Came here with friends for Christmas Day lunch after being satisfied with this place the one other time I've been here. I read in other reviews now that the place is under new ownership, which explains some of the issues, all of which have to do with service. Food: I had the "Happy Hunan" with chicken, which was a large and varied pile of vegetables and a decent amount of chicken in a thin black bean sauce, and brown rice. The dish was tasty and not at all greasy, with the vegetables well cooked. One piece of chicken was entirely gristle; not sure how THAT happened. The brown rice is clearly not asked for often, as it had what in the Caribbean they call "potcake" in places -- the crusty stuff from the edges and bottom of the pot. Not what I would have expected. Wonton soup was standard takeout-style wonton soup; nothing special, but tasty, served with a fistful of cripsy noodles on a plate (they don't put this on for the table anymore). Friends had good things to say about the fried pork dumplings and crab rangoon. Three pots of tea were served tepid at best. One would expect hot tea in a place like this. Service: I hope the newness of the ownership explains some of the service glitches. There weren't a lot of people there yet and for some reason they put down six menus and then took away all but two because four of us hadn't arrived yet. And then they didn't bring them back. The gentleman at the register was on his phone when I went up and asked if I could take menus for the table. We had a Chinese waiter at first who was enthusiastic and eager-to-please, but his English was poor and he didn't always understand us well. Another waiter who looked to be a college kid took over and he was very nice. Overall, the food was good and quite inexpensive for a sit-down Chinese place. If they could hammer out the glitches in the service they will do OK, but if they don't, I'd be concerned about their longevity. My party is pretty easygoing but a lot of people aren't. read more

Came here for dinner with some friends. I read some Yelp reviews and saw that this place was pretty authentic. We came on a Sunday night at around 6:30 pm and we were seated right away. Once you walk inside, you'll notice that it is well decorated and definitely not a hole in the wall. It was 3 of us so I ordered 3 dishes: Shredded Pork W Garlic Sauce, Dry Sauteed string bean, and Kung Pao Chicken. My first impression was that both the shredded pork and the string bean were sweeter than I expected. Shredded Pork was too sweet for my taste which makes me think they catered it to general American tastes so it's not as authentic anymore. As for the string bean, I could taste individual grains of sugar coated on each string bean. Again, it wasn't bad but just not that authentic. The Kung Pao Chicken tasted OK. Although the chicken itself was not spicy at all, unless you eat one of the chili peppers that came with it. What's different from the other Szechuan restaurants that I've been to is that here, they don't provide a big bowl rice in the beginning. Basically, everyone can take rice from that community bowl for the table. At other places, they also always refill that big bowl. Overall, this place is OK. But it's definitely a more Americanized Szechuan Restaurant and won't give you the full authentic experience. read more

Happy China - Shredded Pork W Garlic Sauce - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Happy China is fantastic. Just catered from them for an event earlier today and we had the perfect amount of food for all 300 people. Of the dishes, my favorites were the pork dumplings (which unfortunately got somewhat stuck together), string beans, and shrimp with snow peas. The mapotofu and Szechuan fish were also very popular, especially as they were the most authentic Chinese options. Vegetarian dumplings were decent but the bright green coloring is a little off-putting. The waiters were super helpful in running our card and carrying the food out. All in all, it was a happy time. read more

Happy China - Chinese New Year dinner - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Overall, decent Sichuan food with a slight more american twist than some of the other restaurants around town (Gourmet Kingdom, C&t Wok). Went there with a very large group where at least 13 dishes were ordered, which is quite odd that they seat us in a very rectangular table... which means I didn't get to try half of the food there. Maybe because they didn't have a round table? The service was okay, but not really that special given that my cup was half empty most of the time because I asked for water with no ice. Onto the food (I didn't get to pick the menu): Home style tofu (Jia Chang Dou Fu) was too sweet for my taste, I bet american would like it, but to us it was not very authentic. Fu Qi Fei Pian: the spice level was good. Nothing too numbing though. Yu Xiang Rou Si: good portion, good flavor. Alot of veggie, probably my favorite. Spicy boiled fish: liked the fish. Need to be more spicy and numbing. Dry stirfried green bean: a little over done, and way to salty on the surface. Stirfry Bokcoy: a bit too oily for my taste but I really did enjoyed it. Black pepper calamari: too battered... looked like cauliflower... the worse dish out of the whole batch. No flavor except flour. Aside: amazing rice though!! Loved loved the rice. Overall, an okay experience. Not the best, but definitely not bad either. Although I would not drive all the way out there from Chapel hill for it unless I am getting dragged there by friends. read more

