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    Chef Yao

    4.6 (38 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:30 pm

    Order Chef Yao Takeout or Delivery

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    CHEF YAO ATMOSPHERE

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    Happy hour specials
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Chef Yao

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    Amber C.

    Chef Yao's is the best, most authentic Chinese food my friends and I have found around Providence! Flavors are on point, portion size and price are good, and they have a large variety! We always come here when we are craving good Chinese food. It usually isn't too crowded which is great because we can usually always get a spot when we want to go! It's a cute, clean restaurant. Parking isn't great (only a few spots in the front). If you were to compare Chef Yao's to other cities with big Chinese food hubs (New York, Houston, Quincy, etc) then Chef Yao's would probably be about average at those areas, but here in Providence/RI, it's definitely one of the best and most authentic you can get!

    P1. General Tso's Chicken
    Diane C.

    I was craving Chinese food , looked up places with the best reviews and I can see why. My first impression upon walking in was a very friendly greeting from the owner. There is ample seating if you wanted to dine in, but I was taking out. I ordered the lunch special of hot and sour soup General Tso's chicken with brown rice. The wait was minimal , not even 10 minutes for it to be ready. I could not wait to get home to dig in and it was delicious. I only wish they could add more broccoli to the meal, other than that I was very pleased.

    Braised beef in spicy sauce
    Malida K.

    It was a quiet snowy afternoon. Excited about this new Szechuan option, we ventured to warm our bellies! Music was not too loud. Lights were neither too bright nor too dim. Only 1 other table but plenty of take out orders. We got the following: hot jasmine tea ($3 for a pot) - teabag the spicy crispy cucumber cold appetizer - nice crunch and not over powering. Refreshing flavor. Braised beef in spicy sauce - this has 4 fire signs next to it. I wanted it to burn my mouth and my belly. It probably deserved a 1 fire sign. It gave me the Szechuan tongue tingle but not a single sweat in sight. Tasty and huge though. Peking duck - pancakes were pretty big and thinner than anticipated. Duck was cooked perfectly and the presentation and side dishes were nice. $20-something for half a duck. Not bad. Dessert was the brown sugar jelly. My daughter ate it all and wouldn't let me have a bite. She said it's something she will crave in the future and come here just for the dessert if necessary. We will certainly be back. There are more items on their menu I'm excited to try. Might ask for extra spicy next time! Minus one star mostly because it was a tad expensive but not too bad. Service was good. Came over when needed but never hounded.

    F3. Squirrel Fish
    Violet H.

    Chef Yao? Chef WOW!!! Sometimes Szechuan cuisine can feel like it's relying too much on spiciness, which results in a heavy/cloying effect, but not here. Each dish felt layered and complex. My favs were the mapo tofu and duck, but we all walked away very happy.

    Peking duck nicely presented
    Ken C.

    So I have seen other reviews gushing "Chef Wow!", "Chef Yow!", "Chef Yowza!" ... and you know what? The accolades are deserved. We were looking for authentic Chinese cuisine (not American Chinese) and were very happy with our meal. We had terrific vegetable dishes of water spinach and achoy in garlic sauces, a wonderful brace of whole sea bass, one steamed with ginger and scallion, the other fried with sweet and sour sauce (their "squirrel fish"), and a solid salt and pepper squid (though we felt the squid could've been a little crispier). The only letdown was the Peking duck - though still good and beautifully presented, the skin didn't have that crackly crispness that we've had at other establishments. Overall though, it was a highly satisfying and enjoyable meal. We'll be back to try their Hunan specialties and I predict we'll be revising our rating to a full 5 stars. Service was very welcoming and friendly; the interior is bright and clean though nothing fancy.

    Seo Youn C.

    Best Chinese food experience in the state of Providence thus far. When we walked into the restaurant we immediately knew it would be legit. All the dishes we ordered were really delicious, spicy but more complex than just spice. The tripe and beef in cucumber was a stand out to me in that it was oily but refreshing. The other two dishes (beef with bamboo shoot, beef in yellow broth) were also well balanced with perfect texture temperature and seasoning. Our dishes came out quickly after ordering, and our seever was generally punctual despite manning a busy floor. Would recommend Chef Yao, and excited to come back

    L7. Cashew with Chicken S1. Hot and Sour Soup

    Lunch special! This is my 3rd time at chef yaos and it is SO amazingly good. Similar take out etc is not comparable at all the flavoring is way better than other places around. Can't wait to try some of their more authentic meals at a sit down time! L7. Cashew with Chicken S1. Hot and Sour Soup

    C1. Sliced Beef & Tripe in Chili Sauce
    Barbara K.

    Solid new addition to the NP area! Everything we had was tasty! Our favorites were the chicken in chili sauce and the pan friend noodles with beef. The shrimp were large but also at a higher price tag of $18.95. The general tso chicken was ok. It's our 2nd time here and the staff is friendly and we will be repeat customers! The entrees come with rice which is nice.

    X3. Crispy Spicy Chicken
    Kazandra T.

