3 years at BU and I've never really checked out Beijing Cafe. The price is really cheap, and they serve boba tea, which is pretty awesome. Going in for the lunch specials is nice too. Crab rangoons are good, and so is the General Gao. This is saying a lot because I don't normally like these Americanized "Chinese" dishes. I wouldn't say I'd come here again...I wasn't blown away really, but if a friend wanted to ask me to lunch here, I wouldn't say no either. It's mediocre to me. read more

Beijing Cafe is an obviously mediocre Chinese restaurant (just look at the title!), but they pull it off with such a aplomb that I cannot help but return there, time after time. The restaurant is best enjoyed with a large group of people, where loud conversation can help overlook the hit or miss quality of the food. The service is decent, and much better for large groups compared to small groups. One time, when I went to eat there by myself, I was chased by the waitress upon leaving the restaurant because she thought that I didn't leave a tip. As it turns out, she had miscounted the number of bills I placed on the table. That experience definitely put a bad taste in my mouth. My absolute favorite dish, hands down, is the Stir-Fry Egg and Tomato. The scrambled, slightly watery eggs combine with the sweet juices of the tomato to form a dish that almost melts in my mouth. I could probably live off of this dish if I wanted to. Some other favorites include the Scallion Pancakes, which are perfectly crispy, and Chicken Fried Rice, which I like mostly because it's hard to screw up fried rice. One of the dishes I regret trying is the Sesame Chicken, which tasted and smelled like ketchup. I'm definitely not ordering that again. read more

I thought the place was really good. I had take out. Dumplings and lo mein. The dumplings are made fresh there (I saw them make em there) and the lo mein was great too. Definitely would go back. read more

Beijing Cafe - Dumplings and vegetable lo mein - Chinese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Ordered the chicken with Chinese peppers on Ubereats and it was pretty spicy, which was what I was looking for. The portion size is pretty big and enough for more than one meal. The lychee boba was average and really sweet, the tapioca pearls were a little overcooked. Would come back for the chicken but maybe not the boba. read more

Unfortunately this place is pretty mediocre. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt with 3 stars, but we ordered the Szechuan fried rice, Beijing noodles, and eggplant pepper for delivery. Beijing noodles were decent but could have used a bit more sauce but the fried rice, although a decently sized portion, lacked flavor so my partner ended up remaking it himself. The eggplant pepper was very much fine. read more

Nothing fancy, but decent little mostly-American Chinese place by BU. I had expected more authentic stuff, but saw Chinese students were eating AmChi standards like lo men and fried rice. Raised it to 3 stars because waitress was eating fresh dragon eye fruit (like lychee), and brought me some, even though it wasn't on the menu. Essentially she shared her own food, and that made it memorable! Otherwise, my shrimp with vegetables was dull, dull, dull! read more

Came here for lunch for the dumplings. They have then in two sizes small and regular. Ordered the regular portion of spicy dumplings. They are home made and very tasty. I could have had more! The restaurant is basically a family run place that caters to students. Avoid the Chinese American dishes and go for the authentic stuff. I only had dumplings but some of the soups that my neighbors were having looked delicious. The service is efficient and friendly. read more

ivy was so nice! the food was filling and affordable in short, great food, great service read more

Not so bad but I cannot tell the taste standard in this restaurant. Some foods are good and some are so so. I tried lunch and dinner. -Good Beef and Broccoli Fortune Cookie service(cute) -Bad Fried rice( i don't like the rice that they used) read more

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Never order from this place they will have you wait 40-50 minutes while your food is being made and then cancel because there are "no drivers in area" this has happened to me multiple times and sometimes I reorder and sure enough another hour later there are drivers and I get my food but at this point they should either not accept the order from the begging or not cancel and wait for a driver. This happens to often for it to be a reliable place to order Chinese food from. read more

the food is nothing like the menu photos. Got the spicy wontons but it was soaked in peanut sauce. bad service

