China Cafe by Phoenix

My go-​to for neighborhood Chinese food. I like patronizing local places so I don’t mind driving over there if they don’t have a delivery person on the clock. I especially like that they serve egg foo yong which I don’t usually see on other menus.

i ate here about 10 years ago and it was just average. I finally went back 10 years later and found the same mediocre food, and poor service. I was surprised at the lack of service and the mediocre food allowed this place to remain in business for so long.

Great lunch specials ! The staff is so friendly. You get a lot of food for the price and it always comes out fresh and hot.

Super reasonable prices and they’ll cook things for you that are off the menu. For example, they have this INCREDIBLE sweet shrimp dish. It’s got walnuts and cherries. Don’t even know what it’s called but it was on their menu a long time ago but got dumped years ago when they updated the menu. Even though its been literal years since the dish was on their menu, they’ll still make it for me every time I come in (it was my fave!). I just describe it («that shrimp dish with the walnuts & cherries») and they whip it right up. I also love that they do a little «appetizer» for free. Fried wontons and dipping sauces. Not super hearty or anything, but a nice touch.
The only reason they get 4 stars (instead of 5) is because I’m not a huge fan of their sesame chicken, which tends to be my favorite meal at most Chinese restaurants. Just not crazy about the sauce. That’s ok, though, because their stellar service, reasonable prices, and the insanely delicious shrimp meal more than make up for it! MMMMMM!!!

My family and I have been loyal customers for years. We started ordering becuase they advertised delivery and often left flyers on our door. I called tonight for a delivery and they said they do not deliver this far. We are 3.5miles away. I asked her if she was mistaken and that we have always ordered and recieved delivery. We will not be going back.

This place is a solid 3. Whoever rated them a 5 is smoking! Whoever rated them a 1 is also smoking!
Friendly service, fast delivery and healthy portions are offset by lack of food quality and very average taste.
This is your very average neighborhood Chinese place. Every neighborhood should have one.

China Café is pretty good! I’ve always gotten friendly service here.
My favorite dish is the seafood egg foo young. It’s a very generous helping swimming in a tasty sauce. I pretty much order that everytime.

Ate here for a work meeting. Had the general tso chicken and the egg drop soup. It wasn’t too spicy like you might expect. Lunch was good. Staff was attentive. They also have a nice gluten free section which my family appreciates.
The bathrooms were clean. Staff was nice. Parking was easy. Place wasn’t too crowded. Noise level was just right. I’d eat here again. Had a great lunch.

Ummmm, I’m not even sure what the hell I am eating. This place has been good-​ish until a to go order tonight. I ordered Mongolian beef and the meat could equally have been camel and the mongol hordes would have massacred anyone who associated them with that insipid sauce.

This is my favorite restaurant in Austin. They food is good and the staff is great! I moved away for 3 years and when I came back, they still remembered my name and what I ordered! That alone will make me a customer for life.

Ok first time I ordered take out from here it was amazing. I was super happy I found a good Chinese restaurant near my new place. Not the case today soo much sauce just soggy veg. And the sauce was bland. Ordered egg rolls way over fried you can taste the burnt oil. I guess this place is a hit or miss. One day amazing the next day barley edible. Sadly I think today was my last day eating here.

We went there the day after we moved to Texas. I got the lemon chicken. I was a bit skeptical when it came out looking like chicken nuggets, but the sauce makes it all worth it. My mother got the sesame chicken and that tasted good as well. Highly recommend this place.

Entered the place. It smelled horrible (from their bathroom???). I ran away before they came to take our orders.

If you live in this neighborhood, it’s probably a pretty cool deal. It’s not bad food, and it’s nearby
For me, there are too many options with more flavorful food and larger helpings for the price. On the evening we went (right after work) it was 89 degrees outside and 80 inside. Buy an air conditioner for pete’s sake.
On the positive side, the service is friendly, the food was fast and it’s a pleasing interior, full of light and good enery.

Excellent, excellent food. Tasteful and classy atmosphere inside the establishment. Sweet employees who just happen to be beautiful.
I prefer beef with broccoli (only kind of spicy) and I like their egg rolls.

Good food and atmosphere! I usually order take out and they do a great job with customer service. They even messed up my order but quickly rectified it and removed the price of the item that I still took home.

This is Austin’s best kept secret. I found China Café by Phoenix almost 15 years ago. I live on the other side of town so I don’t make it up here very often. I will make the drive from time to time just to eat here.
There are two reasons why this is one of my top places in Austin: 1) The service and 2) The Food
The Service
They staff thrives on repeat business and quickly gets to know you. Everyone remembers my name and my order. When I bring a friend with me, they take the time to remember their name and when they come back a month later by themselves the staff remembers them. I have never seen a place be some welcoming. Also there appears to be no turn over with the staff. It is always the same great people. This is very rare to see in the industry.
The Food
My normal is the Siamese Chicken with Fried Rice and Won Tong Soup. I’ve tried to find other places around town that equals this dish, but they are the clear winner. My friends have ordered many other things off the menu and everyone likes what they get. Most of the time my friends confirm that is some of the best they have had.
My girlfriend sometimes is on a restricted diet. The staff will always work with her and make something custom that is both yummy and meets her needs.
Everything about this place is true quality.

False alarm, this place is very inconsistent. The girl on the phone was just plain rude. The food took longer than an hour.
The food is just mediocre too, nothing special, they barely pass the okay limit.
Not only the girl was rude on the phone, the food took over an hour, they got the order wrong. Instead of egg drop soup, they brought the sweet and sour soup.
Speaking of their sweet sour soup, it is very weird tasting. I don’t think I ever had hot and sour soup that tasted so. Weird? It’s not good, it’s bad weird.
Bad customer service + bad food = not coming back.
I will never order from this place again, you lost a customer.

First time here, and I love this place! Sure, it may look like any run-​of-​the-​mill American/​Chinese joint, but it has the feel of a true neighborhood pub. I’m here for a late lunch, and the waitresses are greeting their customers by name. «Joel, so good to see you, how you been?» «Good,» says he, producing his phone, «check out this shot.» Soon they’re hovering over Facebook mobile.
The waitress doesn’t bring out the food, it’s the chef. He brought out both my soup and the black pepper pork. He asked me if I wanted extra onions.
The black pepper pork was a great value. Two lunches worth for a grand total of $ 8.39. Right level of seasoning, not too much sodium, fresh ingredients, pork was cooked just right, I’m leaving with no complaints.
Who knows, I may just be China cafes newest regular.

Okay, China Café, now you’ve done it. You’ve gone and made me a fan!
I’ve stopped by here several times over the past few months. My motivations were purely selfish convenience. (it’s on the way home, and my teenager will eat their food– which is yummy and doesn’t involve French fries.)
I have always been greeted in a friendly manner. And, the wait for my takeout order has always been reasonable. The food was enjoyable, and– bonus– there are often enough leftovers from my son’s lomein to make a tasty lunch for the next day!
Overall, a positive experience, but tonight, they took it over the top.
After a particularly long hard day, I knew it was gonna’ be a China Café night. I stepped in the door (which had been opened for me) and was greeted by the ladies in the dining room with friendly «hellos».
They must have seen my demeanor as the one who appeared to be in charge (sorry, I never got their names) cocked her head, raised her eyebrows and asked, «Kendall Jackson Chardonnay?»
I felt like «Norm» in a rerun of «Cheers». They remembered that I have ordered a glass of that very wine to unwind from time to time, while I waited, and they knew this was a night that called for it.
Now, THAT is superior customer service!
Thank you!