Back when I first moved to Elizabeth, NJ one of my go to places to get Chinese take out was Red Apple. The General Tsao's Tofu and Lobster Lo Mein were among my favorites. For a variety of reasons once 2010 or so rolled around I stopped getting take out from Red Apple. Recently I wanted to grab some food for dinner so I got off my bus before my stop to grab some food. This is not a sit down restaurant. You go in and order your take out, sit on a chair to wait and then head out with your food. The place looks very much the same as it did over ten years ago but they added a Hibachi extension next door. When I look back at my older review, I really feel that I should have given it 4 stars, but Yelp ratings were a tad different back then if I recall correctly. I have to say that after all this time I am very sad to give it such a low rating now. I am very sure at this point that the owners of this place are not the same ones from years ago (at the very least the chef is different). I picked up three dishes and well...read on... SHRIMP TOAST This is a Chinese take-out classic that I remember having back in New York City from several Chinese places so I've had this dish a *lot* in my time. Usually you want it to be crispy but light with a nice chew on the inside where the shrimp paste is sandwiched between two pieces of bread. For the most part they did an okay job here but the toast was fried too long. Much of the outside ranged from black to dark brown when it should really be golden brown. The flavor was good but if it had not been overcooked it would have been better. COLD SESAME NOODLES This is one of my favorite dishes from Chinese take-out places. However, it is hard to find a place that does it *well*. Even when it is only "okay" however, it has some commonalities. Usually there are egg noodles with some type of peanut or sesame based sauce, scallion and sesame seeds. Some places also add hot sauce to give it some extra kick. What Red Apple gave me was...not this. Oddly, I"m not sure *what* they gave me. The noodles were warm, the topping was a vegetable medley with...onions? There was no sesame or peanut sauce. Really, the whole dish just tasted like a light veggie lo mein which was *bizarre* and not at all what I ordered. GENERAL TSAO'S TOFU This was one of my favorite dishes from this place so I was excited to have it again. Then I saw it and I knew something was wrong. Most General Tsao's dishes should have fried chunks of something (chicken, tofu etc.) with a thick red sauce that caramelizes around the edges. The sauce should have some sweet and savory elements (and ideally a tad of spice via peppers). What I got? Was...not that. The tofu chunks were in a runny, thin sauce that tasted *terrible*. It just tasted like sugary sauce with a pile of salt on it. It was so terrible I wound up eating a few bites and tossing the rest. I'm so sad to be writing this review. I really had hoped this update would be a 4* celebration of a place I used to go to but I think I'll be staying away for a while. read more

Delicious. Love their sesame chicken, half fried chicken & boneless spare ribs. Delivery extremely fast. read more

Red Apple - Sesame Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

See all

Food is really good and they offer teriyaki and bubble tea next door but are connected

In my opinion is the best food in town to eat The owners in the family are very nice people they treat you with respect One bad thing is they don't take credit cards Another thing is is a little too expensive every year keeps going up read more

The food is good first of all. I used to use my debit card and head it deliver and now they're telling me that they don't except credit or debit card for deliveries cash only. That's not a good thing, so in that case, I do not recommend it. In my opinion, that's a big no-no. read more

I hate that I'm here with this update... absolutely hate it because this is one of my FAVORITE Chinese restaurants in North jersey but today was such a turn off for me. I ordered a shrimp and broccoli with shrimp fried rice. I didn't think to check the bag because for years, this place has never messed up an order. I understand their human though so of course things happen. Once I got home, I checked the bag and it was a chicken and broccoli. I called back to explain the mistake and after hearing a bunch of yelling in the background, the woman on the phone apologized for making the mistake and asked if I could come back to the restaurant and bring the food chicken and broccoli. I was immediately like huh? You want me to bring in the chicken and broccoli that I opened? Are you going to use it? She insisted that she wouldn't so I reluctantly agreed because I really wanted the shrimp and broccoli. I asked her how long it would take for the new order to be ready and she said 5 minutes, I got there in 15 just so that it would be quick and easy. When I arrived, I immediately showed the platter and they apologized. Now most restaurants with any level of respect for their customers either 1. Apologize, tell the customer to keep the food and provide the initial order or 2. Apologize, ask the customer to confirm the food item by bringing it in, and then tell the customer to keep it.... because EITHER WAY, ESPECIALLY NOW IN AMIDST COVID-19, there should be NO scenario where they take back the food. The owner of the restaurant took the food and insisted that I didn't have to worry and that they would throw it out. Instead of giving it to me or showing me as a customer that they would not reserve the food. She put it on one of the tables near the kitchen. I asked two times "are you sure you don't want to throw that out? Are ya'll going to reuse that ??? because I did open it when I originally thought it was my shrimp and broccoli" ... she insisted that I shouldn't worry but still did not throw it away or offer it to me to keep (which I would've ended up not eating anyway because I'm not eating chicken right now). I then had to wait a few minutes because the shrimp and broccoli wasn't even ready!!! It's as if they were preparing to not give me my correct order in addition to keeping the chicken and broccoli that I opened. All in all, it's giving reused the food that I returned. This only makes me wonder how many times this has been done before. I really hope this review causes them to revisit their policy on incorrect orders because I genuinely am in shock. I have no way of confirming that they used the food that I returned but because of their inability to offer me to keep it or throw it away in front of me, the probability is high. So eat at your own risk. Unfortunately, I will no longer be dining here for my takeout :( read more

