I come here so often that almost everyone in my life knows it's going to be my first answer to "what's for dinner?" The fun part is, no one really knows what my order's going to be! Honestly, so much of this menu is delicious. My absolute faves are the salt and pepper shrimp, the salt and pepper pork chops, eggplant with pork, BBQ pork, flat noodle with beef, seafood crispy noodle, and chicken sweet corn soup. They've been GREAT during COVID and double bag things that might leak, poke small holes in boxes with crispy food so it stays crispy in transit, and NEVER miss a beat with requests. Great flavor, reasonable prices, expansive menu, and always hot and fresh. 5/5 stars, my absolute favorite. One note of caution: For some reason they have the SPICIEST chili oil in the business. Eat at your own risk! read more

The best and the most authentic Chinese food in town. The staffs are friendly and always take the time to visit and they all speak English very well. I have been coming here with my hubby for over two decades. Give it a try and their ducks are the best!!!!You will be glad you try this awesome place. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Seafood Hot Pot - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

I love to grab food from First Chinese but I was offended the past few times I've visited. The gentleman behind the counter will always just provide me with a fork but I prefer to use chopsticks when eating Chinese food (just me). Both times when I've asked for chopsticks he laughs and says "Ooooh you know chopsticks?!". It's a bit offensive to me especially since it's happened more than once. Don't get me wrong... the food is good but the customer interaction needs a little improvement. read more

The food is good like really good. The only reason they got 4 out 5 is because of their shrimp. They do not clean their shrimp-so you can still see the vein in the shrimp. The service is not bad above par. read more

The Chinese barbecue here is great quality and super flavorful and tender. The prices are affordable, we will definitely be coming back. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

I've been craving Chinese food, and this place satisfied my craving! We came here for Saturday dinner with a group of 10 people, and there was no wait! Pros - Wait staff is super friendly and fast. Our waiter suggested various dishes we would like - The dishes came out really fast and tasted really fresh! - My favorite dishes were the pork bbq and the fried peppered tofu! They were so flavorful! I probably could've ordered 5 plates each of those dishes - The dishes come with white rice, and since we were sitting at a round table there was a lazy susan that made it easy to pass the food around - Prices of the dishes were reasonable, and the food portions were perfect for sharing Cons - Our seating was a bit cramped. I was sitting on the inside against the wall, so whenever I had to use the restroom others had to get up to let me out - There was a flickering light that needs to be replaced - I wish the menu included some pictures of the food items! Thank you to previous Yelpers for posting pictures! It definitely helped to make our ordering process easier. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Traditional paper place mat - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Excellent, authentic food. Polite and prompt service. Clearly the very best Char Sui Pork and roasted duck that I'm aware of in the greater Austin area. Also, try the crispy noodles in a variety of ways. read more

Ok, I have had Chinese BBQ in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Southern China and Hong Kong and points in between. Their BBQ pork or Cha Siu is wonderful. Their beef chow fun is on point. The roast duck is crispy and delicious. Nice team of employees, efficient and get you in and out quickly. Good menu of Chinese food and priced fairly. Not cheap. Not expensive. Austin does not have a ton of Chinese BBQ, but that's ok as we have this restaurant. It's also convenient to MT Supermarket, a pho shop, a bahn mi spot and other Asian food. When I went recently, it take out only. Not sure if indoor dining is back. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - BBQ pork. Cha siu. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I've eaten at the restaurant once but have ordered takeout a couple of times. I've had their bbq duck and their pork blood/chives dish. Their bbq duck was just decent but I wouldn't say that it's the best I've ever had. I've been spoiled with all of the options in the So Cal area. Their pork blood and chives dish is on point, though. There's a consistency that I look for in the pork blood cubes. For me, it's the softer kinda like soft tofu. They are super consistent with this dish which keeps me happy. My order has always been right and their prices are very reasonable. I would definitely come back! read more

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Roast Chicken, Roast Duck, Roast Pig...are you looking for those meats that they only serve in very traditional type Chinese restaurants? Look no further. I've been coming here for months and I remember the very first reason I did was because it's so hard to find a place that serves roast pork belly or whole roast duck in Austin, I'm talking like the type that hangs delectably with of course the head still intact. This place for sure is my go to for any traditional type meals for noodles, veggies, and of course meats. The great thing of course about any of the roast meat options you can just order to go right at the front as they have usually a stock ready to go and fresh. As far as food my go to here is anything lo mein (noodles) and beef. Fairly traditional type meals at good prices too. I've usually caught this place not during prime hours so I can't speak on how service is then, but the times I have gone service was good and friendly, helpful too if you're unfamiliar with items on the menu. Next item I hope to get is a Whole roast Pig. Fully body and all. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