Worst Chinese restaurant ever. The food has no flavor and it definitely does not leave you feeling too great afterwards. I can say it does get an extra star because their boba Thai ice tea was absolutely delicious! If you're craving Chinese I would suggest going elsewhere read more

DO NOT GO THERE! We came from LA and the food wasn't great but it was fine, the problem started when we tried split the bill and they wouldn't let us split it with more than 2 card, ok weird but fine, transaction charges I get it. But when we paid we added a $2 tip on one check and nothing on the other but when the lady came to pick up the signed receipt she said we had to tip of 15%. There was no sign saying we had to tip for parties of 6 but fine we began adding the tip for the whole check on the first split and then she went to the other person who paid the other half and was trying to force him to add another 15% on his card too. We told her no because that adds up to a 30% tip and she was trying to keep us there until we added it, we told her no and we left. If you aren't from Boston these people with try to rip you off! Stay away, the food isn't good and they are shady. read more

Great food. Order family dinner and they were fast. Lemon Chicken and Orange chicken is our go to order and always freshly prepared.

I didn't eat here, I just had a boba, but the boba was pretty bad so I decided to leave a review. The tea is watery and flavorless. The boba is hard and also flavorless. I would not recommend stopping here for a drink... maybe the food would be a bit more promising. The employees were friendly, though, and it did not take a long time to prepare my drink. read more

Some dishes are authentic. But a little expensive. Here for the Zhou and Egg. Crisped spicy chicken is good too. read more

I dont really understand why it is still opening. perhaps as someone from the south Beijing cuisine is not my favourite. But this one really sucks.Panda is much better... If there is another chinese restaurant around bu central, I will be happy like a child read more

I thought I should wait 24 hrs before reviewing this place. Just to see if, you know, my insides erupted or something. I'd been warned, but I still wanted to try. I'm like Elaine in Seinfeld when she's told not to touch her plate as it's very hot... I HAVE to touch it. I went here for lunch, and when BU is in session this is a packed mad-cap lunch. The one rushed-off-her-feet server sat us, poured out waters for us, spilling mine on the table and leaving a black thing floating in it. She never cleared up the mess and I could never get her attention to replace it. She was just too damn busy. So I had no water, and they never poured out our tea either. No chopsticks either, just a fork. No decor either, just a damp little basement room. Grime-tastic. We chose two Chinese staples - Mapo Tofu (with Fried Rice and a Spring Roll) and Beef Noodle Soup. The soup was good enough, but was not on the lunch menu. The Mapo was comfortably the worst I've ever had with really really horrid fried rice. I still ate it though. And pined for water or tea. The check and fortune cookies came before we were a minute into our eating. She really was in a rush-rush-rush to get us out. And here is why this place gets two stars not one - a quick and hearty (if horrible) lunch here is 5, maybe 6 dollars and can be had in 20 to 30 mins. It's kind of impressive watching them turning over so many BU don't-know-any-betters every day. read more

Just what I was hoping for! Ordered take out for the first time and was looking for the Chinese food I grew up with in the NJ/NY area - which is very hard to find in Boston. Had the chicken and vegetables and the vegetable Lo Mein. My order was delivered in about 45 mins by a very nice driver and the food was hot and delicious! I also got the Wonton soup which was too salty for me, but overall I was very pleased with my order. It was the comfort food I was looking for and I will order from Beijing Cafe again. read more

The food isn't very good and the server is, kind of rude, to be honest. Feel pretty uncomfortable when she asks us to finish food faster.

