from Peter Chang and he did not win me over. Is China grill better than the wide array of cheap, Americanized Chinese places in Charlottesville? Yes sure. However, I would not rate it as good Chinese food. And I see no reason to pay that much more to go eat here. Taste of China is better. read more

I went here to join a wedding which is close to UVA and I found this restaurant. I read the previous yelp reviews which combined both bad and good. My family have tried 7-8 dishes here and I think this place is pretty good. The environment is not decent, but the dishes are very well made! Good sichuan flavor! read more

Being from Richmond Virginia area we have two Peter Chang restaurants close by to choose from. They are both very good Restaurants. However the Charlottesville Virginia restaurant is not up to par. The inside of the restaurant needs a lot of work. It looks very old and dirty. The service was good though and the good was good, but not exceptional like the Richmond restaurants. read more

Walked in at 4:15 to get something to go and hostess didn't know how to take the order and asked me to wait "10 or 20 minutes." Maybe the restaurant should open when they are ready to open for dinner, like at 5:00 or so? It might make things easier for them. read more

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant ever. I go as much as possible. The hot and numbing dishes are incredibly delicious.

The curry seafood soup comes out piping hot and bubbly in a stone pot. It includes scallops, huge shrimps, flounder fish, and vegetables. Just thinking about eating it on this cold day makes me drool. This is by far one of the best dishes I've had at a Chinese restaurant! My family always visit this restaurant when the go down to UVA to visit my sister. They are usually picky when it comes to eating out but they really like this restaurant! read more

Our trio visited for the first time on Friday night and were immediately seated without a reservation. This could be because all the undergrads are gone for the summer, but I'm not complaining. We tried the dry-fried eggplant appetizer, hot and numbing hotpot, and the braised fish in chili sauce hotpot, which were all spicy dishes. The dry fried eggplant has a crispy salty-peppery exterior, almost like a french fry, but with the smushy interior expected of cooked eggplant. It sits on a bed of pan fried cilantro. The hot and numbing hotpot was a light golden broth with braised fish and clear rice noodles, whereas the chili hotpot was a deep red also with clear rice noodles. Note that the portions for the hotpots are very generous, even with three hungry adults. One hotpot could have easily been shared by two adults, as we left stuffed and with containers of leftovers. We had no issues with service. Drinks were served quickly and water glasses filled frequently. We would love to return soon! read more

This place is alright for Chinese food. It's all about spice. Honestly I felt that it was pretty much only about spice. Personally, I think you have to do more than that even if you're highlighting Szechuan cuisine. My party ordered 3 apps and 6 entrees. The Hot & Sour Soup that can with the lunch special was your typical soup, but it was more on the hot side - it was a little red.* Bubbly Scallion Pancake - think of roti puffed up. Lacked scallions, but tasty with the curry sauce Spring rolls - for the kids, I didn't even taste it Xiao Long Bao - good, but took 15 min. Juicy, but there was no ginger in the sauce they provided. Fragrant Duck - pretty good, fried, spicy but it could have been any meat - it's cut so small and fried to a crisp that there was a lack of taste of the original duck Eggplant - extra sweet, but not bad Hot Pot with Beef - this was pretty spicy. It didn't make me cry but I realized the redness of the "broth" basically made me think the hot and sour soup was a watered down version of this Twice cooked pork - thinly sliced like it was bacon with some veggies Dried Fried Green beans - not bad, I could cook it at home, nothing too crazy, actually not that spicy. Seafood noodles - lacking in quantity of noodles, this was mainly for the kids - a little watery. ____ Contrary to other reviews, I thought the service was alright. I wasn't amazed by the food though. To me food is beyond spicy coming from a lot of peppers. You have to show me some technique as well. I think this part of the city may be lacking in authentic Chinese food, so I think it's the best you may get around. Some one pointed out on Peter Chang's wikipedia that he has opened several places, cooked for a Chinese president and the Chinese embassy . . . that's all fine and dandy. He could be a great chef, but I do not think he leave a good legacy of consistent QA behind him. I'd rather see a chef stay somewhere and perfect his style and continue to innovate than just move around. read more

Luckily the service was great and our waiter was attentive. This was the first time I've had Chang's food. We started with the scallion bubble pancakes and the coriander fish rolls, both of which were delicious. Then we had the Szechuan Beef in Hot Pot and Basil Chicken. The Szechuan Beef was very spicy, and the portions were HUGE (I'd recommend sharing with a friend). The Basil Chicken was cooked well with a mild sauce. I'd recommend making reservations. I'd love to go back and try more menu items; they were out of certain Duck dishes when we were there. Update: Went back for lunch. Again, the service was great, but I was disappointed with the portions and presentation of the lunch entrees. The Peter rolls were not so great. The Szechuan items were good, but not as impressive as dinner, and our friends' Orange Chicken and Sesame Chicken meals were subpar. read more

