Looking for excellent and authentic northeastern Chinese comfort food (pasta and dumplings) in the greater Phoenix area? Look no further than Chou's Kitchen! They have two locations. The original is in Chandler and the newer location, the subject of this review, is in Tempe, very near the ASU campus. Perfectly situated on a corner location in a small strip mall, this unassuming family-style restaurant is a big draw for many students and local residents alike. And, when most of the customers are Chinese or Asian, you know you've walked in the right place. The service was quick and friendly. The servers were attentive and exhibited great teamwork. The humble but very passionate owner really made all of her diners feel at home. She was also very hands-on and was involved in many front of the house operations, including waiting tables. Other than a few items which are familiar to most American diners, the place also features several Szechuan specials. But, pasta and HAND MADE, yes, I said, HAND MADE, dumplings are the reasons why this place is a must eat in when in Phoenix. For our dinner, my wife and I ordered Chinese cucumber salad appetizer (best way to describe it), beef fried rice, Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings, 10 pieces per order) and shrimp, pork and chive dumplings (also 10 per order). The fresh and crunchy cucumbers (small Chinese cucumbers), tossed in freshly minced garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar and salt, was a very refreshing opener for a hot summer evening. The beef fried rice was excellent. Overly salted and soy sauce drenched brown mystery deal one would usually expect from one too many Chinese carry outs and restaurants trying to appeal to the majority of American taste buds will not be found here. Instead, you will find what the Chinese want when we order fried rice; white rice seasoned primarily by salt. Simple. Clean. Delicious. The shrimp, pork and chive dumpling filling melted in your mouth but the HAND MADE dumpling skin was absolutely the star. The skin was perfectly al dente. Nothing beats hand made pasta. Because they are hand made, it does take a little bit of wait time. But the wait was very much worth it. The dumplings come 10 per order. Perfect single order for those wishing a little snack. Also perfect for family and friends wishing to share and try several different dumplings. Finally, the piece de resistance, our order of Xiao Long Bao or soup dumplings. Each delectable, steamy and soothing bite-size pouches of goodness is the very reason that draws the masses to this wonderfully unpretentious but excellent jewel time after time. The broth within each dumpling is just right. The pork filling melts in your mouth and, again, the hand made dumpling or bao skin is perfectly al dente. Sure, if you have eaten Xiao Long Bao at the famous Din Tai Feng chains, Xiao Long Bao at Chou's has a bit of catching up. BUT, it doesn't matter. Excellence is excellence. Xiao Long Bao at Chou's will make you want to go back time and time again. My wife and I left very satisfied. Our bill for all the food? Just a bit over $22. I love it. We will most definitely return again. And we will also try out the original Chandler location. Chou's Kitchen, definitely one of the best northeastern style Chinese comfort food in the greater Phoenix area, a must go. read more

This is one of my go to places to eat when I cannot think of anything else. It has so many amazing dishes and appetizers. Some of my favorite appetizers are their beef pies, shrimp and chive dumplings, and juicy pork dumplings. The beef pies are so juicy and have are the perfect amount of beef to dough ratio. Their wonton soup is also amazing and perfect for a cold day or when you are feeling under be weather. I always love ordering their beef stir fry noodle and salt and pepper shrimp. A great Chinese restaurant in Tempe and authentic, definitely a place to try! read more

Chou's Kitchen rarely disappoints. I love their stir fry pork intestine, eggplant and potatoes, and dumplings. It's always my go to. Choi's kitchen is a very authentic northern Chinese food restaurant that I'm sure everyone will enjoy. read more

The food tasted so much better on weekdays when it's not busy there. Went there on a Friday, waited maybe almost thirty min for my food. The dishes were ready on the counter but the waitresses kept messing orders up or no one had time to bring to the tables. read more

Such a gem to find in North Tempe! This is authentic Northeastern Chinese fare! They are clean and accommodating. Do NOT miss the beef pies. They're my favorite. All of their dumplings are phenomenal. Best. Orange. Chicken. Ever. And their shrimp fried rice is a revelation. I'm looking forward to trying their noodles! The service is prompt and friendly. Even when I move out of the area, I'll still make a trip for Chou's. read more

This is my favorite place to get good Chinese food in all of Phoenix. The vegetable soup is great, eggs and tomatoes dish (doesn't sound like much - but it's so good) and the tofu dishes are the best in town. This is a great spot for vegetarians too. read more

Their xiao long bao (steamed soup dumplings) are delicious. This location closes at 3pm to 4:30pm daily. read more

Kungfu Kitchen - Spicy beef, tripe & tendon. - Chinese Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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favorite place to go for authentic chinese food that never disappoints and the staff is always super nice and welcoming, 10/10 would recommend :) read more

