This is not an AYCE hotpot place. They have a grocery type box pick up and u pay for each thing u pick. It can get pricey, I ended up shelling 50$ for meats and veggies, 2 soup selections, and condiment bar. The best part was fresh shrimps and meats, almost all meat was good quality compared to frozen extreme thin sliced stuff at other hotpots. The soup base are legit af, the sichuan spicy will knock u off so beware, second one was redhot braised which according to me is better. The soup base have a lot of veggies like carrots and onions so don't waste money on those while picking. So for shrimp and meats and make most of ur time here. The sauce bar is small but again quality stuff, the suaces tasted much better than other places. Why not 5 stars, for my liking picking up and sitting and eating is a little inconvenient just want to sit an order to my liking read more

I checked out Hotpot Alley and it's a pretty no frills hot pot spot. You pick all your ingredients before sitting down and then choose your broth. I went with the spicy broth and the tom yum and both were actually really solid. Good flavor, nothing crazy but definitely hits. Pricing is à la carte. The broths were $12.99 total. I got 3 red plates of meat which I was told were $3.99 each plus a plate of mushrooms for $2.99. There's also a sauce/snack bar for $2.99 and rice is available but you have to ask for it. Based on that my total should've been about $30.26 after Texas tax but my bill came out to $31.29. Not a huge difference but it did make me feel like the plate pricing might not have been exactly what was said. Food wise though it was good and it's a nice option if you don't want all you can eat and just want to control what you get. I went on a Monday and they had a deal where you get $35 worth of hot pot items for $17.50 plus the cost of broth. Honestly that's probably the move if you're hungry. I skipped it because I didn't want to over order but you definitely get more value that way. One thing that really didn't sit right with me. Around 9:30, about 30 minutes before closing, I asked to order another plate of lamb and they refused, saying they would have to open the fridge. That's just not good service. If you're still open and serving customers, you should be willing to fulfill a simple order like that. Hard to justify tipping when service is handled like that. Overall good flavors and simple setup, but between the pricing confusion and that experience at the end, service could definitely be better. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Drove by this restaurant and decided to pop in snd try their chicken pot. It was a great deal for a lot of chicken and it was flavorful and delicious. The server was very patient with all the questions that we had and the environment was clean and organized. I could come back snd try a claypot rice dish to see how it is read more

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This place is a fun - but more expensive than what I thought. The bad - it can get surprisingly expensive. The good - the food itself is pretty typical. Some of the meat and chicken could be better quality. Service really doesn't exist. And this isn't necessarily a bad thing as you pick what items you want in a "mini grocery store", pay at the cashier, get assigned a table and effectively cook your own food. The only time you are served is they ask you if you want more broth. I haven't went to many other hotpot places, but while fun - I don't think this place would be any different, better or worse than a typical hotpot place. I wish tables were a bit wider and longer as 4 people at a table gets really cramped especially with all the plates and items you are cooking. Worth a visit. read more

Hotpot Alley - Inside - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

The best sechuan hot pot broth!! Staff is very attentive. Fair pricing and cheaper for à la carte compared to other hot pot places in the area. Overall very affordable and delicious would recommend read more

Hotpot Alley - Sechuan hot pot - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

I decided to try their chicken and mushroom clay pot. It's a BOGO on the DoorDash & UberEats app. I like how it came in a clay pot! The flavor was mild but tasty. The chicken was cooked perfectly. The mushrooms added to the dish... I also love their green sauce. I have no idea what it is but it gives the dish a sweet and spicy flavor. They also included some soy sauce. The people there are friendly as usually! (Yes I go there as much as I can!) and the place is decorated in a cute Chinese decor. I definitely recommend this dish and this place!! I keep coming back for more! read more

Hotpot Alley - Chicken & mushroom clay pot to go! - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Not the best hotpot I've had, but still pretty decent for when you just need something to hit that craving. Hotpot alley isn't AYCE, but the pricing is pretty decent. They don't have the most options when it comes to different ingredients, but the food seems fresh, the sauce bar pretty much has everything you would want, and they stock the bar with really good oranges. read more

Hotpot Alley - Byo clay pot rice - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Lots of vegetarian options! Also such a cute concept to shop for your vegetables and then sit down after ordering your broth at the counter. Some of the best sauce bar I've seen at a hotpot restaurant! read more