Thank you yelp for guiding me to this restaurant! IMHO good Chinese takeout is hard to find, but for me, Red Apple has it! Chicken in garlic sauce is my go to Chinese lunch special and Red Apple did a decent job! Lots of chicken and a nice variety of vegetables in a sauce with a bit of a bite! I can't remember the last time I had pork fried rice as part of a lunch special that had more than an occasional speck of fatty pork in it, but at Red Apple there were actually pieces of tasty lean pork in the rice! You can even see them in the picture! I'm looking forward to going back for another good meal. Check it out! read more

Red Apple - Chicken with garlic sauce - Chinese Near Me - Elizabeth, New Jersey

Decided to try them out today because they always pop up on Yelp. The place is one building but on one side it's a traditional Chinese takeout spot and on the other side is a hibachi grill. I ordered the chicken teriyaki with vegetables and white rice, the jalapeño steak quesadilla and a pork egg roll. First let's address the jalapeño steak quesadilla. Why would someone order a quesadilla at a Chinese spot you ask? Sheer curiosity lol. And I'm so glad I did... it was delicious! The steak was very tasty and the tortilla was buttery and please just do yourself a favor and order it. The chicken teriyaki was really good too especially with the yum yum sauce. Only thing I didn't care for was the egg roll, the flavor was off. I'll definitely be a repeat customer. read more

See all

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I will never order from this place again. Serving people food like this they need to just shut down read more

See all

Used to go here a lot because they have bubble tea and you get to choose between Chinese and hibatchi. Then I found out they have/ had a roach/ mice infestation. I stopped going. I see them as extremely dirty now. Wouldn't eat here I'd you paid me! read more

I have to say...this is probably the best place to get bubble tea near Elizabeth/Linden/Rahway. Correct me if I'm wrong. Oh wait, I'm not. I wish Pho Minh's didn't change their bubble tea recipe...whatever they did to it makes it...not so good. Especially the strawberry. Strawberry bubble tea is how I decide how good a place's bubble tea is. This place tastes so clean and pure. I can let it sit for 5 minutes and it won't get...weird. Their Lychee flavor was really good too. They don't have as many flavors as most places...but they have enough. Which probably allows them to make quality bubble tea instead of having over the top flavors like Oreo Apple Seaweed Crunch. Or something. It's attached to a Chinese place. From the outside it just looks so... ...unassuming. Like a stereotypical Chinese Take Out place. But they have Steak Stuffed Tortilla. Like...what? Teriyaki is bangin' by the way. But Steak Stuffed Tortilla? Why? Because YOLO. That's why. read more

Its a little hard to place an order over the phone since the lady I spoke to understood very little english and i had to repeat myself multiple times. We requested delivery, and it took them a little over 1 hr. They are about 5 to 8 min away from us. The good arrived cold. I had the boneless spare ribs with vegetable fried rice, the ribs were okay and the rice was very bland, the only flavor it had was oil. My husband had the sesame chicken with pork fried rice, which was alot better and flavorful. Overall i give them 2 stars bases on order experience, delivery time and food. read more

See all

Good place. They are somewhat consistent. Pretty fast delivery and food is always ready when we call for pickup

The chicken teriyaki was delicious. I tried a vanilla bubble tea (never heard of it before) and it was pretty good.

Best Chinese Food place there will ever be. The service it's always quick and friendly as well as their delivery. They even learn your orders once you are a constant customer. The drivers are always nice and deliver without problems. My favorite always its the Special House Lo Mein and Chicken Broccoli (I specially order it with cashew nuts). Also don't forget to try their slush and bobba. It's awesome! Remember to bring cash because they don't accept cc. read more

There chinese is ON POINT! Im from atlantic city and would only order from one place cus once u find a good china resturant u go NOWHERE ELSE ..... WELL I FOUND IT HERE IN ELIZABETH N FREAKN HAPPY CUS I TRIED A GEW PLACES B4 I FOUND HERE!. GREAt authentic Chinese food im used too! Plus fast as hell!!. Omg the general chicken!! Juicy and very savory sauce!! Jus mite need a exte order of white rice cus i love the rice wit every bite but that's me!! Thankks red apple ur food and oreo desert was AMAZING!!! I EILL PROLLY CALL EVERY WEEK NOW. read more

My family has been ordering from Red Apple for YEARS and knows us as the "red house" when we call for delivery. I'm hooked on the sesame chicken and would purposely try other Chinese spots just to compare. I lived in Princeton for a couple years, tried the Chinese food around the area and in the surrounding towns and nothing has beat Red Apple's sesame chicken yet! I'd literally sit in my apartment in Princeton craving it, wishing I was back in Elizabeth just for that. I've recently moved back to a Elizabeth and I wonder if they know me by name yet... read more

