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    First Chinese Barbecue

    3.9 (626 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    FIRST CHINESE BARBECUE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Sunny C.

    This place is authentic as it gets. Knowing Austin, there isn't much around here especially places that serve Chinese BBQ. It has very old school Chinese restaurant vibes all around but the menu is still friendly to you who don't know what to expect. I would order bbq by the pound up front sometimes for take out. Outside of bbq, the other dishes are still pretty good.

    Crispy beef noodles
    Cinzia L.

    Wow! Huge selection of authentic dishes! So many to choose from I honestly couldn't decide. Fresh, flavorful, big portions and great price point! The waitress was very helpful when I had questions about the menu. I really enjoyed my pick.

    311. Steamed Rice
    Brooke D.

    Me and my boyfriend came here for dinner the other night and I wanted to make sure to leave a review. The service here was great! Our server was very nice and our food came out pretty fast. My boyfriend ordered the barbecue pork and roasted duck which was very yummy. It had a lot of flavor and the texture of the duck was perfect. I ordered the Kung pao chicken and wasn't as impressed with it to be completely honest. It was lacking in flavor and they asked if I wanted it to be spicy or not and I said yes and it really didn't have much spice in my opinion. We also got a thing of hot and sour soup and oh my gosh it was such a big portion which I loved! It was a little bit different than your traditional hot and sour soup because it had a lot more filling in it and less broth. Overall I would recommend this place but I am interested to try out some different items when we return.

    A1. Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice
    Scarlett T.

    Sunday funday and we decided to go eat at one of our favorite Chinese restaurant in Austin! Their flavor and food is authentic and they have a massive selection of dishes to pick from. The food always comes out piping hot and fresh. We went here on a Sunday for lunch was able to grab a table without waiting. Sooner after the restaurant was pretty filled. Service was fast and the staff and owners still remembers me! We got our favorites here which are the salted fish chicken fried rice. Soo good and seriously hit all the salted fish taste! It's the best one in Austin. Other places just simply doesn't make it like here! Our other favorite is the general tso chicken which is seriously the best flavor and general tso chicken I've ever had in my life. I tried bamboo house and they came in second for general tso. First Chinese barbecue general tso is simply the best! The funny thing is I wasn't a general tso chicken fan until I had this dish here. Note they updated their menu. The general tso chicken is not on the menu but they can still make it for you! Third dish we order which was recommended by the waitress was 419. Beef Flat Noodle & Black Bean Sauce & Bell Pepper! First time trying it here and it was super tasty! The veggies still have their crunch and the black bean definitely came through! If you love black bean, you should try this dish! Unami to the fullest! Perfect balance of freshness and the flavor was delicious! Do I recommend this first Chinese barbecue? Yes if you haven't been here you are missing out on good eats! Trust me eat here because that is where you get the authentic Chinese food for a reasonable price!

    @nhueats_
    Nhu L.

    This is my go to spot for Asian food! It's very authentic Chinese food in my opinion. From the basic fried rice to seafood stir fry I love almost everything from this place and you can't go wrong. The prices are good and the portion are big! The service is very quick and prompt here! It's a very casual restaurant but great for small groups or big ones with their circular tables. Definitely my top top favorite Asian restaurants in Austin!

    Quiet before the dinner crowd. Servers were extra attentive as I usually just place an order for pick-up so dining-in was special. It's great to be recognized and appreciated ;D The Chinese BBQ pork, roast duck, and select roast pork are tasty! Love this place as it's authentic...

    Duck and pork plate with fried dumplings
    Quisha C.

    The food is delicious, and the service is Great. I have been going there since 2017. The restaurant is clean, and the servers are friendly

    Lobster Special $38
    Tina L.

    THIS IS A MUST PLACE VISIT EVERYTIME I VISIT. They offer such a variety of different foods that ranges from vegan, chicken, beef, seafood and so much more. They have noodles, rice, and fried options. The service is always great and they aren't skimpy on the portions. I highly suggest dining family style to try different meals instead of eating one dish a person. The place is such a vibe and spacious seating. They even offer take out right at the entrance.