Eating hair made me feel right at home! I'm from Southern California and hot pot has always been a must... The checkout process is really unique. You come to the front of the desk, scan the QR code to secure your place in line, and then you take a shopping cart and pick up all the toppings that you want. Then when you get to the end of the line, You pay for your ingredients then choose your broth and pay for that too. The food is very fresh and extremely nutritious on top of that. It's not every day I find a place where I can get all the vegetables and the meat that I want because I have to eat a very low carb diet due to chronic illness. I love that I've got a restaurant that has Options that work perfectly for me. My favorite meat of all is actually the pork belly. I let it boil for just a few seconds until the red is gone, and then I eat it. You can also have access to the bar, but I think there's an extra cost. The ambience of the restaurant is also so pretty and well decorated. I can't wait to come back soon. read more

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Amazing hotpot and serving team! Highly recommend trying this place. Went with the clear soup, mixed vegetables, crab stick , tofu and home made shrimp paste. All are delicious and sides bar is a must! read more

This was my first experience with hot pot. I had heard about it and I was so eager to try it. We got the double flavor hot pot: tom yum and clear broth. There was a good selection of ingredients to choose from and we got a variety of meats, veggies and noodles. (My favorite combination was the clear broth, house noodles and beef). There is also a separate bar with many different sauces and condiments. All in all, it was a fun experience and with cooler weather approaching I know I'll be back soon! read more

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I've been loving hot pot for a few years now and I can understand why Hot pot alley is an Austin staple! The service and staff members are so friendly and helpful. The food is absolutely delicious and rarely needs any add ons. My group and I were able to visit while it wasn't rush hour so I was able to grab some photos before people entered. I will most definitely be venturing back read more

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It's small hotpot spot off 620. Has great decor and the services was amazing. They have variety of broths that you can choose from and it's a fun concept where you go " shopping " with a basket and pick the ingredients that you want in your soup. It's good that they have the double broth pot so you can taste two different kind of broths. I went with my husband on the day that there was polar vortex in Austin and it hit the spot so good given that it was 25 degrees outside. The way they the pricing works is the greens are $2.99, the meats and seafood are $2.99 -$3.49 each. The ingredients containers are good size. We got 12 different ingredient and the double broth pot, white rice and $3 per person for the condiment counter and our total was $56 for two so not a bad deal. Everything was super fresh, the seafood, the greens and the meats. The broths were flavored which we liked and so you didn't need too much sauces to add flavor to the broth. We will for sure go back during cold winter days. read more

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Went here on Christmas Day it was great. Enjoyed the food. 1st time coming here and the worker that day helped make decisions.

My parents and I ALWAYS go here to eat hotpot. This is absolutely the best place ever to eat hotpot. I love the people there they are so kind. When people ever say hotpot I will mention this place. I love the mala soup. It's so delicious. I love everything there I recommend coming here! read more

Yummy! Haven't had hotpot in years and went here. It was so good and the food was fresh! I'll definitely be going back. It's a little pricy but not too ridiculous. Definitely give it a try! read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

The spicy Szechwan base was awesome. My cohort almost choked to death from the spice but I liked it. The staff was very helpful and very nice. It looks a lot smaller from the outside. I would definitely recommend. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Nut allergy friendly, I wrote a request on my order. Review is for to-go via Uber Eats. I ordered two of the Spicy Beef Claypot Rice and there was a promotion for their new menu item to do buy one get one free. Note the price is much more expensive on the ($18 vs $12-13) so it's not much of a discount. I picked up as soon as notified and the food was still piping hot when I got home. The food was okay. I give the dish maybe a 3/5. The portions were excellent (got full) but overall there was a lot of rice and not much meat or vegetables. There were only 3-4 pieces each of Chinese sausage, beef, and broccoli and the one poached egg. I would have appreciated it if the rice was a little crispier as a result of the clay pot heating, which it surprisingly wasn't. However, the presentation was excellent. We were given clay pots to go (pretty unique!) and the value for two was really good. Overall, for the to-go value of my order, I'd come back and try it again. read more

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Came here with my boyfriend for dinner and we had the best experience! First of all, the food was great. We got the Monday special which was a chicken pot that had potatoes and garlic in it. The chicken was good and very tender but some of the pieces had a lot of bone and not much chicken. After we finished eating that, we had them add broth to the base and that's when we added our extras the we purchased. Highly recommend the pork dumplings, seasoned beef, and pork belly. The workers here were incredibly kind and helpful, they gave us wonderful advice. The restaurant itself is cute and is fun for a date night or even a double date would be super fun. Definitely take advantage of their daily specials! Looking forward to coming back :) read more

Hotpot Alley - Monday chicken special - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I arrived to pick up my to go order early and it was ready and waiting for me. Packaged well. I didn't care for the spring rolls. Not a lot of filling. The popcorn chicken was phenomenal. Juicy dark pieces of chicken covered in a well seasoned coating. read more

