Asia Cafe Reviews

I'm very fond of their salt and pepper fish or squid and the garlic water spinach. It's always busy. Be prepared that everything is family style so each dish is huge.

Asia café was just ok. I was expecting more prior to our visit, having heard great things about the food. We ordered a handful of dim sum dishes and they were not that great, rather ho-hum. We should have ordered a different meal dish or two to compare the quality, but we did not. I wouldn’t go here again.

Not a fancy place but offer great tasting authentic Chinese food and also America Chinese selections. No waitresses - order over the counter and serve yourself.

Amazing food, never fails, if you haven't already you need to try this place!! My friend and i had the eggplant dish & sesame chicken

Found this little gem on Trip Advisor, of course, and we were not disappointed. I had the Spicy Beef Fillet and was pleasantly surprised; tender beef and bok choy in a chili sauce with ginger and cilantro. I.ate.every.bite. My fella had the General Tso, and his only complaint was that he had hoped it would be spicy. Both entrees were served with a side of jasmine rice, and each was amply portioned. This is not upscale dining, but it is authentic; definitely worth the stop and as the review is titled, I will be back!

Two co-workers and I had lunch at Asia Café on a Thursday. This was the first visit for one co-worker and me. They take your order at the cashier desk then call your number when your order is ready. Our numbers were called in about 5 minutes. I ordered the chicken with garlic sauce. I love spicy hot food but my lunch was extremely hot but tasty. There was so much food on my plate that I took half to go. I love hot and sour soup but egg drop was my only choice. I prefer fried rice but streamed rice was my only choice. My coworkers ordered beef with broccoli and chicken with vegetables. They loved their lunch. The staff and dining room is average. The restaurant filled to about half capacity. I will probably return but not in the near future.

brilliant little restaurant at the back of the grocery store. large portions and delicious food although oily.

Good Po-Boy, but slightly over-priced

Great food. Portions are huge. I've ordered from this restaurant multiple times & they all have been excellent. Definitely delicious!

While I've visited here a few times with an OK experience, unfortunately I have to give a poor report on their steamed shrimp and scallops. It was very bland, no flavor except for the old, almost spoiled scallops in the dish. It was definitely ho hum and boring. The water once again tastes like dirty water due to the glasses they use that aren't washed thoroughly. Stay away.

You stand on line, order, pay & wait for your number to be called over the loudspeaker system. Then, pick up your tea and utensils, and find a seat. It didn't take long for them to deliver our dishes. It was very clean and spacious. The dishes were both authentic Chinese and a variation of what I'm used to, and very good. The place was extremely clean smelled fresh and inviting. The only caveat is that you must tell them not to add MSG. Looking forward to going back there again.

We have enjoyed this place for many years. Almost always choose their Spicy Fish as one of our shared entrees, but decided we were going to be a bit more original today. Saw sign for "Fresh Snow Pea Leaves Today" and had to get some. They were indeed fresh, tender and tasty. Ricky at the register suggested the Shrimp with Snow Peas as a good second entree, and t it was excellent. Delicate white sauce with lots of fresh garlic. Shared a big bowl of Egg Drop Soup that was also delicious. We came in very hungry, left completely satisfied, and brought home enough snow peas and leaves to make most of another meal for two. All very fresh and tasty. Recommended.

When we visit our children and grandchildren this is a place we always visit. We have 11 people so we try to get the room off the main floor. There is a large round table where everyone can see and talk to everyone. The menu is so varied that the pickiest eater can find something. Meat eater or vegetarian can find plenty. Now this place is not fancy, not by a long shot. It is sort of self serve, you order your meal and while it is being made you get your water and or tea. Then you wait until you hear your number called. It pays to be attentive as the Chinese accent can make numbers sound pretty much the same. Then you bring back the food to your table. The portions are very easy to share. I like spicy and any dish can be made spicy. The menu is accurate in its description of the dish and how hot, mild it is. We have never had a dish that nobody liked. We order about 6 dishes for 11 people, including two adolescents boys. We have very little left over. This place reminds me of the places that I ate at while visiting China.

