Oriental Express

i think this place used to be a pizza restaurant or something because i could tell there were still…read moresome flyers or signs that indicated that it was - but anyways this is a great spot for cheap eats and easily accessible in this college town right by UVA. i was in the area and was hungry for some lunch and thought this place would be an authentic place for chinese dishes and it did not disappoint. i ordered fried dumplings and cold noodles. the dumplings were flavorful and crispy and the noodles were a good texture - not to chewy accompanied with the same sauce as the dumplings. my bf got the beef noodles and was impressed by the quality and the taste. we also came around lunch time and went for the lunch special! overall, i would recommend this place and support this family operated business for their tasty food and quick service!

Came here after a late night out, and this place did not disappoint!! Food came out quickly and hit…read morethe spot! I tried the teriyaki chicken and loved it :) the workers were so nice too! There isn't a ton of seating inside, but there are tables outside if you can't find a spot indoors. Def would recommend coming here after a late night (or really any other time haha)!

Teriyaki Chicken

Pork Hot Bun 6 Dumplings w/ rice Extra egg

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Singapore rice noodles

Peter Chang's China Grill

3.1(382 reviews)

6.2 mi

The reopened Peter Chang is a big improvement. My favorite dishes are the duck combo, the garlic…read morecucumber, and the duck broth tofu soup. It feels more like an upscale dining experience now with service, food, etc. Better ambiance etc. Be advised recently the restaurant was reopened with the original chef (Peter Chang) so the reviews here won't really reflect the current experience. It's basically a completely different restaurant now. I think patrons of the previous Peter Changs also might be frustrated it's a little more upscale The joke goes the best Chinese restaurants are 3.5 stars

Nothing to write home about. Ordered take out. Menu and prices have changed. What used to be full…read moreportion is now tapas size. Tiny portion of dried green beans. Barely a cup full. Cost was $9. Shrimp fried rice had very few shrimp in it. Taste was decent. Two items cost $31. I guess that's one way to pay for renovations. I was impressed with the new layout.

Szechuan Dan Dan noodles

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Cafe 88

4.1(198 reviews)

7.0 mi

After a morning of driving and apple picking, we rolled into Café88 for a bite. This place feels…read morejust like a classic diner - friendly owner, a steady hum of conversation, and many Asian folks/families, either dining in or grabbing a few boxes to go. The menu offers solid portions at a fair price, so we left with enough leftovers for another day's lunch. Our top picks? The Taiwanese popcorn‑chicken combo that crackled with crunch, a juicy pork chop crowned with scallions and a kick of chili, and a steaming bowl of beef noodles that hit all the right notes. Every plate was downright delicious. If you're hunting for a comfortable, no‑fuss spot that serves up genuine Taiwanese flavors, Café88 belongs on your diner‑tour itinerary.

The best Taiwanese cuisine I've had outside of Taiwan. The beef noodle soup, spicy beef w rice, and…read morethe popcorn chicken are the top of my list.

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Taste of China

3.7(208 reviews)

3.7 mi

Seeking something Asian I hadn't tried in the area before, I turned to an AI search which yielded…read morethis Chinese place. It was definitely more on the side of actually Chinese than American Chinese, based on the menu and the people working there. They did have a reasonable vegetable and tofu selection. Among the dishes that you don't usually see at the more American restaurants was a dry cumin tofu preparation. It had abundant cilantro, and I'm in the category of people who gets a weird soapy aftertaste with cilantro but still likes to eat it from time to time; this dish gave me a ton of aftertaste but was otherwise good. A ma po tofu had proper fermented bean paste and leeks, albeit not a ton of numbing sensation that I could discern which is really the bar for the best rendition of the dish. Their cabbage dish was described as "hand torn" and it strikes me that this is the sort of place where that's probably true, and it was a tasty saute and a nice contrast to the rest. Their online ordering system wanted to offer me a free egg roll for my order but wouldn't let me get a vegetable one. I wish they'd label some of the dishes more clearly for dietary needs or just plain description. But overall, it was solid food for a town with a relative dearth of this cuisine.

