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    Yan Zi Lou

    3.9 (54 reviews)
    ModerateChinese
    Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Yan Zi Lou Photos

    Business Info

    YAN ZI LOU ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Lobster Supreme
    Cindy M.

    We had our Christmas Dinner here. Super fresh ingredients. They did a specialist lobster dish for us as well. It was the best meal! Highly recommended for any dinner.

    Broccoli chicken  Chow

    Man the broccoli and beef was good put the chow main was dry the customer service was bad the lady's were being very rude never asked us if we wanted water or anything ignored us when we tried to ask for something other from that these 2 plates and spring roles were 45 they were being very racist to us because we're Mexican. Only the two Mexicans in a restaurant the rest were like Chinese people and white people in their are treating them really good except for us. I did not feel comfortable eating here or felt like they wanted us to be there at all because they just brushed us off. Very poor service

    Curry Chicken
    Kurt P.

    What makes a good Chinese restaurant- Round tables. Most tables in this restaurant are round, this allows those seated at the same table to share food family style. I don't understand why so many Americans are so against sharing food, or that matter trying different foods. Round tables allow just that especially since there table all have lazy susans incorporated in the middle. I have been to this restaurant twice now. Did not write the address down the first time I went and was distracted as I arrived late in the evening and was rather tired. The first time I dined, I had Singapore noodles and they nicely spiced and had a great variety of meats and seafood. The second time I dines I had a simpler dish: Curry chicken. Curry chicken is not always offered at Chinese restaurants since they are tailored to American tastes. As Americans are eating hotter foods this dish should become more popular. I have had curry chicken since the 80s and I loved it then and love it now. Its hard to find good curry however, they do it right, though I would like to see more chinese vegetable than green peppers and onions do most of the population of this dish. The servers are very happy and the service is good. I will be back soon!

    Menu (Dec 2024)
    Charlie T.

    This is a solid place to get some authentic Cantonese style food. We ordered a good amount of food to share among the table. Some of the standout dishes to me were the beef chow fun as it had a good charred/smoked flavor on the noodles, the pork rib sizzling pot had really good flavors, roast pork, and the sizzling beef. The veggie dishes were a good balance to the meat dishes (it was sad that they ran out of the seasonal veggies). My friends enjoyed the fish and the egg flower soup. The only dish that was mediocre to them was the calamari.

    Joe B.

    First thing it DO NOT get the egg rolls. They are horrible and pre made. It always amazing me that places like this make everything from in house including roasting the duck and pork but take shortcuts on egg rolls. What a shame. Well that being said this place is the real deal. Everything in the main dish category we ordered was fabulous, we probably should have ordered one less dish. Clay pot was very hot, those things keep temp and very filing and the noodles dishes were also just what we wanted. We got there at end of lunch and while eating it must have been staff meal time, just watching what they got to eat for lunch make me want to come back and try those other dishes. As others probably have mentioned its a small parking lot and also easy to miss.

    BBQ Pork
    Johnny L.

    Finally found the Best Chinese (Cantonese) food here in Portland! YES! had and absolutely recommend their (1) Beef Chow Fun - full of smoky wok flavor.. should have been listed as Chef Special.. full of scallions; (2) Honey Walnut Prawns - perfectly executed.. big, quality, crispy prawns over perfect honey mayo glaze with walnuts; (3) Salted Fish dish.. freaking good and delicious..; (4) Garlic Spare Ribs - full bulbs of garlic.. tasty and tender as hell clean restrooms quite a bit of seating they have great, personable service

    Calamari was tasty and hot coming out !

    Small restaurant - Food very good ! Everything we orders was good ! Parking a little challenging !

    Roast BBQ Pork.
    Eric S.

    I had an incredible no-holds-barred feast at Yan Zi Lou today and am excited to post a 5 star review. That said, you do need to know what you are doing (as with all Asian cuisines) and order the right thing as even the best restaurants can't turn a cream cheese ragoon into something a lot more promising then it is. Yan Zi Lou's secret is that they will cook any seafood you bring to them to order. It's not cheap but great food isn't cheap. Today I wanted seafood I can't enjoy (because I live in Colorado, a land-locked state where fresh seafood is challenging to obtain) and that meant a trip first to ABC Seafood Company (on Powell Blvd) where they have incredibly fresh (live) seafood. I picked out a salt water fish (they taste way better than fresh water fish) and a dozen razor clams and headed over to Yan Zi Lou. It helps to speak Cantonese at a Cantonese restaurant but I stuffed my face. The razor clams were prepared (at my request) stir-fried with an XO sauce; the fish was steamed. There is a service charge to bring your own seafood but that's expected (the restaurant still has to clean, prepare, cook and pay its staff). Also enjoyed very properly roasted (Chinese style) pork, pork shoulder meat (also roasted), seasonal vegetable (Chinese cauliflower). It was more than we (5 people) could eat and we had plenty to take home to enjoy later. If you want amazing seafood (remember, that has a price tag to it) bring something live here and enjoy it. I always recommend fish steamed and crabs sampan style. I like clams wok'd (stir-fried) with XO sauce. I didn't have to eat the rest of the day. Totally enjoyed the experience.