I'm in Austin for some research at the LBJ library and my friends told me that if I wanted my Asian food fix i might as well go to Asia Cafe, which they'd heard was pretty good (though they're vegetarian and have never eaten there). So, I went, and what really made me happy was the readily available spicy chili in little cups (of which you can take as many as you like, the cashier said) at the counter. The food was alright (I've had hard-to-go-that-wrong "Yang Chow Friend Rice" and "Stir-Fried-Pork-Noodles") but the spicy chili (I took two cups and mixed it into my food) made me a happy camper. It's the simple things for those of us who hardly ever find this specific kind of chili (flakes of dried chili and seeds, in oil) in the United States. I'm easy that way. Yeehaw.

I love the food, but have decided not to return after experience rude employees on 3 occasions. Too bad. On the other hand, the nice members of the family also have a great restaurant nearby (A+A Sichuan Garden) Yay!

We were a little confused on how the restaurant operated since this was our first visit. You must order and pay at the register then your number is called for pickup. You serve yourself on drinks, a plastic glass is available for hot tea which is included. The servings were very large (family style) and are served on a platter, egg drop soup included and with one small bowl of rice for each entrée. Extra rice costs extra. We didn't know to ask for individual plates to make it easier to share. All the dishes we tried we very good. We will definitely return.

Come here all the time with coworkers. Dishes are excellent for sharing, so it's great to come with friends and sample several plates.

NO. 1 Chinese restaurant in Austin!

If you’re looking for authentic Chinese and Taiwanese food, then you must go to Asia Cafe. I ordered the homemade bacon with snow peas and Taiwanese noodles. All very tasty! The adventurous ones can select from a myriad of spicy dishes, too!

Person at front taking my order was not friendly, unless you’re Chinese. Food is good, but it’d be a better experience if the staff was amicable.

and boy can it be crowded ! It is a very large room and a very large kitchen so even at peak times your wait won't be over 20-25 minutes….to order. When you enter, go to the back of the dining room to order. There are menu's on the monitors on the wall, poster menus on the wall, regular menus, laying on the counter and a chalkboard menu to the left of the register. I don't know how many menu items they have, but it is tremendous from all the data coming at you from the above. Pay when you order and your food will be served by your number called, to the left of the register. The choice is tremendous, so if you're looking for new or different, I'd recommend this place. I can't say this is the best Asian food I've had. I prefer Chens Noodle House which is just a few doors down from Asia Cafe, but then again, Chen's is very small and has relatively few menu items.

I have eaten at Asia Cafe 4 or five times now and every time I think the same thing - "this food is pretty good but the customer service is ridiculously inefficient and just plain bad. First of all - you can call in an order or stand in line then place your order at a cash register but either way you get to order from the same disinterested guy. If trying to call in your order he doesn't seem inclined to pick-up the phone and take your phone order - I guess because he is trying to take orders from the folks standing in line (in the restaurant). And if you are standing in line in the restaurant waiting to order the guy seems to periodically stop to answer a few of the calls or walk off for about 5 minutes to refill the silverware containers, water container, napkins, or whatever else. It seems like someone would realize at some point that it just might be better to have more than one person taking orders and someone else replenishing supplies. Second - when you place an order they give you a number and when your food is ready they literally stand at the register and yell out the number. Nobody seems to be able to understand exactly what number the guy is shouting so he gets more and more irritated and yells the number louder and louder till someone finally comes up and asks if he is calling their number. Half the time its not them so he resumes the shouting till someone else comes up. Maybe using a device that displays the number in conjuntion with the number calling would be a good idea? It would definitely improve the server's efficiency and result in a much quieter atmosphere. So why would anyone put up with this crazy bad service? Because the menu contains lots of interesting, different, and well prepared dishes at a reasonable price. You can get meals here that you will find nowhere else in Austin. I'm sure I will be back but am begging them (please, please, please) to improve the customer service!

This is a cajun specialty grocer and restaurant so it's a great find if you know and love cajun food like we do. You can also pre-order crawfish by the bag if you want to do a crawfish boil. Their crawfish is usually very nice quality but also expensive so we sometimes order ours from Fiesta grocery. The Po-Boys and Muffalottas are good, so is the etoufee and gumbo but we have had several friends say they thought it was too spicy. It's authentic so while it's a little spicy, we think it's exactly like it's supposed to be. The decor is very hole in the wallish so go for food, not for the decor. It's also hard to find because it's in the back of the parking lot. It's kind of opposite the Big Lots in the parking lot.

This is a tiny hole in the wall and it looks like you'll get some weird disease walking in, but it truly is authentic Cajun food.

Authentic Chinese food. Vegetarian options available.