    Came here once more and the food is great as always. Peking duck was good, but i wouldn't order it again, as I prefer just eating duck with rice. Steamed sea bass was very clean and light tasting. Spicy crispy chicken is something we always get every time we come~

    Mao xue wang
    Ning T.

    The food here has been very good. I'm so glad I found this from Yelp! A great addition to the lackluster Chinese food scene in RI. Their Sichuan dishes are very mouth numbing and flavorful.

    Inside
    Mike F.

    This place is definitely authentic. The vast majority of the customers were Chinese speaking so you know the food is legit. The menu has a variety of options from truly authentic Chinese to your American Chinese dishes. The Hot and Sour soup was really good not too spicy and had an umami flavor. The crab Rangoons were crispy with a creamy filling. They were def tasty. The soup Dumplings were nicely filled but they could have been steamed a little more because they were a bit chewy. The service was really nice and helped by suggesting some entrees. I took the waitresses recommendation and ordered the Kung Pao Chicken. It comes with white rice and I added an egg roll. The spice level was present and I am very grateful that I only ordered with little spice. Overall great experience and good food. It's definitely a different taste added to the area. The prices are good - just like all the other restaurants. I will definitely be back and try other dishes.

    Kam I.

    Third visit to this friendly place, the chef put out delicious dishes with passion and cooking skill

    Large hot and sour soup

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    4 months ago

    Great food! Everything we ordered was delicious. Pecking duck, soup dumplings, scallion pancakes etc

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    4 months ago

    Very good authentic food and good prices and service. Been there three times and will certainly return, very clean also

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food ! It is not your ordinary take out spot. Will be a regular , especially for their dumplings!!

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Chicken fingers were the reason i placed another order. They were fantastic. And the crab rangoons are really good also.

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    10 months ago

    Solid cold spicy chicken. Dan Dan noodles were very mushy, though the sauce was on point. Would return to give them another shot.

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    1 year ago

    A new restaurant with a lot of dishes that I haven't had before.The owner is very nice and highly recommended!

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    1 year ago

    Business owner information

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    Jennifer Y.

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    1 year ago

    i tried this today after being in RI for 25 years the best i must say me and my boyfriend enjoyed every bite

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    Ask the Community - Chef Yao

    Does the rice/noodles have wok hei?

    Do they have a liquor license?

    No, they do not have a liquor license.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    I love love love Chengdu. It is my favorite authentic Chinese/Sichuan spot in Providence. You don't…read morecome here for chicken fingers !! I have never had a bad meal here, and I always try to be adventurous and try something new each time. With that being said, I always get an order of the Chongqing diced chicken. It is one of my fave dishes of all time (be warned, it is SPICY. Not for the faint of heart). The sauteed pig intestine with chili is another fave of mine. The dining area is spacious and cute, and the staff here is always incredibly nice and knowledgeable. Very helpful when there is a lot of dishes you might not be familiar with ! Chengdu is a must try if you are in the Smith Hill area of Providence. In fact , it's worth a trip to Smith Hill all on it's own.

    I wanted something different for dinner and this place has been on my list to visit for a while…read more There were plenty of parking spaces to choose from. When we went inside, there was only one other party there and no music, so just whispers and the sounds of utensils against plates. There are about 4-5 booths and 1-2 regular tables to choose from. Since l am not familiar with Sichuan cuisine, I had Al help me choose my dishes. I went with the dumplings in chili sauce, fried rice, eggplant in garlic sauce, and chongquin chicken. While we waited, we were given water. The dishes came out at different times. They first served us the dumplings which were really good. The sauce they were in did have some chili sauce, but it was mostly like a sweet soy sauce and really tasty. It came with about 6 dumplings with a perfectly cooked wrapper and filled with flavorful pork - simple but delicious. Next was the eggplant. I was expecting a heavy garlic presence, but it was more like a sweet and sour sauce. The eggplant was very tender, but really hot so we had to wait to let it cool down a bit. The rice came after. I honestly think this was one of my favorite dishes since it was perfectly cooked, great flavor, and good portion. Lastly, the chicken came out. There was a large pile of chicken, but half of it was peppers. The chicken was cut into little bite sized pieces, each fried perfectly. Some pieces were more tongue numbing than others but it was nothing aggressive; very gentle and comfortable numb. I would have liked if there were music, but the no music was fine too; an escape from chaotic reality. Our total was around $50, which wasn't bad for the amount of food we got. I would come back to try other items.

    Chong Qing House - 23. Cold Pig Ear in Chili Sauce

    Chong Qing House

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    Met up with friends here and had a lovely shared meal. We opted to order 'family style' and shared…read morea variety of dishes. We started with a pot of tea which was very nice. We asked for waters as well and let the waiter, who was always available, know when we needed a refill. Everything we ordered was tasty, fresh, well prepared and nicely presented. I had expected a bit more spice on some of the dishes, but they were all very mild, so if you are worried about Sichuan spiciness or heat, you can put that worry to rest. Chopsticks only are at the table and although we didn't ask for forks, I suspect they could rustle some up for you if needed. The hot & sour soup is good according to my SO who gets it everywhere (and will let me know if it's a thumbs up or down). The décor is lovely and everything is clean, including the gender neutral restroom. The staff we encountered were all very pleasant and service was excellent. They did a good amount of take out business during our visit. Free on-street parking was easy to find during our week day lunch visit.

