Ask Dallas diners where to find the best Chinese food, and you’d better establish some ground rules first.
Do you mean Dallas proper or anywhere in DFW? Sichuan or Cantonese? A longtime neighborhood standby or somewhere a little more polished? And are we talking regional Chinese cooking or the American Chinese dishes many Texans grew up eating?
DiningOut Dallas posed the question to its Facebook followers, and nearly 300 comments and replies later, there was anything but a simple answer.
Readers named 23 restaurants across Dallas and its northern suburbs, from old-school institutions and family-run favorites to newer spots. And while one Dallas restaurant emerged as the clear favorite, some of the most enthusiastic recommendations required crossing a city limit or two. That, naturally, sparked a debate of its own.
Royal China
If there was anything close to a consensus, it was Royal China.
The longtime Preston Hollow restaurant received 28 mentions, nearly twice as many as the next most frequently named spot. One of the thread’s most popular comments paired Royal China with Richardson favorite Jeng Chi as “the best,” while another reader called Royal China a favorite before giving a shoutout to Wok Star in Uptown.
Not everyone agreed. A handful of commenters characterized Royal China as more of an entry-level Chinese dining experience or suggested that its quality isn’t what it once was. But when nearly 300 comments were tallied, no other restaurant came particularly close.
MiYa
Coming in behind Royal China was MiYa, the Casa Linda restaurant that garnered 16 mentions and plenty of enthusiasm from East Dallas diners. One dish in particular inspired some serious praise.
“MiYa in Casa Linda has the best fried rice on the planet!” commenter Donna Riffle Hutcheson declared.
That may be setting a rather high bar for fried rice, but it certainly gives first-timers an idea of what to order.
MiYa’s showing was also notable for another reason: It was one of the strongest recommendations actually within Dallas city limits—a distinction that became surprisingly important as the conversation continued.
Jeng Chi
To many DFW diners, driving to Richardson for Chinese food hardly requires an explanation. Apparently, Facebook commenters have some thoughts about that.
Jeng Chi received 11 mentions, putting the Richardson restaurant among the most frequently recommended spots in the discussion. Readers singled out dishes like the garlic jumbo shrimp, while others chimed in simply to say they’d recently discovered the restaurant and become fans.
Its Richardson address helped ignite one of the thread’s liveliest side debates: Does a restaurant outside Dallas count when someone asks for the best Chinese restaurant in Dallas?
One commenter repeatedly argued that Richardson is, in fact, not Dallas. Other readers weren’t particularly interested in the distinction. For purposes of eating well, neither are we.
Canton Chinese
Another Richardson institution, Canton Chinese, received 10 mentions, with readers praising exactly the sorts of things that can turn a neighborhood restaurant into a decades-long favorite.
“Old school Chinese with an extensive menu. BYOB,” wrote commenter John Sarno.
Another praised its generous portions, reasonable prices, and welcoming owner.
There are trendier reasons to drive north for dinner. A big plate of Chinese food and a bottle you brought yourself may be a more compelling one.
Yao Fuzi
Keep heading north and the recommendations continue. Plano’s Yao Fuzi earned nine mentions, with readers describing the family-run restaurant as a consistently reliable favorite. Its more upscale setting and lunch offerings distinguish it from some of the old-school restaurants that dominated the conversation, but loyalty runs just as deep.
One commenter described the food and service as “consistently outstanding,” while others identified themselves as regular customers. And Yao Fuzi was hardly Plano’s only contender.
First Chinese BBQ, Sichuan Folk, and Wu Wei Din
The farther north the thread traveled, the more obvious it became that any useful discussion of Dallas Chinese food would have to venture beyond Dallas.
First Chinese BBQ received six mentions, with at least one reader specifying the Belt Line and Greenville location in Richardson. Plano’s Sichuan Folk and Wu Wei Din received four mentions apiece, with commenters singling them out for Sichuan cooking and dumplings, respectively.
“Sichuan Folk has the finest Sichuanese Chinese in this town!” wrote commenter Andy Dé.
“Their dumplings are legit,” Jeff Hyatt said of Wu Wei Din.
First Emperor in Richardson and Awesome Chinese in Plano also surfaced multiple times.
If you were hoping to settle the Dallas-versus-Richardson-versus-Plano debate, the comments won’t be much help. They might, however, give you a very good dinner itinerary.
Wok Star, Fortune House, and More Dallas Picks
For those unwilling to cross the city limits, readers still had plenty of suggestions.
Wok Star in Uptown and Fortune House on Lower Greenville each received four mentions, while Szechuan Chinese on Lemmon Avenue also drew recommendations. The latter inspired one of the more personal comments in the discussion. One reader described three generations of the same family working at the restaurant, from relatives cooking and waiting tables to a granddaughter working the register.
Other restaurants appearing throughout the broader conversation included May Dragon, Feng Shui, Maison Chinoise, Moon Wok, Kirin Court, Uncle Zhao’s, Bistro B, and Hunan Bistro.
And the recommendations weren’t interchangeable. Readers repeatedly distinguished between regional Chinese cooking and American Chinese favorites. One commenter neatly summed up the divide by recommending “Kirin Court for Chinese Chinese, and May Dragon for American Chinese.”
Which brings us back to the problem with asking for the “best” Chinese restaurant in the first place.
And Then There Was Bo Bo China
Not every frequently mentioned restaurant is still around. Seven commenters brought up Bo Bo China, which has closed, transforming part of the discussion into an impromptu nostalgia session.
One reader wasn’t ready to let go: “Bobo China but now out of business. Does anyone know where the cooks went to work? I will follow.”
It’s hard to imagine a stronger restaurant endorsement than being willing to track down the kitchen staff after the restaurant is gone.
So, Where Is the Best Chinese Food in Dallas?
Royal China may have received the most votes, but the larger takeaway from the comments is that Dallas diners don’t appear particularly interested in agreeing on a single definition of great Chinese food.
Some want the dumplings they’re willing to drive to Plano for. Others swear by an old-school Richardson institution they’ve visited for years. There are diners searching for Sichuan cooking, others craving American Chinese comfort food, and plenty who aren’t going to let a municipal boundary stand between them and dinner.
Perhaps that’s why the most spirited argument wasn’t really about which restaurant is best. It was about whether Richardson counts as Dallas.
Geographically, no. But if you’re mapping where Dallas-area diners actually go when they’re craving Chinese food, the Facebook comments make a convincing case for zooming out.
