Never had Cambodian food before and I regret it not having sooner. The place is fantastic and the locals agree the place gets packed but you don't wait long for seating and the food is quick and fresh! Soooo good! read more

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The food here is always really fresh and high quality and there are really large portions. The menu has a lot of variety and it's all good. I come here a lot and I've never had a bad meal. I bring people from out of town here whenever I can. read more

Apsara Restaurant - Decoration at apsara - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

apsara is easily my new go-to lunch joint. just down the street from where i work, i've been eyeballing this place for months but didn't stop in until a few days ago. now i'm kicking myself for not venturing over sooner! while the storefront is a bit unassuming, the interior is warm and oddly charming. similarly, the food is delicious and full of flavor AND the portions are insane (in the best way). their nime chow in particular is out of this world and i have ordered it every time since. definitely recommend if you're looking for good food and great service. read more

Apsara Restaurant - the BEST nime chow i've ever had. - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

I have yet to find a place that offers the quality Apsara does in Asian cuisine. I've been here multiple times over the years and it does not disappoint. Service: Upon walking in, no one greets you and you always see the waiters in a flurry, quickly moving from table to table and grabbing food from the kitchen. The woman up front just asks how many and just points at a table for you to seat yourself. Eventually, a waiter comes by with menus. I wouldn't bother asking the servers any questions because they never seem to have any answers. It's more a mumble or something unintelligible and they quickly walk away, leaving you with so many more questions. Friend: "Does this symbol mean gluten-free?" Server: "Uh...yes but it's not accurate." All of us: "What?" Definitely need an improvement in service but the food..... PHENOMENAL. Food: I haven't had a meal I didn't like at Apsara. So much variety and the food never tasted old. Very short wait time and massive portions. Highly recommend: the Crispy Black Pepper Shrimp (excellent with either fried rice or jasmine rice), Crab Rangoon, any of their fried rice, Nime Chow (best in Providence). Presentation: The restaurant is located in Providence off Elmwood. Terrible location quite frankly but it's close enough to the city. Their parking lot is questionable but plenty of street parking available. Inside the restaurant, there's a lot less space because of everyone wearing coats and the tables are pretty close as it is. Tables are covered by a huge paper to make it easier to clean between customers but it kills the presentation for sure. Kids: I bring my kids here and they love the food but I don't recommend if your child prefers simple options like chicken fingers, sandwiches and fries. You won't find that here. And I guess kids like the paper on the table to play games and draw. Heads-up to parents: No ketchup (my oldest was pretty upset about this). They also don't have any kind of juice. Just soda and teas. All-in-all: LOVE LOVE LOVE the food. Apsara has a strong, loyal following and it's because their delicious food overpowers all the bad things you could find (though there aren't many). If you aren't such a stickler for the little things, get yourself to Apsara and EAT. read more

Cheap, flavorful and filling: You can't beat it! I always went to Apsara Palace located on Hope St....I didn't realize how much closer the Public St location was to me. This is an absolute neighborhood gem! Over the course of numerous visits with family and friends, we have had the following: fried rice, nime chao (shrimp and lemongrass chicken), lemon grass chicken ( dry style), pad thai, scallion pancakes, chive cakes, dumplings, egg rolls and bubble tea and much more. We have NEVER been disappointed. The food portions are huge. This is a BYOB establishment. It is recommended to call for reservations for parties of 6 people and over. I had a birthday celebration here in September of 2013. They accommodated my party of 22 people. They brought glasses for our wine and held on to our ice cream cake as we ate, which they also brought out extra pates and serving utensils for that. I remembered that night they let us stayed past closing time. Every visit I make to Apsara Restaurant is always pleasant and awesome. They waiters are quick, friendly and helpful. It feels like home when I am there. read more

Apsara Restaurant - The best nime chao I've ever had! - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

