Hunan

I thought I didn’t like Chinese food until I visited Hunan. When I finally tried their Honey Walnut Chicken, I saw how very wrong I was. There is nothing better than crispy chicken, pineapples and walnuts coated in a delightfully sweet cream sauce. They also have the absolute best crab rangoon and fried rice — I’ve never found any that compare. Drinks have always been great, too; try the Blue Lagoon (they light the middle on fire!).
The staff is very friendly, the food is always delicious, and I have never once had a negative experience (and we’ve been many times …). Even during busy hours, I’ve never had a long wait time whatsoever. The owners are often out front chatting with guests. Servers are always very attentive. Can’t say enough good things about this place!

Amazing food & amazing service! We love Hunan! Every time we go everything is just perfect. Def. Recomend it!

Excellent food and service every time. My family and I are regulars at Hunan. Our absolute favorite Chinese restaurant in the area. The owner always stops at our table for a quick hello. The quality of the food in top notch. Never a disappointment.

This is a little gem. The food was great, and they made so many accommodations for my girlfriend’s allergy. The owner came out and chatted with us for a long time. He was really nice and couldn’t have been more helpful about places to stay. If you’re passing through Carbondale, this would be a good bet.

I am not much of a Chinese food eater lol but this place was within walking distance of our motel and we were hungry, so we decided to go eat here. I ordered the chicken with cashews and it was very good. Our waiter was very attentive and the staff was inviting when we walked in. This restaurant deserves 10 stars for service and food quality.

Wow! Seldom do I find Chinese food this authentic outside the big cities. I was blow away to find this gem. My Chinese wife and myself never eat Chinese in these small cities. But she wasn’t with me tonight and I’m glad I stopped. If I stay here another night I’ll go there again. And to the reviewer that thought the crispy tofu was less than great. I’m sorry, I loved it! Don’t change anything…

I hadn’t been to this restaurant in years, but I went twice in the last 4 months. I had their garlic chicken and steamed rice both times. I have to be careful with Oriental food because of the sugar in the wonderful sauces, since I am diabetic. I went for the garlic chicken because I felt it would not shoot my glucose level up as much as some of the other dishes served there. Wow. It was melt in your mouth delicious. I was in heaven. I ate more than I normally do, but it was worth the risk. I highly recommend this dining establishment for the high quality food, excellent wait staff, and very nice and friendly owner.

I decided that i would review all places in carbondale. How could i not do that. Its my first home in the usa. Hunan was kind of a gourmet chinese restaurant of Carbondale. However since i am from india, never liked the american version of Chinese much. I still say indo-​chinese rocks. I still remember the spicy orders that we placed and got those ultra sweetened version of spicy food.

This place has great Chinese food that is very authentic. My husband and I lived in China for two years and were so happy when we found such a great place in Carbondale. We were able to take two Chinese students there, and they also loved it. The Tea Roasted duck is delicious. It’s definitely my favorite dish. I only wish the prices were a little lower.

Been enjoying Hunan for about 25 years. Reasonably priced, very good food. Generous portions. Prompt service. The restaurant itself is a bit dated, but the food is very good.

Given these stellar reviews, I WANT to love Hunan! I do! When I went on a Wednesday evening, I ordered the crispy tofu and it was one of the strangest things… 6 breaded tofu sticks with (not nearly enough) sauce on the side, plus rice. I ordered an entrée but this dish is ultimately an appetizer, and a bland tasting one at that. Meanwhile, my dining partner had the crispy pork which was delicious with tons of veggies and a great sauce mixed into the breaded meat.
I’ll probably go back and try something else, but until then, be warned: don’t order the crispy tofu!

Probably the best general tsos I’ve ever tasted. Overall the rest of the food is very tasty as well. Good location and ambiance as well.

Hunan is the #1 place for Chinese in all of So. Illinois (even Chicago doesn’t do it justice)!! I’ve been coming here for my whole life (past 20 years) and Hunan has always given my family delicious food with fresh ingredients. It’s the best place for fine dining in Carbondale and San, the owner, is a great host!

