My second visit to Shanghai Alley is exactly why I believe in second chances. I honestly was not very impressed during my first visit, but coming back again completely changed my opinion because this place really shined the second time around. They offer a huge variety of dishes ranging from classic Chinese and American Chinese food to handmade dim sum made fresh in house. Everything we tried was packed with flavor, especially the walnut shrimp which I'm still thinking about. The roasted duck and char siu were also standout dishes and you can really tell they put care into the food here. I also love that they specialize in both Sichuan and Cantonese dishes, so there's something for everyone depending on what flavors you're craving. If you want the full dim sum cart experience, definitely stop by on the weekends from 11 to 2. It made the experience feel even more authentic and fun. This visit completely won me over and I'll definitely be back to keep exploring the menu. read more

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Good to know we have more dimsum options in NC. I came on a Saturday morning. Usually on weekends they have dimsum push carts. I got greeted and seated right away. You have a choice of taking food items off of the push carts that comes by your table like every 10 minutes or so. There are different carts. Some with entrees,some with appetizers and some with desserts. There is plenty of tables inside for group outings. They have booths and round tables. You can opt out of dimsum items and order from the regular menu by scanning the QR code on the table. I was looking forward for sesame balls, shrimp rice or pork rice rolls and fried shrimp balls but they didnt serve them there. Overall good food but not the best Ive had. There dimsum options are more limited then the other dimsum places Ive tried in NC. read more

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I was in the mood for some dim sum, and saw there was one on the way back to Greensboro from Raleigh. Options was very limited compare to other dim sum places I went to. Over all what me and a friend decided to get was average. They didn't have alot of the options I usually get. Especially sesame ball with red bean, I did ask two staffs members and never got any help or an answer if there was some available. Over all average experience. read more

Shanghai Alley - Lunch time - Shanghainese Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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| Overview + Best pork/shrimp shumai we've tasted in the Triangle, NC - large and reasonably orice + Overall, authentic Chinese dimsum + Large restaurant space is inviting and ideal for large and small groups - Slow & not the best customer service - Chinese broccoli amount is less than other dimsum spots we've been - Chili sauce was too spicy; no milder sauce available Overall Score: 3.9/5 read more

Shanghai Alley - Shanghainese Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

This place was very spacious. Great customer service. We didn't have to wait upon arrival but was sat in a very cramped area because we had a baby with us. Food was good homemade dim sum, very flavorful. It just lacks variety. We ate the same plates over and over seemed like they have 2 carts. And they will also make whatever you want to order. My favorite was the taro dumplings which was made fresh. read more

Great place for Dim Sum and Chinese food. We went on a Friday so we didn't get to experience the cart, but the Dim Sum items we ordered were decent and the Mongolian Beef came out quickly and the sauce is delicious. read more

Go for lunch when it's slower. The food is out of this world. We had the custard, red bean, and pan fried pork buns along with 3 chicken lo mein. So authentic! If I could grade just on taste it would 12/10. However. The service. We waited an hour for our food after threatening to leave. An Asian couple sat down after us and got their food in 15 min. Another Asian group came in 45 min after us and still got their food before us. The waitresses were yelling back and forth to each other the whole time and we tried to flag someone down to ask for boxes and she waved us off. Another waitress said she'd take 20% off because we waited so long but it never came off the check. And it wasn't just us. This happened to 6 other people. One family got up and walked out they had waited at least 1.25 hrs, with 3 kids, and only got 2 dishes of their 5. Gordon Ramsay make them over! Because it could be so so so good if only the service was better. read more

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We ran across a Chinese Restaurant on our way to tour Cary, NC. I will say that this restaurant is very authentic Chinese cuisine. Very nice to have your family to celebrate and share togetherness. We ordered the pad Thai, sweet/sour pork, siu mai, sesame balls and some other delicious food. I like we and we will be back soon to try other foods. Service is great and the ambiance is fresh and welcoming. read more

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The service was outstanding. They made us feel like family. We have dietary issues and they were very helpful and accommodating. The food was great. It is now or favorite restaurant. read more

This place is amazing! Do not listen to these bad reviews first of all if you're eating Chinese food don't expect to come in someone's restaurant and to speak perfect English you want authenticity right? OK then these reviews are out of this world because me and My Husband come here all the time and is nothing but amazing! read more

Ahhhmazing!! We stopped in for lunch during the week to check it out. They did not have the carts because they only have that on the weekends, but they still have their full menu. We ordered three things to share and they were amazing. The staff was so friendly and so helpful with the menu. I cannot wait to go back. read more

Ambience was really nice. Service was very good. Food was surprisingly good: freshly prepared, good flavors. The only drawback was the wait for each dish to come out, but it was due to the freshness. If you allow time for them to prepare the food, it is well worth the wait. From out of town, but will definitely return! read more

The food is ok. This is nearby for dim sum with carts. But it's really hit or miss. During dim sum they only have 2 or carts so they don't come often. But it's nearby... read more

Very good, dishes served hot and delicious. Also available dim sum on side. Reasonable costs.

