If you want to enjoy the food at Tsai's Kitchen one more time, fyi that the owners announced today that next week is their last week and after 30 years in the restaurant business they will be closing this storefront and retiring. Such nice people. Wishing them all the best in retirement years. "Next week (11/4- 11/8) will be our final week... We are retiring from the restaurant business after 30 years. 10 of those in this amazing community, we appreciate your support all these years." read more

We were treated with a friendly smile and instructions to sit wherever we wanted for dine in. We were quickly handed menus and drink orders were taken upon arrival. The insides remind me of an Asian diner, almost like what people think an Asian diner would look like. Opened with the pork pot stickers for the appetizer...perfectly crispy bottoms and steamed tops. Hubby never eats these things and gobbled down three. 4/5 stars. I ordered the Black Pepper chicken bowl (served on white rice) and hubby ordered the Teriyaki chicken bowl (also served on white rice). Every time I've ordered black pepper chicken anywhere else, it always comes with a hearty pepper sauce, almost likened to teriyaki. This sauce was clear and loaded with so much uncooked black pepper that it was spicy. It was almost like the pepper shaker top fell off on top of my dish and difficult to eat. The chicken was cut into small shards of meat. The cut onions were very fresh, cooked tender crisp and the rice was soft without being mushy. Hubby thought his teriyaki was overall very bland, but the freshly cut broccoli and carrots soaked up the sauce and were delicious. Had to ask for drink refills at the counter. I truly wanted to love this place as I truly and deeply want to support local vendors and establishments routinely. However, I feel like the food is what they think people who don't appreciate good Chinese food want. I would go there again to try perhaps another dish in the future, but mostly to have those pot stickers again. read more

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Headed to Middleton today for a client and had to stop at the local Chinese restaurant. I'm always down for a good Asian meal. Walking in, it's a very small venue. 6 our 7 tables. I did notice how bright it is. There's huge windows all over so it adds a nice brightness to the joint. With it being so bright, it made the venue open. There's only 1 server working and 1 chef. I feel like they have it down to a science. Everything came out smoothly and fast. It wasn't really that busy but my food camw out pretty quick. I ordered fried tofu with mixed vegetables. It came with an option for egg rolls, crab rangoons and another option that I can't remember as a side. I grabbed the crab rangoon as my side and a soup of the day. The soup was chicken and corn soup. The soup came out at a good temp. I know it's pre made so it wasn't super hot. It had lots of mixed veggies like corn, peas and carrots. I didn't really find any chicken in the soup but it was still good. The crab rangoon filling was tasty. I do wish there was a little more filling to the wonton. I felt like I was just eating the wrapper. My tofu and veggies came out shortly. The first thing I noticed was how rich the sauce looked. It was a dark brown. I appreciated how tiny all the veggies were. They were cut small so you didn't have to chew through a huge piece of broccoli. The mixture of veggies was great! I loved the napa cabbage in it the most. The sauce unfortunately didn't have a lot of flavor despite of the color of it. It lacked saltiness which would have paired well with the steamed rice. Overall, it was a decent stir fry. I'm hardly in this area but if I ever am, I look forward to trying this joint out again and tasting other items on their menu. read more

Tsai's Kitchen - Chicken and corn soup - Chinese Near Me - Middleton, Idaho

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Per the owners, this restaurant grew from a food truck seven years ago. The building is small but immaculate and comfortable. Service was pleasant, you order from the table but can pay at the counter. I ordered the Hunan Chicken and it was mildly spicy and flavorful but not what I would call excellent. However what really surprised me was the hand blended milkshakes, which were top shelf. They use a hand dipped vanilla base and add the syrup. I ordered a blackberry and it was fantastic. Prices are very reasonable. It's a good place to eat in Middleton but don't expect top quality Chinese food. read more

Tsai's Kitchen - Blackberry Milkshake - Chinese Near Me - Middleton, Idaho

Not a good attempt at Asian cooking! Beef was 2 week old rolled up leather! (If it was beef?). Beef should be sliced thin within a moist glaze. I paid my bill and left the meal on the table. Convinced there is no authentic Chinese food in the valley! Seattle isn't too far away tho... read more

Tsai's Kitchen - Dried up tasteless some kind of meat ?? sitting on wilted lettuce. Pretty gross. This is how I left it when I paid and left. - Chinese Near Me - Middleton, Idaho

Went by Tsais restaurant today and they are no longer in business. I am very sad. They had great food. Atmosphere was extremely clean and the service was outstanding. I would drive over from Emmett to enjoy their food. Don't know what happened because they always seemed to have a good flow of customers read more

Excellent service & delicious food! The server gave detailed descriptions of the dishes & the food came out quickly.