One of the best Chinese restaurants in Austin. Not fancy but very very good. Authentic Szechuan style

A simple layout, you order get a ticket with a number and seemingly within moments that number is called for you to collect your food. All the dishes were fresh and large with plenty of food for all of us. Each of the dishes were tasty as well and great value for the cost. Don't go for the fit out it is average, but go for the fast tasty affordable food.

If you are tired of what’s so called the Chinese food (i.e., chicken broccoli), and are looking for authentic homestyle Chinese food, then don’t waste your time and head out to Asia Café! Asia Café is the best, and most authentic Chinese restaurant I’ve been to in the states! I’ve moved and traveled around all my life, and never would I expect to find such authentic taste in the states as if I was in Szechuan a few years ago. I’ve tried pretty much all the items on the regular menu and their special items on the dry-erase board of which you can’t find anywhere else! My favorites are: Ma Po Tofu and Asia Eggplant! I would highly recommend Asia Café to any and everyone!

Good Chinese food is hard to find in Austin, so we ventured northwest to Asia Café based on its excellent reviews. Our plan was to get takeout, but we arrived to find many people dining in, so we gave it a try. There is no wait staff; you order up front, find a seat, then they call your number. They need a table numbering sign to keep the guy from constantly yelling out numbers, it's loud and distracting. The menu is extensive and there is a lot of commotion up front when ordering since everything is written on whiteboards. The restaurant itself is in a non-descript strip mall and there is little or no décor. All that said, the food we ate and saw was excellent. Our orders came out very quickly. Veggies were fresh, the meat was tender, and the portion sizes were huge. One entrée is more than enough for two people. The egg rolls were some of the tastiest I have eaten. The menu here is not Americanized; there are many authentic dishes on the menu and everything we saw going by our table looked fantastic. It will take many visits to try them all. We'll be back!

We ate at the Asia Café and the food was delicious and reasonably priced. Having eaten in restaurants all over Asia, I can say that the food is authentic. You would get the dish prepared and spiced the same way in Hong Kong or Taipei. The portions are huge and most people either share their food or take "doggie" containers. But get there before 1130 or be prepared to wait in line.

A roomy hole in the wall. Family size orders of authentic Asian cuisine. Pricing is good for the portions served. They have party rooms too. You walk in and get in line to order. As you get close to the front you have menus but I wouldn't wait till then because of their vast selection. If you are in a multiple party, locate a free table and have them sit and wait for you while you are in line to order. If it reads "Spicy", expect it to BE SPICY! The majority of the patrons are Asian, which is a great tell-tale sign. I love this place and I'm of a Hispanic origin. The toddler chairs are all broken in one way or another. It is not the fanciest place and hardly any decor, however, I frequent this place for the food and not its esthetic appeal.

Strengths: extensive menu including some excellent authentic Chinese dishes. Reasonable prices. Fast takeout. Avoid the “faux Chinese” dishes like orange chicken and beef & broccoli. If you order authentic Chinese dishes, you’ll be pleased. Weaknesses: Ambiance, bathrooms Food: We love the food, but we know what to order. Friends from China introduced us to Asia Café and helped us navigate the menu. Favorite dishes- 1. Twice cooked pork belly with jalapeños, 2. Dry wok beef, 3. Cumin beef, 4. Most of Szechuan dishes with the numbing peppercorn (called “ma”). Service: Order at the counter. You’ll get a number. When the number is called, pick up your food. Overall cleanliness: average Bathroom cleanliness: below average Ambiance: mix of Beijing inexpensive public diner and American strip mall. In other words, the ambiance is rough Misc: 1. Credit cards are accepted. 2. HVAC can be random. In the summer, the temperature can be HOT inside.

You order at a counter, and when your food is ready they yell out your number. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and the egg rolls were very tasty. Comfortable, homey, and delicious.

We like to go to eat at this restaurant. It is very family oriented, the food is a little greasy but good, we like the spicy fish, and chon chin chicken , but lately it has less chicken than before. Good food after all.

