Panda East

I am always craving this place. They have noodle dishes and the wonton is delicious. The workers…read moreare super nice and helpful and were able to accommodate for 10 people last minute. It has a traditional looking interior with wooden plaques around. I would have to recommend getting wontons no matter what dish you get, the sauce is so good and we were picking at the peanuts. I got my favorite Hot n Spicy noodles, this was a little more sour than I remembered so if you don't like sour soups I wouldn't recommend. The Dan Dan Noodles were great although could use a little more sauce. The cucumber dish was good, a little small but was refreshing to eat.

On May 7th, Thursday I drove from Hatfield all the way to Amherst. Hoping to try out many dishes…read more It was after 2pm when I got there. Half the restaurant seats (the right side) were empty. I was given a small table near the entrance and I asked for a larger table, since I planned on ordering quite a few dishes to try. The maître d' said "No", that they reserve those seats for four people. I completely understand if the restaurant was busy or expecting more people. I said, no, I would be leaving. I was allowed to leave. After all, he had no stake in the revenue. But I hope the owners will take notice of this. You have lost a customer, and likely a repeat customer. In addition, whatever happened to service and accommodating customers, especially when it costs nothing in this situation.

Hu Tong sesame noodle

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Beef brisket noodle soup

Formosa Chinese Restaurant

3.9(104 reviews)

I apologize to every Asian cuisine in Amherst, including the now defunct Arigato Sushi, because…read moreFormosa Chinese, formerly Amherst Chinese, still provides service and food that are incredible and deserve state-wide recognition. Formosa has an affordable lunch menu, and even on busy days has delivered my meal within ten minutes. Don't be astounded yet, because I would easily wait twenty minutes for this food. When their food arrives from the delicious variety of their lunch specials, you will be treated to crispy tofu, a nuanced spice for chili or jalapeño meals, or fresh vegetables that will make you wonder: who is introducing you to the best cuisine that southeast Asia has to offer? Sichuan meals, Mandarin meals, and even with a Miso soup that is vibrant and delicate in flavor, you may not have any difficulty in deciding at all because any meal you choose will be cooked with what tastes like generations of expertise, love, and wisdom. It is not possible to follow a recipe, or a video, or a shopping trip and recreate the food at the level of Formosa, nor at the price of Formosa, and I say this after years of enjoying their meals. If you are in the area and you are hungry, you will want to visit Formosa as it is an unbelievably satisfying trip for almost any person in the continental USA, and likely for international travelers from near and far. Please tip your staff generously and leave a review to share this love--there is no amount of business they can do that will do the history and delight in their food justice. Their food is accessible to the local public, and they also donate to local causes as well. Amherst has more than universities that educate people here, they have restaurants with generations of stories and wisdom in every meal. You'll be amazed at the silky luxury their hot and sour soup is, with a texture matching the fresh micro mushrooms inside. Be prepared and humble, the staff are dedicated, responsible, and attentive to the public as much as they can. I would love to read a book about the story of this restaurant some day.

Very authentic tasting Chinese food. Not like that Pandas stuff. Fresh and good portions size…read moreplates. Highly recommend for Asian food

Intersection of restaurant

Chicken in garlic sauce

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H4. Fish Fillet in Sichuan Chili Bean Sauce

Lili's Restaurant

4.8(285 reviews)

Looking on Yelp for a place near my job. Having a 4.8 stars, local, small business...trifecta!…read more It's a small place, that's clean fresh made and delicious. Not many seats so if you see one, grab it. I had the signature noodles with porkbelly. Amazing. It's close and I'll be back.

Lili's is a no-frills, family-owned Chinese spot that delivers big on fresh, comforting food. The…read morespace is simple, with small tables and picture menus covering the walls, but that just adds to its charm. Everything is made fresh to order from the thick, hand-pulled noodles, dumplings, and scallion pancakes. Ordering is quick and casual. You place your order at the back right counter when you walk in (for dine-in or takeout), and the cashier also acts as your server. If you order a noodle soup, they'll ask if you want green onions and/or cilantro. After that, just grab any open table and relax. We ordered a variety of dishes. Appetizers: Scallion pancakes: (3/5) nice crispy pancakes with scallions. Dumplings with pork and leeks: (3/5) tender dumplings filled with pork and some leeks Spicy stewed beef noodle soup: (4/5) thick hand pulled noodles in a savory broth topped with vegetables like bok choy and mushroom and some tender beef Hot and sour vermicelli soup: (4/5) very tangy savory broth with tender vermicelli noodle and ground pork. Medium spicy level Biang Biang noodles with pork: (4/5) their signature hand-pulled noodles are sautéed in a medium spicy sauce with pork. Overall this place hits the spot for an authentic Chinese meal without the glitz and glamour.

View of kitchen / counter from table.

