This is a rare find. An authentic Chinese BBQ street food eatery that does not compromise its food or ambiance in the heart of Nashville, with fantastic service and great flavor. Prices are really good - I had six skewers and a beer for under $30 The variety of items is very good - from lamb, beef, shrimp, chicken to enoki, feet, vegetarian options and noodles. read more

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I have been trying to find authentic Chinese restaurants in town and have not been satisfied before. This is my second time here and I have been pretty happy with the food quality for price. This is not the place if you are expecting fine-dining or high quality chef curated meals but for a casual meal, this is great! The bang bang shrimp and skewers were my favorites. This is pretty close to the flavor profile of Chinese food you can find in New York. The servers are nice but they seem to be running on a skeleton crew for the amount of customers they host. Very nice ambiance with Chinese theme!! read more

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We stopped by Shaokao today around 4:30, and the place was pretty quiet with only two other tables. It was raining heavily, so finding street parking right in front was a nice surprise. We ordered a mix of items to get a good feel for the menu: shredded potato salad, pig feet, shumai (wouldn't recommend), pork ribs, and several skewers (lamb, beef, bacon enoki, yellow fish, and intestines - also wouldn't recommend). We finished with the mango shaved ice, which ended up being the best thing we had. Food came out fast and the service was fine, although it would've helped if plates were cleared as we finished them since the table got crowded quickly. Overall, the food just didn't hit the mark for us, and nothing stood out enough to make us want to come back. Probably a one-and-done. read more

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My family and I have been looking for authentic Chinese food and this place has been the perfect spot. It has great outdoor seating for a breeze-filled ambiance. I did not have any issues being seated. The food has good seasoning and flavor. The soup buns had plenty of taste within the meat. The braised beef noodle plate was seasoned well with a hint of sweetness depending on your preferences, whether you like that, but I enjoyed it. The meat was soft and not dry. As for the skewers, they were well seasoned and great for the family to share. All in all, it was an inviting experience and I enjoyed the meal. I would recommend. read more

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The food was absolutely amazing. The skewers were so deliciously grilled and perfectly seasoned with spices. It was soft tender and juicy. The fried milk was crispy and soft on the inside and dipped in condensed milk is the perfect sweet milky warm flavor. The grilled duck combo was amazing which allows you to make your own bao bun with all the different components. Overall, this place was very delicious and I would definitely come here again. read more

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Solid Chinese food and really friendly servers! Flavors are authentic with additional options that are more targeted to the American palate as well. Only downside was the wait. We came on a weekday night but had to wait about an hour for our table; there might have been an event they were reserving seating for, although we didn't see any groups using the space. Otherwise, there is decent seating inside and outside so hopefully the normal wait is not as long. The skewers and food came quickly after ordering but our drinks took much longer to arrive; it was a busy night and they are relatively new, so hopefully things gets more streamlined over time. read more

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We went on a Friday night. There was a wait, parking was hard to find around there too. We got in and started off with beer and appetizers. I really like the squid stick, the beef stick was good too. The fried milk tasted like fried sweet tofu. The noodles in the soup were made in house, texture was great. We got the pork rice dish too, all the meat was tender but everything was kind of sweet, if you like your food sweet, you'll like it. Everyone was nice and service was quick. read more

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Lovely small house restaurant with some outdoor seating. Wait time was 1+ hour wait. They are super busy. We just hung around the area and came back to check in. They do call you when the table is ready. Enjoyed our skewers. The lamb was definitely one of my favorite. Food items were all shareable and arrived fast once order. The noodles N5 were kinda bland. The fried milk with condensed milk dip was good. Food enjoyable. Definitely would like to try more menu item we were just too full. read more

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Verdict: Sad to say it was just...meh. Nothing was standout and the corn was just bad. Service was good though. Maybe we'll try it again, maybe we won't. Likely won't. My wife, son, and I came impromptu for dinner on a Monday around 5. I like the inside; homey, unpretentious. The host brought us water quickly but it unfortunately tasted a bit odd. We ended up ordering a random variety of things to try and it all came out pretty quickly. The beef skewers were well seasoned but a little dry (I liked it, wife didn't). Sad to say the sausage skewer really just tasted like a hot dog with sesame seeds on it. The corn skewers were dry, sticky, and borderline inedible. The soup pork buns were flavorful and tasty, probably the best thing we tried. Finally, we also got the beef and green peppers with rice which was fine. Overall, it was ok. Nothing particularly stood out. We may try it again in the future and try some more things, we'll see. Just a note, if you pay with cash, it'll be a bit cheaper. read more

very neat little authentic chinese restaurant! a friend and i came here since it was the only place i could find nearby that had fried milk like i'd gotten in china. it was really good! my friend really enjoyed the bang bang shrimp and pork belly skewer and i loved the custard buns and pork soup dumplings. service was ok and our food came out pretty quick, nice and hot and exactly what we expected. i would absolutely come back here to try more. read more