The food was great. The vibrant flavors, colors, and ingredients came together perfectly. The portions are giant. I feel the best way to eat here would be to come with a large group and order new items that no one has ever eaten. Everything was delicious from the classic green curry soup to the more adventurous items we tried. The steamed buns with pork, sausage, and egg were super good. I just wish the removed the wax paper the were prepped on, because if didn't notice and took a bite. The decor was elaborate and gold! I will definitely go back to try more new cuisine! read more

Apsara Restaurant - Green curry soup - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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Great food., service and prices. Never had a bad meal from or even dining here. Their counter help delivery people will go above and beyond. It happened with an order of mine once , that was somehow inadvertently placed for pick up and not delivery . Long story short : One if their delivery guys made it happen , even though he was initially sent to the right address but in the wrong city . What more can you say ? Actions speak volumes . Definitely recommend. ! read more

This place is a freaking no brainer. It's tasty, affordable take-out on the slightly higher quality side. Read: just the right amount of msg, salt and grease and pretty fresh ingredients. Their nime chow (fresh summer rolls) are like award winning and some of the best I've ever had. Their noodles are stellar, all of them - but my favorite is the Cantonese style flat rice noodle. It's got that great wok taste without being overly oily. My husband loves their fried chicken wings, which are pretty damn good. They are big meaty wings coated in a generous crispy batter full of flavor. It can be a little busy, and service spotty (one dish may come out 10 minutes earlier than the others). Take out is always reliable too. read more

Absolutely amazing food, big portions, and friendly staff. Their chicken pad Thai is like no other.

Love this restaurant!!! Their price haven't changed in like maybe 20 years?! My favorite is their chicken teriyaki...and they serve it with pickle vegetables which is a perfect match! And another must have from them is the stir fried lort noodle with seafood! Chicken wings with the jalapeño is one of my favorites too! read more

On multiple occasions my wife and I have had the vegetable lo mein and vegetable pad thai. The food is consistently good. I won't say it's the best tasting I've ever had, but I'm giving Aspara five stars because they don't skimp on the vegetables like some other places do, the prices are reasonable, and the portions are bigger than you'll get anywhere (especially notable given the current inflationary times). read more

Very nice cozy restaurant. First here I was told they are very generous with the food, and they sure wasn't lying! Everything was shareable and for two and even had leftovers! And the prices is very good for the amount of food you are getting! read more

Apsara Restaurant - Chicken pad Thai Salt and pepper Shrimp - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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Nime chow and lorts were good size, and absolutely delicious. Pad Thai was average, but plentiful. Unfortunately the three stars is for the pick up order being over an hour late. Called for a pickup.. showed up 40 min late, and still waited for over 20 minutes. It was very busy and chaotic, which is understandable during COVID. Definitely going back -- already thinking about the nime chow and lorts, but hoping pickup is less chaotic and much more streamlined. read more

The best place to eat especially their house fried rice and the crispy chicken wings and black pepper crispy shrimp amazing. Don't listen to those people that put one stars because Aspara is always number 1 for me. read more

Everyone there was down to earth and nice. It's a pretty place too. However, the food was okay. Maybe because when you're Cambodian, nothing beats your momma's food. I liked the Thai tea with condensed milk though! It was tasty and sweet. read more

Apsara Restaurant - Thai tea with condensed milk - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

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The food here is to die for!!! Seriously - gold standard. Only negative was the length of time it took for our food to arrive. Half our table was served a full 15min before the other half. That being said - it's 100% worth going to! Just know the timing might be off. read more

