THE BIG: Cantonese-style barbecue joint in the Chinatown shopping mall of North Austin. Takeout and sit down available. Plenty of parking in the lot. THE BLACK AND WHITE: My parents and I came here after a disappointing dim sum meal at Golden Palace. I've always heard about this spot but I generally get Ho Ho Barbecue for my roast duck fix. Coming into the resatuarnt, you are immediately shown the roast duck butchery area. It featured the cantonese style duck along with other roasted meats. I'm definteily going to be back to try some more stuff. I just got the roast duck this time and it was succulent, juicy, and flavorful. THE FINAL BAMBOO: A roast duck was around $35, which was pretty reasonable given the quality of the duck. I'd come back and try more of their menu items. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

My wife and I stopped by for dinner after a trip to MT Supermarket. Our meals were definitely mediocre at best. It's a shame because there are better Asian restaurants in this area on N Lamar. My wife had duck and I had Szechuan beef. Her duck was undercooked and still somewhat bloody. My Szechuan beef was obviously made from inexpensive cuts of beef and lacked the wonderful complex seasoning in better Szechuan beef. The food was served quickly and makes me believe the cook fried it up too quickly trying to get the food out quickly and not correctly. Food quantity was generous and service was OK but this restaurant is plain Jane with no ambience or anything special. The customers appeared to be an even mix of Western, Mixed, and Asian. Our waitress at her dinner out of a styrofoam container between customers. That gives one an idea of how this place functions. I don't recommend this place at all and won't return. Panda Express is slightly better than this restaurant. read more

This a restaurant that we always frequent. Never had issue until today. Yes I know it is Mother's Day. With that being said, I waited until late afternoon to go have lunch with mom. Waited 20 minutes, no problem as I know all restaurants are busy. Saw at least 4 tables available that I could see. No problems, waited till we could be seated. Once seated we waited only about 8-10 minutes for someone to take out order. Again no problem. So once order was taken, waited for 20 minutes after I went up to the service bar to ask where is our water and tea? Meanwhile two other tables that came after us got their drinks and plates. So again trying to be patient. 8 minutes later we got our soup then received two other dishes out of five dishes we had ordered. We had just two people in our party ordering at least $100 of food. Tables that came after us received their food first but not only that they received complete order. After the soup and two entrees, the other three entrees never came. So from the last order we received we waited another 30 minutes and nothing yet table after us received all their dishes. Now you can say they are busy but that is false assumption as when we were seated only one table was waiting for food. All the others were finished and waiting for togo boxes. So we were the next wave with us being the first in the wave. Yet despite maybe a couple of orders that may be inside we only got less than half of our order. Our waitress apparently from what I saw kept bing on cellular phone. The two star rating is for the rating of the food as half of rating to me is service, food and ambiance. Just FYI, I always leave at least 30% tip. As many times as we go in there you know that the wait staff should remember a customer that always order a lot, is an excellent tipper and does not ask for things one at a time. Made this Mother's Day for my mom one of the worst lunch day ever in all the years going out for lunch. Food again is excellent if you can get all of your order sent. Not sure if we will ever frequent the restaurant again. So many excuses given for everything. Wonder too if race related as the non Asian customer get treated like this. Should have gone with my first instinct and left after seeing table available and no one to seat or service just two patrons. read more

Had lunch there and it was almost inedible. The egg drop soup was ok, although very bland. The sesame chicken lunch though was horrible. A gelatinous mass of dried out grizzle with a tiny amount of chicken. The "egg roll" looked like it was fried a week ago and had been under a heat lamp ever since. The rice was OK, but it's hard to mess up rice. I didn't eat much as I lost my appetite by then. Very sad that any restaurant would serve such slop and expect it to be eaten. read more

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. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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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. read more

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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. read more

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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! read more

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

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

I visited here one Sunday when I couldn't think of anywhere else close by. It turns out they were listed by CNN at one time as being one of the Top 50 Chinese restaurants in the US. They may be called first, but it's probably the last time I'll be eating there. After looking through the numerous choices on the menu, I settled on the lamb hot pot dish. We came with a small group and all of the dishes we ordered came out from the kitchen at various times over a period of about 30 mins, this was the longest wait ive probably ever had for only 5 dishes at the table. Of course, my dish was the very last. Everyone had already finished eating for at least 10 mins, so a lot of us were just sitting around. Luckily, I got to sample some of the other dishes but nothing stood out to me at all. As far as the lamb dish, it has a nice presentation and a good amount of lamb pieces. Some had bones and some didn't, but there were plenty of veggies to go along with the meat. It comes in a brown colored sauce which is okay. Overall, we had a decent experience here. The food and service was not mindblowing for me, just average Chinese food. One in our group has this as their favorite Chinese restaurant in Austin, but for me I like other places more. read more

