Finally MaPo Tofu. Very tasty with a generous amount of tofu in a savory sauce. Worth the trip…read morehere. Probably one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Triangle

I visited Shanghai Restaurant with my wife and our five children around 9:15 pm, specifically…read morebecause their online hours showed they were open until 10:00 pm. When we walked in, we were told we could sit, but from the start the older waitress made us feel rushed and unwelcome. She was clearly impatient and very rude to my children, getting annoyed when they spoke while we were trying to order, as if we were an inconvenience just because they wanted to close. Her attitude was extremely unprofessional, especially toward a family with kids. On top of that, they added an automatic tip to our bill without asking or getting my approval. We were just a husband, wife, and children, not a large party, so there was no reason to force a tip, especially given the rude service. Based on this experience, I do not plan to return and I would not recommend this place to families looking for respectful service.

My second visit to Shanghai Alley is exactly why I believe in second chances. I honestly was not…read morevery impressed during my first visit, but coming back again completely changed my opinion because this place really shined the second time around. They offer a huge variety of dishes ranging from classic Chinese and American Chinese food to handmade dim sum made fresh in house. Everything we tried was packed with flavor, especially the walnut shrimp which I'm still thinking about. The roasted duck and char siu were also standout dishes and you can really tell they put care into the food here. I also love that they specialize in both Sichuan and Cantonese dishes, so there's something for everyone depending on what flavors you're craving. If you want the full dim sum cart experience, definitely stop by on the weekends from 11 to 2. It made the experience feel even more authentic and fun. This visit completely won me over and I'll definitely be back to keep exploring the menu.

Go for lunch when it's slower…read more The food is out of this world. We had the custard, red bean, and pan fried pork buns along with 3 chicken lo mein. So authentic! If I could grade just on taste it would 12/10. However. The service. We waited an hour for our food after threatening to leave. An Asian couple sat down after us and got their food in 15 min. Another Asian group came in 45 min after us and still got their food before us. The waitresses were yelling back and forth to each other the whole time and we tried to flag someone down to ask for boxes and she waved us off. Another waitress said she'd take 20% off because we waited so long but it never came off the check. And it wasn't just us. This happened to 6 other people. One family got up and walked out they had waited at least 1.25 hrs, with 3 kids, and only got 2 dishes of their 5. Gordon Ramsay make them over! Because it could be so so so good if only the service was better.

We really enjoyed our first visit to Nan Xiang Express in Durham, North Carolina this week, and it…read moreleft us eager to return. We sampled a nice cross-section of the menu, including Wonton Soup, Hot & Sour Soup, Pork Siu Mai, Wontons in Spicy Peanut Sauce, and of course the Nan Xiang Signature Pork Soup Dumplings (see photos). Every dish was flavorful and well prepared, with the soup dumplings easily stealing the show. We had just returned from New York City, where we enjoyed soup dumplings at one of the most famous spots around, so our expectations were high. Impressively, the dumplings here at Nan Xiang Express -- right in North Carolina -- were every bit as satisfying. Ordering was done at the front kiosks, and from that point on the service was excellent. The staff was friendly and welcoming throughout, with plenty of smiling faces that made the experience even more enjoyable. We're very much looking forward to coming back to explore more of the menu, and we're also excited to try the brand-new location that just opened in Raleigh. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed my lunch at Nan Xiang Express! This is a fun, fast casual, yet upscale feeling…read morechain specializing in Shanghai-style Chinese foods like soup dumplings, noodles, and drinks. Heads up, the parking lot is kind of small. However, it's not too far from Duke's campus. You can order by kiosk, and sit wherever you'd like and the food came out quickly. The soup noodles were really good! They were well-sized and very flavorful. I also ordered the noodles, which were a decent portion, but didn't really stand out to me as anything special.I think the best part of Nan Xiang was the drinks. I loved the mango pomelo sago. The sago was perfectly tender and the drink wasn't too sweet. Honestly, there were so many drink options, and it was so hard to pick just one. Overall, I liked Nan Xiang express for a quick and convenient option.