My husband and I have been eating at Apsara for over 20 years. The food is consistently fantastic, the service is amazing, and the restaurant has some of the best Asian dishes anywhere in the state. It is our go-to restaurant for family events, after parties, lunch, dinner, anytime. We love that it is byob. But more than that, we love the food. We have several favorite dishes. The crispy wings are, by far, the best fried chicken I have ever eaten. They are fried in a mysteriously delicious batter with plenty of black pepper. They are served with shredded cabbage, carrot, and hot peppers. Definitely use the sauce with the white lid. (It's on the table. It is slightly sweeter version of sriracha.) It is THE BOMB. Another favorite dish is the cantonese noodles with beef. (You can get it with chicken, pork, or shrimp, too.) These are very wide rice noodles in a delicious sauce with tons of vegetables and tasty beef. For condiments I recommend the chili paste in the jar. It adds a snappy zing to the meal. I often get pork bee bong for lunch. Bee bong is a complex and wonderful dish. The noodles are served cold with a generous serving of coconut milk, peanuts, and fish sauce based nuoc nam on the side. (DOUSE it!). There are tons of fresh vegetables and herbs, including mint, basil, bean sprouts, and cucumber. On top, they add the sauteed pork and onions. The whole thing is served up in a big soup bowl. This is another dish that benefits from the chili paste. Bee bong is just the right combo of tastes, textures, and even temperatures. A truly incredible dish. We are obviously regulars at Apsara. Love the restaurant. Love the staff. And yes, even love the location. I have been working in South Providence for the last 7 years and have NEVER had the slightest problem. I love that there is a treasure like Apsara right down the street. read more

Service was atrocious today. Our waiter not only messed up on our order but forgot to bring our appetizer and than tried charging us for it. He never came back with our check or box even after we asked him. It took him 15 minutes to bring me back fried rice. I understand if it was busy but it was way after the lunch time rush hour. This is while my husband and father in law finished their food while I start eating mine and feeding my daughter. Another waiter checked in on us and refilled our hot tea because he was no where to be found. This is the WORST service I've received at Apsara since I started coming here. And I've been coming here since I was a little kid. read more

This place always gets 5 stars. I absolutely love their food. I usually order the lemon grass with beef. Their fried rice is delicious. Crab Rangoon are always cooked well. I also enjoy the Black pepper shrimp and the black pepper crispy wings. They have great customer service! I always feel welcomed and appreciated for my business. Eating there is such a great experience. It's definitely family friendly which I am grateful for since I have a 3 year old lol and we all know how 3 year Olds can be. I suggest if you would prefer to dine there to call ahead because this place gets busy but it's definitely worth the wait. You will leave completely satisfied when eating at this restaurant! read more

I had their crispy Thai wings with slices Jalapeños, lemon grass chicken wings with peanuts (creamy lemon grass sauce), Cantonese noodles (could be better if they stir fry the noodles in the sauce instead of dumping the sauce on top), nim chow ( fresh rice noodles with shrimp, basil and bean sprout), hot sour soup( most of time it's good but occasionally it's a bit on sweeter side), grilled beef on pea pod leaves with oysters sauce( sometimes beef is on chewy side), beef delicate soup with Thai eggplant and celery ( be warned that this contain pra hok ( fermented fish) so it might be too much for some people's taste, read more

My go-to for Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese, usually take out but when dining in, the Staff is superb. The portions and prices are very good. You can taste the quality and freshness of ingredients and that dishes are made to order, unlike a lot of Asian restaurants. I could live on their Pad See Ew Noodle, N17, I have it committed to memory. LOL. Oh, and for the Whine-Bags with their "rough neighborhood" commentary, Grow A Pair! Apsara is always pretty busy and I have been enjoying their food for over 10 years. read more

If you are a lover Pad Thai, Nime Chow, Thai iced tea, and/or all things Southeast Asian (or even if you don't yet know you are), I highly recommend Apsara Restaurant. Do not let the location scare you off, this restaurant is truly worth traveling of the beaten path! One of the many great things about Apsara is that there is plenty of seating so there is hardly ever a wait. Also, take advantage of their BYOB policy, you can stop by Nikki's liquors before hand and mix a six pack of you favorite beers ;) read more