I enjoyed my lunch at the Taste of China, in a large dining room with helpful service…read more I had the Kung Pao Calamari. The seafood was cut into unusual and decorative shapes, while still being one inch or longer pieces. This dish included a basic Kung Pao gravy that was slightly sweet, sour and a bit spicy. There were stir-fried vegetables and peanuts in the dish, including fresh green pepper chunks. The restaurant has a large and broad menu and next time, I will try a more exotic dish.

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Crispy Noodles in delicious sauce and combo of meats and veggies

Nguyen’s Kitchen

4.6(87 reviews)

3.7 mi

Best pho you'll find in the state, budget friendly prices, never missed the mark on any item in the…read moremenu and is always a recommendation when in town.

It's hard to find a better Vietnamese restaurant anywhere in the area. Truly authentic, well…read morepriced, and tasty. The people here were extremely kind and helpful on my take out order. The ordering system is simple. And the food.... excellent. Definitely a must try if you're into this type of food

Outside

Beef vermicelli bowl

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Wonton Noodle Soup (with rice noodles)

Marco & Luca

4.1(308 reviews)

7.3 mi

This dumpling shop has multiple locations. I found it quite confusing ordering online. Some of them…read morehave online ordering and others don't. They have confusing names. The menus have not always been the same when I looked. But to their credit, when I placed an order at the "downtown" location only to discover that they meant something other than Charlottesville's pedestrian arcade (which is where this one is), I was able to call them and get it corrected. My order was transferred over and was ready for me with no trouble. The vegetable dumplings weren't fancy, but there were a ton of them, and what seemed a small sauce proved more than enough. I also got a veggie bun, but the filling was so trivial as to not really be worth it. This place does have some space to eat in, although it seems most popular as a takeout.

The fried pork dumplings were the best I've ever had. Small, which is perfect for me. My husband is…read morevegan and his were fantastic. Ordered a to go order for him to take to a winery tomorrow. Service was great.

Inside the restaurant (counter area).

Pork dumplings

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Fried Pork Dumplings

Q Noodles

4.6(5 reviews)

7.4 mi

Really nice inside! Fun decor, food Was really good…read more Scallion pancake was our favorite. Really nice and polite staff. Ran in for a quick bite while at medical appointments and looking forward to coming back when we have more time!

Food was great. Came out hot and quickly. The dumplings soup was delicious. The sesame balls were…read morecrispy on the outside and soft inside. The garlic cucumbers were smashed in bite sized pieces and just the right amount of garlic and chilis. Lots of folks ordered take out - so the kitchen was busy. Our server was always smiling. The playlist had today's music as well as some older songs which was a nice mix.

N5

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Red Lantern Chinese Restaurant

3.3(168 reviews)

7.6 mi

My food was delivered quickly and it was amazing! I ordered the moo goo gai pan and orange chicken…read morewith a side order of boneless spare ribs. My food was fresh hot and delicious. The delivery guy was very friendly too! Red lantern is my go-to for great Chinese food in Charlottesville!

This is a solid Chinese restaurant if you are looking for fairly good Chinese food in…read moreCharlottesville with a sit down area. The food is of decent quality. While I enjoyed my rice, onions, and egg, the chicken in my chicken fried rice was very dry and bland. Everything else was flavorful and the service was very good. My girlfriend ordered the vegetable fried rice and enjoyed it except the vegetables were too large resulting in little rice. The ambiance was very nice - super cool Lunar New Year decorations!

Interior

Plain Lo Mein

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Interior seating

Chang Thai

4.5(123 reviews)

6.3 mi

Stopped here for dinner while passing through from a hike and OMGosh SO glad we did! It was an hour…read morebefore they closed on a weekday and it was already so busy w many takeout orders but we were able to sit down quickly. We planned to share everything b/c we were hungry and wanted to try Thai in a different city. We ordered the Chix Satay which came in a decent amount of time after ordering and was presented in planks vs on a stick which Im used to but regardless, cooked SO well and came w carrot & cabbage twirlies and peanut sauce! Delish! Entreés; My bf ordered the Pineapple fried rice and I ordered the Crying Tiger. OMG. The meat was very well seasoned, spice sauce served on the side and more carrot and cabbage twirlies. The Pineapple fried rice was also very DELISH and a decent portion with enough to take home. There was a SOLID chicken to pineapple ration which is so so important when considering mixing chix and pineapple