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! read more

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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... read more

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

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 read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Duck and pork plate with fried dumplings - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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. read more

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I keep coming here in spite of the poor food handling and hygiene practices I've witnessed firsthand and the cockroach I found in a to go container lid. Why I keep eating here, I don't know. Food is good, but I'm utterly grossed out. For some strange reason, the owner is not interested in receiving tips for his staff. I don't understand this. Maybe it's a cultural thing. Maybe it wouldn't get shared with the staff anyway. Who knows. read more

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! read more

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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. read more

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

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. read more

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Their BBQ dishes may be very good, but ordering from the menu was a disappointment. The food was cooked well, but the dishes had no flavor. No spices and no flavor whatsoever - very bland. Did not taste like traditional Chinese food. read more

Terrible roast pork Supposed to be pork belly? Super dry and soggy. Never go back again Anything less than one star? read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Chinese bbq roast pork - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Always good authentic Cantonese Chinese: roast meats (bbq), clay pots (including salted fish combos), seafood stir fry, and vegetable dishes. Great for family style, but I also get healthy single dish meals there. Similar to Din Ho Chinese BBQ but 3/4 scaled down in variety/options. Probably in the top 5 Cantonese restaurants in town. read more

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The OG in Chinese sit down and take out. Crispy lechón or juicy roasted duck, you can't go wrong with anything ordered from here. Service is quick and seamless even when it's always busy. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - 301. BBQ Pork & Roast Duck on Rice with pickled cabbage and carrots to compliment - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Friendly service and so quick! We came around 3pm on a Friday and the food was fresh and service was so fast and friendly! We ordered beef flat noodle and roast duck with char siu. Everything tasted amazing and I would absolutely come back. The char siu was not quite as good as uniformly good as some pieces were less flavored than others. You can tell from the photo some are more marinated and some less. The beef flat noodle was perfect. The duck was great. Prices are average compared to the new price increases post-pandemic. I noticed some of their other items like clams in black bean and others were over $17 a plate. Well, not much you can do about inflation. The food is still as it was before - casual, quick, basic, tasty. Don't expect high-end food or you will be disappointed. It's not that type of restaurant and the servers today were all very nice and you could tell the regulars were there because they knew everyone's name. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - 418. Beef Flat Noodle - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My wife and I were in search of a new Chinese restaurant after our beloved Wanfu III permanently closed (RIP), and First Chinese BBQ just might be our new go-to! We were greeted by the sight of whole roasted duck at the counter as soon as you walk in, so we knew we were going to get the good stuff at this restaurant (we did). We went around lunch time and were quickly greeted and sat by our waitress. The dining area was clean and neat, and had that sort of hazy, yellow light that is typical of a lot of Chinese restaurants (not a bad thing). The entree prices are are on par with other sit-down restaurants and the portions are HUGE. I ordered a BBQ pork plate and Chinese broccoli (which I didn't realize was also an entree in itself), and both were excellent, and I was tackling the leftovers for days. I'd never had Chinese broccoli before, but I will likely order it every time I visit. Sauteed with garlic and salt as far as I could tell, it had an excellent, almost smokey quality to it that will keep you coming back for more. I think even someone who hates eating vegetables would enjoy this. My wife ordered the roast duck and sauteed snow pea leaves. The roast duck, I'm told, was excellent. The snow pea leaves were also good, but definitely not on the same level as the broccoli. We were also provided generous amounts of rice on the side. The food also came out fairly quickly for the amount that we ordered. Overall, we (accidentally) ordered four entrees that ran us a little over $80 after tax, which isn't an outrageous amount, especially for the amount of food we got and continued to eat for several days after. Come hungry and prepared for leftovers! read more