The competition within the Triangle area as it pertains to Chinese food is pretty stiff, but in all honesty it doesn't take much to please me when it comes to Chinese food. With that being said, Shanghai Alley has been quite disappointing in my visits and I'd rather visit other places that serve better food and have quicker service. Shanghai Alley's unique feature is that they do traditional Chinese dishes and push the dim sum carts throughout the day. It's been a while since I've had the dim sum so I cannot recall that experience. A family member has had it recently and was not blown away by it, so I will go by their testimony! Much of my disappointment came from my last visit here. It was rather busy on a Saturday evening, so I was excited by the prospect of dinner based on popularity. We ordered 5 different dishes. The first problem was how they served everything. When eating family style, it's great to have multiple dishes arrive at the table so you can pass everything around and try different things together. Items here came out more banquet style (this place is not a banquet style restaurant) where things would come one at a time. We would basically finish a dish before another arrived at the table. We spent a lot of time waiting for food. The dishes themselves ranged from pretty good to very disappointing. The best thing we had were the pork with smoked tofu. The flavors were great and the portions were fantastic. The ginger chicken had good flavor and paired great with the rice, but most of it was bone. The walnut shrimp had good flavor, but portions were lacking. I would avoid getting the green beans. Traditionally, the green beans are cooked in really high heat so the outside remains crunchy, but fried just enough that it's crisp. These green beans were none of the above. First off, most of them were missing the bean for some reason. It was just us eating the exterior. The beans were also not cooked on high enough heat or not cooked long enough because it ended up being chewy and oily. I had never had it like that before, it was probably the worst Chinese stir fried green beans I've had. Their veggie lo mein also was a bit weird, mainly due to the choice of vegetables. Maybe I'm just overly critical, but I would have substituted the bell peppers for some cabbage or bean sprouts. I may end up coming back to Shanghai Alley because my grandparents live close and it's an easy drive for them. However, if you have a choice for Chinese, I would certainly recommend you try a different spot! read more

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The only things are good fried rice and boba drinks. The siu mai is the weird dish. I took a bite and had to spit it out. The soup dumplings are not good at all. The skin is so thick. The ones sell at hmart are better than these. The beef noodle is ok. Nothing special about it. We have better beef noodle in other ramen restaurants. While the food is not good the environment is pretty nice. The service is excellent. read more

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We were 'first timers' looking for a Chinese restaurant with a dining room and good food. We were greeted warmly and seated. We then were directed to the order tablet sitting in the table to order our food. We chose to scan the QR code on the table since the tablet appeared to be filthy. With all that said, the food was great. The dishes contained large pieces of chicken, fresh veggies and plenty of sauce. Generous servings with enough for leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. It was just a bit disappointing that we couldn't ask a waiter about their menu choices since it was our first time and had to order ourselves. read more

Authentic food. Great atmosphere. Great service. Tremendous variety of dim sum complemented by some great Cantonese and Szechuan menu items. read more

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I came here for the first time yesterday and had such a great experience! Their dimsum is fairly authentic. I didn't like my radish cakes as much as some others, but the stuffed eggplant and green pepper were so tasty! My boyfriend's dad ordered sweet and sour ribs. Quite delicious! Our server was very attentive. Food came out fast. The venue is pretty upscale, just worryingly empty when we went. read more

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The best dim sum I've had outside of San Francisco!! Huge selection of entrees and specialties. Super friendly staff and attentive. read more

Shanghai Alley - Dining room - Shanghainese Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Update: March 2024 4pm Asian restaurant Food still yummy. They changed the menu unfortunately from a year ago. So we tried new things. 3.5 stars Food: My stir fry beef with special chili sauce had very good flavor. My hubby's pad tai w shrimp wasn't great but had good amount of shrimp according to his opinion. The veggie spring-roll was yummy and its sauce. 1 star: Timing of food from the kitchen still needs work. My hubby's food came out first. I had to still wait for mine. The spring roll appetizer did not come out first before the main dishes as expected. They really need to work on these kitchen issues. 3.8 star: Service was quick and pleasant. Booth table was clean. I've become more sensitive to how loud a restaurant is, thus this place was quiet- great for conversations. We look forward to going back when in the area. read more