I have been to this location twice now. The last time was on August 5, 2018. I cannot tell you how rude and disrespectful the staff were at this location. There are no descriptions of the menu items and we were told no one spoke English. The server walked by our table repeatedly and did not ask us what we wanted to order, did not look at us and walked away. When we were finally served my son did not receive the item he ordered. We were ignored again. No one attempted to provide assistance to us in correcting the order. I attempted to speak to a number of servers who simply stared at us. In addition there was a sign on the door (in English) that said there were no bathrooms that day. Is that legal? I understand that the owners may prefer to serve their own ethnicity. But there is never a reason to treat a paying customer unkindly and so little respect. I do not recommend this business. read more

One of the best chinese restaurants I've found close by. The portions are quite large and the food is always great. I'm never disappointed!

The Tempe store carries on the good food quality of the original store, with a newer interior touch. Soup dumplings(aka xiao long bao) are awesome. They also did a good job on some rare to find dishes, such as chilies fried intestines. If you are an adventurous foodie, don't miss it. read more

Kungfu Kitchen - Chilies fried intestines. Yum yum yum! - Chinese Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Food was very good. I've passed this place probably at least 100 times but I was driving by a couple of nights ago, hungry and checked out Yelp and this food was highly recommended. The food was good- some of the best Chinese food that I have had in Tempe/ Phoenix area. The restaurant is in a typical strip mall/ shopping center. The customer service is matter of fact- no frills- no small talk etc. They could work on that- since that is typically a part of American culture. However, the food was good & I recommend it. We had Orange chicken, braised eggplant and spring rolls. read more

The best sweet and sour pork and wonton soup is my favorite thing on the menu. The dumpling noodles in the soup are so tasty. The best Chinese restaurant in town! read more

Haven't had a bad experience here. Always good food, fast service, and the young girl with glasses is super friendly and welcoming. Definitely coming back more often. read more

I love this place. I have never been let down here. I usually get a vegetable sir fry, with noodles. And I never get tired of it. My boyfriend however tries something new each time. He's gotten things I thought I'd never try, and I loved them! But oh my god, their DUMPLINGS. they are amazing. My partner and I can down 9 in 2 minutes. Usually it's a bit of a wait to get them, so if you do want the dumplings order them first before anything else. They're usually the last things we get. But that's not a bad thing, it's an awesome way to end a meal! It's clean here, we get sat as soon as we walk in. Even though some of the workers don't speak the best English, they're still so sweet and will explain dishes to you. They're very attentive, always offering to refill our water, asking how we like it, and they bus tables promptly. They have point in the day where they're closed for two hours, I think normally around 3/5 so I would call around then and see if they're taking guests. read more

Very bland food. Waitress forgot potstickers . She brought the appetizer with the check.

I love the food here it's so good this is the place id choose if my friends asked what's a good restaurant.

Overrated. Overpriced. I've had better dumplings but they are conveniently close. They lack service. They don't accommodate when I wanted extra crispy dumplings. They said it's up to the kitchen? read more

I came for the Juicy Pork Dumplings. This place did not disappoint. So happy we found them on Yelp. We also had the scallion pancakes, beef cakes, and Ma Po Tofu. Hands down the best Chinese food I've had in Phoenix. Super fast and courteous service. There isn't a thing I would change. read more

This place is fantastic! Needed a second option when the lights went out during a storm at the restaurant we were at. Happened to be in the area and found them on yelp. The juicy pork dumplings are to die for. The salt and pepper shrimp is delicious and the noodles, I'm drooling just thinking about them. Staff is very friendly and food came out fast. read more

This place has the best dumplings in the Phoenix area!!! We always come here from central Phoenix just for the delicious food!! Support local businesses and come here!! read more

We always eat here and enjoyed the years we ate here. But we didn't receive the rest of our food for almost an hour after our first serving. Waitress was rude and said wait multiple times and we understand it was swamped but an hour after our first entree was placed down we still received no food. Other customers that sat down after us got their food while we waited a long time. SMH read more

Servers are incredibly rude. Female Chinese server dumped our dumplings on the table (not joking) and walked away. Didn't know why we were treated that way but sure won't event be bringing friends or families back. Also food was average at best. read more

This place is like home away from home. I love getting their soup dumplings and the staff is always so friendly. read more

This place would have had 5 stars if the service was better. Boy, the service could really use a lot of improvement. The waiters don't make eye contact, they get very awkward, and you have to chase them down for items. They need a lot of training. Okay, the good! The dumplings were delicious! I mean, juicy, squirt in your mouth amazing dumplings. (That came out dirty...but they're really good) Mongolian beef was tender had more meat than onions, which is always a plus! Stir fry noodles had really good flavor and the shrimp was cooked well. I had watermelon juice which was refreshing and not too sweet. The soda comes in a can, which I'm assuming means no refills. Next time I come, it will probably be for take out. read more