For Chinese B.B.Q. and Cantonese food there are only a handful of places that are worth going to and this is one of them. The bbq is generally pretty good and the other entrees are great as well. The fried rice with everything in it is good, so are the Singapore noodles and beef flat noodles too. They do specialize in bbq so keep that in mind. Service is just ok but you don't go to a place like this for amazing service read more

fast service very nice come hungry it's a lot of food. broccoli was cold but it's okay. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - A4. Sesame Chicken lunch special - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Came here for a friend's birthday dinner with about 25+ some people and they were able to accommodate us all with 3 tables! I wish had pictures of the food but I was starving lol. Finally a place that has water spinach! If you've never had it, best vegetable dish around and highly recommend. The beef flat noodles were also seasoned well with big chunks of beef. I don't remember which fried rice we ordered but it was also delicious. The char siu pork and chicken were flavorful and I would order again. The only thing I didn't love was the duck as it was super fatty. Service was great and they were quick to take our orders and refill our waters throughout the dinner. More of a casual place to eat but would def come again or order takeout. read more

Had lunch while visiting Austin's "Chinatown". Did not live up to the award proudly displayed by the register of top 50 Chinese restaurants in the USA, to me. I had the roast pork and roast duck over rice plate. Good portions, pork was way too dry and flavorless, duck was excellent. My mom had beef stew over rice bowl. Decent portion, beef was rather chewy but had flavor. Service was good and dining area was clean. Dining area was very warm. Wouldn't be my first choice or if so, I'd get all roast duck or Peking duck. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Beef stew over rice, lunch special. Comes with soup (hot and sour) and an egg roll - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This is the worst Chinese bbq we have ever had. The duck was bland and overly oily, the pork didn't have the right texture, and the other main dishes didn't taste fresh, like it was fried in old oil. And I've never had bad Chinese bbq before. read more

Stay clear of this place! They are money hungry and scrupulous. For the same kind of food, go to Din Ho in Target shopping center on Payton Gin, the setting is classier, billing is straightforward, professional. The people at First Chinese BBQ always played the misunderstanding game so you will end up with a sour note and a lighter wallet. Marke our words. read more

We visited this place to try out the bbq. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as we thought it would be. The pork was bit hard, seems like a leftover. Duck has nothing special about it. The crispy noodle was a good amount serving but the sauce is lacking of flavor and too runny. The service was a bit slow as well. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Crispy noodle. Pork bbq - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

I knew something would be up just based on the container. It's missing two corners as seen in the image below. Also, it wasn't packed in a plastic container, which I thought was kinda strange. Also, it stunk. I've had chicken & broccoli from multiple spots back in Houston, and they all had beautiful aromas that came from the brown sauce, which is why I was offput by the smell with this spot. That should've been my warning sign but gave them a fair chance. Regretted it. The food was not good, and had to throw it away before I even finished half of it. Chicken had a strange, unpleasant taste to it. How do you mess up chicken & broccoli? read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

New in town. Enjoyed their BBQ meat and flat rice noodle with beef! Will try more of their dishes. We tried another BBQ competitor, but the quality of the competitor's BBQ wasn't as good as the reviews had claimed. read more

We had a huge party of 9 and they didn't do the best with accommodating us for one table. They also weren't the friendliest. We had to ask for everything even when the whole table was out of waters. The food was okay. They portions are big and are made for sharing with everyone. The table comes with rice and they have a lot on the menu. The cleanliness and the service of the restaurant wasn't the best. read more

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One of our FAVE AUTHENTIC Chinese spots in Austin. this place has all the old school greats - sharks fin soup, ducks hanging up front, crispy skinned Slab Pork, Charsiu everything is excellent. lots of veggie dishes as well - Gai lan with garlic or oyster sauce, pea shoots, tofu n broccolI. we absolutely love this place!! no heavy American sauces either! just GOOD Chinese food the way it's meant to be! read more

Great authetic Chinese spot in chinatown! Went to dinner during the weekend, and it was fairly busy. The place is simple, clean, and lively! Servers are nice. The food was great, flavorful, and had big portions! Really like the paper placemats on the tables. Parking is easy and free too read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

First Chinese BBQ is delicious! One of my fave places. Come here for the food, not the ambience. They have several locations in Dallas so we were thrilled that there was a location in Austin. Compared to the Dallas locations, this place is way better! The staff here is nicer and they accept credit card payment. Our fave dishes include orange beef, seafood supreme, fried squid, wonton noodles, pork and duck with a side order of steamed buns. read more