Number One Taste

We ordered 2 different entrees and when we got them home, they were both wrong. Completely different orders. We ended up with 2 orders of general gau’s chicken. Not even close to what we ordered. It came in a styrofoam container (bad for the environment) with a fair amount of chicken and TONS of fried rice. All of it extremely greasy. So much rice we had to throw most of it away. They have gotten so busy that they have stopped paying attention to quality. Will never return. My advice to you is to check your order before you leave.

Delicious Chinese food! Tasty, not greasy, perfect portions and on time delivery. A definite if you don’t feel like venturing out!

I’ve definitely had better. service is slow, they don’t run any heat in the winter, and the food is not quite inedible but…

I’ve ordered from here a few times and it’s always so good! Everything is always really fresh, which is usually hit or miss with Chinese delivery. Always super friendly when ordering. Crab rangoons are amazing. Definitely recommend trying them

We have been getting take out here for over a year. We have tried other Chinese places in the area and this is our overall favorite.
The food is quick but definitely higher quality than other take out places. We usually get appetizer platter #9, General Gaos, and a C1 (yu sang broccoli) with chicken fingers and fried rice.

I don’t know how the chinese food is here but the thai food is not good at all. Very greasy and bland.

This is our go-​to Chinese food place. They are quick, and their prices UNMATCHED. We have not gotten one bad thing from here and we have ordered a wide range of items from their menu. I am a huge fan of their chicken wings, which are always crispy and delicious. I’ve watched the guy in the back cook our food with pretty fresh ingredients and everything is made to order it seems. We’ve been eating here for 2 years and happy to say it’s one of my favs in Melrose.

My favorite Chinese take out place. Food is great, fast service, and generous portions, what else can you ask for? I love their garlic chicken, it has tons of vegetables and delicious chick. One portion is more than enough for dinner for two and lunch for one for the next day.

Only place in melrose I order Chinese food from highly recommend the chicken pineapple rice

Id return maybe for some apps thats it, egg roll beef teriyaki etc. Beef fried rice was dry, chicken pad thai blah good try.

I’ve only ordered delivery from here — only about 30 times. Its consistent and good. I can’t say it’s like far superior to any other place of it’s kind, but I’ve definitely had worse. They’re usually among my first choices on take-​out night. I’d go to 4 stars if they made online ordering available, but I still corroborate the name; they’re number one for Chinese in my neighborhood.

This is our local place to order Chinese food. The new owners are very nice and their food is yummy. The family platers are good for a large family.

been there a handful of time, haven’t had a bad meal yet. better than the other couple of places in town.

This is my go-​to place for Chinese take-​out. The appetizers are what one would expect for a take-​out place – consistent, tasty, and hot.
Dinners portions are generous (often enough for lunch/​dinner the next day), and well prepared. My favorites are Kung Pao beef, General Gau’s chicken, and orange beef. Their beef fried rice is full of surprisingly tender and flavorful beef.
BTW, if you’re planning to order for New Year’s Eve, plan to do so six hours in advance. It *is* that busy.

Very pleased with the food at this small take out place. Food is consistent something I always find hard with these types of places. You can see right into the kitchen and it is immaculate and the staff is friendly. Food is delicious.

These people have lost my order or given me the wrong food on several occasions without apologies. They have even argued about what I actually ordered! Having them repeat the order back to me on the phone helps, but no guarantee. They have no regard for their customers — I’ve been waiting in their tiny entrance packed in next to a dozen other customers, and even then they do not rush or make any effort to serve.
Good food, good prices, but don’t go there on a busy night, and expect your meal to be the «chef’s surprise.»

My family and I have tried a wide variety of their dishes and have been very impressed so far. The food is fresh and the restaurant itself, appears very clean. It’s almost always ready when I give them the «just 10 minutes» they ask for before pick-​up.
I too ate there years ago and swore I’d never go back. I was unaware of the ownership change until just recently, where I learned of it here, and was more than happy that I gave them a try. They’re my local go-​to at this time. Their Chinese cuisine is excellent and they have a few hybrid items on the menu as well. Their Chicken Pad Tai is excellent.
Update: The Seafood delight is great too.
John, I have no affiliation with this place but I’d almost guarantee you got crispy pan fried noodles. They’re not meant to be like regular noodles. Personally I’ve never been a fan of them. You’re likening them to Raman noodles is fairly accurate. Go to any Chinese place there is and order crispy pan fried noodles and you’ll get the exact same thing. Hope it helps man.

I was looking for a new, local, chinese take out place and came across this joint and all the glowing reviews. Great — let’s give it a try.
I ordered the chef special pan fried noodles and scallion pancakes. Pancakes weren’t too bad and the sauce ok. The pan fried noodles came in two separate containers — the filling and the noodles. The noodles were dry and chewy, much like a raman noodle. The filling was drenched in a runny brown sauce that was complete devoid of flavor and tasteless. Even after soaking the noodles in the bland brown sauce they were still chewy. I had to add some hot sauce to give the filling some flavor.
Save your money, go elsewhere.

Number One Taste is under new management, as of a few months ago, I think.
Before the new management, Number One Taste was sort of the budget, cheap Chinese food that my family only ordered because it was super close, but not very often. However, I don’t know exactly what has changed but the new menu and management hit it out of the park.
Gone is the saucy, greasy tasting food. Now the flavors are clean and really stand on there own without being drenched in sauce or animal fat.
Everything just tastes better and the employees seem to be friendlier on phone and in person.
Amazingly, the prices are similar and very affordable. If you had been here in the past, give it another shot, you might be just as impressed as I am.

I’ve spent my first few months in Melrose trying almost every Chinese food option within 5 miles. Surprisingly, there are quite a few, but none hold a candle to the aptly named «Number One Taste.»
Yes, it is americanized Chinese cuisine, but the quality far surpasses any other place in the area. I have gotten take out enough times to try several different dishes and they are all good quality with large portions. Bonus points for being willing to make General Gau’s shrimp which not a lot of places will do anymore. The actual shrimp are much bigger than you usually see at Chinese restaurants in similar dishes and they do not overfry them. This is obviously a family run business and they seem to actually care about the quality of the food they send out.
Of course, taste is subjective, but when you combine freshness and quality, it is hard to go wrong. IMHO, there is no reason to bother with any of the other hole-​in-​the-​wall Chinese places around town. «Number One» is not just a clever name, they live up to the promise.