Fried rice, dumplings, biang biang noodles

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Inside

Ginger Garden

3.4(245 reviews)

1.0 mi

Excellent menu and service at a good price. Servers friendly and prompt. Location convenient.read more

I went here prior to a UMass hockey game, and was told ahead of time that it was functional Chinese…read morefood, but wasn't going to blow my socks off. Turns out, that was a very apt description. We arrived and got seated at a table with a very nice curved window view. I can imagine being here on a rainy or snowy day and getting to be surrounded by the weather while not having to get wet. The service was friendly, if mostly absent, and fast. This place mostly loses stars on the food. We had: wonton soup, miso soup, scallion pancakes, crab rangoons, happy family, tangerine chicken, and asparagus and snap peas with shrimp. The wonton soup seemed to be a beef broth soup, interesting change up from any wonton soup I've had before, a little salty and good wontons. The miso soup was also a good miso. The crab rangoons were too sweet and the wrapper too thick, thus making it chewy, but at least you could tell there was something in there beyond just cream cheese. The hunt for good crab rangoons continues. The scallion pancakes were very thick, but at least not greasy. The sauce was punchy and pleasant. The asparagus and snap peas with shrimp was positioned as having a light flavor, and that was very accurate. Almost like they were steamed and then served, but you could see a sauce coating them. The happy family was coated in a brown sauce that didn't carry much flavor either, but nothing was wrong either. The tangerine chicken was listed as one spicy out of three, and I'm happy to report they understand spicy rating. While the broccoli was chopped a tad large, the chicken was cooked very well, and you got just some spice on the back end with sweet on the front. Overall, nothing here was bad, but it also came across and middling. If you asked me to write this review a couple days from now I feel I'd have trouble remembering anything about this place except the window seat. I am willing to try some of the other aspects of the menu some time in the future, but I'm not sending anyone running here either.

Fish head

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NO SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Crazy Noodles

4.0(151 reviews)

•$

Stopped by for my first time at crazy noodles on a Saturday afternoon with a party of 4. We were…read moreable to seat ourselves right away! The prices and service at this place was great they have you go up to the counter to put in your order for drinks and food. The selection for this place has a lot of Asian noodle and appetizer choices along with some Italian pasta choices as well. I got the vodka cream fettuccine and it was delicious and a great portion for a great price! I would definitely come back and try other items on their menu the next time I'm in the area.

Not only are they nice here but they out kick the coverage on their food. It has the feel of a…read morecollege town noodle joint with the taste of fine dining. Anyone that knows me knows this is my go to always and Crazy Noodles is the best noodle soup I've had

#13

Curry fried rice with shrimp

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Chicken fried rice

Miss Saigon

3.9(308 reviews)

Yummy yummy food and good portions. Gave me some Pho as a side dish with an awesome price. Bang for…read moreyour buck & great food you cannot go wrong here

Unfortunately, this was the oiliest and blandest Bun Bo Hue. My family and I am from out of town…read moreand were Asian as well. We were really hoping for some good Asian comfort food. We were disappointed as well with the pork egg roll. The meat-filled samosas were good and so were plain fried chicken wings. We also ordered the tamarind duck, which was good too. Ordered soup dumplings, and it does look promising, didn't taste that yet. But my main entree was the biggest letdown. Fyi the picture shown below is the Bun Bo Hue, and it was much oilier prior to me adding the meats, noodles, and veggies.

Banh Mi Crispy Chicken Sandwich

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Fresh Side

3.5(228 reviews)

This place has become a new staple for me in Amherst. Walking in and sitting down, the atmosphere…read morefelt warm and homey in a way I can't fully describe. The servers were very attentive and ensured all allergies were accounted for with the orders. They have phenomenal GF and vegan options--all with manageable prices!! As a broke college student, I'm glad I can still enjoy some delicious food. LET ME TELL YOU. This was my first Pad Thai ever and it did not disappoint. Definitely take a night at Fresh Side with delicious food and a warm apple cider.

This is a cute little place. It's mostly Asian fusion but there are some more "American" items…read moremixed in as well. My mom got the chicken teriyaki and I tasted it and it was lovely. The chicken was very tender and the dressing on the little salad was so nice I got a little on the side and added it to my second taco. I got the fish tacos with the spicy mayo. The fish was expertly fried but I thought the all in flavor combo was a little bland. A little soy sauce would make them nice but I added a little miso dressing instead. Tea selection was great and all in it was a nice filling meal that didn't feel too heavy. Service was friendly and prompt and we never wanted for anything.

Perfect outdoor seating.

G F Pad Thai Noodle

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Pad thai with some pre-fab chicken slices

Chef Lau

4.6(39 reviews)

0.9 mi

Super solid place to go for Chinese food. My boyfriend and I ordered 3 dishes to go and they were…read moreprepared really quickly. The mapo tofu and sweet and sour pork were lunch specials, under 12 dollars each! The calamari was much pricier in comparison, over 20 dollars by itself. My favorite was the mapo tofu, it was so flavorful and paired wonderfully with the rice. The food was packed into each of the containers as well, which allowed us to eat until we were stuffed while still having so much food leftover.

1 Star -- The Worst Chinese Food in Amherst (and That's Saying Something!)…read more I ordered the "All Day Combo" General Tso's Chicken with Vegetable Fried Rice for lunch -- and wow, I wish I hadn't. The portion was pathetic: maybe five tablespoons of pre-cooked fried rice and five tiny, shriveled pieces of chicken (smaller than nuggets!) that were clearly reheated leftovers. The chicken was tough, dry, and chewy -- like biting into old rubber. And the price? $12.70 for what? A sad excuse for a meal. Absolutely no value, no freshness, and no effort whatsoever. This was hands-down the worst Chinese food I've ever had in Amherst -- and possibly anywhere. Located on College Street, this place needs to do some serious soul-searching about what they're serving people. If you value your money (and your taste buds), stay far, far away. This wasn't lunch -- it was a culinary insult in a takeout box. Save yourself the disappointment. Just don't.