I have been here a couple of times and this time around they changed something's up. First thing is the double pot, now you can pick the two broth you want. Before you just got the szechwan spicy and the house clear soup. This is a great change! Second thing, the meat portion is smaller now. I used to be able to get like 2/3 tray before but now I have to get more. There was like 4-5 slices of meat in them before there was way more. Overall this place is pretty good. When you get there, you go "shopping" for your meat/seafood/veggies and then you check out and tell them if you want any rice bowl and broth. They then assign you a table depending on how many people are in your group. The sauce bar is an additional cost, but you definitely want it. The broth comes out already heated which is great cause you can start cooking in a couple of minutes. While you wait for your broth or while it heating up make your sauce and grab your water bottle for the table. The restaurant is a decent size. They have 2 large tables for a bigger party and the rest of their tables are for about 4-6 people. This location is right next Gong Cha with tons of parking around it. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great experience, love the wall art and their tables... great sauce bar... open one near downtown or Westlake area please.

Went back the second time and they added in an option to do individual pot. Again, very well flavored and good quality broth! Their set up is still a bit strange to me. If you select individual pot, you will pay for all of the toppings and add ons first and then they cook your meat for you in the back. It's more like a soup than your traditional do it yourself/dip as you go hotpot. It's still a good option for when you don't want AYCE. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Overall decent experience ruined by the attitude of the staff regarding an issue. It was my third time here and brought someone for their birthday. Since the last time I came they've added an upcharge for a sauce bar of $3 a person, which was a little bit offputting. It seems like a lot for condiments and some pickled vegetables/edamame. The average cost per person already runs about $35-45. The meal went fine until we ran into the main issue- Which came with one of the meats we purchased, the spicy beef. After sampling it we realized it tasted sour- which means it had gone completely off. It even had an off smell which we assumed might have been the seasoning, but we all spat our pieces out after cooking it. It was rancid. I brought this to the attention of the staff and they shrugged it off, saying they would 'look into it,' before getting back onto browsing their phones. Instead of addressing it, apologizing, offering a refund it or pulling it off the shelves (major food poisoning risk) the person I talked to blew the issue off. This kind of ruined the evening for us and left a bad taste in everyone's mouth, and we had a pregnant person in our party! Crazy disappointed, especially for the amount we paid. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

More hotpot options are always welcome! The concept is pretty cool - small grocery store setup for your hotpot items, a few sides and fully loaded sauce bar, and then restaurant and hotpot area. I like this hotpot spot, but I feel like a spot like Soupleaf costs about the same for a more catered AYCE experience. I think this spot might be better if your appetite isn't as voracious or if there are varying levels of voracity in your party so you only buy the hotpot groceries that you need. read more

North Austin Hotpot shop. Looks like it's go shopping and checkout and eat your hotpot creation, which is fine. It's nice to see a la carte places that aren't all you can eat since generally the quality is better. The interior is quite nice too. That said, we did a to go order since we have two young kids and it was thoroughly ok. Maybe dining in is different but the flavors overall just weren't as bold as I was expecting for hotpot. We ordered a claypot chicken rice, which growing up was my ultimate comfort food, but it was just a tad bland for me, which was surprising because when I make it at home, the chicken is normally pretty heavily marinated. Chicken is tender and juicy but even with the sauce on top, was just kinda bland with the mushrooms. Some chinese sausage adds some fat and funk but pretty average. The crispy rice is amazing though and also surprised the takeout container was a claypot itself? Don't mind having an extra one at home, but uh that's probably not the cheapest take out container to give your customers. We also tried a tom yum hotpot with fish, squid and shrimp with fresh noodles and it looked like a ton of food until you realize it's mostly soup. The soup was slightly tangy, slightly spiced rich coconut broth and was good enough. The potatoes were rock hard and undercooked though. They also have rotating daily specials worth checking out but pretty sure the in person dining experience is better. read more

This is one of my favorite Hotspot spots in Austin, I been here multiple times with my wife and kids, they all love it

I love this place! I'd never had hotpot before and wasn't sure what to expect but the service was very friendly and helpful with explaining the process. At hotpot alley, first you get a little shopping basket and "shop" their options of proteins, noodles and veggies. Then you take your wares to the cashier, choose your base and proceed to the booth where you are seated in front of a huge hot pot (no surprise there)! Then you start adding your ingredients. The menu has recommended times for how long to leave your items in. They also had a great selection of drinks and a sauce bar (extra charge). The soup was delicious, the proteins were hit or miss, my favorite was the spicy steak. And the veggies were also fabulous. The soup base comes with some basic veggies and potatoes already. The best best part was we had so much soup left over after we were done and they let you bring it home! Can't wait to try hotpot at home :) read more