I went in April and made a reservation - the place was packed but we were seated promptly. At least the Saturday night we went, service was not exceptional but neither did it detract from the meal. To the food: it is very good. The deep-fried eggplant and szechuan green beans were both excellent, with the eggplant now being one of my favorite Chinese dishes. The crispy duck was the best meat dish were had; having typed those words I swear that I am actually salivating. We had some sort of Chicken in brown sauce (it had a fancier name but I can't remember it), which was savory but not overly different from what you'd get at any good Chinese restaurant. The bottom line is that this is a place to order adventurously, and hopefully the early service problems have abated. read more

Been here twice, and it's rapidly becoming appointment dining any time I'm in Charlottesville. The ambiance is that of your typical semi-upscale Chinese sit-down restaurant. Service is good, though I wouldn't describe it as friendly. But still, the rice comes out and the water stays filled, and frankly, my service standards for Chinese food are pretty low, so they get a solid pass. The food, though. The food, at least what I've had of it, is absurdly good. The hot & numbing shredded tofu skins might be one of the most special dishes I've eaten in the past few years; cold, bright, spicy, acidic, salty, savory, electric. They're almost worth the drive from Northern Virginia on their own. Kung Pao chicken has a pleasantly robust spicy-sweet flavor, so unlike the bland dish you find at corner takeouts. The Shan City chicken is similar, but less saucy, and with a crispy dry-fried texture that brings to mind the feathery crunch of good tempura. The seafood hot pot is a cornucopia of fish and seafood in a miniature cauldron of numbingly spicy Szechuan broth. Sometimes the rice is a little lukewarm, or the service a little abrupt, or the food brought out a little out of sync, but I'll be honest: you're really not going to find Chinese food of this caliber very many places. So enjoy it here. read more

This Charlottesville Asian restaurant was delicious. The hot and sour soup was the perfect consistency and had a great flavor. The steamed pork dumplings were fresh, well seasoned, and perfect for sharing. The Kung Pao beef had a sweet and savory sauce with a great blend of fresh red peppers and asparagus. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys Chinese food. read more

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Given Peter Chang's reputation, we had high expectations for this place - and we were not disappointed. The location is strange, but I understand that is almost Mr. Chang's style: sneaking awesome cuisine into a really random location. They're in the Barracks Road strip mall. Why not relocate to the downtown mall? Class up the joint? The menu is large and overwhelming, and unfortunately because of a language barrier, we did not get any guidance from our waitress on picking between similar choices. I went with two other people, and we devoured: - Hot & Spicy Soup - Veggie Spring Rolls - Pork Belly - Steamed Buns - Twice Cooked Beef - Spicy & Fragrant Duck They have a small selection of beers and a large wine list. The three of us ran up a $70 total, which was not too bad. My favorite dishes were the Pork Belly and the Duck; both fried to crispy perfection, light and flavorful. Also worth noting was the sauce that came with the Steamed Buns. One of my dining companions is a total food snob, and said the Hot & Spicy Soup was the best he's ever had. We'll definitely be back. read more

We order stirred fried hot pot and general tso chicken with bang bang Shrimp. Food was mouth, stomach and taste buds numbingly good. read more

Peter Chang's China Grill - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

It's a solid joint all around. It's not an American Chinese joint, it's toward more traditional Chinese Chinese... The menu is balanced well between smaller simple portion to fancier gourmet taste. Most dishes are on the spicy side, although there are non spicy options to choose from. Few of our perpetual favorites are bubble pancakes, dry fried eggplant, and pork belly.. We haven't had a bad experience so far. Recommended. read more

This place has very good Chinese food for the area. My favorites here are those bubble pancakes and eggplants. yum read more

Peter Chang's China Grill - Chinese Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Very disappointed in the most recent visit. The stir-fried Shredded Smoked Duck (spicy) ($25) only have skin pieces.