Overall, pleasant experience on a Saturday during lunch time. They pushed dim sum carts and there…read morewere many options both steamed and fried. I liked that they had a menu with pictures if you needed it and that they also came by and named all the items. This is helpful especially for people enjoying dim sum for the first time. This made me believe the waitresses were rather attentive and welcoming to first time guests. When we selected our dim sum they made sure to cut it so that it was easy to share and they also reheated items so they were hotter if they came off the fried cart even without us asking. They also refilled our water several times and checked on us. The restaurant is spacious and has a lot of room outside for parking making it an easier place to bring more people for dim sum compared to other dim sum options in the Triangle area. While I believe the service and the restaurant interior/exterior made the restaurant a great candidate for future visits I do want to note that the dim sum did not seem traditionally Cantonese or up to dim sum standard. There were some dim sum items that I've never seen served in Hong Kong or at traditional dim sum restaurants. Out of the four items I ordered, not all of them were excellent either. Particularly the soup dumplings did not really have soup in them. That being said they still offer the classics like shrimp dumplings, siu mai, and others on the menu but I will have to go back and try them since I ordered other items this visit. The pricing is roughly what you'd expect to see at dim sum restaurants in this area. Overall recommend to visit if you enjoy dim sum experiences.

Food was surprisingly good. I was craving dim sum in a barbecue state. Spare ribs in black bean…read moresauce, stir fried udon noodles, Chinese broccoli, sui mai, eggplant stuffed with shrimp and sesame balls were all delicious! I love chicken feet but these were not good. It had a weird aftertaste and not as tender. The beef stew was okay but I wouldn't get it again. Soup dumplings were dry. Gyozas were not crispy. There's a bit of a language barrier with the servers. I asked for no onions/scallions in the fried rice or stir fry udon. Upon checking my receipt, it was marked "no veg" and when I asked my server she said "it's just easier to say no veg." I told her we would've liked the carrots and bean sprouts, just no onions/scallions. The conversation was a fail so I gave up. The fried rice lacked color but had nice flavor. Ambiance is great. Wonderful decor indoors with ample seating. I would return when in the area again.

Sat outdoors and loved the ambience. Customer service is good and my kids were happy when they…read morehanded them few Pokémon cards and that kept them busy. Loved their Shrimp tacos with Basil in it and will be going if we are near to place.

The food at KoKyu is really wonderful!! Super flavorful and excellent vegetarian and vegan options…read more Loved the tofu bulgogi and seasoned fries with honey mustard. However I am giving a 3 star review because it makes me sad that, 1) Ordering is done via QR code, which necessitates that patrons take out their phones to begin their dining experience, 2) food is given in take out containers even when dining in, and 3) no fountain drinks, so no free refills! These are major restaurant pet peeves for me, detracting from the experience of dining at this otherwise delicious Durham restaurant. I feel that for a $35 meal (impossible burger, fries, and tip) the ambience should match the high quality of the food. Please consider making these changes KoKyu, as I would come back again and again if these aspects were changed!

Great food at great prices. Super friendly owner. It's always a pleasure to see and talk with her…read more They will customize items. You need to give them a try. Budget friendly too. It's not just takeout. They have seating and seating for family style.

| Overview + Fast &…read morefriendly customer service + Beef in garlic sauce was well-cooked - Overpriced for the amount of food - Small amount of rice - Menu lacks images - Amount of meat is questionable despite a bunch of vegetables burying them. - Ambiance is not inviting. - They said they ran out of pork belly for the pork dish my wife ordered. | Overall Score: 2.3 | Recommended Alternative Taipei 101 in Cary - has more reasonable prices, larger amount of food for less price, clearer menu, and better ambiance.

This restaurant pleasantly surprised me. I'm honestly not a huge Chinese food person, and when…read morepicking restaurants, it's usually not something I naturally gravitate toward. I was actually a little nervous going in because certain Chinese dishes tend to upset my stomach, so I tried to avoid some of the heavier noodle and chicken dishes that normally do that to me. Honestly, I think that was the best decision because I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and felt completely fine afterwards. I started with the crab rangoons, which were perfectly creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside -- absolutely delicious. Then I tried the pork-filled bao buns, which was my first time ever having them, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed them too. Everyone else at our table seemed to really enjoy their food as well. I genuinely didn't hear a single complaint. We also ordered some drinks that were delicious, and both our server and the rest of the staff were absolutely fantastic and very welcoming throughout the night. The atmosphere and vibes inside are honestly one of the coolest parts of the experience. It somehow feels like a mix between a brewery, a florist, a bookstore, and a Chinese restaurant all at once. It's such an interesting and unique space that doesn't really feel like anywhere else. Overall, this was a great experience, and I would absolutely come back to try more items on the menu.