Was super excited to find out there's finally a Chinese hotpot restaurant here in Austin. Sadly, this place is just ok. The setup is interesting - you first pick your meat, veggies, tofu from this fridge. Then you go to pay and above the cashier is where you'll find the soup base, prices, etc. It was a bit confusing because you don't see the prices of the soup base, and lunch specials until you get to the end. We ended up paying $60 for 2 which was quite a lot considering it was a weekday lunch and we didn't get that much food. I didn't realize there was a lunch special (for 3ppl oddly) which was cheaper than what we paid for more food. Wish someone would have pointed that out to us before we paid the full price. You also need to add $3 for the condiment bar which was just a few sauces and some stale pickles. The meat and veggies were good. The dual-flavor pot, however, was a bit lacking. The spicy side is a solid 4 stars but the lighter bone broth was a bit flavorless. Overall, the experience was just OK and it was expensive for what it is. It would be less confusing if they placed the menu sign before the fridge and offered some combo selections. Also, payment was up front so if you wanted to add anything extra, you'd have to line up and pay again. So make sure you order everything you wanted on the first go around. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Great hot pot place. Service was fast and the ingredients available for hot pot were plentiful. More affordable then the more polished places but honey the food and experience was just as good. Atmosphere was better for a family or casual definitely not flashy for a date or formal dinner but if you want good hot pot with plenty of options check this place out. read more

WONDERFUL STAFF; however, the hotpot here was quite disappointing. I LOVE HOTPOT. This restaurant is both convenient and mediocre. My partner and I dined in Saturday late afternoon for dinner on a VERY COLD DAY. We wanted something hot and what better than hotpot! There is a catch right before you actually take a seat - you grab a cart after entering HP Alley and shop for your meats, vegetables, and rice or noodle sides. After, you pay and are given a number to a HP table. One thing I appreciated was being given a whole table (distance is still an issue so we were both grateful for that). Overall, I am glad to have tried this place once. read more

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Delicious food, always hits the spot when craving Sichuan hot pot . Employees are always friendly and extremely welcoming , helpful .

I love this place I am friends with the owner and the owner has a nice kid I love the vibe here on Mondays I come here and they are there and the interior is so good and clean I love the culture the food is great with lots of broths and I will always will come back here read more

Such a fun experience to enjoy with another person definitely come hungry but resist grabbing everything lol Fun concept Grab a basket Fill it up with ingredients you want in ur hot pot Pick a broth base Then on the side there are sauces n palette cleansers Can get pretty pricy but definitely fun We got a meat,two Types of tofu, quail egg, beef balls ,veggies n two noodles for 60$ Split with 3 ppl Also watch ur hot pot temp once everything is boiled turn down ur heat ,.. we didn't know n the waitress didn't do it to ours so it burned at the bottom They also walk around with extra broth Bathrooms his/hers One person per one Inside clean It's past the hardware store keep going , Lots of parking read more

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Round this review to 3.5 stars. I've been looking forward to having a hot pot restaurant in Austin for quite some time. I'll give Hot Pot Alley points for being the only hot pot place in the city as of this date. I've been to several hot pot places in California which I would consider the gold standard. Overall, I think Hot Pot Alley is pretty average by comparison. The hot pot ingredients you pick up front can average between $2.49 to $5.49 or around $8 for more 'premium' items. We selected some vegetables, noodles, mushrooms, tofu, beef, pork, spicy beef, and shrimp paste. This was plenty, and we were very full by the end. The total cost of our bill was about $35 per person. This is on the expensive side for what you get. (To give you a comparison, that's about how much you might pay for an AYCE hot pot place in California which would include seafood and meats.) We chose the Szechuan Spicy soup base; the broth was flavorful and had a nice spicy, numbing kick to it. I recommend the house special dipping sauce to dip your meats. I dislike that they charge an extra $3 for the sauce bar. My partner doesn't like to dip his hot pot items in sauce, but the charge is mandatory even if you don't use it. The standard for hot pot should be a complimentary sauce bar OR customers should be allowed to opt out if they don't want it. I liked the decor of the restaurant with the hanging lanterns. The service was fine. We were satisfied and will consider returning again, but we'll probably order a little less food next time and try their entrees. I think Hot Pot Alley is a good go-to if making hot pot at home isn't an option for you (all the ingredients you could find at H Mart). I hear that two more hot spot places will be opening up in Austin soon, so I'll be comparing the competition. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I honestly really enjoyed my time at Hot Pot Alley. It's definitely not the best I've ever tried, but it's a good (potentially only) option for hot pot in Austin. I wonder if the owner created Noodle Alley because the name and interior are similarly decorated. I wish this place was AYCE because each plate of ingredients can definitely add up. I spent about $35 per person and we were both super full with lots of leftovers. I think we came in on Saturday evening and there were a ton of parties ahead of us, but we got seated within 20 minutes. We got the yin yang broth combo, and I was in love with the mild bone broth. It was so well made and cooked, and I could actually taste the sweetness of the pork. I do wish they had more ingredients because they're a bit lacking in variety in meats and vegetables, and each container of ingredients is pretty expensive for what they are. I definitely don't think this is somewhere you can frequent given the price and distance from central Austin, but I've been finding myself craving their bone broth. I would definitely come again! Also helps that there's a Gong Cha right next door for dessert if your stomach has room. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Fun place for a lunch with friends or colleagues. Lots of choices to eat and a super fun overall experience with great food and atmosphere!

