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    Mela Cafe

    4.4 (9 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 8:00 pm

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    Barbara I.

    Trust the process. As of yet it's not fully decorated or promoted but WOW the food is de-lic-ious !!!! We will be returning. The owners are super friendly and accommodating and take great pride in their food. You def need to give them a try

    Beef noodle soup (spicy or regular)

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

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    1 year ago

    This place is Spice food. It is perfect for me . It's my favorite food . I like it so much.

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    Cheng Du Chinese Restaurant - L16. Ma Po Tofu Lunch 37. Chong Qing Spicy Chicken 87 Crispy honey pork  Beef Chow Fun soup dumplings

    Cheng Du Chinese Restaurant

    3.7(295 reviews)
    13.2 mi
    $$

    Last year while in the area around lunchtime I stopped in here for lunch, but they weren't open…read more So, recently while nearby around dinnertime I decided to give them another try. Walking in, it was completely empty, no customers. By the time I left, several tables were sat and they had a steady stream of carry-out/delivery pickups. The service was very spotty, as they only had two people working the dining room and so many people went without someone checking them in, I waited about 15 mins for my check and those delivery drivers formed a line waiting for their pickups. I tried their spicy cucumber salad and their three pepper beef, but I sub'd out the beef for chicken instead. The cucumbers were decent, they had a nice spice to them and the vegetable itself was fresh. The three pepper chicken came out on a sizzling platter (a fajita platter with aluminum foil on it) and looked pretty good. My first few bites had the great flavor of wok hei, which I love! But I quickly noticed there was no other flavor other than some sort of pickled pepper flavor, which is very odd in Chinese food. The chicken texture was great, but the entire dish was swimming in vegetal oil, it wasn't dry spiced and wok'd. Overall, this visit was only slightly better than the first, only because they were open this time. But I most definitely wouldn't return. I absolutely love and seek out authentic Chinese foods (Szechuan, Hunan, etc) when I travel and those this place offers many authentic style dishes, they seem a little too "Americanized."

    We were recommended this place for authentic chinese food, and it was certainly among the most…read moreauthentic chinese experiences I've had in Richmond! --------------------------------- Food: we ordered seafood stew (love the chinese fish and veggie combo), spicy stir-fry beef, cabbage and pork belly dry pot -- everything was so good and flavorful, the beef and cabbage dishes have classic sichuanese flavors, cabbage was very mala flavor. Overall food was amazing and would recommend Affordability: well priced and big portions Ambiance: no frills, authentic, feels like a place that has been here for a while Service: helps to know Chinese, but they do have English menus Good for: authentic chinese food with malay flavors Will definitely be coming back!

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    Peter Chang - DL10 Beef w. Onion & Chili Pepper

    Peter Chang

    3.7(374 reviews)
    9.1 miScott's Addition
    $$

    The takeout site for this place (a different website than most Peter Chang locations) states that…read moreif you order from the wrong location, you're out of luck. So check carefully. This one is in Richmond proper. The menus are generally similar but a little bit different at each. I got a cabbage dish that you often see at these restaurants as well as a kung pao tofu that I don't recall ordering before. Their interpretation of the tofu was distinctive, with a zingy flavor redolent of cooking wine and asparagus as well as the more typical bell peppers and peanuts. The cabbage is uncommonly delicious the way they prepare it. The price was kind of high for two takeout vegetable dishes, but the quality was about what I'd hoped.

    Peter Chang's has been around for quite a while, and it's still one of my favorite places to get…read moreChinese food, especially to dine in. The Scotts Addition space is warm and inviting, and was not crowded when we dropped in on a Thursday evening. Our food was quite good; the only complaint is that they brought everything out at once rather than appetizers first. Appetizers: The pork fried dumplings are tender and flavorful. Not too doughy, and accompanied by two dipping sauces. The fish rolls were excellent. Light, crispy, with a savory fish filling. So satisfying. For entrees we got dry fried shredded chicken (so tasty and unique), shredded duck, and three pepper beef. The chicken was the star - crispy strip of chicken delicately seasoned. The duck dish was good, but probably not the best way to order duck. The three pepper beef was spicy and fragrant. We left full and happy and will pop in again next time we have a yen for Chinese.