This is a one stop shop, brewery, flower shop, library/book store and dim sum restaurant!…read more The food. Really really good dim sum. I stopped in just a they were opening on a Friday and thank goodness I showed up when I did, this place gets packed quick and you should book a reservation to be on the safe side. I was most excited about the duck egg rolls but ended up being my least favorite not because they were slightly on the dry side. Flavor was good, and the hoisin honey sauce really helped! The seafood dumplings were second best, stuffed full. The soup based was amazing and it also came with some bread for dipping in the leftover sauce. The pork and chive shumai were my favorite! A little bit bigger than bit sized but worth the mouth full! Absolutely would recommend. I'll 100% be back for more food. The bar side looked to be more casual, the dinning room was full of high tea attire so I did feel a little under dressed, thought it would be slightly more casual. They have the cutest library with free books to read but only while you dine in. The flower and book shop are in the middle of the space. Super cute, limited options but great for a last minute bouquet!

Decided to come here for a weekday dinner on a whim & so glad that we did! This was also my first…read moreforay into Downtown Cary, which is super cute. We got the: - Scallion Roasted Beef Pancake Roll: Definitely recommend getting this as an appetizer! The scallion pancake is super crispy with unbelievably tender beef inside & perfect amount of sweetness from the hoisin sauce. - Griddle Chicken with Mixed Vegetables: I've never eaten anything like this before, and absolutely loved it. Loved all the spices- cumin, fennel, doubanjiang- & the mala essence; the crispy, tender chicken; and the variety of vegetables, especially the lotus root. - Shrimp Ho-Fun: The shrimp were tender & the wide rice noodles have such a fun, bouncy texture; a flavorful dish. - Spicy Boiled Fish: The fish was super flaky; Taipei 101's version of this has a bit less mala flavor than I like, but this was still tasty. - Chinese Braised Pork: The pork was tender with a good amount of fat and I appreciated the bok choy, but it was a bit too sweet for me. Ambiance is nice, lots of tables. Service was fast. There are parking spots in front of the restaurant, but a little limited in number. 10/10 would recommend!

This was by far the most disappointing Chinese meal I've had. The scallion pancakes barely had any…read morescallions--maybe one piece in each--and when I mentioned it, the server insisted that's just how they prepare them. The vegetable lo mein was just as underwhelming, with only a small amount of carrots, scallions, and broccoli, lacking real flavor while somehow being overly salty. We also ordered the eggplant with basil, but the sauce was thick, overly sticky, and tasted more like sugar than anything else. I can't understand how this could be considered authentic. We had visited this restaurant about ten years ago, and the quality has clearly declined since then.

In town for my niece's graduation and went here for her graduation celebration. This place is no…read morefrills but the food is great. We ordered several dishes and my favorite are the dan dan noodles, crispy fish and sesame tofu. I didn't take any pictures since we were all hungry. The only glitch was my brother ordered salt and pepper calamari and the waitress thought we said salt and pepper ribs. I didn't think she spoke or understood English very well. She was the only waitress working. We were the only customers there and slowly there were more.

This restaurant is conveniently located in Carrboro with parking available. I ordered the mapo…read moretofu, Kung Pao lotus root, eggplant with garlic sauce all to-go. The staff member I interacted with was super kind and gave me extra fortune cookies and utensils, which I appreciated. The vibe is definitely hole in the wall, but you can tell it's a family-run and that they care a lot about the food. The food was solid and it had that mala flavor that I was looking for. Portion sizes were pretty generous and they gave me a ton of rice with each dish. Overall, decent Sichuanese food!

A nice small and clean space in the shopping center. Very friendly staff. Crisps were brought with…read moreno sauce but probably because I chose Hot and Sour soup to accompany my lunch. The soup was very tasty with just enough spice. My meal was was the Black Bean sauce with chicken and fried rice. It was tasty with a good balance of meat to vegetables and just the right amount for lunch. I will be back to try some other dishes. Deserves a 3.5 but can't give that with this app.

Should have known better to avoid the Chinese side of the menu when an early-listed item was…read more"offal" !!!!! The alleged Chinese-side pork dish I ordered (priced at $19) was nothing but lard in a brown sauce - the most wretched restaurant entry ever served to me. Diners beware! Would have given zero stars if that was possible.