Best Chinese Restaurants in the U.S.

There are about 5.4 million Chinese American people in the United States, and many of them have used food to make a living and stay connected to their culture. We all thank them for this. 

Coming from one of the largest countries in the world, Chinese food is incredibly diverse, with flavors and recipes changing from region to region. In the United States, you can find restaurants dedicated to specific foods or regions, or a delicious mix of popular Chinese dishes. 

These are the best Chinese restaurants in America.

15. Bistro Na's

Location: Temple City, California

Rating: 43.5 (out of 100)

*Ratings are based on trusted Tripadvisor reviews.

 

Bottom Line: Bistro Na's

One of two Chinese restaurants in the U.S. to be awarded a Michelin Star, Bistro Na's provides the best of Beijing cuisine with hints of global inspiration.

Its interior red and gold accents coupled with wooden furniture create a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy as you go through the gigantic menu.

Visit Bistro Na's

14. Frank Fat's Restaurant

Location: Sacramento, California

Rating: 50.5

Bottom Line: Frank Fat's

This restaurant has been welcoming Sacramento diners since 1939 and continues to hold a strong grip on the city's Chinese food scene.

The decor plays on its long history, making you feel as if you've stepped back in time. Fittingly, the menu offers classic Chinese dishes. And it also includes some decidedly non-Chinese items, a fact easily forgiven due to the perfect quality of the food.

Visit Frank Fat's Restaurant 

13. Shan Dong Restaurant

Location: Oakland, California

Rating: 51

Bottom Line: Shan Dong Restaurant

Shan Dong Restaurant is famous for its wheat noodles, which are made by hand in the open kitchen right as you watch. The result is heavenly, making noodle dishes an absolute must-try when dining here.

But the extensive menu also offers many other treats like a variety of scallops, fried rice and iron-pan fried dishes.

Visit Shan Dong Restaurant

12. Goosefeather

Location: Tarrytown, New York

Rating: 51.2

Bottom Line: Goosefeather

Just south of Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown is a quiet town that provides the perfect ambience for this elegantly cozy restaurant. Step into a mansion surrounded by a generous estate filled with trees.

Goosefeather specializes in Hong Kong cuisine* but fuses it with flavors from different world cuisines. Try the delectable Cantonese roast duck.

Visit Goosefeather 

*Note: We recognize that Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region and is culturally different from mainland China. We have included it as an acknowledgment of the similarities and influence both areas have had on each other's cuisine. 

11. Mein Restaurant

Location: Houston, Texas

Rating: 52.5

Bottom Line: Mein Restaurant

Enjoy some of the best of Cantonese cuisine at this well-loved Houston restaurant. Mein serves what it describes as "humble, everyday food," meaning that you get the experience of homestyle meals that are both filling and delicious.

This is definitely one of the best finds in Houston's Chinatown.

Visit Mein Restaurant

10. Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine

Location: New York City, New York

Rating: 54.5

Bottom Line: Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine

Fujianese cuisine is known for its delicious soups, which explains why one of this casual restaurant's most popular dishes is the fish ball soup.

A specialty of the Fujian region, the soup wraps pork meat in fish paste. Yes, it's as delicious as it sounds. 

The noodles and dumplings are also excellent.

Visit Shu Jiao Fu Zhou Cuisine

9. Peking Gourmet Inn

Location: Falls Church, Virginia

Rating: 56.4

Bottom Line: Peking Gourmet Inn

Operating since 1978, Peking Gourmet Inn specializes in the ever-popular Peking duck. But besides knocking this recipe out of the park, the restaurant stands out in other ways. Some of the vegetables come from the family's own farm ,and each pancake is made by hand.

Famous guests include former President George W. Bush, "Gangnam Style" singer, Psy and John Travolta.