We eat at Asia Cafe when we want authentic Chinese food. Food: Great food depending on what you order and large portions. (1) Twice Cooked Pork- excellent pork belly with jalapenos, onions, and other veggies in black bean sauce. Fantastic! (2) Stir Fried Chicken with Chili- includes the numbing peppercorn. Very good. (3) The egg drop soup is pathetic. Ambiance: industrial Beijing eatery Cleanliness: average to below average Climate control: We ate on a hot June day, and the interior temperature was sweltering. We won't return until the fall.

used to be good

We walked in just after they turned on their open sign and got waited on right away, at the counter. They lady that waited on us was very cordial and helped us through the ordering process since we were newbies to this place with many great Yelp reviews. We ordered General Tso's Chicken and and order of fried dumplings, both of which came with a small bowl of egg drop soup. The General's chicken was very good, just slightly too chewy for my wife, it had great flavor and there was a lot of it...i repeat...was, i ate it all. They cook it with broccoli and two different kinds/colors of bell pepper and scallions....me likey! My favorite is still Fortune Garden in Round Rock. The fried dumplings and the egg drop were stellar. They do need to upgrade to a better ice and iced tea system, now you pour hot tea over a cup of ice....on the plus side this low tech approach is offered gratis/free/nada/bupkiss. This is not a fancy place, bare bones is what you get, but you can't eat decor....the prices are very reasonable for the quality and quantity of grub you get. We'll be back, this little strip center has a few good choices for food from Cajun to Korean, Chinese, and Mexican...3 or 4 of them have 4 star ratings.

Summary: Overall the food is excellent. We’ve had many meals at Asia Cafe, most recently just a few days ago. But the restuarant is a little dirty and the bathrooms are very dirty and not stocked with soap at times. Food: We ordered a variety of dishes including Americanized Chinese dishes and more authentic dishes like the Chong-Chin Chicken (Lots of Peppercorns & Szechuan Peppers) and the twice cooked pork with jalapeños. All our food was great. If you haven’t tried a dish with numbing peppers, we highly recommend the Chong-Chin Chicken or look for another menu item with two types of pepper icons. Service: Order and pickup at counter. Overall cleanliness: below average Bathroom cleanliness: bad. The women’s restroom didn’t even have soap. Our rating of “very good” included a ding for the cleanliness issues. Otherwise, the food is excellent.

Located in a strip center with a noodle house, another Chinese place, a Korean and a Mexican place, plus an Asian grocery, Asia Café is up against tough competition. However , it was pretty busy on an early Friday evening, with both tables & takeout orders. The fact that there were many Asian families dining there offered a positive note. One orders at the counter and waits at one's table for one's number to be called. The food is plentiful and well prepared, with many, many options, including daily specials. There is a cooler with many drink options as well. Fortune cookies were nowhere to be seen, and if that is my one major complaint about Asia Café, you know they are doing something right. Plenty of parking just outside the door.

I have only sampled a few dishes, but each one was fantastic. The Mongolian Lamb was tender & they added jalapenos - which is different but I like it. The Asian Eggplant with shredded pork was out of this world. Potstickers were good as was the shrimp with noodles. Want to impress a foodie, go to this place. Want to impress a date, probably not, unless they happen to be a foodie.

Try the Spicy fish and you will love it. Go before 12 noon for lunch or 6pm for dinner to avoid queue up for ordering.

Spicy SW Chinese style, good food, self service (you pay at the counter, then pick up the food when your number is called). Had not a restaurant for high class service, but food is really good.

If you are not in a hurry and would not mind bringing the dishes by yourself, the price, portion and taste really worth to go. Waiting time was an hour from entering the restaurant to having the first dish....be aware

Don't come here expecting a buffet... Or table service... Or typical appetizers. Come here for truly authentic, delicious, Chinese food. Szechuan style, where hot means hot, and portion size is truly family style. Hubby had the hot and spicy lamb, I had General Tso's chicken, and we shared the wonton soup. We shared because it is about four solid servings, and made only when ordered... There were 10 wontons, and beautiful baby bok choi. Water and tea are complimentary - expect to get those, your utensils, and such yourself. Take all the time you need to decide and then order and pay at the counter. When it's ready, they call your order number. Go get your food... The dining hall has a lot of open space, as well as rooms for larger groups. The staff are friendly and helpful. Come here for taste, authenticity, and leave haute cuisine at the door.

A wide variety on the menu of Chinese Fusion Cuisine! My favorite is the Jade Chicken but I also like the coconut shrimp!

Taiwanese owner now. Smaller menu with Taiwanese dishes as well as Chinese. Sweet and hot spicy options.