I don't do Yelp reviews, but this is the first time I ran into this situation at a restaurant. We were a group of 3, and they got an order wrong - One of us ordered a sesame dish but what arrived was clearly a sweet and sour sauce. When asked about the order, the waiter made up a claim that sweet and sour sauce is the same as sesame sauce, but more spicy, as if it was obvious (my entire family is Chinese and I've had my fair share of chinese food, this was a first). The most peculiar part of our experience was when I paid the bill. I left a 12% tip (make judgements as you wish), and the waiter returned and insisted on a larger tip, pointing to the suggested amounts of 15% and above. I refused and after a few attempts, she simply said "never mind" and left. I hope this review finds use, and I notice that this has been mentioned a few times in other reviews so I'd like to reiterate. With regards to food, this is your usual American chinese food joint. No surprises, but I'm a sucker for this kind of chinese junk food, so I enjoyed the food. Unfortunately, the aggressive service is all I remember from my dinner. read more

The prices are good, the portions are good. So what's the problem? The food sucks. Bad. I'm from small-town America so trust me I'm not demanding authentic chinese food when I come to this type of establishment. At the same time, I don't love the chunks of cornstarch or their passionate feelings towards salt. The quality of their dumplings fluctuates. They're alright considering your other nonexistent dumpling options in the area, but it's not like they're particularly good. Thick, doughy skins and even when pan-fried, they're mushy, not remotely crispy. And yet more often than not they'll be burned. Squeeze me? Bacon powder? How the hell did that happen? The service leaves a lot to be desired, and sometimes you have to slap your waitress' hand away as she tries to take a plate you're still clearly eating from in an effort to hurry you out. I had that happen to me once and in retaliation I took 20 minutes to drink my cup of tea. And then I ordered a refill of my teapot. Half star for mediocre dumplings. The other half is for my stupidity in coming back here, thinking that maybe THIS time it'll be different. read more

I asked a simple question about what comes with which dish from the waitress... she looked at me as if I had wronged her over a thousand lives. I thought maybe it was a misunderstanding... I asked another innocuous question, and she replied with, "Are you ready to order?" Yet there's a positive point. =) Maybe the bad service is part of the benefit. The service of this place reminds me of my trip to Eastern Europe. It's worth coming here just to get the tightest disdain you can imagine (make sure to ask them lots of questions :). But the food is a great value, no doubt. As long as you're willing to beg to get it. read more

Vegetarian? Then try the Chicken with Cashews!!! No, seriously. Enough celery and carrots to feed a family of rabbits for weeks and less chicken than one would find in your average McNugget. I'm pretty sure you can eat this dish and keep your vegan cred. Disappointment, however, if you're a meatitarian like myself. read more

The waitstaff are nice & the service is super quick, but I swear they try to sabotage themselves by encouraging me to eat the worst menu items. But I'm a fan and a regular since I've found a couple of tasty standbys. "Lunch specials!" the waitress exclaimed as I took my seat, kindly flipping the menu to the Americanized Chinese lunch specials side for me. Ohhhh no, you can't trick me. I ordered the shrimp with garlic sauce once. It was the most ridiculously sweet Chinese food I've ever eaten. Crazy gross. Since then, I've steered clear of that page of the menu. If I'm craving that type of stuff, I'll eat at Panda Express instead. The steamed dumplings are a much better choice. Since they're steamed, they're not greasy, and make for a nice light lunch. They serve them with a dipping sauce, which isn't bad, but I saw how everyone who speaks Chinese got a bottle of vinegar and chili instead- and being a chili addict, I was envious. So one day, I asked for chili and they brought me the vinegar & chili, I mixed up a dipping sauce on a plate with the soy sauce on the table, and voila, tasty results. I saw a lot of folks eating the noodle bowls too, so I tried that out. That section of their menu is called "Big Bowl Noodles," and they're not kidding when they say big. I got the Beijing Meat Sauce Noodles and they were exactly what I wanted and expected (okay, maybe the portion was a good bit larger than I expected)- spicy, savory, saucy ground beef and small cubes of tofu over a gargantuan bowl of noodles. I ate until I was stuffed and still had enough left over lunch the next day. And for $6.95? A+ read more