I love Chinese bbq and this has got to be some of the best I've tried. We ordered the trio of tongue ear and tripe and I highly recommend this plate. It may seem like a strange choice but trust me you'll definitely enjoy the depth of flavor and textures. The tongue was definitely my favorite. The walnut shrimp is such a guilty pleasure, I love the creamy sauce and the thin crispy batter on the shrimp. The walnuts was caramelized and added a nice sweetness. Broccoli to make you feel better about yourself, but just a bit bland. The marinated bbq pork and chicken was such a highlight! The chicken was a great surprise, so extremely tender and the skin was fatty and delicious. They were out of duck this time so we decided on the chicken and had no regrets. The pork was so flavorful. It almost had a hint caramel or maple syrupy sweetness, a bit more charred bbq texture and so good. You need to try this place asap, I will be back to get the duck next! read more

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Love this mom and pop no frails chinese bbq restaurant with a huge menu to satisfy ones chinese food cravings. I came here twice, both times really enjoyed the food here. The bbq here is authentic and delicious, really well marinated and cooked duck. The dishes are large and delicious. While no dishes here has been exceptional, it fills a no frails very decent chinese food with really solid bbq niche, would definitely be back again. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - 鱼香肉丝 - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Incredibly delicious Peking duck and bbq pork fried rice! Fried dumplings were really good, hot tea balanced the meal. Service was fast. If you're looking for an authentic Chinese restaurant, this is it! Large portions good for two. Big menu selection. Family friendly. Ducks hanging as you enter. Can't wait to return! read more

This place was NOT on its A game when we visited. They were out of several key ingredients such as the BBQ pork (something we really wanted to try) and even noodles! How does that even happen? Why have such a large menu with hundreds of items but not have any of your signature dishes. Absolutely blows my mind and makes no sense to me. The few dishes we were able to order were completely unremarkable. The Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce (212) I could've made better myself at home in 10 minutes and the salted fish, tofu, and chicken hot pot (A2) tasted wayyy too fishy. Didn't even want to take the leftovers home to be perfectly honest. read more

Love this place! Food is amazing and price is fair. I love the beef flat noodles, roasted duck, and BBQ pork. Good service and very homey Canto style. read more

Great family style Chinese food. We had the bbq pork and roasted duck, which comes with steamed rice. We also ordered combination fried rice, sautéed Chinese broccoli and chicken and sweet corn (like egg drop) soup. Highly recommend and will be back! read more

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The food is substandard and unlike what they depict in photos. The pork looks anemic, the shrimp as if they had been rejects. Food is lopped together on the plate. The servers are ambivalent at best, clueless at worst. read more

The first Chinese bbq was an experience non the less. We came for a birthday lunch and found the food to be all just that. Ordinary. If they pride themselves in ordinary then I would say a job we done. The plated meals provided an adequate feast with a mid sense of flavor. It leaves the customer questioning what is missing within the dish. I would say the duck is always a great go to while, there is a full menu of lack. I give it such a high rating because although sub par... it allows for an environment of friendly eating. With an atmosphere that makes you feel like you're at your family friends house for a meal. I will be coming again to take the duck Togo. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place has been around for years and still thriving. I would say it caters to a more authentic Chinese palette than Chinese-American. As such, decor is not a priority but the food is delicious and fast; they come out fast and freshly cooked. The service is also great. I would go back for an authentic meal or take-out! read more

Horrible service, lady with eyeliner came to the table demanding we pay $5 rudely! Slamming the to go box on a 75 year old hand while eating because we couldn't eat from a To go box at the table. I strongly believe it's ways you approach people. This lady was not our waiter nor the manager. She went back-and-forth being extremely disrespectful . We had no problem with the policy of not eating to go at the table, but the physical touch and service manner was extremely horrific. read more

Tasty and fresh. The huge lazy susan on the table made it easy to pass the shared items. Nice place to order a variety of dishes to share and sample the large menu. Yum! read more