Apsara Restaurant - Apsara dancer - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Yes, yes yes! Go. Don't be put off by the location. I had a solo lunch there this afternoon and it was fantastic! It's a very unassuming place with kitschy decor that is oddly charming. House hot tea is an immediate bonus. The menu has a great selection of lunch specials, all for about $7. I ordered L20, red curry chicken with nime chow and jasmine rice. The chicken was mixed with fresh pieces of peppers, onions and carrots. The nime chow was super fresh with a large piece of tender shrimp. HUGE plate of food with to take enough home for another meal! read more

Apsara Restaurant - L20 - Red curry chicken with nime chow and jasmine rice. Huge portion! - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Delicious food every time. Lots of menu items guarantee something for everyone even the picky eaters

A winner! I don't think I can go anywhere else now. It's a small place with too many options! I was unsure of what to get. I stuck with some Singapore style noodle and it was fantastic. The wings and greens were our appetizers and it was amazing! Out of the meals we got my friend got the satay and I think that was the best meal at our table (consisted of orange chicken, Singapore noodles, Cantonese style noodles). I can't wait to go back and try more! Oh and on the plus side, it's cheaper and portions are reasonable! I was able to eat half of mine and still have some the next day! read more

Excellent Thai food. Best Nim Chow around. Truly authentic Thai cuisine. Price is very reasonable.

I love the food here. The food is authentic and has consistently been delicious. I've tried several dishes and am always pleased. I wish I could give them 4.5 stars. I took one star due to service. The restaurant is usually busy and it can get chaotic quickly. read more

I came here yesterday with a group from work. Everything was excellent including the service. All meals were presented quickly, and everyone love what they ordered. I had the Pad Thai w shrimp and tofu. Apsara has the best Pad Thai, without a doubt. Perfectly seasoned, and perfect texture of rice noodles. Really reasonable prices. read more

This by far is one of my favorite restaurants! Eat here at least 2x a week! Garlic noodles and crispy Thai wings are sooo good! Pickle salad is so refreshing! read more

Apsara Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Providence, Rhode Island

Food is amazing. Definitely recommend to go. Anytime we have a company pot lot I order my food from there.

Apsara has the pedigree of a super-being; many superlative traits which in the tradition of any remotely interesting super-hero/super-villain history could lead in either direction: - Grew up in a pretty bad neighborhood. - Schizophrenic Asian Identity Disorder, serving Chinese, Cambodian, Thai and Vietnamese food. Spoiler: Apsara is excellent, a Professor X instead of a Magneto. Cleaner than it seems it should be, friendly and accommodating to large groups, attentive and reasonably brisk service, the location keeps them from being overfull all the time, and despite being cheap they even take credit cards. My favorite dish is the Kainge soup (~$8), a meal-sized coconut-milk based treat with choice of meat, although more than one of my pale dining companions who prefer Americanized Asian food have independently said it smells and tastes like sunscreen. The Thai style chicken with lemon grass (~$8) was another standout, although the pepper on the menu indicating spicy was (pleasantly) seriously not a joke. Over the years here I have never had anything bad... off the first 6 pages of the menu. My initial Asian dining companions were right - avoid the Chinese portion; mediocrity in a sea of greatness. Apsara, in its own small way of overcoming the odds, reminds me that good can triumph over evil. It's the only place whose accessibility presents a challenge that I must go every time I am in Providence. read more

Taking a "home cooked meal" literally, Apsara is a now, what was once a house. Lets take a walk down memory lane: Homegirl gets a lunch invite. I got my make up painted on, my hairs did, and the bass pumpin. Im doin my thang driving and listening to the gps. Homegirls feeling a little uneasy not knowing where she's at! With the destination ahead, I tell Siri she's on drugs as she brings me to THIS crack house! None-the-less, I abide by my rules of the three "F's". Friends, Food, and Free and its Fo me. I put on my shades and walk it out. While this place is in need of some serious Fung Shway, they can cook it up. While Homegirl may not be fair, she's honest. If a house crack house turned restraunt is their style, then so be it. With hoy sin like theirs, they can and seat me in the bathtub for all i care. This place is affordable, and a good place to try out some new flavors. Can't go wrong with vegetables, thats all i have ordered, once with some sauce up in it. Good stuff. Probably the most unappealing exterior I have ever seen. But guess what, A mother doesn't get to choose what her baby looks like. Take it or leave Aspara. If you take it, invite homegirl with the three "F's" in mind. If you leave it, homegirl will have more elbow room to practice her chopstick skills. read more