The food here is very good and an excellent value. The scallion panckae is quite tasty as are the spring rolls. However, as others have pointed out inside it is rather old, ugly and rundown. It's also a few steps below street level so it's kinda dark and basement-esque. I would definitely not go and sit and have a meal in this place. However, get their delivery and get their take out. I would give them 4 stars for the food, but am subtracting a star for the sorry state of the seating area. I suppose it's okay if you are just there with some friends studying, but this is definitely not the place to bring a date or anyone you're trying to impress. However, let me say again the food is delicious and an excellent value. read more

Wow. I actually had to look in my phone to see if the number I called last night was actually the one that went to the same place that all these other people had reviewed. I really didn't think this place was bad, it actually seemed like above average Chinese take out. I got the lemon-chicken and was pleased that it wasn't all grizzly bits like it is at a lot of other places. It's cheap, the woman on the phone was nice, the delivery came relatively fast for a Saturday and everyone enjoyed their food. Like Kim, I thought the crab rangoon were pretty good. Not as good as New Hong Kong, but definitely good. Also 6 for $3. Which is pretty cool. Anyway, I'm at a loss. If I'd read these reviews I never would have tried the place, but I actually liked it and I don't think I'm somehow deficient when it comes to Chinese food. So it might be worth a shot. read more

Please don't. Just... don't. Never have I ever had worse Chinese food in Boston. Make that just plain food in Boston. No one in their right minds would consider this cuisine of any sort - why they're still in business baffles me. I've had people recommend this place since it's cheap, but why the hell would I pay for bad food? If I can cook better than you, then I'm damn sure not going to pay for your half-ass attempts at Chinese food. I remember ordering curry on rice here awhile ago, and the rice was both hard and mushy at the same time. And the curry, instead of being a nice rich sauce, was basically some brown bits floating around in some yellow cornstarch and water. Just wrong. Other attempts have been even less successful. Be wary when the guy on the other line pronounces it "MOOOO GOOOOO GAI PANNNNN". So, while I'm generally pretty Pollyanna, Beijing Cafe gets negative stars for being the worst waste of restaurant space in Boston. read more

Ordered General Gao and the lamb dish here to go, it came without rice. I personally think that it was overpriced for what I got... Paid for almost $40 for the 2 dishes, and when I got home I was surprised that the portion was sooo little! The taste was ok, just like any other Chinese food restaurant but I've had better. Not coming back here :/ read more

Wanted some cheap but tasty food and Nud Pob was packed so I went here for the first time with a friend. It was completely dead at lunch time which should have been warning enough. I ordered the Beef Noodle Soup and a Pork Bun. The soup broth was good and I enjoyed the noodles, but there were maybe two small cubes of edible beef in the whole thing. The rest was little cooked up pieces of stretchy beef fat. For nearly $15 I expect more. The pork bun didn't taste great, but I ate it anyway since I was hungry and the beef in my soup wasn't edible- big mistake. What followed was me doing about 60 mph down comm Ave running red lights racing to get home so I wouldn't projectile vomit in my car. Funny as it may sound, this place gave me food poisoning. You've been warned. read more

While my friend enjoyed her chicken lo mein (and at lunch prices, so cheap!) I was INCREDIBLY disappointed with my tofu and veggie soup. I'm on the prowl for a chinese veggie soup that rivals one at my little upstate ny college and this is definitely not it! The broth was essentially tasteless and it really should have been called "tofu in water," as there was a TON of tofu and the vegetable portion was comprised of a few slivers of green beans and carrots. I kid you not, 10 toothpick sized slivers supposedly merited a "vegetable" listing on the menu. I'm passionate about my veggies and this was a huge disappointment. Overall, I'm sure it's a great place to get cheap Chinese food, but avoid the tofu and veg soup at all costs! It was pretty pricey for what it was anyway. My search for the ultimate veg soup continues... (We had takeout, can't comment on service, scene, etc) read more

