Three Great Boston Area Chinese Restaurants

by Eric H. (posted 4/25/07)

It's difficult writing about Boston, Mass., area Chinese restaurants. Write about your three favorite restaurants one hour and then an hour later, you want to write about three more.

The search of finding great Chinese food is a lifetime venture, putting up with plastic tiki gods, weird shaped buildings and malfunctioning waterfalls along the way. Usually the best Chinese restaurants are free of gimmicks, although a few over-the-top establishments haven't forgot about why they're in business -- to offer quality food and good service.

Everyone has their own favorite Chinese restaurant. There are many goods ones out there in the Boston area, so we decided to list three that best represent the best of Boston area Chinese restaurants -- in the categories of urban authentic, suburban excellence and tacky-but-great food, in that order:

1. Chau Chow City, Boston Restaurant , Boston, Mass.
Located in Chinatown, this multi-level restaurant turns out authentic and abundant Hong-Kong style Chinese food -- the kind that restaurant critics love to write about and regular people like to eat. This pleasant, crowded and efficiently-run restaurant serves everything from dim sum to traditional pork, chicken and shrimp dishes. It's the perfect introduction to great Chinese food in Boston. 83 Essex St., Boston, Mass. Tel. (617) 338-8158, Boston, Mass.

2. Szechuan Garden, Medway, Mass. -- A wise man once told me never to eat in Chinese restaurants too far away from the city. It turned out that wise man was a misinformed stooge as the Szechuan Garden defies its strip mall far-away western Boston suburban location with wonderfully prepared Chinese food and a terrific dinner buffet (excellent variety and always hot food). The hosts are gracious and kind and the wait staff generally friendly and always efficient. The decor is mature, not hokey, with two nice carpeted dining rooms, dimly lit, with comfortable booths and few cheesy Chinese gimmicks. It's reasonably priced and a great family dining choice. 106 Main St # B, Medway, Mass., Tel.(508) 533-8888

3. Kowloon Restaurant, Saugus, Mass. -- It's amazing that a Chinese restaurant can become a household name. The Wong Family has built the Kowloon into a legendary local restaurant built upon great food and its outrageous Chinese Embassy-like structure and all the Chinese "bells and whistles" decor under the sun -- rivers accented with colored lights, water fountains, murals, canoes on the ceiling, plastic tiki gods and more. The Volcano Bay Room, Tiki Lagoon, Thai Grille, Luau Room, Hong Kong Lounge and Mandarin Room can seat up to 1,200 people! The food is on par with some of the best Chinese restaurants in the region featuring Cantonese, Szechuan, Sushi, Polynesian and Thai cuisines. Personal favorites are the Pu Pu Platter, Pad Thai and lobster with ginger scallions. The pork fried rice is fabulous. The crackerjack, well-trained staff enhances this overall positive dining experience. What's more, the Kowloon has a comedy club, attracting national talents like Steve Sweeney and Mike McDonald and Rich Ceisler. The Kowloon also offers music concerts, has a gift shop offering tiki mugs and t-shirts, and pinball machines at the entrance. Since 1950, the Kowloon has attracted a significant amount of celebrities, sports figures and politicians through the years who like good Chinese food -- Ted Williams, Bob Cousy, Larry Bird, Chubby Checker, Jerry Seinfeld and Mike Dukakis, to name a few. Kowloon Restaurant, 948 Broadway (Rt. 1 North), Saugus, Mass., Tel. (781) 233-0077