    Photos
    Peter Chang
    Peter Chang - Lunch Specials!!
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    Lunch Specials!! -Curry Chicken -Hunan Beef -Chicken with Spicy Garlic Sauce

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    Fat Dragon Chinese Kitchen and Bar - Steamed chili dumplings

    Fat Dragon Chinese Kitchen and Bar

    4.1(753 reviews)
    8.9 miScott's Addition
    $$

    We arrived on a Thursday around 8 pm. The parking here is street parking, which is hit-or-miss. We…read moreparked within a half-block, so it was not a long trek. The entryway is interesting and provides some shelter from the rain, allowing you to manage your umbrella before entering. We were seated within seconds, and our server, Liza, came by very promptly with some water for our table. I felt slightly anxious at first, being that we were in a cozy two-top amongst the fray, but it subsided quickly because everyone was respectful and reasonably quiet. We ordered the veggie spring rolls to start, and I had the Chinatown Ramen, and my partner had the Chicken Fried Noodles. The appetizer was hot, savory, and spicy with the duck sauce and hot mustard mixture. If you like milder sauce, do not mix it. The entrees came out within five or so minutes of the appetizers, which seemed quick for a busy night. The ramen was spicy, hot, and filling. I was only able to finish about half. We will be enjoying those leftovers tonight. My partner said that her noodles and chicken were well-seasoned and delicious, too. Looking around the restaurant, it is clear that they support the local LGBTQ+ community, and it is even labeled as a Safe Space on the beautifully manicured, makeshift chalkboard/menu/posting board. The clientele and staff alike seemed warm and kind, based solely on limited interactions and observation on my part. If you are looking for a traditional American-Chinese food restaurant (think buffet-style items), this is likely not the place for you. There were no mishaps or snafus with our orders. Liza performed her duties well, and I can surely recommend this restaurant to anyone who doesn't mind a mix of Japanese and Chinese cuisine.

    About food I give 3*, but cocktails get 5* I had Dragon Ria…read moreas cocktail, Superb. Tempura Golden Prawn and even the rice was too ordinary. Still I will not give up hope, will go again and try other food. Service was very good. Ambiance was also good.

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    Li's Garden - Singapore mei fun

    Li's Garden

    3.4(33 reviews)
    4.9 mi
    $

    I was in the area, far from my usual go-to Chinese spot, and decided to give Li's Garden a try…read moreafter reading some mixed reviews online. It seemed like people either loved it or didn't like it at all. I usually keep it simple with Chinese takeout chicken fried rice and chicken lo mein because those are hard to mess up, and I'm not too picky when it comes to those two dishes. I ordered both today, and honestly, I was shocked, neither had any flavor, they did not taste good at all. My friend asked for a shrimp egg roll, and while she said it tasted good, it only had one shrimp in it. I spent nearly $50 and left really disappointed. To be fair, I did call right when they opened at 11 AM, and I'm pretty sure I was the first order of the day. Maybe that had something to do with the lack of flavor like they hadn't gotten into their rhythm yet. The food was ready in 15 minutes, as promised, so the service was quick. I might give them another shot and try something different next time to see if it was just a timing or menu choice issue.

    This is undoubtedly the worst "Chinese food" I have ever had. The egg rolls were rubbery. The…read moreGeneral Tso chicken was horrible. Not sure if the chicken was actually chicken. The rice seems like plastic. We will never patronize the business again. Health inspector should pay them a visit.

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    Li's Garden - Chicken fried rice

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    Li's Garden - Chicken Lo mein

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    Lucky Chopsticks - Sesame Chicken Combo Platter

    Lucky Chopsticks

    4.1(32 reviews)
    9.8 miCarytown
    $$

    A shell of its former self…read more Food If I had written this review a year or two ago I would have said it was our favorite place to get Poke bowls. The food was fresh unique and delicious. It isn't an exaggeration to say our whole family LOVED it! We went back today to find that they no longer served poke bowls and only had boring Chinese food. We were hungry so we stayed anyway. The General Tao Chicken and fried rice was some of the worst I have ever had. Rice is flavorless. Chicken was too sweet and not good quality meat. The Beef with mixed vegetables was terrible. Only thing decent was the egg drop soup. Service Don't have any complaints. They are nice and helpful. Ambiance Nothing special has a few tables to sit at. Decor is boring. Place is clean enough. So I really hate to leave this review because it went from our favorite place to eat when we were in the area to a place I would never go back to. So sad like a little part of me has died.

    We stopped in for lunch and ordered sesame chicken combo platter and General Tso combo platter…read more There is no lunch menu like some other places and the combo platters are around $12 each. They come with entree, fried or white rice, and an egg roll. The general tso chicken was good. Flavorful and not spicy at all, which is what I'm used to. There also was no broccoli. The fried rice was a bit dry. Even after I added soy sauce it seemed like day old, refrigerated rice. The sesame chicken was the exact same chicken with sesame seeds. Service was average and the inside was nice and clean. If I'm in the area I'd try again, but definitely not taking a special trip to visit again.

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    Mela Cafe - noodles - Updated May 2026

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