Came in for dinner, had about an hour wait being 11th in line. They had a digital waitlist which was convenient for walking around and still keeping track of where the wait's at. Overall had a good experience. They mark all items with GF and vegan allergy information which is really appreciated. It was a fun hot pot experience which I actually hadn't had in quite a while. The ingredients all tasted good -- my favorites being the shrimp paste, lamb, and rice cakes. Downsides were that it was pretty expensive -- about $40 a person for our party. Secondly their sauce bar had no GF offerings, which is a bit odd when it seemed like they were trying to accommodate it. Like, literally even one sauce would've been appreciated. It also came off weird that the sauce bar is an additional $3 charge per person, when it's pretty much a requirement. When the overall price is already quite high from paying for items a la carte, the additional sauce bar cost just feels bad added on top as well Overall 3.5 experience for me. I think I'll actually be back, but it's definitely a splurge meal. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

We finally checked out Hotpot Alley, and glad we did. Obviously, buying all the meat and veggies from 99 Ranch or MT Supermarket will be cheaper than eating out at a restaurant. And for our party of 9, the final cost of what we spent was similar to what we'd pay for the AYCE at the (now closed) Little Sheep Hot Pot place. The layout of the restaurant is cute. When we first arrived, it wasn't that busy, and was very easy to move around and grab the supplies we needed. But as the restaurant filled up, it was pretty crowded, and felt like the lines for condiment bar (and food area to purchase food) were slow moving and congested the aisles. It felt like standing in line at the Asian market on the weekend! Lol! But the quality of the food was great. Service was great. Hot pot broths were great. And so fun to see a great mix of people enjoying this amazing food. I hope they can add some fish balls, and more veggies in the future (watercress, tong ho, broccoli, ...). read more

Hotpot Alley - Meats in refrigerated section - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This place has so much potential. Food is good but very pricey for what you get. However, I wouldn't mind the price if the experience was better. It's a very much self-serve experience. Let me elaborate. Before you get seated at your table, you have to go "shopping" for your food items. The items are in color coded containers which indicates specific prices. I wasn't aware of this at first because the price chart wasn't visible so I wasn't sure how much I was spending when I filled my basket. It would be nice to have the price chart clearly visible. Also you have to choose a broth or claypot on the spot when you're paying for your food items. This adds a bit of pressure of what to get and can create a line, if people are taking time trying to decide on the spot. As you seat yourself at the table, you grab yourself water, cups, plates, silverware and condiments in the back. It's a small restaurant so this area gets congested very fast. The condiments bar has a variety of sauces but can get backed up because of the limited space. Someone will bring the pot of hotpot broth to you (which took some time). I wasn't sure what to do with my food items in the meantime. If you want more food items, you need to do the shopping experience again and pay a second time. It would be nice if there's a way to limit payment transaction to 1 time instead of multiple transactions. Food was good. I wish there were more variety but was satisfied with what was available. I will say, the chicken claypot is worth getting because it comes with 2 bowls of rice and also becomes a hotpot broth afterwards. Chicken is very tasty and tender. Adding the broth afterwards made it worth the value and tasted just as yummy for hotpot. Overall, food is yummy but there could be lots of improvement on how the restaurant is organized. If things were more visible, such as a sign indicating where everything is (including the bathrooms), I would've been less lost during this entire dining experience. I saw lots of people confused where the plates and bowls were (they're under the condiments bar). And yes, there's a handwritten sign there but even the sign is difficult to see because most people are not looking down when they approach the condiments bar. I think if some things were changed to make it more efficient, there would be less congestions, shorter wait times, and less confusions. If there is a way to limit the amount of contact or touch areas, that would be VERY MUCH appreciated, especially during the COVID times as I am more hyper aware of what everyone is touching. read more

Hotpot Alley - Chicken claypot - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas