The service is quick and you'll get your order pretty fast…read more The food is okay-ish. Nothing special but also not terrible. The Wonton soup is pretty good. The place is in a need of renovation though. One can definitely see that the place has been here for a long time. At times the vibe can be something in between cozy and creepy.

The food was surprisingly tasteless and poor quality. The seafood soup had calamari that were so…read moretough that, despite my love for them, I couldn't chew them at all. My friends ordered the same dish, but one of theirs came out bland and without any sauce. The waiter's explanation was that they have two chefs... and so what? The service was awful. I don't mind when staff don't speak English well, but not to the point where she couldn't understand us and we could barely understand her. She was rude, pointing her finger at each person's face while speaking. And yes, at the end, she demanded a tip. When we explained why we weren't going to leave one, we had to listen to a long lecture--in very hard-to-understand English--about how "not nice" we are. Stay away from this place! I think the restaurant survives only because people like us don't check reviews before coming in. Never again. This is the first time in my life I didn't leave a tip.

Service 4/5: definitely on the slower side however she was still nice and got us whatever we…read moreneeded. Food 5/5: ordered an order of the soup, dumplings, the chili dumplings, cucumber salad. Everything we ordered was delicious. The soup dumplings were so flavorful and well seasoned. The chili dumplings were packed full of flavor with the right amount of hit from the spice. Cucumber salad was very refreshing. It will definitely be back to order other things.

Service could have been improved, but was a busy Saturday late lunchtime. Once order was placed …read more. kitchen was fast ... too fast as main entree arrived before appetizer. Ordered the pan fried dumplings which had pork, shrimp . These were excellent and honestly some of best dumplings I have eaten. Pan seared, but tender noodle exterior. Large and 7 in the appetizer dish, the meat ingredients was great, well seasoned with flavors. These were not ever frozen or sitting for days ... fresh. The dipping sauce was not a run of mill soy, teriyaki sauce... it was well seasoned and really added to the dumplings taste... I would order these again in heartbeat. The pan fried noodles with beef dish again fresh ingredients, tender Vegatables of broccoli, carrots , beans. The beef was tender and the sauce with a the beef and noodles had a light but addictive taste that had you wanting more... I was trying to figure out what was in the sauce . The dumplings were memorable and will return again for the dumplings or scallion pancake and try a duck dish.... They serve beer, wine, cocktails as well .

The hot and sour soup was superb as were the boneless spare ribs and mooshi pork!…read more Best of all, the hostess found the diamond that fell out of my engagement ring in the bathroom. (Afer 55 years of marriage, I was pretty devistated until she spotted the stone on the floor. Plan to return soon!

4.5 stars, on a revisit (the last occurred during COVID): much better food production (and lost…read moreduring takeout), the (spicy) string beans & chicken, had a complex red pepper flavor; the mooshi pork was nice mix of vegetables. The mapo tofu was quite spicy, and I enjoyed it. So worth a try again!

A gathering with project colleagues. The cooking method was fairly authentic, but the spiciness was…read moreonly at the Cantonese level. Fish Fillet with Hot Chili Sauce水煮魚片: As expected of their signature dish! The basa fish fillets were incredibly tender, the Szechuan peppercorns were fragrant but not numbing, and the overall flavor was oily but not greasy. The server would remove the chilies after serving, so there was no need to worry about the spiciness. Beef Fillets & Cabbage with Hot Chili Sauce水煮牛肉: Redder and spicier than the boiled fish. The Szechuan people present commented that this was the only dish with flavor. The beef was very tender; although you could taste the tenderizing powder, it wasn't a big problem. Scallions and Szechuan peppercorns contributed much to the fragrance. Pork Intestine with Preserved Vegetable酸菜大腸: Surprisingly, it tasted like... Hakka cuisine? The pork intestines were cut on the thicker side, not the usual kind, but the slightly sour and spicy flavor with a light thickening was just right. Spicy Frog in Fried Pot乾鍋牛蛙: Despite the name, there was a lot of sauce; the bullfrog meat was too tough and chewy. Not recommended. Ma Po Tofu (With minced pork)麻婆豆腐: Very delicious! The tofu was very tender, and the Sichuan peppercorns were very fragrant. Duck with Peking Plum Sauce京醬鴨片: The duck meat was mushy and lacked texture, and the Beijing plum sauce was heavily diluted. I had a feeling of not knowing what I had eaten. Sichuan Spicy Dumpling紅油水餃: I loved them!! The dumplings were large, the filling was generous, and the skin was on the thicker side, giving them a good chewy and firm texture. Besides the chili oil and peanuts, there was a hint of vinegar, which was very refreshing. Steamed Juicy Pork Bun小籠包: The restaurant claims they are handmade daily. Plenty of soup filling, but slightly oily; the skin was chewy but not dry, unfortunately one was broken. If this isn't the case for most places, then Fuchun Ju excels in its fillings, while Zoe's excels in its skins; both are comparable and worth trying.