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this was a good light lunch. the bbq food were meaty and they do give you a good portion with the noodle soup. we were full from the noodle soup. they gave a good amount of noodle and bbq meat. we were surprised how many options there were on the menu. we will go back again if in the area. read more

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The wait was ridiculous. My friends and I were hoping to eat dim sum at a restaurant nearby but was told it would be a 45 minute wait so we came here to First Chinese instead. Big mistake. While we got seated right away, we waited OVER 45 minutes for our food. Clearly, we should've waited the 45 minutes for dim sum. A 45+ minute wait for food is absurd. While this was my first time at the Austin location, I have frequented the Richardson (a Dallas suburb) location multiple times. You can usually always count on First Chinese to whip up some solid Chinese cuisine. But the long wait for food after ordering was just a major turnoff. We ordered the beef flat noodle, crispy seafood noodle, salty fried squid and the roast pork & BBQ pork plate. The beef flat noodle wasn't as flavorful as I remembered. The beef itself was super tender and the noodles were all consistently soft. The crispy seafood noodle was solid and hefty. Good flavors and huge portion. The salty fried squid was also very delicious. I loved all the spicy jalapeño peppers that it came with. Consistent fry, good chewy texture to the squid, and overall great taste. What I don't understand is they have all this roast pork and BBQ pork out in the front in the BBQ area yet it was the last of our items to arrive. I figured the roast pork and BBQ pork plate would be easiest to prepare seeing as they always have those items ready to go - they just need to chop it up and put it on a plate. The roast pork was off the day we went. The crispy, crunchy skin is supposed to be the best part but it was on the chewy side. The pork meat itself lacked flavor and had a tougher texture. We usually get a mixture of dark meat and white meat but all our roast pork slices were white meat. The BBQ pork was so not the business either. Good flavor which is to be expected from First Chinese but the pork tasted overcooked. It wasn't as tender as it should have been. read more

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FOOD// I had the duck shared with friends and really enjoyed it. The buns they provide were so great and soft, but it was definitely not made fresh. Water was off meaning tasted like the sink water ): ATMOSPHERE// Entering the restaurant, you see lovely duckies waiting to be eaten - so, it was #shook. The restaurant had an odd odor and humid-like air. SERVICE// Maybe it is just asian place, but put that smile on your faces. SURROUNDINGS// It's part of chinese plaza. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

I ordered the shrimp wonton soup and combination fried rice to go. Both were tasty after a few bites. There's something about the broth that reminded me of pizza... I know that's odd, some sort of spice maybe Then the rice just needed a little siracha for my liking, but worth trying again. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Fresh Shrimp Wonton Soup - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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i went to college in fort worth and my parents live close to the first chinese bbq in arlington. this one in austin also slaps. i wish i got more pics but we got right to eating so i only have two really basic pics but the place is great. you should go and try it. I've also had the crunchy noodles there and the Szechuan pork. I really love this more authentic menu. I did have to use my debit card. My credit card wouldn't work there definitely recommend. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We were looking for a Chinese restaurant while traveling in the area. Stumbled upon this Chinatown Strip and chose This restaurant based on reviews. It definitely didn't disappoint. Everything was so flavorful and the BBQ pork was amazing! Would definitely return! read more

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Before you going in you'll notice it..and it's says all top 50 best Chinese rest in us...ask joey the server for recommendations she was always our personal server whenever we go there and for 6 yrs!! and trust me when i say this even tofu that i don't rly like tasted good ,i personally dont review a-lot and dislike giving bad review cause (they have pros and cons and i avoid negative vibes t for this restaurant it just doesn't feel right if I don't give a review they only minus point they have is closing too early for a restaurant i review them based on mr (cnn or forbes i forgot lol )said and they are correct and for me i review when i rly mean it Sometimes they bring us lo mein occasionally when any family member having a birthday and im talking about $10 worth portion,,not just small portion My only recommendation is whatever you pick you will never regret buying it even if you don't like it they aren't that expensive and i can guarantee you will like it unless you getting it to go like those other teviews :p...dont forget to ask joey as your server and be nice with her, she will definitely treat you nicely back ( (Ty joey for all these time serving us plus your husband an amazing cook ) read more

Great food at affordable prices. Perfect for group meals. Fast service. Would recommend.