    Phuong P.

    I LOVE this place, my whole family does. They have one of the best wonton noodle soups in town with reasonable price and quick service. We order takeout and it was super fast, they can speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese. A tip is, it's cheaper to call in and buy the roasted meat by weight rather than ordering a meal. We usually order their char siu and roasted duck separately, then eat with anything we like at home.

    Cam H.

    Such an authentic low-key Chinese restaurant! Everything was so affordable but also of great quality! The roasted duck here was amazing, so full of flavor, as well as the bbq pork. Perfect sweet and savory taste. The roasted pork skin was so crispy! Everything paired so well with the fried rice and chow fun noodle dish. I liked my wonton bbq pork noodle soup but it could've been a bit saltier. The wontons were perfect though, especially when dipped in the soy and sate sauce. Good service, food came out quick and the server was very friendly! Can't wait to come back for more of their duck!

    Salt and pepper fish. Not very good.
    Lyla A.

    7 years later...we came back to try BBQ pork (char siu) today. It was DRY. They were busy and I saw it being cut fresh so how on earth is it so dry? This will be our last time. Seven years ago wasn't a fluke.

    Chinese bbq roast pork

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    3 months ago

    Awesome food! Been going for over 15 years and its a good to place.. Best Peking Duck I've had in Texas.

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    3 months ago

    Food is good, not take credit card is not very common. Service is ok for Chinese restaurants.

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    4 months ago

    Been around for years. Great and authentic food. Need to upgrade the bathroom, and keep it clean.

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    7 months ago

    Yummy food great service fast service and it is very busy on Monday's closed on Tuesdays

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    Ho Ho Chinese BBQ

    Ho Ho Chinese BBQ

    3.6
    (934 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    Needing a fresh start to Chinese New Year we turned to Ho Ho to lift our spirits. Located right off…read moreof I-35, Ho Ho is tucked away into a shopping center but should really be more accessible because this place makes some good Cantonese style Chinese food. We ordered for pickup and they had the food ready fast and pickup itself was a breeze. The price felt very fair for the amount of food that we got, which is nice to see as many Chinese places now seem to be getting much pricier. After a short drive back we were very excited to dig in. Here's what we got for our New Year feast: Steamed pork dumplings - some big dumplings, packed with filling and not too bad on flavor Salt and pepper pork chop - very good. Salty flavor and good spice from the peppers Singaporean noodles w/ chicken - phenomenal, deep flavor and texture. Best dish out of all Beef chow fun - wet style chow fun is very good, beef was perfectly tender and flavorful Plain lo mein - simple but tasty, executed perfectly with good noodle texture Ho Ho excels at Cantonese style food, maybe better than any other place in Austin. This trip knocked us out of the park and we can't wait for our next excuse to come here. They do offer dine in as well and have a pretty large inside area so maybe we'll sit down formally next time. Either way, convenient, good value and good food as well makes this a standout choice for Chinese food in the North Austin area.

    We got here around 2:43pm on a Friday and ordered Roasted pork but sold out. We were at discount…read moretires next door and figure we go her for a quick bite. The establishment outside is run down but we were surprise to see the inside booths/tables were nicer than the outside. There are live tanks of seafood when you walk in. You need to wait to be seated. Service was good and food came pretty fast. We ordered the general tso chicken lunch special which comes with hot and sour soup. Lunch special is from 11am-3pm Monday-Friday. The general tso chicken is salty and was not well balance. The chicken was dry. It was lightly battered and fried. The sauce was one note. The stir fried flat noodles N12 combination was under seasoned and needed more soy sauce. The squid was not seasoned at all. The shrimp was imported shrimp and was not good. There were still poop lines in the shrimp. You didn't get any smokiness from the soy sauce at all. Do I recommend this place? This place was a staple in atx but with my Overall experience with the food quality I cannot recommend this place. We have had the roasted pork before and it was ok. Not the best we ever had but meh. Where we were seated we can hear the cooks yelling at each other in the kitchen. There are other restaurants in Austin that are way better.