Due to the overwhelming popularity of Apsara on Yelp, I came here while visiting RI. Not sure it was a winner. Perhaps we should not have set our expectations high. I find this place comparable to Galaxy. I got the Plear (cambodian) because the menu said it was "an aquired taste." It has apparently raw or slightly heated meat with anchovies sauce, big basil leaves, julienned carrots and cucumbers, jalapeno peppers and a lime wedge. I didn't think it was that unusual or funky flavored but I did like that it felt healthy. I recommend the egg soda, just to try something new. It takes similar to egg nog. My bf got the nime chow appetizer, which was good, not fantastic. I didn't think the shrimp had any flavor. He also got the safe entree of Lo Mein, which was unimpressive. Wish we had remembered Sean C.'s review directing us to stay away from Chinese fare. My other dining companion got the Banh Hoi (vietnamese), which is a lettuce wrap of meat, noodles, veggies and peanut sauce. That is highly recommended. read more

When your home girl is Cambodian and she recommends this place you listen to her. I happily allowed Apsara to pop my Cambodian food cherry. The Cambodian beef stew tasted very homemade, like something a grandmother would make. Excellent flavors and hearty broth, quite similar to borscht soup. The nime chow looks like Vietnamese summer rolls but the flavors are slightly different because of the sauce they use here. Natang was pretty unique, it was a big crispy rice cracker? It was an interesting mix of flavors and texture with the natang and meat sauce. Portions are pretty big so its bang for buck, one of the reasons why I like small towns in the good ol' USA. If you're looking to try something different or to explore further from the typical Chinese and Japanese cuisine, Apsara is your girl. read more

Spring rolls and rice and whiskers on kittens Fresh curry soup and warm crab rangoon cream cheese trickles... Large paid thai dishes piled with lots of noodle strings These are a few of my favorite thiiiings... When my stomach grumbles, when the clock strikes 6 When I'm feeling hungyyyy, I simply remember my favorite Apsara and then I don't feel so saaaaaaaaaad!!! i just wish there was one in NYC, until we meet again...... read more

Apsara is a dance performed only before the king of Cambodia. Did you know that? I didn't until last night, but now I do. And I'm not likely to forget Apsara in a hurry, because whoa this place is delicious. I came with a group of 10 - we made a reservation a few hours before we showed up, which was a good idea. The dining room is large but not really set up for impromptu large gatherings. If you're just showing up with a few people you should be fine without a reservation. We sat down and were blown away by the extensive menu - it was so hard to choose! Every single person at the table got something different, and everyone loved their food. There was something for every palate and everyone's dietary restrictions. I ordered the nim chow for an appetizer - fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, served with a really delicious peanut sauce. The portion was huge for the price - plenty to share with the table! I also had the chicken bee bong, a dish I have never had before. It was crazy good and very filling. Service was a little slow, but we were a huge party and there was another party of 15+ next to us so they get a pass for that. They more than made up for it with the delicious food and extensive offerings. I'm looking forward to heading back soon! read more