    Got take out from here…read more First time so tried a few different things. Got 3 cup chicken, general tso chicken, orange chicken, crab Rangoons, lo mein and pork fried rice. Also got an egg drop soup. Food was ready when we got there, service was good All the food was good, General Tso and the 3 cup chicken were stand outs. Could taste all the flavors in the 3 cup, really good. General tso was good but not too spicy. Fried rice was solid. All in all, an excellent meal

    Yama Fuji - Rolls: Pink Lady, Hug and Kiss, I forget :-(, Spice 2 in 1

    Yama Fuji

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    My cousins and I had dinner here one Sunday evening. It wasn't crowded at all. We had no trouble…read moregetting seated and the menu had lots of options. We all ordered something different and there were no disappointments. Even my seafood-avoidant cousin liked her choices. Prices were as expected. Decor was ok. Service was adequate, but could have been friendlier. Still, we ate well and left happy so it was a good dining experience. I would eat there again if I'm back in the neighborhood.

    More like 3.5 stars. We saw on social media that they were launching an AYCE menu and thought let's…read moregive it a shot! There's no menu posted anywhere (I posted one for reference) so we went in blindly and hoped for the best. Located off a sometimes busy North Main St - there is a parking adjacent to the restaurant as well as some street parking. We got there for an early Sat lunch so parking was plentiful. From what I could tell, it's a decent sized restaurant with good amount of seating. We were seated at a booth and were given menus - we told our waitress we wanted to do the AYCE and she went and grabbed a different menu - laminated sheet with the options you can mark off with a marker. We got a decent amount of options but what I loved was all the additional app/entree options. I like sushi but can't do shellfish so a lot of special rolls I can't consume - so greatly appreciated the vast variety of offerings. For apps - we ordered hot and sour soup, boneless ribs, shumai, crab rangoon and fried ravioli. Portions were good for AYCE as it shouldn't fill you up too much as you're there for the Sushay! My favorite was the ravioli - nice plump and juicy. The sushi rolls were good but I prefer the ones that aren't super doused in sauce. I don't do sashimi but the mister said it's not the best but not the worst he's had. It's def a huge bang for your buck here as sushi can tend to get expensive. Service was friendly and quick. The manager came over to check on us during our meal - which is always nice when management wants to ensure all is going well. There aren't too many AYCE options in RI (only 2 other I can think of) so nice to see another one pop up.

    Y Bento

    Y Bento

    (12 reviews)

    Federal Hill

    Came here for lunch and it didn't disappoint. Located right next to its sister restaurant Y Noodle…read moreBar. Plenty of parking in the lot. It's cafeteria style where the food is already prepared you pick your carb(s) and then your stir fried options to go with it. You can get anywhere between 2-4 options (called Woks). The front of house person was so sweet and accommodating. We were the only ones there at 12pm on a Sat and so she told me I could have a little sample of what I wanted to try ahead of choosing. I liked pretty much everything I tried. My favorite was the chicken with mushrooms - nice savory flavors and the shiitake had a phenomenal flavor packed with umami. Although I enjoyed everything, I will have to say it does feel heavy after eating. The carbs are placed at the bottom and all of the woks are placed on top so all of the oils and sauces drip drown to the rice and noodles. For the most part it's fine but can eat heavy. I think I'd prefer the carbs and woks to be separated so you can mix and match your eating as you see fit. Minimal seating - a few barstool chairs inside along with a few outdoor tables, this is more takeout that eat in. We did enjoy everything we had and would def come back to try other options and truly the service deserves plenty of stars alone!

    This is right next to the Y noodle location, and had plenty of parking on front of the business. I…read morereally wanted to try it out today and upon arrival, there was no line and empty. The worker was as bilingual and highly appreciated that my father, mostly Spanish speaking, could order what he wanted instead of just point. The women was very kind and gave my dad suggestions and explained what each item was. The place was very clean and tidy. There was only one table available inside which isn't very convenient for bigger groups. Lucky we were the only ones here today. There is seating outside, but it's not the season to be sitting outside. The food is served in bento box styles, with an option of 2,3,4 items with already included carb (brown rice, white rice, and cold noodles). There were so many options but I went for the two item, cold noodles portion where had a smaller selection than the hot food item area. I did enjoy my food. It came with a side of soup and I selected the sweet and soup mushroom soup. My father tried the three item white rice mix. It felt very much like I made a Chinese food bowl! He didn't enjoy too much the beef, but did finish the rest of his meal. Overall, it is a cool idea of a restaurant. The service and style gave it a higher rating. The food could've been hotter, but it was a more colder day outside.

    Chef Yao - szechuan - Updated May 2026

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