Disappointing experience overall. The house special fried rice was not fried (no oil to even suggest it had been) nor did it have soy sauce in it. The kung pao chicken had a good taste but too many carrots. The spicy beef was not spicy and had too many onions. The sesame chicken was good though. read more

We love the walnut shrimp ... you can't go wrong with Tsai's Kitchen. They're the best restaurant in Middleton, by a long way.

Where to start. This place is chaotic. It isn't quiet at all. I am not sure they have any systems in place to help customers. My server was super nice (extra star). Asked for water multiple times. Never got any... she also watched me drop my spoon on the floor and pick it up. Never brought me a new one The food was weird. The curry just had an odd flavor. Don't order the curry... If you are looking for amazing Chinese/ Asian food this isn't the place. If you are looking for a classy ambiance.. this isn't the place. But, if you are looking for amazing service.. go someplace else, this still isn't the place read more

This was our first time here tonight. So tasty! We had Moo Goo Gai Pan-- spicy and Black Pepper beef. The moo goo was excellent. We loved the garlic sauce. Such a delicious taste and no gray gluey gelatinous gravy. We also had egg rolls as an app and they were very good as well. I can't wait to come back and try the sweet and sour soup. Our server was prompt and friendly. So happy we finally found good Chinese food in our area. Thank you Tsai's! read more

Friendly staff. Not one was Chinese and that's well reflected by the food. It was hot and made to order, very fresh. But this is not Chinese food. Uncle Tsai is turning in his grave. They should call this place Bill Williams' Kitchen. It's not bad food if you're not expecting Chinese food. Had take out so nothing about the ambiance to speak of, but the dining area looked like a fast food joint. I won't return. read more

There are some reviews on this restaurant here from people whom seem to need psychological conditioning, or perhaps just a general lesson in kindness. This place is a good thing for this neighborhood, it adds diversity to the small choices of food offered in Middleton. This place is clean, quick, and fresh. The portions are large, for a good price. The people who work there are nice, friendly, & do what they can to accommodate what you desire. What more could you ask for, Middleton.. . . . ? read more

fresh and not greasy. chicken is very tasty. great service. home made and owned and cooked by local residents read more

This place has lots of great reviews and lots of not so great ones. I figured it was worth a try. Sorry we did. Huge waste of money and ultimately food that no one wanted to eat. Very bland, even the "spicy" menu choices. Really nothing had its own unique flavor. We won't be returning. read more

Always good. And local. Best for takeout in the Middleton area. Friendly service always.

Terrible food. We've been here several times hoping it would get better. Owner does not run things well. Long wait times and little accommodations for improvement. Do not recommend read more

This was our first time going to Thai's Kitchen, and I would go back. Service was great, with politeness and professional. I had the Savory Won Ton Soup, and it was good. Full of flavor, and different in good ways. We also ordered the Chicken Kung Po and again it was different in a good way. There use shredded chicken breast. The vegetables are very fresh. The restaurant isn't what I expected based on the building. It's nicely decorated inside. If you haven't been there yet, give it a try. read more

Just ate here and was skeptical because of some of the reviews but it was very good. Husband had orange chicken and I had Hunan chicken. Flavor was wonderful and service was great! Definitely will be back. Haven't had Chinese since I moved to Idaho and was craving it. Glad we found it! read more