This is the third time I have eaten here in the last 2 years. The first time It was really good (2015). We went for lunch yesterday, and the Sesame Chicken was very hard and very chewy, the Pork Fried Rice had old chewy pieces of pork mixed with white rice and some egg and veggies. It was NOT fried rice, and even though it looked pretty did not taste good. The egg rolls were smaller than spring rolls, and even though they were fresh from the fryer, the inside stuffing was unidentfiable, and tasteless. The Pork and Mustard Green Noodle Soup which has always been my go to was OK, but instead of putting the greens from the mustard greens (the best part) it was mostly STEMS with a few greens and some old chewy pork. I do not know what happened to this place. The food is not cheap, but I have never minded paying for quality. Quality was not here on this visit. Hopefully it was just an "OFF DAY".

This popular spot by Austin Asians boasts tasty dishes true to the flavors of Taiwan and China. Warning: some of the dishes marked with a hot pepper aren't light on the spiciness! It's hot! Otherwise great flavors abound and authentic. My only negative was the water -- the tap water tastes funny and the glasses had a smell of grease in them all as if the dishwasher didn't clean them well. Opt for the bottled water and beverages instead.

The food is very good and presented in a way that is very colorful and appetizing. Very large portions. One dinner could be split between two people.

Thought I'd try this restaurant's shrimp fried rice in my efforts to honor the "no meat on Friday" Lenten montra. Bar none the worst shrimp fried rice I've ever tasted. Huge portion...of rice! There may have been 4 little tiny shrimp in the order and that's it - litte to no mix of other veggies, spices or flavors - white rice with a few pieces of shrimp thrown in. I may give them another try on another dish, but a definite "NO" on the shrimp fried rice.

One of the best chinese place to eat in Austin, but dirty. Self-service after you order the food. Most of time eggplant and tofu dishes are good.

Haven't been here in over a year. Last year was ok. Its always a dirty place but there's one dish we sometimes crave and that's the spicy fish. So last year we got that and other stuff and it was ok but didn't plan on coming back more because its not that clean there, you have to get your own dishes which would be ok but they charge for rice, containers and the owners are rude and service bad. BUT we happened to be back because our friend recommended us to all go. We had a large group and this place is quick. So for a Sunday lunch we all went there, they gave us both rooms so it was off to a great start. But that's where it ended. We tried to order and again the lady who takes our orders and money is always so darn rushed and rude. I don't know how this restaurant survives on attitudes like this. Yes maybe it the food is great. BUT this was one of the most awful meals we have ever had and I will tell you why. First, ok after ordering, glad they take credit card now, we got our own plates, drinks and utensils. And of course, they were dirty. We wiped them. But the rooms were filthy! The walls were stained and the floors were gross. The other room where our teens sat couldn't even eat because it was so dirty and the plates and utensils still had food or specks on them. However this is an Asian place so we wiped it off and tried to enjoy our meal. We ordered mapo tofu which long time ago was a hit but this time it was tasteless and blah. What happened? The spicy fish was the most disappointing. This was not the same dish. Our room ordered like 3 of this dish and it was ALL bad. We ALL said this was not the same. IT was just batter with some old fish not even crisp like before topped over a lot of bland sauce and veggies. IT was not good at all. We got sesame chicken for the kids but again, hardly any meat-all batter, crunchy. My little girl still ate it all because there wasn't anything else she could eat-it was ok but definitely nothing to rave about. The mongolian beef was spicy, no sauce and just ok..poor quality beef. Ugh such a disappointing meal. Everything was blah and just not good. butthe dirtiness of the place made things worse. To top it off, when they were clearing some of our dishes they just took back the utensils and some plates they thought we didn't use and put them right back on the counter for others to take-yuck! I heard this place changed ownership since last year but really thought the food at least wouldn't change and the same mean lady is still there but man, this is bad. Never again, so sorry. So sad because it was a good place way long ago-fresh and hot. This time just yucky and gross.

Ordered for whole fish over phone. Got some thing which even do not look like fish. Very hard to communicate with.

Asia Cafe is adjacent to a Chinese market and used to be a part of the market. The menu selection is very extensive, and they also post menu items on whiteboards behind the counter. Water is serve yourself from a room temperature dispenser. You order at the counter and pick up food from there when your number is called. You have to get your own tableware and napkins. The cafe is rather shabby, but the food is excellent. be advised that when the menu says a dish is spicy, it is definitely SPICY. I like spicy food, but after eating the spicy beef fillet I had to immediately get some antacids, and that was after removing a good bit of the pepper seeds.