Now keep in mind I only order steamed dumplings and egg drop soup.... There aren't words to express my love for the Beijing Cafe. My hometown in PA, I thought, had the only "homemade" steamed dumplings in the universe that were so delicious, with the wonton wrapping so thick and the "meat" so chive-y and mouth-watering. This review may be borderline X rated... but when I happened to find the same dumplings at Beijing Cafe it was like a light from the heavens shining down on me and telling me that I've done well... I deserve this... I'm also a self-declared egg drop soup professional. I've had more egg drop soup across the east coast than I think any Asian person could claim (and I'm only half!) This egg drop soup has a little addition to it: egg drop AND TOMOTO soup.. I was intrigued. Never had I seen this before (although I'm sure it isn't rare)- but it was GRRRReat! And my confirmation of how good it is, is that commonly while I wait to pick up my food- one of the employees there is eating it. Yep- uh huh- told ya so. I would come here every night if my food conscious allowed it- I also would buy the place and call it my home if I had enough money. My advice? Bring cash, order dumplings, tip well :) read more

Disgusting... and I'm easy to please. I ordered delivery as there was no minimum charge to deliver. I ordered Happy Family Trio (chicken, beef, baby shrimp and veggies in brown sauce). I wanted to order a coke, but the only beverage option was water. This was the WORST Chinese I have ever had. The plate was $10.95 + tax + $2.00 delivery... Fair enough. I tipped the driver $3.00. The meal was SO small I was appalled... No rice (which was OK) and filled with a ton of green peppers, cabbage, stalks & celery. There were no mushrooms, chestnuts and barely any peapods (what i think of as Chinese veggies). There was minimal protein and the shrimp were SO tiny I almost couldn't stab them with a fork to eat. The sauce was so bland and thin with NO flavor. I ate the meat, as the beef and chicken were OK, and dumped the rest. This was the worst $16 I have ever spent... and definitely didn't satisfy my craving for chinese. I realize I should have known this would be trash but I have paid far less for way more food and satisfying veggies. They didn't even include a fortune cookie! DO NOT go here. read more

I've eaten here many times over the past couple of years so I know it pretty well. Here's what to expect when you go to this restaurant: 1. It's not real Chinese food, it's the Americanized Chinese food. It's probably only mildly better than when 99 cent Chinese food still existed. You go here for a cheap, quick, and filling lunch or dinner. 2. Don't expect amazing service. They speak enough English and are polite enough, but they will rarely ever come back to your table, and sometimes they bring you your check when they bring you your food. It's completely unpredictable. 3. Why 3 stars? I have had lunch here at noon, for a total of $7 including tip, and I don't get hungry again until at least 7 or 8 pm. It's filling and honestly one meal could really feed 2 people. 4.Only order off the lunch/dinner specials menu. It's actually pretty taste-y. 5. I have never gotten sick when I've eaten here, and again, I have eaten here for a couple years now. Again. Great for a cheap quick meal of mediocre quality. Expect more and you'll be disappointed. P.S. At least it's better than Panda Express. read more

I feel the need to step in and defend Beijing Cafe after reading some of these mediocre reviews. I went to BU for undergrad and grad school, and Beijing Cafe has been one of my staples throughout that time. I can honestly say that they've never let me down! Things I love: - My staples include the egg drop soup, hot and sour soup, jumbo shrimp with vegetables, scallion pancakes, spring rolls, and crab rangoons. My boyfriend always orders the General Gau's Chicken, and he tells me that it's always crispy and delicious. - The food comes out FAST. You can literally pop in here, order, and you'll have your food within 5-7 minutes. And don't assume that it was just reheated...it wasn't. It's always piping hot, fresh, and delicious. - The value. Beijing's lunch specials can't be beat! Their regular prices are also very cheap. - The service. The waitstaff is always friendly and attentive from the moment you walk in. All in all, this is classic Chinese food at its best. It's delicious, inexpensive, and convenient. If you're a stickler for authentic Chinese, check out Shanghai Gate in Allston. For the Americanized version, go to Beijing Cafe. They're great for delivery, too! read more