    Photos
    Keeping our take out warm to enjoy Mother's Day at home.
    Keeping our take out warm to enjoy Mother's Day at home.
    Crispy garlic egg noodle lobster
    Crispy garlic egg noodle lobster
    Crispy fried intestine

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    Crispy fried intestine
    Qi Austin

    Qi Austin

    4.4
    (894 reviews)
    8.5 mi
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Outdoor seating

    Went to Qi for dim sum brunch and overall had a really enjoyable experience. Qi is know for…read morecombining western and traditional Chinese cuisine by using local organic farming. Did not have a reservation on this occasion, but they always make me feel welcome and manage to fit us in. Sat on the outdoor covered patio that was cool and shaded. The atmosphere is modern and lively, making it a great spot for a weekend brunch. Started the meal with cocktails including Lycheetini with Deep Eddy Vodka, Giffard Lichi-li. lemon, cranberry, I cut the cranberry. Also had a Fresa Paloma with Socorro Reposado Tequila, Contratto, strawberry, lime, grapefruit, five-spice that was very sweet and garnished with a flower. You are given a card where you can mark your dim sum selections. I ordered the Shrimp Pancake, Snow Crab Ball and Chinese Sausage Sticky Rice. The standout was the shrimp pancake that had a really great texture and flavor. The snow crab ball had a strange texture with shrimp surrounding the snow crab claw. The Chinese Sticky Rice is always a favorite. Also ordered the Truffle Egg Fried rice and Birds Nest with Seasonal Vegetable. The Truffle rice is so flavorful like a flavor explosion in your mouth. The Birds Nest is made with fried potato shreds which contain the a variety of vegetables including cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms and asparagus. The nest is also edible and has a crunchy texture. The presentation of the food is amazing and everything came out hot and fresh. The flavors were on point, and you can tell there's attention to detail in the preparation. Service was attentive outdoors and the pacing of dishes felt just right for a relaxed brunch. This restaurant is truly a gem whether you come for brunch or dinner service. Will definitely be back.

    I wasn't as blown away by the service and menu as I hoped- but continue to hear great things so…read moreI'll be back. Can't recommend the truffle fried rice or soup dumplings enough. The chicken basil pot stickers and pork belly were good.. but a bit dry for my taste. However, the sauces they offer were all good. Martini was a jump scare in color but taste was on pointtt! Service was fine but we were out front on the patio and though our waiter was attentive while we ordered, we ended up finishing and waiting 40 minutes for someone to come by so we could grab the check. I ended up just heading inside and the maître d' was able to close us out. Tables around us were open so I'm not sure what had them held up, and it could've been a one off, but definitely not ideal at this price point.

    Photos
    Qi Austin
    View from the Patio
    View from the Patio
    Qi Austin

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    Din Ho Chinese BBQ

    Din Ho Chinese BBQ

    3.8
    (1.1k reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    This restaurant is has plenty of seating and wasn't too busy around 6:30-7pm, so we were seated…read morefast. This was nice because the environment didn't feel overwhelming at all. The food not only came fast, but hit the spot! Everything had a good flavor and texture for the most part. But the Squid Special Salt was a bit overcooked, and we would've liked the breading to be a bit crispier rather than stale-tasting. We also didn't enjoy the Sizzling Steak as much because it was saucy, and it didn't appeal to our taste buds. Overall we enjoyed our experience here for a simple chinese dinner. I highly recommend the Salted Fish Chicken Fried Rice and Bass Filet Special Salt.