    Egg whites fried rice
    Wendy S.

    This is a restaurant my family goes to at least once a week. It's an average Chinese restaurant. They are very accommodating but the food is hit or miss. I feel like 9/10 times, their vegetable dishes are always too soggy for me. If you like your veggies tender, this is definitely the place to go. We have big family lunches here and order a lot of food. Not everything we order is from the menu so don't be alarmed at some of the photos I post. The servers are great. They fill our tea constantly and change our plates whenever they need to be changed. The parking in this little plaza can be pretty horrid when the other restaurants are open too. There's also a little alley next to it where you can park, but don't put too much hope into that either.

    My pretty wife enjoying the tea

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    2 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

    Outstanding food! Fantastic service! We loved the home feel and were surprise at such a fair price for the serving sizes

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    7 months ago

    Friendly service with delicious food. My favorite was the duck and seafood soup. I can't wait to go back.

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    8 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Their menu has changed. I used to get the enoki mushrooms with tofu but it's no longer in the menu. The roast duck is still good.

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    3 years ago

    Excellent and authentic Cantonese food. Fresh ingredients and very good service. Prices are reasonable.

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    3 years ago

    Lots of tasty food for the price. Roast Duck, chicken chow mien, spicy rice noodles Singapore style was very good.

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    9 years ago

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    Duck House Chinese Restaurant

    Duck House Chinese Restaurant

    3.9
    (1.2k reviews)
    5.1 mi
    $$

    Duck House is absolutely incredible! Let me start by saying…read moreChinese food is usually not my first choice when dining out, but this place completely changed my mind. Every dish we ordered was off-the-charts delicious. We had: * Garlic dry green beans * Szechuan Dan Dan noodles * Beef dry pot * Pork soup dumplings I wouldn't change a single thing--everything was perfectly seasoned, full of flavor, and served fresh and hot. The service was friendly and attentive without being overbearing, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting, great for a relaxed night out. If you're even thinking about trying this place, stop thinking and just go. Duck House is now officially at the top of my dining list!

    Came here on a Friday night, and I was pretty disappointed by the quality of the food…read more We got Mandarin Crispy Chicken and Chicken Fried Rice. The fried rice's flavor was pretty muted..I prefer a little saltiness in my fried rice and it honestly had barely any salt? It tasted like plain rice with a little soy sauce and maybe oil flavor? Just not very aromantic in general.. I disliked the Mandarin Crispy Chicken the most as I had an issue with the breading. It was very thick and each bite felt more breading than chicken..The flavor of the sauce was good but with how thick the breading was, the inside of the chicken had no flavor at all once I bit in.. Perhaps we ordered the wrong items, but I don't think I'll be back to try any others at least for now. It was a Friday night so it was busy but I'll say service was good and we had a minimal wait time!

    Photos
    Duck House Chinese Restaurant
    Kung Pao Chicken
    Kung Pao Chicken
    Shredded Pork with Beancurd

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    Shredded Pork with Beancurd
    Sichuan Taste Chinese Restaurant

    Sichuan Taste Chinese Restaurant

    4.4
    (110 reviews)
    4.9 mi
    $$

    Sichuan Taste was a perfect pit stop on a road trip from the South Bay up to Seattle. We rolled…read morethrough Portland and stopped for a few plates, and everything punched way above a typical highway stop. The smashed cucumber salad was super refreshing -- lots of garlic, crunchy, and exactly what you want after hours in the car. The green onion pancakes came out crispy and satisfying, but my favorite was the wood ear mushroom. They did something to it that made it insanely umami and savory, like a dish you keep thinking about later. The fried rice was solid and full of flavor, and you could tell the kitchen cared. The dining room was pretty empty when we went, so maybe it's newer or underrated, which feels unfair because the food deserves more people. Parking around there is kind of a hassle and the neighborhood isn't the prettiest, but this is a definite stop for me next time I'm in Portland.