You know... I don't really get the hype. I know a lot of people who loveeee Peter Chang's. The past few times I've been, the dishes I've ordered have been lacking in flavor. I ordered a basil chicken recently that I'm pretty sure had no basil and only chili peppers for flavor. Their scallion bubble pancakes are no joke, but I think that's the only memorable dish I've had here. read more

. Sorry man, my dog wouldn't even eat it. I lived in Asia for many years and I can tell you I'd rather eat a can of spam. read more

I was really looking forward to finally eating at Peter Chang's after hearing so much about it. We went today at 5:00 pm and my companion ordered General Cho's chicken I ordered the Drypot entree. Her chicken came first and I had a taste. Delicious! All white meat with a thin breading - and a nicely balanced sweet and sour sauce. Next came my Beef Drypot sizzling on a Sterno base. It looked wonderful - lots of vegetables and strips of beef. First bite - nicely spicy. A few more tastes and it dawned on me that the beef was way too salty Too salty to eat. Disappointed, I pushed it away and helped finish the large portion of chicken. The waitress asked me if something was wrong and I told her the dish was too salty to eat. She was very apologetic but did not offer to take it off the bill. I sent back an entire dish, paid the full bill and left. I will not be returning to Peter Chang's Charlottsville again and will not recommend it to anyone. Period. read more

We discovered this gem from the Charlottesville 29 list. It fills a niche for quick Chinese take out but also provides the option to have a pretty nice sit down meal. The much lauded dry fried eggplant was excellent. There was probably a whole eggplant in the serving and it was mixed with a spicy cilantro salad that was absolutely delicious. I thought the scallion bubble pancakes were a little boring. They're obviously very visually interesting but ultimately it's just fried savory batter. They come with a dipping sauce that was OK, but I actually preferred dipping them in the broth/sauce of just about everything else we got. I ordered the mushroom hot pot which had probably a pound of mushrooms (mostly crimini but other varieties as well) and other veggies in a spicy broth. My husband ordered the "golden mountain" (a chef specialty, though definitely has an Americanized vibe) and was pretty happy with that. You should note that the spiciness level is dictated by the dish rather than DIY. I usually order medium-level spicy when given the choice, but honestly the "one pepper" spicy here was about my limit. All the food was delivered quickly (like...very quickly). The value here is incredible. My husband and I ordered two appetizers and two entrees, well aware that it was going to be too much food. After tax and tip, this was about $60. However, this much food translated into literally 8 individual meals when including the leftovers. The service was great, and the waitress helped us with the many leftover boxes we needed! read more

I wish I could give this place more stars. The server, Candy, was awesome! She made great recommendations. Trying to explain how good the scallion bubble pancakes are would be impossible. The spring rolls are very crispy and delicious. I had the Golden Mountain Chicken as an entree...again delicious. Overall a fantastic experience. Please, for the love of all things holy and not holy, try the bubble pancakes. read more

Eh.... Kung Pao Chicken. Heavy, thick sauce. Only three pieces of red bell pepper. Diced, dark meat chicken...spongy feeling. read more

FOUR BUT FOR A COOKIE! Great for dinner. We had wonderful spread and the ghost beef is amazing if you like it really hot. We also copied number 38 from an obviously local couple - the numbing combo. Simply superb. In fact, everything was perfect until we asked for fortune cookies for my five year old girl, the promise of which induced her to eat all her broccoli and chicken, and they informed us that they have never served fortune cookies. WTF. Throw some under the friggin counter Chang. We will be back but now I gotta find a Chinese fortune cookie wholesaler. Would it be so hard; albeit stereotypical, to cater to American whimsy. Jokes aside, go here and be brave on the menu but not if you want a cookie for your sweat five year old. read more

This is the first time we are being asked for more tips in US. It happened yesterday at dinner time. We are a party of 5 and our bill is $105 before tax, we gave $16 for tip. We are asked by waiter that we should give at least 15%, apparently, she used after tax amount to calculate, but I don't think we should tip on tax. And I did not think her service is so good to deserve any amount higher than this. Very bad experience! read more

I want my money back Horrible service enough said Don't waste your time please I wouldn't even give them one star if I could.. read more

Had heard a lot of hype about this restaurant. Finally tried tonight and was not that impressed. Bang Bang shrimp was pretty tasty but soggy. Unfortunately this town has a lot to learn about good food! I would almost say that Szechuan is as good. I had the crispy pork belly which was WAY over cooked. Pork belly is a special thing. They MURDERED it. Dry and tasteless. Won't be back. read more

Great chef. Very poor service. And worse customer relations. Asked for a bit less spicy hot, and was told to order something else. Wow! Ate there twice to be sure. Never again. Love the original Taste of China, where Chang started in Charlottesville. They have all the great dishes, and will prepare to your taste. Of course it's filled with Chinese customers, and they'll even make a dish that's not on the menu if requested. read more

We had a tofu that smelled very bad. We summoned the Chinese male manager, who was extremely rude and asked "so what do you want" with no apologies. Very, very bad experience. PS the dishes have become small as well. read more