I love Thai food, especially when Thai Basil Fried Rice is involved. I got the chicken version,…read morewith a spice level of 4 out of 5, and it was perfect. The only thing that would make it better would be if it was ground chicken. There was a ton of it, so I had lunch covered too. I also tried the Crying Tiger appetizer and it was delicious. It came with some chili sauce so you could spice it up to your taste, and that was appreciated. I would like to have had the option of chopsticks, but since it was close to closing time, and I eat faster with a fork, I didn't ask for any. The service was great, a team effort, and that seemed to fit with the casual yet classy feel of the restaurant. It's a great place to go have a chill evening with spicy Thai food and a couple of cold beers. I would definitely go back.

Pad Thai

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Thai iced tea / Thai iced coffee

Q noodles

4.1(37 reviews)

7.5 mi

Amazing udon beef soup. Cucumber salad is amazing! Must try…read moreif you are in the area. Great service as well!

This place is a great find and authentic Chinese…read more We walked over but it looked like there was parking and the space is bigger than we expected. It's got a kiosk to order take out if you wanted but we sat down to enjoy our food. Service was quick and friendly. The food came out well paced and coming from NoVA where there are great authentic places, we were so pleasantly satisfied after a cold day. The space is was clean, bathrooms well stocked, and we will be back when we're looking for a Chinese food fix!

Things to do in Charlottesville

Menu cover

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The decor

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3 reviews that are not currently recommended

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Nancois M.

0

4

0

2 years ago

The food here is really great but, surprisingly, the Egg rolls and Spring rolls are not worth trying. This restaurant is carry out only - no dining in and it's right off the intersection of Rt. 29 and Proffitt Road. read more

Pierre F.

0

1

0

8 years ago

The lady at the front is very nice. And the food is great. I am vegetarian and all the tofu dishes are delicious. General tso tofu and the Buddha supreme are excellent. Good size too. read more

Ashley N.

0

8

1

6 years ago

This is my absolute favorite Chinese food in Cville. It is takeout only and currently they are only allowing 3 people in at a time. Highly recommend if you haven't had it yet. read more

Oriental Express - chinese - Updated September 2026

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Red Lantern Chinese Restaurant

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My food was delivered quickly and it was amazing! I ordered the moo goo gai pan and orange chicken…read morewith a side order of boneless spare ribs. My food was fresh hot and delicious. The delivery guy was very friendly too! Red lantern is my go-to for great Chinese food in Charlottesville!

This is a solid Chinese restaurant if you are looking for fairly good Chinese food in…read moreCharlottesville with a sit down area. The food is of decent quality. While I enjoyed my rice, onions, and egg, the chicken in my chicken fried rice was very dry and bland. Everything else was flavorful and the service was very good. My girlfriend ordered the vegetable fried rice and enjoyed it except the vegetables were too large resulting in little rice. The ambiance was very nice - super cool Lunar New Year decorations!

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My friend and I got takeout from here. I just discovered this place today when I went to the Crozet…read moreHardware Store. It's right next to Fardowners. We got the spring rolls (comes with 2), boneless spare ribs, beef lo mein, and chicken fried rice (large portion for all). For the price, you get a lot of food. Everything was $30 total but then $5 extra for taxes/fees. Food wasn't bad, especially for the price.

Been eating here since 2003. Husband and wife run it. No complaints here made in front of your…read moreeyes. Traditional

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So this is not going to be a 5 star everything is perfect review but rather the dumplings are so…read moregood that you need to get past the negatives. Unfortunately, the negative is the service. Please know they are so nice but they got my order wrong. I ordered two separate meals and got one meal with the wrong rice but at least we they got the number of Dumplings correct. My son who goes to UVA RAVES about this place so I had high hopes that were dashed with wrong order. Then I tried the unassuming dumplings and dipping sauce. I love dumplings and have eaten them even had Michelin recommended places like Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings. I can confidently and completely say these are the best dumplings. I would get the wrong rice and wrong order so long as I got these dumplings. I can confidently say they are homemade and not some restaurant supply dumplings. I have been thinking of these dumplings since I had them. So good.

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