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Couldn't have been more disappointed than I was on my visit to Shaokao. I first heard about this from social media foodies like Nashville Hidden Gems. I'm still confused because a lot of people have given this place good reviews, but I thought it was awful. We ordered a ton of different items and the only ones that were edible were the Duck (with the bao buns), the beef skewers, and the beef & peppers with rice. The Duck was the best item, and the others were just fine. We also got noodles that had a horrible texture, and the broth was so oily and greasy it was gross. The shrimp Shumai was so awful that my friend had to spit it in her napkin at the table in order to avoid throwing up. We also got the eggplant dish, which had so much garlic that it made me have a bad taste in my mouth for hours. As my one friend said, the best thing we had there was the Diet Coke. Horribly disappointed in this experience as I had high expectations. I am honestly unsure how they have so many good reviews. read more

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Service was friendly and fast. Food was AWESOME. Had the braised pork noodles, some skewers and pork soup dumplings - good eats across the board. Will definitely be back read more

Was visiting Nashville and ended up coming here twice. All the skewers we tried were delicious and perfectly cooked and seasoned. We got a variety both times. Staff were very nice and friendly. The restaurant was nice and clean. Cute outdoor seating area. Shrimp: Crispy and tender. Beef: Perfectly cooked and seasoned with the classic Chinese skewer spices Chicken Wings: Juicy and tender Asparagus: Juicy and perfectly seasoned Green Beans: Juicy and perfectly seasoned Sticky Corn: Came on the cob and was well seasoned and chewy. Mango Pomelo Sago: Perfect mix of sweet with the slight bitterness of grapefruit. Very refreshing Absolutely love this place. Already craving these skewers again. read more

Best authentic Sichuan Chinese food in all of Nashville! This has become a staple for my family!

I only tried lunch set. But I can tell it is very genuine stir fried Chinese dish. I like it and recommend if you want something transitional or quick. read more

Being in a city that does not have authentic Chinese food, this place super hits. The mix noodles were great. It reminds me of NYC Chinatown Chinese food. Worth the trip. read more

It was soooo goooood . The beef & lamb skewers are a must-get So flavorful. definitely bring your friends & family read more

shaokao - Sooooo gooood - Chinese Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

If I could give zero stars I would, I went with 3 friends and once everyone ordered and it got around to me the waitress just left and didn't act like i existed so it completely ruined my appetite terrible service. read more

I think this place is the epitome of "social media is lying to you" because I saw a bunch of TikTok's and instagram reels from food influencers hyping this place up and I ended up so disappointed. The food was bland, and overcooked. The service was slow. The prices were too high. Everything about this place is disappointing read more

I'm not a person regularly leave comments. But this restaurant is underrated so much I don't know why. Solid 5/5, very authentic Chinese taste. read more

A moderately-priced casual Chinese restaurant with abundant choices for any kind of eater. Many of the choices are meat skewers, and you need at least two skewer orders to make a dinner. Rice is extra, and one order of rice is enough for two people. I had the lamb skewers (3 skewers in one order) and they were great. The so-called "sausage" skewer is just a seasoned hot dog, but the seasoning was interesting. My veggie wife had the eggplant, and said it was really good. If I ever go back to Nashville I'll probably go back to this restaurant. One tip-off that it is good is that at least half the diners were ethnic Chinese. read more

Our group of 4 attempted to eat there today. There was no signage indicating whether we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait for a hostess. There was nobody greeting customers so I walked up to the only visible window where I saw an employee. It appeared to be the cashier window. The female I saw curtly told me to have a seat on the bench located at the entry and seemed to be bothered by my presence. Our group sat on the bench until a male employee approached 5 minutes later and asked how many were in our party. We then waited around 10 more minutes without being seated (it was not busy, with several empty tables visible) before we decided to leave. Terrible customer service. read more