Visit Peking Gourmet Inn

7. Harborview Restaurant & Bar (Tie)

Location: San Francisco, California

Rating: 57.1

Bottom Line: Harborview Restaurant & Bar

Delivering on the promise of its name, Harborview offers diners beautiful views of San Francisco Bay. Its elegantly designed room is brought to life by a series of carts wheeling about different dishes that diners can simply pick up and enjoy if it catches their fancy.

Of course, you can also order from the menu, which includes black truffle Pecking duck sliders as a Chef's Special.

Visit Harborview Restaurant & Bar

7. Sichuan Impression (Tie)

Location: Alhambra, California

Rating: 57.1

Bottom Line: Sichuan Impression

With locations in and around Los Angeles, Sichuan Impression brings to the city food from the Sichuan (or Szechuan) region of northern China.

If you want to skip the generic Chinese food experience and get dishes that you usually don't find in general restaurants, this is one of the best places to do so.

Try the Chef's Special "Xi-zhi" wok-fried crab to understand why Sichuan Impression is listed as a Michelin-approved bib gourmand restaurant.

Visit Sichuan Impression

6. Wu Chow

Location: Austin, Texas

Rating: 57.6

Bottom line: Wu Chow

There are eight styles of Chinese cooking: Shandong, Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong (Cantonese), Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Fujian. 

If you're curious about all of them, come to Wu Chow. Featuring dishes reflective of these eight styles, as well as a dim sum Sunday service, this is the restaurant that can fulfill any of your Chinese food cravings.

To sweeten the deal, it also uses farm-fresh ingredients in its modern Chinese menu.

Visit Wu Chow

5. Dumplings and Beyond

Location: Washington, D.C.

Rating: 59

Bottom line: This laid back restaurant is the perfect place for casual Chinese food. Don't expect anything fancy, but do expect a good quality meal for a very reasonable price. Of course, dumplings are the house special, so we suggest going all out with them. If you want something else, the menu is big and has dishes from various Chinese regions, so you'll have your pick of meat or vegetable dishes as well as lo mein and rice.

Visit: Dumplings & Beyond 

Bottom Line: Dumplings and Beyond

This laid-back restaurant is the perfect place for casual Chinese food. Don't expect anything fancy, but do expect a good quality meal for a very reasonable price.

Of course, dumplings are the house special, so we suggest going all out with them. If you want something else, the menu is big and has dishes from various Chinese regions, so you'll have your pick of meat or vegetable dishes as well as lo mein and rice.

Visit Dumplings and Beyond

4. Hwa Yuan

Location: New York City, New York

Rating: 61

Bottom Line: Hwa Yuan

Operated by the same family throughout generations, Hwa Yuan has been bringing Sichuan cuisine to New York for decades.

The three-story establishment focuses on food from this region and provides some authentic dishes, but also allows itself to play, adding global flavors to its menu.

Visit Hwa Yuan

2. Mee Sum Restaurant & Cocktail (Tie)

Location: Fall River, Massachusetts

Rate: 66.7

Bottom Line: Mee Sum Restaurant & Cocktail

Fall River is the home of the famed chow mein sandwich, which consists of a hamburger bun stuffed with noodles and doused in gravy. If it sounds strange to you, you're definitely not a local.

Mee Sum is one of Fall River's best places to get this beloved comfort food — and other delicious dishes.

Visit Mee Sum Restaurant & Cocktail

2. Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (Tie)

Location: New York City, New york

Rating: 66.7

Bottom Line: Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao

If the steam of xiaolongbao restores your soul, make a stop in this Flushing restaurant.

Showcasing food from Shanghai, the restaurant's dumplings have a cult following with locals, who often swear they're the best in the city.

Visit Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao

1. MCCB

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Rating: 81.5

Bottom Line: MCCB

MCCB stands for "modern Chinese cookbook," which pretty much summarizes this restaurant's ambience and menu. The decor is modern, with dark tones and some industrial touches.

But as with the dishes, this modernity doesn't drown out the undertone of Chinese tradition.

We recommend the salt and pepper shrimp for guaranteed satisfaction.

Visit MCCB