chuan cafe

Of all the great restaurants that RTP has to offer, Chuan Cafe is amongst the top three for me. Their Szechuan food hits differently - so much savory flavor with the perfect numbing sensation and spice levels. Our go-to meals are spicy Chongqing chicken, bamboo flounder, toothpick lamb, and dry fried green beans. We always opt to dine-in because the restaurant has a nice interior and the staff are attentive. I hope this restaurant continues to thrive!

We came in at the odd hour (3:30pm on Sunday). So we were the only table that dined in (but many take-out orders when we were there.) The taste is quite authentic. The stir-fried shredded potato is the best I had. The new dish garlic sauce lotus root is too sweet to our liking so 1 star off. The restaurant is clean, and the food is yummy. Although they don't have a waiter or waitress, Mr.Lee, who takes the order, is attentive to satisfy our requests. We would definitely return.

We went to this place for lunch and it was great!! The service was prompt and the restaurant was nice and clean! I love Chinese food and I was looking for a Din Tai Fung (my comfort food) duplicate here in NC because that place is only on the West Coast and this place is pretty spot on! My absolute favorite is the wonton in chili oil and the steamed chicken slices are a close second. I would get everything again except for the Dan Dan noodles. They were okay, but not particularly my preference bc of the taste that remains in the back of my throat after eating it (from the oil/sauce) so I’ll try another one of their noodle dishes! Highly recommend this place and will be back!

This is hands down, the best Chinese food and some of the best food overall in Raleigh. It's not even close. I hope they find a new home cause the area is rough, but I'm glad to not ever have a wait dining in. The food is incredible and the owners are so nice. Service is so efficient considering they get tons of online orders. I'm in love with chuan cafe. It's a little pricey but you should order to share and quality isn't cheap.

This is hands down some of the best food I've had in the whole triangle area. I've been craving authentic Chinese food and Chuan Cafe would hold up against what I have back in the DMV area. It's even worth driving 45 min from Durham. The place is located in the absolute middle of nowhere, but the restaurant itself is cute and generally pretty empty. It seems to be family owned and the server was very sweet. Don't expect 5 star table service lol. It's bare bones in that sense, but you're really here for the food. Szechuan cuisine is known for its spice, so expect chilis and chili oil in most dishes. The Bamboo Flounder Fish is an absolute MUST! It's one of my favorites so I was so excited to see it on the menu. It doesn't stay crisp when you order to-go, unsurprisingly, so dine in to get it fresh. I also highly recommend the Steamed Chicken Slices in Chili Oil, which is a cold appetizer. I've tried the Toothpick Lamb, Double Cooked Pork Belly, Mapo Tofu, and Green Beans (a classic). Sometimes the dishes lean a little salty and the mapo tofu was not my favorite iteration of the dish, but I've been really impressed as a whole. I think if you order more typical American Chinese dishes (egg roll, dumplings, fried rice, chow mein, orange chicken) you will be sorely disappointed. There's not a whole lot of authentic Chinese food in North Carolina, so I highly recommend trying something new when you come! There's still so many more things on the menu I've been eyeing, so I'm gonna continue making the trek to come here :)

We ordered delivery from this restaurant. We were very pleased with the quality of the food and the rapid delivery. We ordered Kung Pao Chicken, Stir Fry Chicken and Mushrooms, Vegetable Fried Rice, and Pork Buns. There was a large portion of chicken as well as mushrooms in the Chicken and Mushroom stir fry. The food was tasty and well seasoned. The portion size was large enough to have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. We have been looking for a "go-to" Chinese food restaurant. I think we have found it!