Happy China - 家常豆腐,夫妻肺片 - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Best Chinese food I've had in Durham! I'm from a super Asian portion of Southern California, so I would say that my standards are high when it comes to Asian cuisine. I always go here with a large group with friends and order family style. My favorite dishes are the eggplant, water boiled fish, and string beans. Be warned that most of the dishes are fairly spicy, but white rice and water are unlimited to help you manage that heat. The food comes out surprisingly fast, and portion sizes are fairly large. Definitely give Happy China a try if you're craving authentic Chinese cuisine. read more

Happy China - Water boiled fish - my favorite! - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

First time I come here. Very delicious food, me and my wife love the kung pao chicken and the house special lo mein noodles. I have worked on restaurants for 8 years and I can tell when food is made freshly. To begin with the flavor and the freshness is what matters in the whole dish and I was amazed and satisfied. I will recommend this restaurant to more people. read more

With my cousin visiting from out of town and wanting to meet up with us for lunch, it was up to me to find a place suitable for all of us. I asked my cousin about her tastes... and she finally settled on wanting Szechuan. Happy China fit the bill for distance from our locations as well as the ethnic food requested. The place itself, as Christina referred to its predecessors, is non-descript. I've driven by it a couple times and never once thought to stop because it seems like Chinese places are plentiful in the area and almost all the same. Once one has stopped here, though, they'll soon find out they're not all the same. The interior is nicely decorated, yet subtle, not overdone. When I asked our server for a sushi menu, she said they don't serve sushi anymore... that was a little upsetting, but not a deal breaker for me. When I looked at the "Authentic Sichuan" menu and saw tripe and intestine I had to make sure I stayed away from those particular dishes due to the mental block they created for me. The food was okay, well, better than just okay. Mine, being the double cooked pork, was very VERY oily, not drained of the grease at all, which simply put, made for a delicious dish. The sampler appetizer platter was also very good and was plenty of appetizer for the 4 of us. We were tempted to try the lettuce wraps as well, but opted for the safer app's so as not to shock my cousin. Heat... why is it so hard to get spicy hot food in NC? My dish was labeled as hot/spicy... but it really wasn't. Happy China is a good place to stop when looking for better than average Chinese food, although it appears not to be everything it's advertised to be. My waistline may never get over this visit. read more

Tasty and authentic, this is the place you go with native Chinese people or with adventure foodies. Don't take your Aunt Mabel, at least not if you want to get a couple orders of their excellent beef tripe with chili oil to share. Which I always do, because it is delicious. I can also recommend their crispy intestine with sour cabbage, and the tongue and tendon is very nicely done. I wasn't thrilled with the cook on their duck and found it to be a little dry, but everything else was done very nicely. Folks who insist on Americanized Chinese (General Tso's, lo mein, etc) which isn't actually Chinese at all can get it here. I don't know why you would want to, but you can. Parking can be tight especially on a busy weekend, and there can be a wait to be seated. Generally it can be considered worth the wait. read more

Happy China - Crispy intestine was awesome at Happy China in #Durham after #BigEastern. - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I ordered the Crispy Chicken w. House Garlic Sauce to go. Employee didn't notify me that this was an order of wings ripped apart sitting in tasty Garlic sauce. When I got home I opened a container full of disappointment, because the chicken looked like it was a bunch of wings chopped up and shredded throughout the dish. Bones everywhere. My receipt states Crispy Chicken Wings, which is NOT what the menu states. This receipt was shoved in the to go bag, so there's no way I could've known it was wings until it was too late. Apparently branching out to something aside from the usual take out was a big mistake. I'm sure there are plenty of great things on the menu, but I struck out big time. read more

Happy China - Crispy Chicken w/house Garlic Sauce are chopped up wings. Bones everywhere. Very misleading. - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Delicious food & fantastic service! We had fried rice & general tso's tofu -- both were flavorful & fantastic! The hot & sour soup was one of the best I've had in the Triangle area -- thick & spicy & filled with tofu, mushrooms & bamboo shoots. I especially appreciated their COVID safety protocols & setup -- the owners are obviously dedicated to keeping their customers & staff safe while still providing friendly service & great food. What more could you ask for?! Try them out! read more

Great location and staff are very friendly and happy. Enjoy coming here. The food is always hot and yummy. Great menu selections.