Not quite sure why this place gets quite as much hate as it does from some of the Yelp crowd. This is your typical Americanized Chinese food place. Compared with other local options, which tend to have the even older style "bland canned vegetables drowning in MSG laden sauce plus protein," this place is a cut above. The food is good. I know there's better food in this style in the universe, but there aren't any in this part of Idaho, so we're glad to have it around. That being said, we did have one entrée that was overly salted, so they definitely need to be a little more careful with how much they salt the dishes. Half the complaints about the place seem to be "too much salt" or "very bland," so the culprit there would seem to be consistency. However, it's not as other people have alluded to "a step below Panda Express." Panda Express is always sodium city. It makes me wonder if some of the people even ate at Tsai's Kitchen or a Panda Express near here recently. We ordered takeout and it was ready when we got there, but the wait staff seemed a little clueless how curbside delivery works. Maybe a little better communication from the front of the house, especially since I don't think they realize how difficult it is to hear in the place with the fans going from behind a Lexan barrier, would be helpful. read more

Going start with the Positives! 1. Very clean - new building 2. They said 20 mins for takeout and it was ready. 3. Food tastes good - but I will get in to more of that in a min. 4. Not greasy! This is the best part about this place. 5. I think the BBQ pork is made in house. Negatives. 1. The price it seem a little expensive. 2. Sweet and sour sauce for crab pops in little packets. 3. Portion size 4. It seems small for a restaurant. So the food was good. We had an egg roll not greasy has great flavor. The crab pops were good little heavy on the chives. The lemon chicken was good nice light batter and good flavor, but the put it in a bed of rice and then pour the sauce over it and it was more lemon rice than chicken. Orange chicken again nice light batter, not heavy on the grease, good flavor. Fried rice was fluffy, good flavor, not greasy, but not very full of egg or vegetables. BBQ pork reminds me of when I lived in Hawaii. It's the way I was shown how to do it. Not dry and has a great flavor. I took this as take out and will go back to sit in to see how they do. read more

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Stopped in for a lunch to go as a trial and got a real treat. I believe it was the saltiest food I have ever eaten. This was a raging 3-alarm salt fest. I felt like a steer in the pasture enjoying my mineral salt-lick. Now I'm not one to repeat myself, generally, but this shit was off the hook. After eating as much as humanly possible, my tongue swelled up like an air mattress on crack. Someone please contact this place and tell them to hold the salt for the next ten years. Their pans must be etched and coated with salt and will season their food for the next millennium. If you choose to stop in for their super-salted food, I suggest you get a 10 gallon H2O IV before you order so you can avoid the sodium coma and mattress tongue. Cheers! read more

One of the best Chinese restaurants in the area. Very friendly people and excellent tasting food. I love the Kung Pao chicken and beef with broccoli. Never had a bad meal. read more

Meh...that's how I felt about the meals we got. I got the garlic shrimp and there was a bunch of green peppers and nothing else. The chicken from the sweet and sour chicken dish was bland at best. I was sad because I want to enjoy Chinese food closer to home. read more

Love tsais kitchen. Always very fresh. The complaints I don't understand. All our meals have been very good. Very much appreciate the food and service. Some folks expectations are seriously unrealistic. Been getting food there since they opened, never disappointed. Nice to have in Middleton. read more

I had high hopes. I really REALLY did. Even after the other bad reviews, I wanted to give it a chance. Tonight was the time. I ordered Sesame Chicken which is my favorite dish when I get Chinese.. CLEARLY these people have never had good Chinese or their food would be WAAAAAY better. It also came with a "spring roll" which was not a spring roll at all.. never EVER ordering from here again. Panda Express is better.. and that's even a blasphemy. read more

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I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the other review since most seemed to be either 4/5 starts or 1. Even still, I just wanted something other than the normal hamburger or sandwich lunch, so my husband and I decided to try it out. We started with an appetizer of pot stickers which were cooked perfectly, soft on top, a little crunch on the bottom and good flavor. I had the combo plate with sweet and sour chicken, fried rice and egg drop soup. I personally thought the egg drop soup was a little too "eggy" - the consistency was what I was used to from other places I've had it, but I couldn't taste anything other than egg. A little disappointing. The rest of the meal was pretty good though and none of it was greasy. My husband got the Mandarin beef with fried rice and crab wanton. His entree was pretty good also. Then, we shared a port chow mein. I thought it was ok, but not great. All in all, I think the over rating of 3 stars this establishment had is fair. Although, I will say that the server we had was excellent! read more

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Excellent restaurant in little Middleton! Super friendly owners, quick service and excellent food.

