First Chinese BBQ
| Address: | 10901 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78753, USA |
| Phone: | +1 512-835-8889 |
| Site: | firstchinesebbq.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
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Brian Jones
It was not crowded and the food came out fast during lunch hour. The food had lots of great flavor and was not overly oily. The eggroll and soup were average to better than average. Prices are average, but they also force a $10 minimum on credit cards. There is a sign on their register but its not really obvious until after youve eaten your lunch and you go up to the register to pay. So your $7 lunch might end up with a $3 tip to bring you up to their $10 minimum. In that case, you could have gotten a shrimp dish instead of chicken, for example. All merchants are now legally able to impose a minimum purchase, up to $10, for customers paying by credit card, under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act signed into law in December 2010. So this restaurant is at the maximum required amount. I dont know that they are intentionally trying to deceive customers, but based on the poor visibility of the sign, and the fact that you dont normally notice it until you pay, Im betting that a lot of single payers are paying more than they should for lunch. If it is such an issue, then they should just pass their credit card fees onto the consumer with a surcharge, because that is also legal to do. But chances are they get more money by requiring a $10 credit card charge on a $6.95 lunch special.
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Gary Hwu
Do you remember in the movie "A Christmas Story" when the family goes to a Chinese restaurant for Christmas and was introduced to Chinese Turkey (Peking duck)? I immediately thought of that scene when my family and I decided to dine out for the first time this past Christmas at First Chinese Barbecue. But unlike the movie, this restaurant was packed with families that day. I remember the owners were busy working at the front, and we had to wait a good 25 minutes before being seated. That was a nice memorable Christmas with excellent food. Ive been to First Chinese BBQ several times, going in with a hungry stomach, coming out with a satisfied food baby. The quality of their dishes has been consistent over the years which is rare in the Chinese restaurant industry. When I go with my family we usually get the family style order where you choose 4-6 dishes. Some dishes I love are the BBQ combination (duck, chicken, bbq pork), Seafood Hotpot, Sauteed Chinese Broccoli, Peking Style BBQ Pork Chops, Home Style Fried Tofu with pork, Combination Fried Rice, and Chicken Fried Rice. Out of all the First Chinese BBQ branches in Texas, the Austin location has by far the best food and service.
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Priscilla Alvarez
Best Chinese in all Chinatown! My husband and I get lunch to go every Friday. The waiting area is right in front of the register where you can see the barbecue meats„ and the live lobster tank. The first thing I tried was the garlic chicken with fried rice. The meat was buttery and practically melted when it hit your tongue. Since then I have made the barbecue pork soft noodles my main dish. And every time I take that first bite and the meat and noodles hit my palate Im reminded why I choose First Chinese Barbecue. In my most recent visit I was offered to try the Peking Duck. Again „ what ever method they use to barbecue their meats make them absolutely melt in your mouth. And flavorful with out being too fatty. If your reading my review this far I hope I have whet your appetite and peaqued your curiosity. Please give First Chinese Barbecue an honest try. I promise you will not be disappointed.
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Lindsey Carmichael
Their Salt & Pepper Tofu is the best tofu in town! Crispy and delicate, if you eat it within 10 minutes of it being served, it is absolutely divine. Im pretty sure its fresh silken tofu and deep-fried. It will melt in your mouth, and its served with just the right amount of scallions and fresh green peppers that rank somewhere on the mild/medium scale. The Vegetable Delight also lives up to its name. They treat vegetables with respect and the outcome is delicious. If youre vegetarian or vegan, heads up that this place offers quite a bit of authentic Chinese dishes that are decidedly not vegetarian, and are recognizeable as such. I wasnt bothered by it, but I have some veg friends who probably wouldnt enjoy their time there because of it. Which is understandable, but also unfortunate because theyd be missing out on the best tofu in ATX.
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Elise B
Absolutely my favorite place for place for Chinese in Austin! We always find great staff and fresh food at First Chinese BBQ! I have visited their Arlington location (near Dallas-Fort Worth) many times and was excited to see they had a Austin location when I moved here. I wasnt sure if the quality of their food would be consistent at their Austin location, but they didnt let me down on my first visit! The shrimp wonton soup is my favorite! We also love the BBQ pork over rice, combo fried rice, and combination lo-mein. I highly recommend the lo-mein! Its refreshing to find a restaurant in Austin that is dedicated to quality plates and good service, over the countless fusion gone-wrong places in Austin that serve you with a bad attitude. I drive from the opposite side of town to visit this restaurant and will continue to visit!
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A Private User
My boyfriend and I love to try new Chinese restaurants all the time, so i was excited to discover First Chinese BBQ as we were driving down Lamar. Admittedly, neither of us are Chinese so maybe our pallates are not as refined, but out of three years worth of restaurants this is only the third weve LOVED. We ordered the BBQ pork with soft noodles and sesame chicken--it was fantastic! The sesame chicken in particular was more flavorful than other restaurants wed been to in Austin. We were also really pleased with the serving sizes. We ate most of what we were brought and only needed a small box to take home the rest. We will both be returning customer and i would easily recommend this to any of my friends!
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Glenn Roberts
The main competition in town for First Chinese BBQ IMO would be Din Ho...so Im going to base my review against that. Ive been to a First Chinese BBQ before..in Arlington, so Im not sure if these are related or not. The menus are similar and vast. At First Chinese, I enjoy the Fresh Shrimp Wonton Soup on a regular basis--the broth is very hearty/flavorful, and usually pair it with another dish that is split up between myself and others. Ive tried the pepper steak, the crispy noodles with shrimp, and the peking duck. The last time I had the peking duck..it was pretty bland and portion-wise was mostly fat. That being said, everything else Ive had at First Chinese has been pretty solid. I will return.
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Ali Soltani
Prices are real good. Of the two meals we ordered, one was great, and the other a notch under, but not too bad. So why the two stars? Because the bill came, handwritten in oriental, with the prices of meals OK, but totaled with sale tax of almost 25%. At the counter I asked, and was first told "its the tax!" When I insisted for knowing the tax rate, the owner told me the correct figure 8.25%, looked at the bill again, punched on the calculator and agreed the figure should have been $15.43 and not $17.74 - he blamed it on the "girl! Now was this a one-time error or a way to skim the customers? Who knows? The food, prices, menu, and service is worth a visit, but do look over your bill real close.