    I've spent a small fortune on Din Ho takeout over the years and it's been worth every dollar…read more I'm maybe halfway through the menu so I can tell you where to start: the wonton soup, the cashew chicken, the chicken broccoli, the Cantonese noodles. But the real star is the wontons. Best in Austin, hands down. I can put away a full order by myself. The duck's great too. It's authentic and you really can't go wrong. One tip for takeout. Uber and DoorDash jack up the menu prices like crazy. Order four or five dishes and you'll save around $20 just picking it up yourself. This is our favorite Chinese takeout in Austin, and that's saying something because China Family is excellent too. Din Ho just edges it.

    Photos
    Din Ho Chinese BBQ
    SF15. Walnut Shrimp
    SF15. Walnut Shrimp
    P2. Fried Crispy Pork Chop

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    P2. Fried Crispy Pork Chop
    Lin Asian Bar And Dim Sum

    Lin Asian Bar And Dim Sum

    4.2
    (1.3k reviews)
    8.5 mi
    $$$
    Locally owned & operated
    Family-owned & operated

    This is definitely one of my favorite places in Austin for Asian food and soup dumplings…read more Definitely need to make a reservation because this place is small and always packed. When you arrive, everybody is so nice you give them your name and they get you seated right away. I ordered a drink called a signature tingling Daisy and it was so good. I definitely could've had so many but I was driving so you gotta pace yourself. We started off with the soup dumplings, which are just phenomenal. It's a must when you go. Also, for appetizers, we got the spicy cucumbers which were divine and a hot and sour soup, which was perfectly balanced and not watery. We also got a beef fried rice and let me tell you that rice is so soft and delicious. You literally dream about it the next day. I also got the pecking duck which is delicious there the skin is nice and crispy and the meat on it taste so good. We also got the Kung pow shrimp with cashews, which was delicious and the pieces of shrimp were gigantic. We also got the green beans which is were delicious. I love ordering green beans when they're cooked just like the ones I posted in the photo. Then for dessert, we got the chocolate mousse which is that little dog cake. I know it's so cute and they made it a little hard to eat because you feel bad in a weird sense. It was delicious now I will say when cutting it and realizing the inside had a raspberry filling, made it a little more crazy cause it looked like blood, but it was still so good. This place is definitely an awesome staple and a must visit when you're in town or just always go and have food there whether it's date night or friends catching up or anything in general even on your own.

    I made a reservation for two on Resy and discovered when we got there that it was for the bar for…read moresome reason. This could have been my mistake but I don't remember any choice in the matter. The greeter wasn't very friendly and borderline surly when I asked for more details about how to not book the bar in the future. Didn't get any explanation but fortunately, we won't have to worry about that... The food was just awful. We ordered 3-4 types of dimsum (onion pancake, soup dumplings, chu shou, fried shu mae) and three entries (orange beef, eggplant and their take on ma pao tofu) for the best tasting experience. The curry sauce for the onion pancake was probably the most flavorful dish of the night sadly. The onion pancake was way way over fried-- hard as a rock. If that's their take on onion pancake... well, it's just wrong. The soup dumplings were passable but a bit doughie and the filling was full of a lot of noticeable coagulated fat -- not clear and broth-y, with light surface droplets of oil as all delicious broths. My wife enjoyed the chu shou -- I found the filling much too overcooked and tough -- difficult to eat with chop sticks. Like a tough, overcooked meatball. The fried shu Mae were just plain inedible. My wife and I each ate one and left the rest. The included sauce was basic and too heavy. And again, over fried. There was a huge delay between our apps and our mains, like 40 minutes or so. Various bar staff apologized. It wasn't a big deal, we were in a good conversation and they were super busy but our mains were not at all worth waiting for. Small portions. WAY over sauced. WAY too salty. WAY too sweet. No distinct flavors at all. The ma pao didn't seem to have any Szechuan pepper at all. How do you miss that ? The plating of the eggplant dish was really creative but I don't eat with my eyes and it came with no instruction -- my first bite was just flavorless steamed eggplant cube -- second was mixed with one note sauce. One of the better mains IMO but it was still gloopy and pretty gross. Wife did not enjoy it. The orange beef was essentially just six or seven cubes of tough, fatty beef covered in over-the-top bitter orange peel. We each had a cube and left the rest. Honestly, give me Panda Express any day over this abject failure of a restaurant. Austin needs more Chinese but if it's anything like this place, forget it. I'd rather spend a 4h round trip to Houston and go to even a mediocre Chinese restaurant than endure another meal at this place. What a waste of $165. Edit: I wish I was making this up but I literally had to pull over to throw up on the side of the road on the way home. The food did not sit well with me. I have no underlying health conditions, am not on any medicine that would have this as a side effect and only shared one beer with my wife. It was just a very, very, disappointing and gross meal.