Hunan is one of the five nicest restaurants in the Marion/​Carbondale area. The Moo Shoo pork is great. The crispy shrimp is one of my favorite dishes. They also have a crispy tea smoked duck that I’ve had it was awesome.
But my absolute favorite thing is the salt and pepper calamari.
Tip: go for lunch. Better prices and no up-​charge for fried rice.

I’m semi-​surprised for all the great reviews for this place… I had high hopes and was disappointed. I went with a friend at a really awkward time on Saturday, so the place was empty and maybe that had something to do with the experience.
The food: Meh. I have definitely had better. We started with the crab rangoon. I broke it open and shook a substantial amount of oil out. Gross. The filling was way too cream cheesey as well. For entrée’s we split the crispy chicken and the hunan beef. The crispy chicken was alright, but the vegetables weren’t covered in the sauce at all. I don’t know if it was supposed to be like that, but I don’t really want bland vegetables. I ended up dipping them into the sauce from the beef dish. Speaking of the hunan beef, it was pretty good though I felt like there were too many veggies and not enough meat. I very much like the unlimited rice refills, which I thought was a nice touch.
The service: The only reason this place got 3 stars instead of 2. Our server was extremely friendly and prompt. She offered suggestions for food (maybe I should have listened to her) and brought us rice and drink refills quickly.
Might give this place another try but not anytime soon.

Best Chinese food in Carbondale, hands down. Great for vegetarians, lots of of tofu and vegetable options. The lunch special is a good deal but the portion is quite small so beware! The service is top notch and the décor is lovely. If you go with a group of people, you can sit at the round tables where you can spin the middle to share your dishes with your dinner guests (if you want!) Yep, this place rules.

One of the best restaurant in town and defiantly the best for Chinese food.
Taste of some dishes is up to par with Chicago Chinatown standers but with better services.
Try the traditional menu. Pretty much everything is good on it.

This is easily one of the gems in Carbondale. The food here is amazing. I usually get the General’s chicken and it is breaded perfectly as well as glazed with an amazing sauce that gives a tiny bit of a bite.
As far as soup, I usually get the Hot and Sour. While it is a good soup, they put a lot of black pepper that kind of throws off the taste. The person ordering the soup can put in the pepper if they want, but they should leave it out.
The menu here is very extensive with both Chinese and Korean food. Most of it is quite tasty and this is easily one of the biggest surprises in Carbondale. One of the only issues I have is that it is pricey and their lunch meals don’t include soup. Also, the serving sizes are small. Therefore, you don’t get a lot for your money, but they make up for it with the taste.

We love this place. Wonderful food, always pleasant, sparkly clean and great service and décor.
My husband always gets Tom Yum and Jam Bong, extra hot, and he laps up every bit like a ravenous wild dog. Well not really, but you know what I mean, it’s darn good food. I always try something different and always leave very impressed.
Nice selections of tea — not like the bitter stuff you get in most places around So. Illinois. It’s a 40 minute drive for us but well worth the trip.

All I really need to say is that this is definitely the best Chinese food in this area! I was pleasantly surprised and pleased because it makes my life a whole lot easier. Can’t live without Asian food!
At first when you look at the exterior, it doesn’t look very appealing, but when you walk inside, the restaurant looks pretty authentic. Red mahogany chairs, Chinese art on the wall and on the tables, and running fountains. It’s was a lot smaller than I thought, but it is very clean.
The service was excellent! The waiter, Irvin, was so polite and considerate. He made sure to check up on us and even gave us extra fried rice to bring home at no charge. Fabulous!
The menu has food from different places around Asia. I loved how they would list the dishes and then the part of the world they came from. There were dishes from Canton, India, Thai, etc. Made things so much easier to order and they had an extensive menu as well.
We ordered two types of soups, hot and sour and tom yum chicken. Both were delicious and a lot better than what we expected. For the price, you get a bowl and not a cup.
The Hunan lo mein has spaghetti-​like noodles, but thank god it didn’t taste like Italian pasta drench in Asian sauce. It was so good. I loved that it tasted authentic and the noodles were perfectly cooked. It had three different types of meat in it; shrimp, chicken, and beef.
The prices are super reasonable and their lunch portions are the perfect size. Not to small, not too big, Just right. This will be my staple for Chinese food from now on.