This has been our go-to authentic traditional Chinese food in Austin. Great taste. Fair prices. New online ordering is so convenient. read more

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Oh my god! I love this place!! Truly, a foodie find. The BBQ sliced pork is worth trekking up Lamar. read more

This place tastes like home, and feels like family, a true gem to the Chinese Community.

Been here three times, first for bbq meats to-go and other two times for sit-down meals. Delicious, traditional style Chinese food every time! Hits the spot, and great service too! read more

Another childhood Chinese restaurant. Only this one sells duck that my family and I actually eat. The food here is always solid. I enjoy their roast duck and their seafood fried noodles as my lunch. Their fried noodles have a satisfying crunch to it, and the roast duck is a great deal for the amount of duck you get. During formal dinner meals with family, I'm always the errand girl of the household to drive over and buy a whole roasted duck. Parking is not a problem. First Chinese Barbeque is located at Chinatown North at Lamar, so the whole parking lot is huge. While the designated parking for First Chinese Barbeque is commonly taken by other cars, you can still walk from a further parking spot without the risk of being towed. Late lunch is the best time to visit. Lunchtime itself is also acceptable because First Chinese Barbeque never is packed. Mostly Chinese people here. I see the occasional non-Asian person that eats lunch, but they're usually on the elderly side. First Chinese Barbeque has been at Austin for years. read more

Our family were visiting Austin, and we stopped by the restaurant had a soup and few dishes. After the dinner our whole family gotten sick with food poising. We are all throwing up and having extreme diarrhea. We only wish we never are here. I would avoid. read more

Yes yes yes!! We wanted some authentic Chinese food so we came here. Got the classic Peking duck served one way and it was perfect. Our server was really nice too and taught us how to make the bao bun wrap! Also got combination fried rice and it was great. Definitely will be coming back! read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Delicious Roast Duck - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Wait staff was very short. Not like in stature or anything.. Their attitudes were just really lacking in personal skills.. no tableside manners or checking in on us for items we might need. Water refills, napkins, nothing.. Food took forever too, like they forgot to ring it in and when they did bring our meals out they would bring them only one at a time at varying increments; leaving everyone else without something. On top of that the food was cold upon arrival and they fled immediately upon dropping off the plates all while making little to no effort to check on the meal. Lastly, we timed the duration of the last person to get their food from the second to last person to receive their food. It took 14 minutes. For shrimp and veggies Collectively, we waited an hour to so get cold food. With all the other options in the strip, I'll go to a different one next time. read more

First Chinese Barbecue - Ducks - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Get #420 (that's easy to remember). Beef flat noodle with sate sauce. Over 2 pounds and mostly beef, onions, peppers. I would want this as my last meal. 1 caveat. On Christmas day they are crazy busy. If you order a dish along with front counter food like BBQ pork to go, they will package the pork immediately and it will sit there until your dish is ready. read more

A bit on the greasy side but the food was still very very good and the service was very fast! We got bbq pork and duck combo, and flat noodles with beef. The bbq pork was yummy but a bit too sweet. The duck was very very very fatty. The flat noodles were really yummy. They were like no other flat noodles I have ever had before. They were sticky and chewy. I usually do not like noodles in general so that says a lot about this dish! Get the flat noodles! read more

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A friend of mine recommended First Chinese to me so I gave it a try and fell madly in love. It turns out I'd actually had the roast pork here before at a party when a few friends from work had purchased a whole pig from them. The pork was fabulous and the duck had crispy skin and tasted amazing. The rice was cooked just right, I also had some sauce for the pig that was pretty much just drippings from the cooking process that was amazing! I waited to post my review for First Chinese until after I had gone to and tried Din HO, which appears to be the only competition in town for them and I can honestly say that Din Ho cant touch this place. The eating environment at First Chinese is also very clean and way nicer than competition. If you like pork at all I recommend eating here until you experienced the greatness of crunchy roast pork cracklings over a nice bed of white rice I don't think you have lived at all. Most Chinese restaurants tend to over season the food with soy and lots of other spices the great thing about the food here is it is all very simple and you really taste the flavor of the ingredients. First Chinese is definitely in my top 10 places to eat in town and maybe even in the top 3. Do yourself a favor and eat here if you want Chinese BBQ Din Ho isn't worth your time! read more