One of my favorite places for Chinese food ever. I know every Chinese place serves the same food. Red Apple is one of the cleanest restaurants I've ever been to. The owners are right there cooking and answering the phone, and you can see their professionalism in everything they cook. I watched for about 15 minutes while my food was being made, and after every dish, stations were cleaned. The phone was answered quickly and customers were dealt with quickly and with courtesy. My chicken and broccoli came with the perfect amount of sauce, and the chicken to broccoli ration was about 50/50. So many places drown their food in sauce, and give you a broccoli to chicken ratio of 70/30. My spring roll was fried to perfection. This place will remain my go to spot for Chinese food in Elizabeth. read more

Chicken teriyaki was so good I randomly choose this place on yelp and I didn't regret it food was sooo good yum yum sauce was tasty too

Ill keep getting my Chicken Teriyaki from Sakura. Something was just missing. Since is was my first and last visit I can't judge anything else. The customer service was good. read more

I finally had a chance to try their Chinese food. I ordered General Tso Chicken, it was ok I asked for yum yum sauce it was good as well, but it reminds me of pink or orange mayonnaise. Just disappointed that I had to pay for it but I guess that is the way it goes with a business. Years ago, you used to always get fortune cookies. read more

This place is so good!!! the Chicken teriyaki tastes heavenly, they already know my order when I call in and are very quick to deliver! Bubble teas are pretty good too. read more

My husband orders from here almost daily. He loves their food. Sometimes I ordered with him and I've always enjoyed the food so far. Flavors are amazing. We ordered nearly $20 of food and they did not include any extras like a can soda or eggroll which is pretty standard at most places. Also don't like that it's cash only. read more

First time ordering from them and the food was AMAZING. I ordered chicken teriyaki w. White rice and veg. I also had extra chicken well done added. And I got everything I asked for. I will be ordering again from them. Food was hot still although it took a bit longer than I expected. But it's okay cause the food was good. read more

Talk about quick! Food was delivered in about 20 minutes and soooooo good. Our first time trying it and it Def won't be our last... the garlic sauce is an absolute must try! read more

Love this place Best Chinese spot in Elizabeth Get customer service fast delivery great prices!!! Just make sure you asks for extra sauce when ordering anything with broccoli lol (shrimp and broccoli beef and broccoli etc) read more

I live nearby , they are always fast ! good food . free fortune cookies I love the dinner special.

I've finally found a GREAT Chinese restaurant. Local, clean, fast and consistent. Thank you Red Apple. read more

My favorite chinese restaurant around the area.... Now they have the hibachi the yum yum sauce is yummy!!!

Still the best Chinese food to take away in Elizabeth, NJ!

Fast delivery... Ok wonton soup, great sesame chicken!

Just ate at the Red Apple Hibachi Restaurant, right next door to Red Apple Chinese. Ordered teriyaki chicken with fried rice. It came with a mildly spicy, kind of sweet cream sauce that I put on top of everything, and it was delicious. Also had a garden salad which was large, topped with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber and carrots. Everything was fresh and the ginger dressing was homemade and fresh. Enough to share! I will definitely be ordering from here again, and once word gets out, they will definitely give Sarku a run for their money. read more

Don't waste your money at this restaurant, literally thee worst Chinese food in the area.

I have to admit, their food is awesome. However, the first time I ordered they got the address wrong and when I called back two days later (food is that good lol) they made it seem as if I told them the wrong address. Well, after waiting TWO hours for my order to arrive, the driver went the wrong address AGAIN. They also forgot my bubble tea which totally sucks! Now, it was on a Friday night, but would've been nice to get a heads up on the wait time in advance considering I am 8mo pregnant and was starving haha. Food is worth a walk in for sure though! *I called back the 2nd time because I just had to try the teriyaki chicken! It was awesome with the yum yum sauce! Also tried the hibachi shrimp fried rice which tbh was a bit bland, but didn't try with any soy sauce, gave to the hubby ..p.s. their steak fried rice from the traditional Chinese menu is amazing as well read more

This place has been falling off for a while. Their food has become sloppy. My final order with these establishment was General Tso chicken. As I'm eating the chicken, I notice a texture that is not chicken. There was no chicken, something else inside. Gooey white stuff. I'm assuming it was just all breading or whatever they use. Will never order again. read more

It is a great taste take out restaurant, with great service and good amount per dish! Like it! Molly read more

This is one of the best Chinese food that I've had in a while the rice and chicken was amazing I literally ate it all every bite had so much flavor I will definitely be eating here again. Please come to this place it is definitely worth it and also they deliver don't let me forget to tell y'all the delivery is very fast . read more

Love the food I go at least 2 times a month... affordable not fancy but that's not why we come here

Such a great spot I love how clean their food taste. And they are affordable and fast.

So I just placed an order and the lady was so professional and nice haven't got the food yet I'll be back again to post