This place is good, but I am torn between 3 and 4 stars. Because it's in Durham, I will err on the side of kindness and vote for 3.5 rounds to 4. If it were in one of the top 5 (by size) metropolitan areas in the US, I might vote for only 3, but, for Durham, I was happy with... Happy China. The portions are generous and the prices reasonable. More importantly, they are not just Americanized Chinese, which is always a concern for me at Chinese restaurants. It was fabulously enticing to see pea shoots and Shanghai choy and Chinese kale ON THE MENU, not listed as "seasonal greens." This was the buy-in for me. When I like a Chinese restaurant, it's because it serves traditional Asian vegetables. When walking in, I even noticed they had kung pao lotus roots. YES. That's the mark of authentic Asian vegetables - thanks, Happy China. However, I was disappointed in the flavoring on the garlic tofu - it was a reddish hue with a bland flavor despite ordering it spicy. It was watered down in heat and spice, and well, I just picked out the tofu and broccoli, and left everything else. The tofu was fresh though, and they had no problems ensuring me they could make it with fresh steamed tofu, not deep-fried. Cool. The veggies were fresh as can be. Normally, pea shoots will cost you $13-15 or more, but for just $9 and baby pea shoots - wow, I was very happy with them... except for the fact that they were swimming in more oil than I would use for an entire week of cooking. Still, fresh fresh fresh. The Chinese kale was nicely sautéed, with a bit less oil than the pea shoots, but what I really appreciated was how it was flash wok fried as thinly sliced pieces and leaves. I have never had the, well, it's really Chinese broccoli, if you ask me, but that's besides the point... Anyhow, the slicing was a unique preparation that I adored and couldn't stop eating! Probably my favorite cutting preparation of Chinese broccoli, EVER. I just wish there was less oil. Other bonus justifying 4 stars for this area of the US, they were not super salty for the stir fried veggies or super soy sauced out for the tofu. They had many other veg choices, and if I am back in Durham soon, in need of Chinese food and traditional Asian veggies, I would definitely go back. read more

Ugh. Just came from lunch here -- for the last time. -My companion asked for a glass of water FOUR times before someone finally brought it. -Hot and sour soup was flavorless and weirdly thick. -I had shrimp in garlic sauce; companion ordered orange chicken. Both were buried under overthickened sweet sauces lacking in flavor. Mine was full of what I thought were red pepper flakes but nothing seemed particularly spicy. The sauces were kind of disgusting-- sort of like thickened syrup or something. -Toward the end of our meal someone was busing tables near us so loudly we couldn't hear our conversation over the sound of crashing plates and cups and whatnot. - This restaurant has existed for years under assorted names and has usually pretty good. This was really bad. Not even mall food court quality. I would say another reviewer was generous to call it "mediocre". read more

One of my Chinese friend suggested this place and he was right this is one of the best authentic Chinese restaurants in triangle. The interior is very clean and the staff is very helpful. We got spicy fish in Szechuan sauce and tri pepper chicken... We loved it.. The portion quantities are huge and hence be careful when you order .. read more

Happy China - Nice wall... - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I can't believe that my husband and I waited this long to try "Happy China." After having had the pleasure of talking with a few Chinese students attending Duke, I asked if they had found a favorite Chinese place here in Durham; they said "Happy China" was where they liked to go. Tonight was the first time we went. It's an older building and doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is perfectly nice. The food is much better than nice. Our server was a very pleasant young man who gave his opinions on the best of the Sichuan dishes, as it appears this restaurant specializes in that type of food. First, we had sichuan dumplings in a red chili oil/sauce. We didn't really expect much, but they were absolutely delicious. The sauce was balanced well and full of flavor, not just heat. My husband got the Salt and Pepper Shrimp for his main. Again, at first it looked like they would be bland, but they were flavored wonderfully, the breading was great, and the shrimp were large and cooked perfectly. So many places, shrimp is over cooked and dried out - not these. I asked our server what his favorite dish was, and he recommended the Sichuan sauce dish (comes with beef, chicken, or fish). I chose beef. When it came out, it looked more like a very spicy giant bowl of soup with a side of rice. It smelled amazing and while super duper spicy, it was delicious, full of cabbage and beef (and sichuan peppers). I did need the rice to cool my palette, but it was worth it. At the end of our meal, our server brought out a couple of small slices of watermelon on the house. We were so full that it was the perfect little bit of sweetness. I don't know anything about the "Americanized" items on their menu because we tend to like to try the specialties, but their sichuan food was fantastic. They need to bottle the red chili dumpling sauce. Thanks, Happy China staff, for a great first meal. We'll be back with friends! read more