Eating at the newly-expanded Asia Cafe, once housed next door in the Chinese marketplace, is like being in China. The dishes are NOT for those used to westernized Chinese dishes. The menu goes on for pages and there are dozens of specials on the board behind where you place, pay and pick up your orders. Good luck trying to figure out your favorites - because the selection is varied, and one dish is better than the next. I've been there several times and have yet to re-order a single dish. Yesterday, I ordered the House Fish Filet with Tofu. I'd say it was a Sichuan dish - with its liberal use of dried hot red chilies, szechuan peppercorns, and salted Chinese mustard green. Each flavor popped in my mouth, the fish was fresh and melted in my mouth, as did the tofu. I also ordered a bean curd dish with beef surrounded by a bed of baby bok choy, which seemed popular, as I saw it on a few other tables and a delicious chicken noodle dish (lo mein style). There was enough food to feed 6, easily. Hours are 11-9 seven days a week. I don't advise getting there near closing, unless you like watching the place being cleaned and dining with chairs turned upside down on tables.

The BEST Asian food I have had in Austin or just about anywhere else in the United States. Huge portions of awesome tasting meat and vegetables fill the plate. So much food, it's good enough to share with another person. I had the Mongolian Beef and look forward to trying out some of the other dishes as well. My new and go to Asian restaurant in Austin for sure!

Fantastic Chinese food in store front Place order and wait for number to be called then pick it up Food fantastic

Was searching for a nearby restaurant on phone app and saw Sambet's had several positive reviews. We were warmly greeted and given a taste of sides while we pondered over the menu. We ordered crab cakes, boudin poboy, shrimp poboy, fried pickes, gumbo, crawfish etoufee, beans and rice. Everything tasted fantastic and was well seasoned. Sambet's has an authentic Louisiana taste. It's a very casual "Austin" atmosphere. Wear your shorts and flip flops. I would highly recommend this spot.

We had a BIG family dinner here. I didn't do the ordering, but everything we had was delicious! There were deep-fried potstickers- a hit! Sesame chicken (more like what I call orange chicken, but delicious) Some beef on an iron serving platter, spicy fish, shrimp fried rice, blistered green beans. There's water and tea included, and you can BYO alcohol. Everything was delish! Great time was had by all.

Nor at all fancy by any means, but honestly the most authentic Chinese food in Austin. Recommended to us by several Asian friends, it has never disappointed. The Spicy Fish is our all-round favorite. They mean it when they say "spicy"-- we ask for it about halfway and we enjoy some heat. The Pork with Eggplant is also very tasty, as are others we have tried. Extensive menu selections. Reasonable prices. Big potions.

Tasty cajun cuisine, especially the crawfish tail sandwich, yet slightly over-priced. Lunch for two can easily cost $30.

Ate here for years, quality of fish has declined. The box we used for takeout had the answer. The fish was imported from China. Oh well...

Asia Cafe seems to inspire strong responses. It's appearance suggests problems but the crowd suggests good food for the money. The menu is challenging as a result of its huge number of items. Presentation is unpretentious. The beef and broccoli is reliably good as are the chicken dishes. The shrimp are okay but not the best quality. Prices are low and portions are large.

I love stopping here when I go to Austin. Some menu items are hit are miss but I found my favorites and I stick to them. It's always a gamble ordering off the menu because it is not in english, but I've had more good than bad. My go-to's are Spicy Fish, and what I describe as Mushroom Soup to the cashier. I live in Houston and cannot find these flavors or dishes at any restaurant I've been to. Aptly named, "Asia Cafe" does not disappoint.

Fantastic Chinese food in store front in strip Mall Place order and wait for number to be called then pick it up Authentic. Food at reasonable prices Food fantastic Best Chinese good outside of San Francisco

The food is great here. However, the place is a dump, which is why I'm giving 3 instead of 5 stars. Everything is sticky....feels unclean. No wait staff. No ice maker...you have to scoop ice out of a bucket?! No fountain drinks or water dispenser. I get the feeling the owners are super cheap and don't want to spend money to take this restaurant to the next level. Take out is probably the best option.