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Overall it was good. We had the Dim Sum. We had a large party, 3 kids 1 toddler and 6 adults. Bill was about $200. The food tasted great. The only thing I felt they could have improved on is the service. They do walk around with carts with the dishes, however, there wasn't a fast enough turnover of dishes. They'd come around with the same cart within 10 minutes. More vegetable options would be nice. We will definitely be back read more

I can't believe I've never tried going to this resto before. I love the atmosphere of it. It made me nostalgic. Also, you can order dim sum anytime!!! I miss my weekend dim sums. So, you know what I got when I visited, dim sum!!! We tried almost everyone off the dim sum menu. Everything tasted fresh, the fried pork ribs is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the shrimps in everything wasn't over cooked. The only thing that we didn't like much is the congee. I normally like congee but there's something inside that we didn't enjoy. If you had any questions, the wait staff is very helpful. When we were done, we had to order some plates to try them at home. They were a hit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Came back here to celebrate my birthday for supper and they didn't disappoint. We ordered a lot off the dim sum and a couple of dishes from their menu, orange chicken, roast pork, and salt and peppered tofu. Food was fresh, fried items were crispy yet not dry. The soup dumplings was good and the bottom didn't stick so all the soup was intact. Don't forget to add the sauce and ginger. The chicken and pork were devoured in a flash. The tofu had heat and not too salty. Everything was so good and I especially enjoyed the Chinese broccoli and shrimp dumplings. The other dishes were equally delicious. I was so happy that we were able to have some leftovers. Loved it! Will definitely come back! read more

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I had heard so many good things about Shanghai Alley and had seen it during my trips to Cary. Now that I live in the triangle area, I was determined to try the restaurant. Wow, I have never been sooooo disappointed. Hubby & I were the only customers there on a weekday afternoon except for 2 other diners. I ordered a carryout order. After paying in cash, the clerk with severely limited English speaking abilities said that they were out of a particular dim sum item. No problem, I asked for another item to be substituted that was $1 more. Well, her English was not her only limitation. So was her math skills and the ability to make the change in their food ordering system. Then she stepped away to attend to the dine-in eaters to pay for their food (which was rude, but whatever). That was also a struggle. 15 min. later she said she was ready to fix my order. Once the clerk came back to me, she still couldn't figure out how to make the change. I told her just to forget it and just refund me the $5.95 for the item they no longer had available. She wanted to cancel my entire order (with 6 items) and start over and for me to give her my credit card again. I paid CASH. I told her this at a minimum of 3 times and shouted it the last time "I PAID CASH!!", then she said "Oh, yes, I forgot". I was the only customer there and you forgot?! I have never in my entire life have gotten so impatient, frustrated and angry with a person. She couldn't figure out how to cancel or do a refund in their system and she said her boss will be upset. It is not my problem, how can you not figure this out?! (She was apparently VERY new.) Even her co-worker didn't know. OMG, Jesus F-ing Christ. They managed to get the cash register open and I said just give me $40 back or I'm calling the police for THEFT (my order was $39.41). Luckily, I had the paper receipt as proof. They gave me $40 and I walked out ... 30 minutes later. Wasted time and trip. And puh-leeze do not say this is a racist thing. I am Chinese, know what kind of food I'm ordering, I just don't know their dialect. The dim sum menu is VERY limited. (This is why I said they are disappointing despite the rotten customer service). I am spoiled because I lived in MD/DC where there is authentic Hong Kong style dim sum at almost every corner. read more

Great food - been here several times. It gets crowded. Haven't had a bad thing on the menu yet. The duck definitely a favorite of mine read more

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Came by for Dim Sum on a Saturday. Was pretty busy with people getting Dim Sum and regular plates. Like most Asian restaurants, this place was completely understaffed and service was poor. I was surprised they served Dim Sum considering it is a Hong Kong specialty (not Shanghai) but some dishes were quite good like the Har Kow (shrimp dumplings) and chicken feet. The shumai here is terrible (big fat pork pieces with no flavor). If you want the fried dough rice noodles or Shanghainese soup dumplings, I would advise ordering those when you arrive. The fried dough rice noodles was lazy, just 2 rolls barely even cut. The soup dumplings (6 per pack) were OK. However skin was much thicker than usual. If you want dim sum in the area, this may be your place with hits and misses along the way. There is staff walking around with dim sum carts, which is a lost art. Most staff members spoke Mandarin with the boss lady speaking Cantonese. Tea price is charged per person read more