This is our favourite chinese take out place that we order from. The flavours and spice level are always on point. They have a nice variety of your basic chinese dishes that you see at most american chinese restaurants, as well as some authentic Sichuan dishes. My favourite dish is the kung pao chicken as well as the sichuan chicken. Both are awesome and have the perfect amount of spice. read more

Happy China has been a staple of mine since I first tried their food . They never fail to mesmerize my taste buds . I've never tried any other Chinese restaurants local to N.C that come remotely close to how good Happy chines menu has to offer. One thing that's unique to Happy China is pretty much everything, from their friendly service to their special and authentic Sichuan cuisine . A must try is the Salt and Pepper shrimp ! If your open to something more authentic I also recommend the Fish Fillet in Spicy Sichuan sauce !! I don't have any pictures to post because I devoured it that's how good it was!! read more

Happy China is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the area for vegetarian options. I've tried sesame or sweet and sour tofu at a lot of different places and am always disappointed. However, the sesame tofu at Happy China is great. I've tried a few other dishes but even non-vegetarians have to admit the tofu is really delicious. The ambiance is nice enough for a casual date but I usually grab take out. The service is good and I've never been disappointed! read more

Happy China - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Good authentic Chinese food! We need more of them in the triangle. My favorite is the szechuan fish stew!

I have had lunch here several times with my friend Sam who lives on James Street. I have ordered off the regular menu and the lunch menu as well. The food is well-prepared and tasty. The lunch specials are excellent values. Service is efficient and prompt. Drop in and give this place a whirl. It's very good and the value for the dollar is solid. read more

Vegetarian: I had the vegetable fried rice that was pretty standard for any Chinese place. The food was fine and they have probably 2 other vegetarian entrees. I've been back since this visit but only because others wanted to go. I wouldn't really recommend it, because it's pretty mediocre. Vegan: Same as any other Chinese restaurant, be careful to make sure you ask them to hold the egg, it could be hiding and not listed on the menu. Service: The reason for the rating is the service. Our waiter reacted very rudely to any questions about the menu, it was mainly the snide tone. I didn't appreciate it. We had a large group and there was probably ten minutes between when the first person got their entree and when the last one did. read more

Loved the Lotus with pork special and Chinese kale! Steamed pork dumplings were good too! All savory dishes. read more

Happy China - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Yummy food and quick service. One of the best Chinese places in the Triangle! I like the sweet and sour fried fish (picture shown). Steamed pork dumplings and veggie soup also delicous. read more

Happy China - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Happy China features the most authentic Szechuan food in Durham. While always busy, they are able to seat most parties shortly if not immediately. The food is decently priced with moderate portions. The taste is above average, however, the service can be a bit spotty at times. Overall, would recommend for someone who likes spicy Chinese food. read more

Happy China - Eggplant with Garlic Sauce - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Usually a great place to get food, but really dropped the ball. No organization with orders and pick-ups. The line was out the door and the gentleman at the front had no clue what he was doing. Ordered our food an hour in advance allowing for the long wait times indicated on-line, waited another hour in line at the restaurant and then were told that it hadn't even been started yet and that if the kitchen started it now, it would be another hour. Another lady in line had ordered yesterday and stood in line waiting, only to be asked why she didn't just come up to the window to pick up immediately like she was at fault for having to wait due to their lack of organization. We just gave up. Not worth it. read more

More like Sad China Restuarant!!! This place is terrible. Our food was not flavorful at all. The service was even worse! Their front of the house staff is slow, inattentive, and clueless. Instead of the manager taking responsibility for the bad experience, he suggested I stiff the server. We were really excited to try the fried duck, and it was not as bad as the other items we ordered (Mongolian beef, Garlic shrimp, and Hunan shrimp). My strong advice..Skip this place. There are hundreds of other places that are a million times better.. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRBLE! read more

New owners & management. The food was getting rather bland and I was getting consistently disappointed on how flavorless my kung pao was. I was away for a year and came back to find new management and the kung pao tasted blander than KFC. Fortunately they fired one very rude host. Let's wait and see if they know what to do with Sichuan peppercorns & a bit of black vinegar. read more