Got a few take outs from here via work because they refused to order food from any other Asian restaurants :( ...History for me is that I went there a long long time ago and the food was AWFUL. Mi Cah Thang is my favorite Cambodian dish, stir fried wide noodles with your choice of meat with vegs. I couldn't finish it then and brought it home, couldn't believe it... no one would eat it...it finally sat and went into the bin. So in one of my recent jobs, they would order catering from here... I guess they do invoices for corporate accounts or something. So my office would order for parties and etc. We had a chance to order what we wanted and because I didn't want to be so complicated, I order some spicy chicken wings. I was hoping it'd be chicken wings fried with some jalapeno peppers... what is my favorite from another Cambodian restaurant close by called 4 Seasons, but it wasn't...it was chicken wings fried and topped with salsa! A true WTF moment for me when I opened the box it came in. I ate maybe 2 wings and couldn't bear the rest. Again, I took it home and no one would eat it. Mind you my dad eats anything! And especially wings... but this one, no one touched it and it went back in the bin! The third time, my coworkers again ordered and I figured what the heck let me try again. This time I tried a spicy ribs/pork with rice and it was actually pretty good! I was surprised! It had a lot of flavor and I was happy. Would I go there again? Probably not... will I order if my coworkers have another group order? Maybe...but I've since left that job so it may be slim. ETA: wow another one that gets filtered. Yelp sucks balls and it's not even funny. read more

I have always tried to avoid writing reviews for establishments with a ton of reviews already. However, in the case of Apsara, I can't help myself. I would give it 5 stars but in my world, 5 stars requires a location in the Swiss Alps or Bavarian countryside. Sorry. I have frequented both Elmwood Avenue and Hope Street stores. Frankly, I do not have a preference. Hope Street is a little bit crazier, as it seems the takeout business is a bit stronger in the shadow of Brown, RISD and the Eastside. And because Ellwood Avenue is a bit closer to home, I find myself there more often. Either way, the kitchens deliver consistent, flavorful, excellent dishes. It's not unusual for me to visit twice a week. I'm not a connoisseur of Asian cuisine. But I know what I like. I'm a particular fan of the rice noodle dishes. I didn't know rice noodles existed until about five years ago. Now, I find eating flour pasta pales in comparison. In my self-professed culinary ignorance, I find the true test of a neighborhood Asian restaurant lies in their treatment of the humble dumpling. In much the same way as I measure a hotel by the quality of the bathroom towels, the care and respect afforded the dumpling is a true benchmark in my eyes. Apsara's offerings are light and delicate, even when fried. This is rare and welcome. I can go to Iggy's and order clam cakes if I want a major intestinal bloat. And I must tip my cap to the servers, particularly in Elmwood. They are pleasant, efficient and attentive. I've never seen such a consistently high level of happiness in the faces of a restaurant staff. It may be that it's a great place to work - it may be that they are all laughing at me and my linguistically incorrect efforts to order from the menu. I don't care. And did I mention that it's BYOB? If anyone out there can point me to a better place to enjoy a great meal in a relaxed, comfortable spot-and escape for $30 for two people, bring it on. Till then, I'm the fat white guy in the corner booth at Apsara. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants of all time! I have eaten here more times than I can count and I've always had a great experience. The food is consistently delicious and the service is always great! This is the kind of place where you can be in and out on a quick lunch or linger for a while enjoying your company. My favorites are the Curry Singapore Noodles (spicy) and the Nime Chow. Their Pad Thai is also amazing and the Crab Rangoons are the best I've EVER had! Also, last time I checked, this is a BYOB restaurant, which I think is pretty cool and there is a liquor store right around the corner. I LOVE THIS PLACE! read more

I was pretty excited to finally try this neighborhood, off the beaten path place, but sadly although the reviews peaked my taste buds, the product didn't deliver. First of all, I was calling in for take out so after a few attempts, I thought I finally found a menu online. During the phone call, I realized quickly that the menu was not for this Apsara, but the one on Hope street. So instead of going for something a little unique, I stuck with the classic Pad Thai and threw in an order of Nim Chow for good measure - how could I not after all the rave reviews. The food was done by the time I got there, only 10 minutes after ordering. When checking out I asked about a take out menu, so that next time I could go a little adventurous, but they didn't have any in stock. In the end, I don't know if I'll go back. The wrapping on the Nim Chow was thicker, thus chewier than I like, and the Pad Thai lacked any real flavor. I actually resorted to soy sauce to try to give it a little something. The portions are huge, as people have mentioned, but I would rather a better tasting smaller portion than a large flavorless one. read more