Was I ever surprised! I've lived in the same house for 24 years, pass this restaurant (in a strip mall) daily, have met the owner, and have never eaten there. I have been in their Market, immediately next door, to buy Chinese gifts for friends during Chinese New Year. My Taiwanese neighbor she shops there exclusively, even though we have several other much larger Asian stores in Austin. Entering the cafe, I was dumbfounded by its large dining area, and the several family, semi-private, dining rooms on the left. Following the suggestion of a Vietnamese friend, we had ordered take-out. I hesitated inside the door and saw the pick-up/order counter to the rear of the room. The lady was helpfully, happy as she was on the phone when I called in the order. We ordered four entrees all marked spicy. We are not experts, but we have lived in four countries in Asia and eaten in many Asian restaurants across the United States. The meals were profoundly bland, spice less. We were disappointed and could not finish any dish. More than bad taste, the quality of the individual ingredients, e.g. chicken, noodles, dumplings, were questionable your health and ingestion. I realize my evaluation for poor food quality is in direct contrast to every rating I have seen.

As an east coaster looking for some great Asian food I was told to check this place out. It is a little out of the way but worth the effort. 4 of us shared dishes and found the portions to be huge! Food was fabulous. We were still talking about it 2 days later. Can't wait to come back to Austin again!! Don't miss it and be there by 6 pm or you will have to wait!

The Asian Cafe if an outstanding restaurant. The food here is beyond the ordinary Chinese food you can get elsewhere. Not only is the food type beyond great but you get a very generous portion (that would rival any amount in the buffet Chinese types). Also none of the standard dishes are spicy but you could order several special spicy types and these foods are also beyond great. The prices are more than reasonable. Once you try it you will never go to any other Chines restaurant.

I go here once a quarter with colleagues to celebrate certain accomplishments. It may not look like much, but the food is fantastic. The spicy fish, spicy eggplant, and several tofu dishes are my favorite. You can't go wrong - but branch out from the traditional American Chinese dishes!

The Spicy Seafood soup was relly good. The Orange Chicken was heavily breaded and the sauce was different. The Shrimp fried rice average, rice was hard in places.

Terrific local Chinese. Very authentic, very good. Line is often out the door at lunch. Good specials, often very unusual offerings.

The massive menu offers tasty authentic Chinese food. Order ahead if you do not want to wait for takeout. I recommend the spicy eggplant with garlic sauce.

I had Chinese food in London, New York, Los Angeles but I've never had anything as good as Asia café. The Spicy fish soup is like crack cocaine: once you start you can't stop boiled dumplings are equally delightful. Don't be put off by the atmosphere because it's part of the charm and you need to Lazy Susan's to share the multitude of dishes you order.

Went here long time ago for take out and liked it albeit very greasy and heavy but decided to try it again Bc it got rated by CNN as the top Chinese restaurant in the whole of TX! So of course we had to try it again. We weren't blown away :/ we ordered the spicy fish which is popular and its tasty but very greasy with chunks of red pepper flakes if you like that. We ordered two noodles, one crunchy and another lomein and they weren't bad. The crunchy one was better and was a hit with the kids but it was pretty oily too. The sesame chicken wasn't bad either but not the best we have had. The thing we didn't like is for the 7 of us we had to pay for rice $1 per bowl. The fish n chicken came with a small bowl each but that's it :/ I heard they give perference to customers who can speak mandarin Chinese to them :/ plus here you order and then they call out your # n you hv to pick it up along with your water etc. The portions are bigger than most places for the price but the place is not the cleanest place but we didn't expect Chinese restaurants to be that clean but at least it didn't smell like another place we ate at :).All in all it was ok and just not sure if we will return ..maybe in another 3 yrs? :p

This place is not that great. My family and I ate at Asia Cafe quite frequently in the past including when it first opened and felt that the quality has gone down since inception. The very last time we went, the pork was not fresh, and I believe they tried to cover it up with plenty of sauce. However, we could still tell that the meat used was not fresh. Will not revisit.