My spouse and I went here with several friends from China and we had a great experience. It helps that our friends spoke the language fluently and knew what to order. it's one of their favorite Chinese restaurants in the Durham / CH area. (not including Cary or Raleigh). What we had was terrific. Many dishes with lotus root, which is my favorite -- Dry Pot Lotus Root which was spicy but not too spicy for this palate, and the Shredded Pork with Lotus Root -- scrumptious. Some kind of fish soup, and an authentic appetizer they call "OX Tongue and Tripe, Tendon with Sichuan Spices" -- which was DELICIOUS. I'm not a fan of trip (so i just had the beef tendon), but the spouse is and he also loved it. I wouldn't order "americanized" Chinese food here. And it could be prettier (for 5 stars). But for Durham -- it was DELISH. read more

Hey folks, this place should deserve 4-5 stars but because of the bad service or should I say almost nonexistence service I am giving happy china only three stars. Sorry about the owner to have such a server. Nevertheless, the food was good we ordered the Szechuan beef and the chicken with ginger. If you wanna have authentic Szechuan food (I guess its authentic because I never been to Szechuan.) You should go to this restaurant. It is not just the typical americanized Chinese food but much more. Be aware of the numbness because of the Szechuan peppers. Food 4,5 stars Service 1 star Atmosphere 3,5 stars read more

Happy China - Szechuan Beef - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Terrible experience. We entered a nearly empty restaurant and wanted to sit at a round table. The host told us we had to sit at a booth, because we had three children. The booth was uncomfortable for five to eat and enjoy a meal. Then the children were given plastic utensils, which the host said were souvenirs ... it was impossible for the children to use those cheap plastic utensils to eat. The General Tso Chicken was okay, not the best we have had. Crab Rangoon terrible. read more

I have yet to find a dish that is remotely delicious. Tonight I ordered Kung Pao chicken and received pieces of fried chicken with no sauce, no peanuts. And a few chilies. What am I missing? I called them to ask if this is how it's always prepared and they said yes. I want to like this place but they are making it impossible. read more

SAD China!!! We ordered through their online system to support local restaurant. The system doesn't specify pick up time so we thought we would call to get a time. We called 11 times over 1.5 hours and no one at restaurant picked up the call. We were starving after my last attempt and figured the restaurant must be closed. However my card was charged by them!! Truly SAD and I will file a charge back against them. read more

What a disappointment. My wife and I stopped in for lunch as we had eaten here twice before for dinner and had very good meals but this time it was a very different story. We ordered fried pork dumplings to start, my wife ordered Mongolian chicken and I ordered mushu pork. We both ordered wonton soup to start. The soup was the first clue that we were not in the happy China we'd known. It arrived lukewarm with wontons that had not been cooked and were dry and so hard they couldn't be cut. We sent it back untouched. The dumplings arrived next so greasy that we could barely pick them up and once again Luke warm. My wife's chicken dish was OK but the accompanying rice was cold. The mushu pork was OK but the rice pancakes had not been steamed and fell apart on the plate. Our server was apologetic but it wasn't her issue it was clearly in the kitchen. I can't imagine we'll ever go back. read more

Very impressed with the service of this place. My boyfriend and I ordered take out right before their closing time, but they offered us friendly service and quick delivery time. The food was great and I especially likes the crab ragoons and orange chicken. Defi Italy would go again. read more

I have been here a couple of times over the last year or so and for the most part have enjoyed the experience. Love the Sichuan-style Chinese food here. Yes, the food is probably not entirely "authentic", but the area is not really known for its Chinese food. This is definitely one of the better options if you are going for Chinese food in the Durham area. Like many Chinese restaurants, the food comes out quickly and in large portion sizes. There are a lot options on the menu, as seems to be standard among Chinese restaurants. What I like most about the place though is that when they say a dish is spicy, it is actually spicy. So many restaurants around here do not hold up to that for me, though I do have a relatively high heat tolerance. The restaurant outfitted in traditional Asian and red elements. The place feels more classy rather than overly ostentatious though. Service here was okay. Not stellar but not the worst service I have ever had. They came, they took your order, they brought you your food and that was about it. It was just another boring night for them and even though the restaurant seemed busy, there did not seem to be much energy. read more