My wife and I recently ate at the Honk Kong rest. Compairded to the Hong Kong, Tsai's serves bettet chinese food and more of it at a much better price read more

Honestly, I had an open mind when my husband picked up my food. First, the fried rice was highly questionable. It tasted like they cooked the rice and put some soy sauce on it and added a smattering of vegetables. The egg drop soup was very bland. The only thing that tasted good was the broccoli chicken. Pretty disappointing but will go again to see if this may be an off day for them. read more

So far the food here is really good. The staff is very friendly! The pricing isn't bad! The inside looks absolutely clean and everything looks brand new! Very well taken care of. we have just been getting takeout, so far so good! They have a great family specials on Facebook every day read more

Two stars only because the girl that took the order over the phone was super kind. The ingredients seemed fresh. Our food was ready quickly. We spent a little over $40. One problem was the order I placed wasn't what I received. Okay fine, I can deal. The food literally had no flavor and if it did it was gross. We ate maybe five bites each and threw it all away. I ended up having to make my son a second dinner and well I'm just still hungry. My husband even said what a waste of $40. Such a bummer I really wanted a good local Chinese option. read more

We had heard how good the food was when Cheng and Jamie Tsai had their food truck in Middleton so we were looking forward to a Chinese restaurant here. We were not disappointed. I'm not sure what kind of Chinese food the people who are on here complaining are used to but you can't get much more Chinese than food freshly prepared by a Chinese man from Taiwan. We've eaten in the restaurant only once but have ordered take out probably 2 dozen times and have never been disappointed with the food or it's taste. The food is delicious! The only negative thing I have to say about Tsai's was the delays when they first opened. There were some rough patches, due to the heavy rush of people, that caused some big delays. That's no longer a problem. It was only an issue for the first few weeks because everyone rushed the restaurant at once. read more

I have been here four times. Each time giving them the benefit of the doubt being newly opened and hoping for more flavorful food each time. Each time, the food looked great, but had NO flavor! They say certain food is spicy, but even asking for 3 times the spice, it was still just bland. We stopped going, if they can't get it right after 4 times, they don't deserve my business. By getting it right, I mean the flavor, absolutely none. I don't care for Panda but at least Panda has flavor in their rice and other entree's. The service is slow. Limited seating. read more

We just arrived in The Caldwell Middleton area last weekend. We drove past several times and took the opportunity to pull in today while out being deliberately lost. Needless to say this was a great surprise. The sauces are made to order. It was the most subtly layered flavors of the vegetables and chicken in my garlic chicken. I abandoned adding any other things like soy, salt and my beloved Chinese Mustard. My Mrs. had the lemon chicken and said this was the best and this is after working in a Chinese restaurant that made their own sauces. A must stop, over and over again. read more

Food is ok some things are a bit bland and much more veggies in the meat dishes than meat. Very nice people and generous portions on most things, rice/noodles and veggies. Some veggies need a bit more cooking although nice and fresh. read more

We have been looking for good Chinese restaurant since we moved here from the Bay Area in 2001. There have been few pleasant surprises. This was one of them. My wife and I eaten at Tsai's Kitchen since we moved to Middleton (30 times?) We have never been disappointed. Tasty food, reasonably priced, friendly people. read more

I don't understand how anyone can give this restaurant any more stars than this. Have any of you EVER had GOOD Chinese food? The food here looks fabulous and here comes the BUT. I have never had food that looked Soooo good but had no flavor. I mean nada, none!!! I was floored. I will not eat here again, I've had better frozen Chinese food. read more

Stopped in for a late lunch today. Had the Hunan Chicken with some crab puffs. Both were very tasty and portion sizes were good. The owners are very friendly. read more

Great food with so many choices to choose from. Good people and good atmosphere! And they have amazing customer service. The waitresses are very kind and sweet and easy to talk to. I'd definitely recommend coming here! read more