Frequented by Asians as well as by gringos Stand in line to give orders When order ready number yelled out In crowded dining room Absolutely no Concern about anything but the food Tv on wall usually tuned to western soap operas

I used to love this restaurant. But several things have caused me to re-evaluate. 1) Long crowds and only one cashier. *That* cashier was also pulling double duty by taking phone orders and requests from diners that already had their food. 2) The drink setup. Horrible! Not user friendly at all - worse than an outdoor barbecue. 3) The portion sizes are way out of whack - especially for lunch. There is no lunch menu. You're stuck with enough food to feed an army. Typically, I can make 3 meals from what they serve me. 4) Today. Let me tell you about today. I'm vegetarian, so I went up to order my typical sesame tofu. They put very little (if any) veggies in this, so I asked for extra broccoli. A $2.00 upcharge! They were going to give me egg-drop soup, but since that's typically chicken-broth based, I declined and asked for the broccoli as a substitute. That was NOT doable. I had to take some sort of pickled vegetables or nothing. I opted for nothing. I got my plate and it looked like the regular tofu plate I usually get (sure didn't have $2.00 worth of broccoli on it!)... And I ate maybe a cup of it before I realized there was an odd texture. Upon closer viewing, there was meat in the dish! They had given me sesame chicken!!! I went up to the front counter to ask the (very harried and slow) cashier for my money back. "You said you wanted chicken," she tells me. "Uh, I'm vegetarian... I don't EAT chicken." She looked at me in total disbelief, but called another person to the front. Who ALSO challenged what I had ordered (my friend who was in the line with me heard me order tofu). They were surly, BARELY apologetic (only in the fact that they refunded my money)... Their food is fabulous, but everything else about the place has totally put me off of ever eating there again. CUSTOMER SERVICE, guys. sheesh.

Very nice authentic Chinese food here in Austin, they serve large portion and taste great! we always like to come here for a family meal.

OK, at peak times you have to endure long lines, but this is truly some of the most authentic and tasy Asian food in Austin. "Asian" = primarily Chinese. I have never ordered anything on their massive menu that hasn't been tasty and well prepared. But be patient, at peak times you could wait a while. This is not the place to go for a quick lunch unless you arrive early. Same goes true for dinner. The place is great for take-out, call ahead and pick up your food. Another warning: The dishes are MASSIVE so order with care, unless, like me, you like the left overs to take home as well! This is a "order and sit" restaurant - no table service.

Come with as many people as you can so you can try as many of their delicious dishes as possible. The salt & pepper shrimp was my favorite, although not all of my friends liked the shrimp shells included. The Taiwan stir fried noodles were everyone’s favorite comfort food. The Mongolian beef and dumplings were also quite nice. The only dish we didn’t like was the shredded chicken with garlic sauce, which was chili laden but otherwise lacking in flavor. Still, everything else was so good I think it is an excellent restaurant. As for atmosphere, don’t expect any.

Big servings, tasty food! Relatively cheap, but price reflects servings size. A lot of Chinese people must be a sign of high quality. Recommend

This is my favorite place for authentic Chinese food in Austin. This is a no thrills restaurant in a strip mall. You order at the counter and they call our your number when you order is ready. The silverware, water, ice bucket, and cups are off to the side partly behind counter to order food. There bathrooms are off to the side if the kitchen. The portions are generous. The rice comes in a bucket to share with all at the table. I love their twice cooked pork belly. The cumin beef is delicious, but you have to love cumin. It packs a punch of cumin. All the dishes with Sichuan peppercorns are delicious. This reminds me of eating in Beijing, China. If you want the real deal, come here. Tip: this is authentic Chinese food, don't order US Chinese dishes like Kung Pao or General Tso. They have it, but it is not very tasty. Get the real Chinese food.

An interesting place; no table service; you order and pick up at the counter - very much limiting the need for staff with English. It's a busy place. BYOB. First time for us, so we were not prepared for the "specials" - eel, intestine, etc. We ordered fairly conservatively, singapore noodles, hunan chicken, fried dumplings. All portions very large - we took home another whole meal for two and never touched our rice, so, say, two meals for two for $24. They honoured a request to make it hot. The food was tasty and interestigly spiced. I see they post their new dishes on the web site, so when we go back we will be better prepared.

Don't expect table service. Excellent authentic Asian food served in a loud busy no ambience restaurant. Not a place to impress friends, but it will definately impress your taste buds.

Sambet's was a hole in the wall Cajun place that had great food; unfortunately, they had a fire last Thanksgiving while deep frying turkeys and are no longer in business (at least, not at the Spicewood Springs location).

I have visited twice now. Orange beef is the best I have ever eaten. Spicy fish will make your eyes water, but the tears will be from joy (as well as the crushed red pepper flakes). This is not haute cuisine, but it can be quite hot. You won't have a waiter and all aspects are simple at best, but don't let that stop you from enjoying great authentic Chinese.