Our go to spot for Chinese takeout!!! Everything is deliberately made to ensure when you eat at…read morehome the food is perfect!! Chicken is still crispy. Food is still hot. Flavor is still BANGING. Food is quick and well priced.

For a quick late lunch, I stopped by Shanghai Fresh on a Thursday afternoon. The place was…read morerelatively empty so I received seating immediately. I ordered the 雪菜肉丝炒年糕 Stir Fried Rice Cake with Pork & Mustard Greens ($17.95). It wasn't too oily, and had extra strong wok hei / 鍋氣. That puts it above the random neighborhood Chinese restaurant's version. That said, the portion size was probably halved. The interior seemed well put together. The bronzed teapot looked a lot better than the beat up stainless steel sort. The complimentary salt and pepper peanuts cemented the details. Personally, I would like a larger portion size, but I think the price point and offering caters to a more modern sensibility.

Maybe the best Chinese restaurant in Cambridge, certainly in Central Square. Never has…read moredisappointed me. Noodles are great. The braised duck was phenomenal. Interesting menu items and special weekend menus.

I had passed by Changsho countless times in my weary life, and yet had never been enticed to go…read morewithin. This, sadly, was in no small part due to the concerningly low rating that Changsho holds on this platform. This changed in November 2025. If you penetrate the brutal but not brutalist concrete building on the side of Mass Ave, you find yourself in a space that is clean and colorful, yet you find yourself with a weak sense of something being slightly off. An indoor waterfall cascades to your right. A sense of vague unease comes from the bowels of your soul. For me, the aesthetic brought me back to Orchid in Garden City, NY, which I visited a number of times in my childhood. Changsho is a Cambridge staple (allegedly from 1977) that recalls a lost style of Chinese restaurant in the US. Put simply, it's as if the restaurant were designed to give the locals a taste of "The Orient" in a way that would also greatly appeal to the locals. As a result, you have wood-paneled walls, large ceramic vases, East Asian instruments, and other such decor throughout the venue. There is surely more that can be said in this respect, but I shall stop here. That aside, I can now move to the food. I sampled several items, including a formosa crispy chicken, streamed edamame dumplings, vegetable spring rolls, and dry cooked string beans. The chicken was salty, as could have been expected, but I was very pleased overall with the food. The green beans in particular were flavorful and delicious, coated in a sumptuous ointment-like sauce. I read several reviews about evil and vile service at Changsho. This was not at all my experience. The wait staff were some of the friendliest people I met this month, and the food emerged quickly to be readily shoved down our eager gullets. The restaurant is not cheap, but not extraordinarily expensive -- it is in line with what you would expect for a slightly nicer (but not fancy) sit-down dinner. The Changsho experience was impressive, and I would readily return.

We hadn't been to Changsho for years - and although we found it not-so-special back then, we heard…read morethat it was under new ownership. We ordered Har Gao appetizer, Roasted Sesame Cold Noodles, Mu Shi Pork, and Basil Eggplant in Garlic Sauce. The Har Gao was A+, freshly made with excellent quality shrimp. But with only 4 small har gao for $13.50, it was easily the highest price Chinese restaurant we've ever seen. The Roasted Sesame Cold Noodles were ok, as was the eggplant (which had almost zero basil). The Mu Shi was boring. The service was extraordinary - attentive, welcoming, and friendly. The decor was tasteful, the music was American jazz, which was nice. The food was tasty, but other than the expensive har gao, definitely not worth Changsho's high prices.

I'm honestly so shocked Mu Lan isn't rated higher here (and it's making me question my taste buds),…read moreBUT everything I've gotten here has been amazing. I was introduced by a friend of mine, and I've been hooked ever since. I bring my friends, who bring their friends, and the line goes on. In all seriousness, get the smoked or salted duck. They're cold dishes but absolutely delicious. My go to dishes are the duck, fried porkchops, Mu Lan fish, and the Ham Hock (thank me later.)

Pretty standard Chinese restaurant. Biggest pro is that they have large tables and that there is a…read moresmall parking lot. Felt the dishes overall to be quite oily. Service was objectively fair as they were trying to rush us, came off as rude, and we had a hard time flagging them down. Tableware and such also need an update/refresh. Nonetheless it seems they are very popular as the place was full even on a weekday night. - beef scallion rolls were presented nicely - Szechuan cripsy chicken nugget things could have used more chicken! - Watercress and egg plants were good portions - Fried rice veryyyy oily - Mushu chicken was alright - chili oil potato strips were decently spicy

The wings and fried plantains on point. Definite recommend unfortunately no garlic for the plantainsread more

Tasty, affordable chinese comfort food. Best fried chicken wings in the area. Take out only.read more