    Shoutout to everyone still working on Thanksgiving Day! Because of hardworking folks like you,…read morepeople who don't celebrate holidays like me can still eat out. I'm super grateful. Before coming, I did my homework and checked reviews on Chinese review website. The opinions were kinda extreme, some said it was terrible, others said it was amazing. Since it was only a 1 minute walk from my hotel and actually open on Thanksgiving, I went for it. I ordered jalapeño beef 小炒牛肉, veggie chow mein 蔬菜炒面, and string beans 干煸四季豆. The beef came out first, and the first bite surprised me. It didn't taste like the jalapeño beef from other Sichuan restaurants. It tasted exactly like Cantonese beef with gailan, but with green bell peppers instead. Instead of tingly spicy, it had a subtle sweetness. If you're Cantonese, you probably know exactly what I mean. The veggie chow mein was good and reminded me of late night street noodles in Guangzhou, and it also had a slightly sweet touch. The string beans were good too, and didn't have any sweetness. There was some savory minced pork in it. If you're not a strict vegetarian and don't mind a little meat in the dish as long as you only eat the veggie part, go for this one, it was flavorful. While having dinner, I overheard Cantonese in the kitchen between the chef and staff, and ahhh, that explains why I tasted the Cantonese flavor in my dishes! It also explains the two types of extreme reviews. So let me be honest, if you come here expecting the Sichuan/Hu'nan version of stir-fried beef with a strong spicy profile, you might be disappointed. But for me, it was honestly a lucky hit. I did see some Sichuan spicy dishes on the menu, but I didn't order them, so I can't say if they're authentic. But based on what I ordered tonight, I was happy with everything.

    Photos
    Sichuan Taste Chinese Restaurant
    Dry-Pot Pork Intestine
    Dry-Pot Pork Intestine
    Eggplant Hot Garlic Sauce

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    Eggplant Hot Garlic Sauce
    Northern Flavors

    Northern Flavors

    4.8
    (21 reviews)
    5.1 mi

    We ended up here by accident, and I'm so glad we did. It was so good I actually looked up how to…read moresay "thank you" in Mandarin. The orange chicken was the best I've ever had, and the noodle dishes were fantastic. The strange thing is, I don't even like Chinese food, but this restaurant changed my mind. The staff were incredibly friendly and very accommodating to my family of four.

    We stopped by Northern Flavors to satisfy a serious craving for some comforting, flavorful dishes,…read moreand they delivered on some great flavors! The service was good and the staff was attentive during our visit. Here is a breakdown of what we ordered: Hand-Ripped Youpoo Noodle: The absolute star of the meal. The wide, hand-ripped noodles had the perfect chewy texture you look for. They were tossed in a deeply savory, slightly spicy chili oil sauce and topped with a generous amount of perfectly seasoned minced beef and fresh bok choy. It was incredibly satisfying and a must-order. Popcorn Chicken: This was a bit of a letdown. While it looked golden brown and came with a sweet chili dipping sauce, it was not special at all and lacked any unique flavor or punch compared to the other dishes. Spicy Chili Oil Wontons: These were packed with flavor! The wonton wrappers were delicate, and the filling was juicy. They were swimming in a robust, aromatic chili oil that had a nice kick and a touch of vinegar sharpness. Why 4 stars instead of 5? While the noodles and wontons were excellent and the service was good, the atmosphere was a bit uncomfortable. The restaurant was completely empty when we went, but it was super cold inside because the window was wide open. Between the chilly draft and the fairly generic popcorn chicken, it misses out on a full 5 stars.

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    Black Sugar Milk Tea
    Black Sugar Milk Tea
    Matcha Milk Tea
    Matcha Milk Tea
    Taro Milk Tea

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    Taro Milk Tea
    Street Wok

    Street Wok

    4.6
    (119 reviews)
    4.8 mi
    $$

    Back at our favorite Chinese restaurant in town. We enjoyed the Cumin Lamb: very well seasoned with…read moreperfect level of spice. The Singapore rice noodles was also delicious. Service, as always, was fast, friendly and efficient.

    Street Wok has become my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Portland Area. There is one huge…read morereason, they use significantly less oil in their dishes but still use quality ingredients where the flavor stands out without the oil. Typically at most Chinese restaurants, especially fried dishes, you'll see a pool of oil at the bottom of the dish. This is not the case here, and their sauces also keep their oil usage to the minimum. The food doesn't feel as heavy, and they nail most of their Szechuan flavors well. Their service is always fast and friendly. There is a gentleman in glasses that is always happy to serve and answer your questions. He is always happy to pack your food for you to go if you have leftovers as well, which is a lovely gesture. They have very cute decorations inside, from lucky cats with fortune cookies in their mouths, or a painted wall with a Panda cooking delicious food. I'd steer clear from their soup dishes, most of them lack flavor. I highly recommend their Chopped Pepper Fish and their Jade Tofu items though. Very flavorful and not very heavy! Plenty of parking is available which is lovely for eating in Portland, do not let this spot be missed if you've never tried it!

    Photos
    Wedding party
    Wedding party
    Jade tofu with chicken and beef. So yum!
    Jade tofu with chicken and beef. So yum!
    Beef Chow Mein.

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    Beef Chow Mein.

    Yan Zi Lou - chinese - Updated June 2026

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