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We tried dim sums and they were really good . We also had a soup and shrimp mixed vegetables and both were good as well We went for lunch on weekend and hence it was dinner portion. Only issue I thought was that there was a pressure with several dim-sum carts being coming to you for you to purchase them read more

Shanghai Alley - Beef soup - Shanghainese Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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I was shocked to read some of the reviews. I personally found Shanghai Valley to be delicious. I don't know what everything was that was ordered. I allowed my Chinese friends to order. I was pleasantly surprised with all the options from Pork, Beef, Shrimp, Chickens Feet, Bunn, and Dessert. The service and ambiance were exceptiinal. I was impressed at how quickly we were seated and the ambiance of the decor. read more

I can't imagine service worse than what my wife and I experienced today. I am never the type to give 1 star but I would give 0 if It was an option. We were not given plates or forks. We grabbed them ourselves from a different table. When we tried to grab a waiter/waitress's attention, we were ignored. Just an overall horrible experience and would never go back. read more

The food that I ordered was not good talk about no flavor I spent $40.00 on a bunch of crap.The Shrimp Dumplings are not good the Shrimp Rice Noddle Roll are so extra bland they didn't even put soy sauce on them.The Wonton Soup was another fail what a joke what are these people doing.The House Special Fried Rice was pure Garbage not even edible don't know why they used the word Special there is nothing special about it at all.I took a few spoon fulls of the rice and tossed it in the trash that rice cost $14.95 wasted my money it was awful I moved to North Carolina 2 years ago from Northern California the Chinese Food and especially the Dim Sum in California is absolutely amazing,I miss the food in Californiathey do things right especially DimSum.When I moved here I have had the worst Dim Sum ever the cooks/restaurants in North Carolina are the worst I have ever seen in my life including this restaurant no wonder it was empty when I went read more

Shanghai Alley - Look at this bland Shrimp Rice Noddle Roll - Shanghainese Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

They offer a wide selection of dim sum and they're all delicious. It's tough to find a dim sum place in Cary so this is my go-to spot whenever I'm craving them. Service is prompt and the decor gives off old school Shanghai vibe. Would highly recommend the tripe, radish cake, and shiu mai. read more

We came on a Wed afternoon. Not busy at all. We tried dim sum. Good overall. Shrimp dumplings, chicken feet and others all pretty good. Fried buns are ok. My fav dish is salted fish and chicken fried rice. Very good. Love the salted fish pieces. Not particularly fond of bamboo shoots with pork. Way too much fried tofu than bamboo there. But over all a good place. Will definitely again. read more

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Food is good. The service is pretty fast. People are very accommodating. And price is pretty decent. Recommend this. Thumbs up read more

Shanghai Alley - Hong Kong Roasted Duck, shrimp siomai, shrimp dumpling, Chinese broccoli - Shanghainese Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

I tried Shanghai Alley on a whim for a Tuesday lunch. Cary has excellent, authentic Chinese restaurants and when I entered the restaurant my first impression, from the menu board specials written in Chinese to the family dining tables with a lazy Susan, pointed towards this restaurant being excellent as well. I was quickly seated at a booth and barely had time to glance at the menu before the server wanted to take my order. In hindsight, I should have asked for more time but instead, I ordered the Chicken with Cashew Nuts lunch special. Big mistake. Lunch was just not good. The chicken with cashew nuts consisted of the standard mix of veggies stir-fried in brown sauce with a few uncooked whole cashews thrown on top at the end. It was served just warm; it was not even hot. The accompanying egg roll was tiny and was barely warm as well. I've had much better versions of this dish at my local strip mall Chinese restaurant. My server never checked on me after taking my order, other than to bring me the check. Because I thought I made a poor choice of meal, I intended to order something else, perhaps a scallion pancake, to give Shanghai Alley a chance to redeem itself, but the server took off before I could request the menu again. Unfortunately, the authentic Chinese restaurant ambiance didn't translate into a great meal. If the service had been better or my meal had at least been served hot then I would give Shanghai Alley a second chance, but there are so many authentic Chinese options within a mile or two radius I'll just go to the competition next time. read more