I'm conflicted on this review. I've been a huge fan of Happy China for almost 6 years now; anytime someone mentions Chinese food, they have been my top recommendation. Up until today, the food has always delivered exactly what I expected. I'm a big fan of spicy, so the ma po tofu (no meat) is my go-to. I ordered my usual today, and I was hugely disappointed. The dish tasted more like tofu in a gravy sauce - thick and lacking spice - than the authentic ma po tofu dish. I'm not sure if they changed management or chefs, but it was very unsatisfying. I won't plan on gratifying my Chinese food craving there again. On a positive note, the to-go service was much better than previous visits. I'd ordered online before, and it seemed like they completely forgot they had an online ordering system, forcing a long wait while they actually made my food. Today when I arrived, the food was ready and the gentleman at the station was very prompt and friendly. read more

This place looked nice online but when I picked my food up I was shocked. Outside is super run down, overgrown. Makes me wonder what the kitchen looks like. Inside seemed to have nice tables. Food was very, very average Americanized Chinese food. Mongolian beef is one of my favorite dishes and usually is crispy, spicy, sweet.. I was served chewy, really off putting bits of beef with no flavor other than being drenched in some bland sauce. Next day my stomach does not feel great after eating here. Err on the side of caution with this place! read more

Two stars is being generous. This is my second visit and I am quite certain the older gentleman at the register simply hates life. I don't know what's going on with his attitude. I ignored that and looked forward to what I thought would be outstanding food based on some ratings. This place is "ok" but nothing that would make me want to visit a third time. read more

I'd say the food here is very hit or miss based on all my experiences so far. I've tried Americanized Chinese stables and Sichuan dishes alike. Some dishes have turned out good and others just disappointing and bland. I don't know a lot about Sichuan cuisine (or why it's spelled so many different ways), I am however hooked on it and I try to experience it as much as I can. So maybe I haven't had the right dishes here, but I really just like other places in the area better (there will always be a special place in my heart for C&T Wok!). Back when I first tried this place I was still ignorant about Sichuan cuisine and was only all about some General Tso's chicken, Orange beef/chicken, Sesame chicken and Lo Mein. I found this place to do some of those dishes very good and became very intrigued by their specials and Sichuan menu items. So I started diving in here, beginning with the Tri-Pepper Chicken which I liked and thought had decent flavor, and was impressed that it actually had some serious heat to it, as almost all restaurants tout very spicy dishes that really aren't that hot at all. Upon my most recent visit I didn't see Tri-Pepper Chicken on the menu, so I don't know what's up with that, but that was one of the only non Americanized dishes I liked here. I was disappointed with the Sichuan Double Cooked Pork here, and found it to be bland, and compared to other places I've tried it at, the one here is just way off the mark. I've tried a few others here and always seem to end up disappointed. I still used to say that dishes like Orange Chicken and General Tso's Chicken were a step above here, but recently tried the General Tso's chicken here and couldn't make heads or tails of it. One thing I will say is the fried rice is amazing here. I'm not a huge fan of fried rice, but as just as John S. and Ranjay J. say, the fried rice here is kinda amazing and definitely a step above most others, and just a must try for sure. All in all I have had good experiences here and disappointments alike. I like the service and atmosphere here, but I feel like this place is just ok and the quality of food seems to vary more than it should. read more

Happy China - Hot and Sour Soup - Chinese Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I was excited to have a restaurant with authentic Chinese food pop up relatively close to downtown Durham, but my first experience here with Susan Z was a bit disappointing. We ordered the fish in spicy oil, tofu chow fun, and pea shoots (dou miao). The fish in spicy oil was definitely the best dish of the three, but every dish was excessively oily and felt heavy. Even the pea shoots were sitting in oil and had a strange aftertaste. We tried to dip the pea shoots in water just to get some of the sauce off, but it didn't help very much. Chow fun is usually an oily dish since the noodles stick together so easily, but it also usually has more flavor. I tried to spice it up by pouring some of the oil from the fish onto the noodles, but it falls short of other places even with the added flavor of the oil. I think Christina G's review of Happy China is really spot on, but I know the restaurant is still new and I'm hoping they will improve over the next year or so. Their menu certainly has a lot of potential, but they need to cut back on the oil and try to make their food a little healthier. For now, I would rather drive down to Chapel Hill for Gourmet Kingdom, or up to one of the great places Christina mentioned in her review. read more