It was okay. Chicken dish didn't taste all that fresh but acceptable. Beef stew noodles with "homemade" noodles.. yeah they aren't fresh homemade noodles at all. And too soft/overcooked. Service was courteous. 2 1/2 stars. read more

Ok... before you look at the four stars and think, "Okay she must work there or she must not have taste buds or a tongue," I will have to explain that there is definite reason for the four stars. A fair and specific reason. This reason is otherwise known as "Crab Rangoons." lol. Now shoot down the place all you want, because okay, it may not be the best or most authentic chinese restaurant in Boston -- I mean what can you expect from a take out place located next to Warren Towers, for cryin' out loud. But by God, and I know this because I try ordering this at every Asian place that has them ... they have the best crab rangoons in the US. They are (usually) light, crispy and filled with an equally light puff of cream cheese, scallion and (fake) crab meat. They are served warm, with duck sauce. They should be savored on a cold, Boston day. So, if you're looking for edible beef chow fun, sweet and sour pork or lo mein, you should probably go elsewhere for that. But if you do go here, then give them crab rangoons a chance. (On Boston trips, I usually will stop here along with Anna's. haha.) read more

I don't know who comes into this establishment expecting culinary genius. The tacky green sign clearly indicates that this ain't gonna be the Ritz. I only ever get lunch take out from here. And when I do, its the same order: General Gao's Chicken. White Rice with Crab Rangoon. And sometimes when I'm extra ravenous, I'll get an order of chicken wings. Honestly those are days when I haven't eaten anything and I'm about to keel over and die. Don't judge. It's gross in large quantities, but since I'm a fat ass, I love it. I'll admit, I often get a craving for that gooey cornstarch sauce. The wings are obviously not the best. But the outside is crispy and gives you that wonderful, artery-clogging satisfaction. I wouldn't recommend eating in. Unless if you like being surrounded by mirrors in the a room the size of your dorm Freshman year and odd decorations of exotic butterflies and flutes. read more

With a heavy heart, it makes me sad to agree with some of the previous reviewers that Beijing Cafe really does blow. How can Chinese food be so bad? I'm not really sure, but they've accomplished it. In freshman year, 2 friends & I went here for a dinner. The place was dead. They sat us all the way in a corner table that couldn't be seen from the windows/door -- not really sure why. And once we discovered Victoria Seafood located in BU West, we never returned. Somehow, a friend convinced me to come to Beijing with her recently. I almost prayed that they had changed -- I mean, they were/are really pushing their boba tea offerings and all. Unfortunately, there was about twice the amount of rice as there was chicken. The sweet & sour chicken was also quite dry. The boba tea tasted bland & watery. Their prices are nothing special compared to Victoria Seafood, or even Nud Pob if you're looking for Asian food in general. I would be more eager to suggest Panda Express in BU's GSU food court if I was really craving "Chinese" food. read more

Bejing Cafe has been my go-to place for the (very) occasional cravings for greasy chinese food. I've known them to be disturbingly fast with most deliveries and piles of food for a decent price. I called them last night because i was starving, needed to feed some company and had those cravings again. Nothing was too odd except the way the combo plates were ordered, only choose 2 of the 3 options for side dishes.... not what my menu said. when the 30 minute delivery time turned into nearly 50 minutes i got my call and went to retrieve my num nums from a very polite delivery man but was SHOCKED to see that my order was $28! that would be vegetarian general gaos chicken, real general gaos dinner combo and a small side of crab goons. wtf bejing. The new menu attached showed me that they had boosted their prices on almost all of their menu at LEAST a dollar. The quality of the food was a lot worse than before, quantity was the same. example: $8.95 for vegetarian general gaos chicken with rice NOW $10.95 for gross, very dry, different vegetarian general gaos chicken without any rice. Sorry Bejing, you lose. Your rival Hong Kong Cafe is now the winner. read more