Location: Amherst
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Best Chinese food near Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
Discover Restaurants offering the best Chinese food in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst (/ˈæmərst/ ( listen)) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (although the county seat is Northampton). The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, three of the Five Colleges. The name of the town is pronounced without the h ("AM-erst"), giving rise to the local saying, "only the 'h' is silent", in reference both to the pronunciation and to the town's politically active populace.
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7. Zhang's Kitchen
Overall Ratings
2 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By Urther
Sometimes you just don't feel like going out and want your dinnerdelivered to your home direct from the restaurant. And sometimes you crave the unsophisticated tastes of your youth when you enjoyed the standard chow mein or chop suey, or even the more complex sub gum chow mein, all arriving to the table in a lovely round blue and white heavy covered china serving bowl. The first lift of that cover revealing the sight and aroma of this wonderful eat-out treat was a magical moment. And, when you really wanted to dress it up, you ordered a side of egg roll. Where I grew up, the neighborhood Chinese restaurant served obligatory french fries and white bread with all orders. That's the degree of sophistication food-wise that I grew up with. I'm talking circa 1940s into the 50s.So, if you are not looking for haute cuisine or even above-average, but are willing to settle for perfectly acceptable pedestrian Chinese food that may remind you of your youth, and if you want it delivered, give Zhang's Kitchen a try. Unfortunately, even when dining in the restaurant, your chow mein does not come in that lovely blue and white covered bowl, a custom which I do wish today's Chinese restaurants would revive.
6. Ichiban Asian Bistro
Reviewed By merlinslap
After many years working in Japan, Thailand, and East Asia, eating and learning about local cuisines, I know something about Asian food. Ichiban couldn't last a day in Japan or Thailand, even as cheap eats for students. The sushi is old, tasteless, and half the size of the regular fresher tastier sushi you can get at a local supermarket. We had to ask for miso soup because the waiter did not know it came with our meals. The soup was watery and tasteless, made without a hint of dashi or salt, the two essential ingredients that give miso soup its flavor. The tempura here is made with tasteless unseasoned batter and old inedible vegetables and bland daikon radish. The tiny tasteless shumai were also half the size of any I have had elsewhere. The sushi is served with artificially colored pink ginger and fake green wasabi, neither of which I would eat. These fake condiments and a restaurant's miso soup and tempura are good indicators of quality and culinary skills, neither of which are present at Ichiban. The decor is black furniture and floors with large garish prints of sumo wrestlers and Osaka castle with cherry blossoms. I would not eat here again, but fortunately real Asian food can be found in Amherst, just not at Ichiban.
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5. Formosa Restaurant
Overall Ratings
3 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By merlinslap
I've been eating here since Mr. Chang started his restaurant many decades ago. Over the past ten years and recent ownership changes, the quality has gradually worsened. Today, was the bottom for me. We ordered three dishes, Crispy Duck, Shrimp & Scallops with Broccoli and Pea Pods from the Special Menu, and Mixed Vegetables - Boy Choy, Chinese Eggplant, and Shitaki Mushrooms. I pointed to each dish on the menu as I ordered. The waiter was disturbed by our order of Crispy Duck and said he would have to check with the chef to see how long it would take. I asked if it would be more than 15 minutes, and he said yes. As we continued to talk he became less confused and explained that he was thinking about Peking Duck. Of course, I knew that Peking Duck takes longer to cook. The waiter seemed challenged to understand English. Our food arrived but the the Shrimp and Scallops dish was not what we ordered. It was the usual sweet-sauced American Chinese dish they serve here which I find inedible. They took it back and said the correct dish would arrive shortly. The Crispy Duck was served a few minutes later, but was also inedible and not at all crispy. It was tough, oily, and fatty because it had not been prepared correctly. It was probably fast-fried rather than being marinated and slow-roasted in the oven. I refused to eat it. The other two dishes were tasteless because the chef does not know how to season authentic Chinese food without the sweet American style sauce. For a little flavor, I asked our waiter for hot sauce, but he didn't bring it until I asked a second time and we were half-way through what we could eat of the meal. The large shrimps in the Shrimp and Scallop dish were off-tasting and inedible. Everything considered we will never eat here again. There is a much better Chinese restaurant nearby.
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4. Panda East
Overall Ratings
3 based on 45 reviews
Reviewed By Robert L
We were quite disappointed in the meal. The wonton peanut sauce appetizer was doughy. The chef's Special Chicken dinner was monotonous with frequent fatty or tough chicken parts. It came only with a bowl of plain white rice. There are multiple other Asian restaurants in town.
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3. Lili's Restaurant
Reviewed By patriciad378
Stopped in for lunch and tried the noodles with vegetables. Definitely homemade noodles with blended flavors. Six tables and very friendly warm service. Small menu to choose from as they just opened.
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2. Oriental Flavor
Overall Ratings
4 based on 93 reviews
Reviewed By tinkerbelle2016
A friend recommended it as having very good food. What the other people ordered was ordinary: wanton soup; chicken corn chowder, soft shell crab, seafood with tofu hot pot. I ordered the four pieces of dim sum - tasty and nicely presented. I also ordered the tofu and vegetables. It was just ok. The vegetables were mostly onion and scallions and the tofu was thickly fried. I would not order it again.
1. Ginger Garden
Overall Ratings
4 based on 199 reviews
This about 1 month old restaurant is located on Route 9, (or Russel Street) in front of the Big Y shopping Plaza. Excellent Chinese food)
Reviewed By robchirico
The restaurant is quite large and often crowded, so we prefer to eat at the bar, insuring that your food will be ordered right away and served promptly. Although you can order the "usual suspects," There is quite a variety of more authentic dishes, often using fresh local produce. While the dishes we had were quite good, particularly the dumplings in chili oil, don't rely on the heat ratings. Both our lamb dish and noodles were indicated as spicy, they were actually quite mild. Next time we will ask to amp up the heat. As a plus, drinks are cheap. A sizable Hendrick's martini was under $10.