Amazing just like the original location in Chandler. My dad loves this place and wanted to eat Chous as soon as he got off the plane from SFO. Chandler is closed on Wed so we drove here and when we arrived they had just closed for the afternoon at 3!! Oh no! But the staff was so nice they let us stay and order because I told them how much my dad loved their food. We happened to see the owner there who remembered my dad. Food was consistent as Chandler and the decor and ambiance was lovely! It's like the chandler loc with a face lift. read more

This place is exactly where you need to be for some amazing and authentic tastes! I've been to Chou's multiple times before and it's always a great experience. There are some things on the menu that are a little "out there" but none the less, never be afraid to try something new. Some of my favorite dishes are the beef noodle soup, sweet and sour chicken, chicken fried rice, and the fried pork dumplings! Give any of those dishes a try and I'm sure you won't regret it. read more

Juicy pork dumplings were good. Service was ok. I would go back Just for the soup dumplings read more

What a bizarre place. On the recommendation of several people, placed our first order tonight, for takeout. The lady handling the phone did not speak much English but we muddled through, or so I thought. Confirmed the order, the address and the pickup time. Arrived and they simply hadn't made the food. She had to recruit one of the other staff members to translate what the issue was and she tried to say there had been a problem with the phone and that they weren't sure if 'you really wanted the order' so it hadn't been placed. They offered to make it and have me wait another 20 minutes. I declined as it had already been almost an hour at that point. The place was busy and the food looked delicious but their service was weirdly bad. read more

Stopped here for late dinner and I am not surprised about the food here since I see their other restaurant in Chandler & it has high review. This location is new to Tempe. We had Xiao long Bao & Kung pao shrimp. Both taste good. XLB taste fresh. Will come back !! read more

Kungfu Kitchen - XLB was good & juicy - Chinese Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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This has become my new go to for Chinese food! I had a Shrimp Noodle dish (think only one on Noodle menu section, sorry forgot the name). It was delicious with a perfect amount of garlic flavor and lots of veggies. A bit too many onions for me, which I put on my friends veggie stir-fry. What are good friends for?! ;-) We also ordered the steamed squash gyoza which both of us devoured. The squash inside was yellow summer squash and zucchini. What I particularly liked was that there wasn't a bunch of oil on our dishes after eating. Why? Because that means they truly know how to cook Chinese entrees perfectly without a ton of oil. The price was also a pleasant surprise. All 3 of our dishes totaled less than $30! Can't wait to return! read more

I ordered the Orange Chicken...by far the most flavorful I have ever had! Served on a bed of lettuce with chunks of fresh orange, and a sauce to die for! White rice served on the side. I'll be back here! read more

If you ever need a quick bite and your are in the mood for good Chinese and amazing dumplings, this is the place. Really authentic and the food is always so so good. It gets full pretty quickly so I suggest calling first to ask about wait times, but even when full we haven't had to wait too long. It may be rough if you take a party of 7 or something. Highly recommend! read more

Amazing! This place is a cornerstone in every sundevil's frequented places. Amazing food, that you just can't have enough of. Chilli fish served in a clay pot, sweet and sour pork ribs, shrimp fried rice, Mongolian beef, potstickers, dumplings and so on! You should also try their soups. It's a place where I actually enjoy the place and the fresh food. The staff is mostly nice and their service is good. 9/10 will pass by whenever I'm in that area. read more

Absolute gem! The flavors blew my mind - it's not your typical Chinese. The owner chatted with me about the origin and region. I am a repeat diner 100% read more

I loved in China for years and this is the only place I have found with real Chinese food. The soup dumplings are perfect. They have two places, one on Apache trails, the other on Alma School. Both are my favorite. read more

I've been to Chou's twice now in a week's span and can say that this little place is one of my new favorite Tempe restaurants. The juicy pork dumplings and Szechuan spicy chicken are to die for! I highly recommend. Great price as well. Thanks Chou's! read more

Great food, great service. Grew up in Hawaii and have seriously missed some solid Chinese food. Highly recommend this place! read more

We mostly have then dumplings from here, and they are to die for. The red pepper and anchovy condiment along with the balsamic vinegar make it very special and flavorful. Can't wait until we can dine in again. read more

I so wanted to be able to give Chou's kitchen a 5 star rating. I have a very deep love for dumplings and heard Chou's was the place to go in Tempe for good dumplings. We ordered beef dumplings and orange chicken. Everything had a pretty good taste but everything was also cold. Which makes me to believe it was pre-made and heated up. I haven't tried Chou's since so I don't know if it was a one time thing. The cold food sorta put me off. read more