    Photos
    Outdoor
    Outdoor
    Lin Asian Bar And Dim Sum
    Lanterns inside

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    Lanterns inside
    Wu Chow

    Wu Chow

    3.9
    (1.2k reviews)
    8.4 mi
    $$

    What's. It to love? Amazing food. Outstanding playlist (think 90s hip hop but not played at an…read moreinsane decibel level!), amazing service, and tasty cocktails. Wu Chow hits the spot on manny levels. The patio is inviting and the interior is decorated nicely as well. The food reminds me of home cooking meets a new hotspot in atx! The staff does a great job of checking in on tables and making great recommendations for coursing plates for a group (including portions bc in Texas you never know!). I really liked their dumpling and the rest of the meal was tasty as well.

    I sure didn't enjoy my last visit here. We arrived there at 5:30 with a reservation for a group of…read more11. We let them know we all had tickets to the opera at 7:30 so it was our goal to be wrapping up by 6:45. By 6:35, my plate was still bare. By the time my food arrived, I had to just shovel it in and go to the opera with indigestion. My friend sitting beside me fared even worse. His food didn't arrive until we were all paying our bills and getting ready to depart so he just had to get his to go. There were nice aspects of the meal too. My food was hot and tasty, my Welcome To The Jungle drink was epic, and our server was pretty attentive. However, the timing of food coming out just made the experience a catastrophe for my friend and me and I hope to not return.

    Photos
    Texas Tiki Week 2014 "Bull Mug"
    Texas Tiki Week 2014 "Bull Mug"
    Crispy Sesame Beef
    Crispy Sesame Beef
    Special Fried Rice - lots of meat, but lacking flavor

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    Special Fried Rice - lots of meat, but lacking flavor
    1618 Asian Fusion

    1618 Asian Fusion

    4.7
    (4.1k reviews)
    9.6 mi
    $$

    After landing in San Antonio yesterday to kick off my summer vacation, the very first thing I did…read moretoday was ask my friend to bring me back to this restaurant. The reason is simple: we ate here two years ago, and it left such a great impression on us that we had been looking forward to coming back ever since. Fortunately, not much has changed in terms of either the quality or the overall presentation of the food. Everything is still delicious, especially the Pho Combo. To be honest, it's far better than most of the pho we've had in Germany. That doesn't mean the pho in Germany is bad--it simply means this place matches my personal taste much better. As for the downsides, they're almost exactly the same as before. Parking is still a major challenge, and I understand that's probably not something the restaurant can easily fix. We also tried calling ahead to reserve a table, but they don't take reservations, whether you're coming with a group of 5-7 people or just 2-3 people. We arrived at 6:45 PM and still had to wait about 40 minutes before being seated, which was honestly quite inconvenient. Coincidentally, there was live music tonight, which was a nice surprise. Unfortunately, the sound system wasn't very good, so it was difficult to hear what the singers were performing. Then again, this isn't really the type of venue where people come specifically to enjoy live music, so most diners didn't seem to pay much attention to it. One thing I did notice was that either the kitchen has made a few changes over the past two years, or perhaps my own taste has changed a little. The food felt slightly saltier than I remembered, and the pho broth was richer and creamier. While that added some depth of flavor, it was a bit too rich for my liking, to the point where finishing the entire bowl of broth felt a little overwhelming. The braised short ribs were incredibly tender--so tender that a knife was almost unnecessary, and they could easily be pulled apart with just a fork. While many people would probably see that as a positive, I actually missed the slightly firmer, meatier texture I remembered from my last visit. That said, these are relatively minor issues. The quality may have dipped just a little compared to our previous visit, but this is still an excellent restaurant. If they can fine-tune those small details, it would easily return to being one of my favorite places. There's a good chance we'll stop by one more time before heading back to Germany.