Well I can echo the comments on the slow service. Wasn't even busy. Food came out piecemeal and after 1.5 hours still waiting on the last order. Food was okay, shrimp dumpling was 5/10, turnip cake 2/10, BBQ buns 3/10. Only 1 server and hostess who also served. Hostess was terrible. Barely acknowledged you. read more

I'm stretching the 3 star review. The crab ragoons were spoiled. The filling was curddled and foul. That was a waste of 7 dollars because that was put straight in the trash. The egg roll was just like a frozen one from H Mart....and it wasn't crisp at all. The garlic shrimp combination dinner had good flavor but 4 shrimp and a miniscule portion size. The egg fried rice had zero egg. This would be a good lunch but falls short for dinner. Tofu and shredded pork....sigh...I was looking forward to this as it's a dish I've only found in DC. Sadly, this missed the mark by a clear mile. The portion size was good but it had zero flavor and zero spice. It tasted like plain tofu with no flavor. Cary lacks a good NY style Chinese resturant and this one will not fill those shoes. Sadly, this was a $50 lesson of where not to eat. I will not be returning. read more

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I was excited for two reasons, neighbor who lives in Asia for several years said it was good and their menus tablets had pictures of every dish. I ordered a chicken dish that was shown with lots of vegetables and a sauce... Came as just a plate full of fried chicken bites. No veggies. Confirmed they brought the right dish. Complained and they added veggies....a small number of raw onion pieces and one piece of red pepper, also raw. Good was meh at best. Wouldn't my recommend at all. read more

Large handsome restaurant with huge menu. Soup dumplings were as good as anywhere and come with appropriate ginger and vinegar. Shrimp dumplings were all shrimp and were excellent. Fried noodles with seafood was massive plattter with well fried fish, shrimp and squid in light sauce was tasty but squid were a little chewy. Cart service for dim sum on weekend. Reviews on this place are mixed but service and everything we had were delicious. We will be back. . read more

More like 3.75 but could easily be a 4 with very little effort. Come here for traditional Chinese food, not Chinese-American. We ordered Xiao long bao, gai lan, salt & pepper shrimp, and fish fillet in chili oil. The food was inconsistent and that's the main problem. The fish was excellent, possibly the best version of that dish in this area. The seasoning was nuanced without losing any of the heat or ma la. The Xiao long bao were also very good. No leakers in the serving and a good amount of filling and broth. The dough was maybe a hair thick but not excessively. On the down side, the gai lan was very short on the oyster sauce and as a result tasted like plain steamed veg. The shrimp were large and deliciously flavorful but were badly overcooked. Not inedible, but not far from. Service was unremarkable, neither poor nor exceptional. Be aware that you may have a language barrier issue. The restaurant itself is spacious, attractive, and includes the now obligatory selfie wall. The restrooms need serious attention, though. Both were more or less clean but the women's was in very poor repair and the men's had an unexpected foul order. A genuinely solid choice for traditional Chinese food, especially is they fix the restrooms and even out the inconsistencies. I look forward to trying the cart service dim sum. read more

Shanghai Alley - Xiao long bao, badly under-dressed gai lan in background - Shanghainese Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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Not going to lie, some of the reviews I read had me concerned about Dad's choice of restaurant, but the food was wow good! It is indeed true that there's a language barrier when it comes to service. Don't expect to be able to ask questions and be understood. The only thing we ordered that we really knew what we would be getting was off their dim sum menu. The "juicy" pork buns. We figured that meant soup ones and we were correct. One order had six of them and the broth inside was especially good. Highly recommend! A bit difficult to eat, but worth it. They have an Americanized and a Chinese menu. We ordered off the Chinese one which has no descriptions, so we weren't sure what we were doing, but lucked out. The spicy pork noodles turned out to be glass (cellophane) noodles in a slightly spicy chile oil with the smallest pieces of pork. Barely any pork. Shrimp with Walnuts turned out to be large shrimp that were breaded and fried with a slightly sweet/sticky sauce and what seemed to be pecans instead of walnuts, but it might have been the sweet sauce that was making them taste like that. Our favorite dish was Fish with Pickled Vegetables. This turned out to be a Fish Stew of sorts. Thicker than a broth with lots of veggies and very tender white fish. A large bowl. And we each got a bowl of rice. Everything was really tasty and generous portions. So much so we took noodles, rice and fish home. We got there at 6:00 on a Thursday and it was fairly empty so service was prompt. By the time we left there were some large tables that were keeping the Gals so busy it was hard to get their attention to get the check and take-out containers. Am looking forward to going back and trying other intriguing entrees! read more

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