    Is it that time of year for another 1618 update? Absolutely…read more After my umpteenth visit, I think it's safe to say I've worked my way through almost the entire menu (minus a few noodle, chicken & vegetarian dishes). My 2025 review still stands, but after so many visits, I've noticed a few items haven't been good as they used to, particularly the chicken wings (and yes, all three of them). The Garlic Wings haven't been hitting quite the same. They've started to taste a little dry, and the saucier wings taste better the next day since they don't have time to steep through once served. The Filet Mignon Pepper Steak is still my favorite dish on the menu, but I still can't justify ordering it family-style anymore. It's delicious, but the portion just doesn't match the price. One of the newest additions--the Truffle Fried Rice is spectacular. It's light, not overpowering with truffle, and the fish eggs really adds the perfect little pop of texture/flavor. I don't think I breathed the entire time I scarfed it down!! 1618 is still one of my favorite restaurants in Austin of all time, but I think it's time for the menu to elevate a bit and dive deeper into less mainstream Asian cuisine. If anyone can do it, 1618 can.

    Photos
    Chicken Pineapple Fried Rice
    Chicken Pineapple Fried Rice
    Cheesecake flambé
    Cheesecake flambé
    Pho Rib - Vietnamese beef broth with Filet Mignon, Grilled Ribs & a Vital Farm Egg.

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    Pho Rib - Vietnamese beef broth with Filet Mignon, Grilled Ribs & a Vital Farm Egg.
    Shanghai Restaurant

    Shanghai Restaurant

    3.5
    (738 reviews)
    3.6 mi
    $$

    This might be the best dim sum in Austin now…read more I actually had never eaten at Shanghai having grown up in Austin. I didn't have their food until around COVID when we got dim sum to go a few times. I remember at that time thinking it was pretty unremarkable, and also quite expensive for dim sum. Fast forward to this year. I'm not sure if they have new ownership or new cooks, but the difference is night and day. I've been a couple of times now for dine-in in dim sum and each time was awesome. You can order off the menu or by QR code. They definitely focus on the classics but they're all executed really well. Standouts for me were the pan fried turnip cake, full of turnip and super sweet, the shrimp and leek pan fried dumplings, shrimp stuffed eggplant, and chili wonton. What makes them unique to me is that the food is all cooked to order and comes out hot and fresh. The fried items are crispy and hot and everything else you can tell just came straight from the kitchen. This avoids the one issue with carts which is that the food has been cooked who knows when and has just been sitting in a steam cart for an unknown amount of time. Also since you order off the menu, you can get exactly what you want instead of having to wait for a cart to come by. The service is always friendly and I've never had to wait to be seated, even on a weekend. If you haven't come here in awhile or written it off in the past, I'd encourage you to come and try it again. Right now it's a hidden gem but if more people realize how much better it is now, it might not be for long. Also bonus points for being a dim sum place that's not super far north like New Fortune 2 or Golden Palace.

    Was so excited to try dim sum that wasn't 20+ minutes to get to up north but my experience wasn't…read morethat great unfortunately. The bad: disorganized service. Ordering is through QR code and they did not know what order went to which table. They put food on our table and took it back to a different table TWICE. The good: the dim sum tasted legit. I'd recommend the shrimp rice roll. If service was better and their ordering system was more organized, this could be such a bomb place!

    Photos
    Shanghai Restaurant
    Shanghai Restaurant
    On the side of the restaurant. Enter on the left.

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    On the side of the restaurant. Enter on the left.

    First Chinese Barbecue - bbq - Updated July 2026

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