Peter Chang China Café

This place is legit!
I’ll start by putting this out there: price is a little on the high side. If you are in the mood for cheap Chinese food, you can stop reading now and proceed across the parking lot to Panda Express. However, if you are looking for something more authentic, then this is your place to be.
Unlike many «authentic» Chinese joints, there’s a lack of magic seasoning in the food (MSG) and that’s a good thing. I’m not saying whether they use any or not, all I’m saying is, I did not have the urgent to chug down 5 gallon of water in the hours following the visit.
The restaurant décor is simple, pretty clean. There’s nothing fancy about it. But then again, you’re not eating the table or chair or the wall decoration, are you?
The items I had were all pretty good, although I must admit I’ve had better in other areas with a dense Chinese population (read: California Bay Area). Given the lack of competition in the neighborhood for authentic Chinese food, I’m really happy I found this place and will continue to come until I can’t fit through the door.

Food = 4
Price = 4
Experience = 4
Strip mall place… good food.

Peter changs is amazing a little pricey but worth it! Spring rolls are to die for! I tried a different Chinese restaurant because changs was a little pricey and learned my lesson. The other place didn’t even come close to changs!

This place came recommended by my boss who is really into authentic Chinese food. This place definitely had some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. Of all the items I had here, I HIGHLY recommend the appetizer dish with the chicken that comes in a netted cone. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of it but it is a must have for when you are here. If you get that + a rice or noodles, you will be set and will leave a 100% satisfied. All the other dishes they had were phenomenal as well but my favorite was definitely this. Price wise, it was definitely affordable and quite inexpensive. The management and staff are pleasant and courteous as well, keeping customer satisfaction as their top priority.

I went with coworkers for lunch. We received fast, polite service. Everyone could find something to enjoy despite having different dietary restrictions.
Definitely get a scallion pancake! I’m dying to know how they make them! They are fun and delicious. I had shrimp and broccoli, figured I’d test out the seafood. Quite often shrimp is rubbery at Chinese food spots, however I’m happy to report, this was not! And now I have the second half of my lunch saved for lunch tomorrow!
Grab your coworkers and check it out!

Amazing Chinese food and a great first experience at this Peter Chang location! I went for dinner last evening with a guest and we ordered fried dumplings for appetizers and shared a sweet and sour chicken dish. There were a good amount of people in the restaurant but our waitress was quick and prompt. The dumplings were a great start. The sweet and sour chicken was beyond great. The chicken was warm, soft, and extremely tasty. My guest and I shared this dish and we still had leftovers to take home. I can’t wait to come back and try something new!

Amazing Chinese food and a great first experience at this Peter Chang location! I went for dinner last evening with a guest and we ordered fried dumplings for appetizers and shared a sweet and sour chicken dish. There was a good amount of people in the restaurant but our waitress was quick and prompt. The dumplings were a great start. The sweet and sour chicken was beyond great. The chicken was warm, soft, and extremely tasty. My guest and I shared this dish and we still had leftovers to take home. I can’t wait to come back and try something new!

We had a group of 3 on a Tuesday night. I called to make a reservation but they only take reservations for parties larger than ours. But I figured it was a Tuesday so we’d be ok. There was definitely a 20 min wait when we arrived. We found a couple of seats at the bar and enjoyed some cocktails while we waited. I tried the Wuhan Mule and my friend got the Thai Gin Sour. The peppercorn infused vodka and tamarind in the mule threw me for a loop. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t my favorite. The Thai Gin Sour came with egg whites as an ingredient so I was apprehensive, but I thought her drink was really good. Not super sweet, but definitely more of a «girlie» cocktail. Wait times were accurate and the staff was friendly.
Let me just say that we were fatties and ordered a ton of food. We started with the duck fennel roll. It was a like a spring roll and the duck and fennel flavors were both pretty mild. Then we got the hot and numbing beef app. Omg! Moderately spicy and packed with delicious flavor. It was so good. We got the shrimp fried rice to share which was good. Then we tried the Szechuan chicken, the Golden Mountain chicken and the duck and sweet pea dinner. I know. Smh. It was a crazy amount of food. My least favorite of the 3 entrees was the Szechuan chicken but it was pretty good and came with lots of veggies. I like spicy and the duck and snow pea dish hit the spot. It was also moderately spicy and served on a hot plate. The Golden mountain chicken tasted like a different take on orange chicken. While I enjoyed the flavors, I wished it was a little spicer.
So who wins the gourmet Chinese battle, Fat Dragon or Peter Chang? It’s a tough call. I vote Fat Dragon, but both friends I went with last night voted Peter Chang. Either way, they are both worth checking out. Maybe a little friendly competition between these two excellent Chinese places could pay off for Richmonders!

This is the 3^rd PC location we have been to. Richmond, Short Pump, and Virginia Beach. Obviously we are fans. They are all similiar yet different. A menu item added, a menu item taken away. My wife enjoys the shrimp dishes and I tend toward the very hot stuff with 3 Pepper Beef being my favorite. The beer list at this one is really good. Unlike Short Pump location, both Richmond and VA Beach have a bar.

This place has become my favorite restaurant to go to in Richmond. Everything my table ordered tasted amazing and I can’t wait to go back soon to try other dishes out. I strongly recommend giving this place a try.

This is the best Chinese restaurant in town — hands down. We’ve frequented there for the past three years, and enjoyed each visit. This place is very authentic (I should know — I am from China) and I loved every dish I have ordered.
My husband and I love spicy food– and Peter Chang knows his peppers, making use of Thai peppers, dried red peppers, habaneros, and ghost chilies. Of course, the spicy level of any dish can be customized, but my husband likes going all the way — often looking like he had a tough workout after eating his super spicy dish.
Today, we got duck stone pot, and it was delicious with tofu skin soaked with spicy broth. Totally good value for $ 20. We also got stir fry beef (special menu) and it was good. We always get dry fried green beans with extra pickled peppers and extra spicy, but today we saw the cabbage on the iron plate on the special menu, and we ordered the cabbage. It was AMAZING.
The price is a bit above other Chinese restaurants — but the quantity is very generous. I usually have two rounds of left overs after each visit.
Some other dishes we love including Shan city chicken, three pepper beef, tofu skin app, dried fried pork belly. But everything on the menu is great.

They have gone downhill so hard… I went here years ago and remember it being good, not great, but good. We went here a couple of days ago, and the food was so… how can I describe it?
We ordered one dish with shrimp and scallops, but it was the smallest and saddest scallops I’ve ever seen in my life. For the shrimp, they cut them up in tiny pieces, to make it seem like it was more shrimp I bet.
And the noodles were so bad and overlook and just meh; the generic mall food court version tastes much better. And the chicken… no. Not tender, not tasty, so blah.
I feel like I completely wasted my money, and I regret ever coming here again.

Let me start off by saying I have never previously been to any Peter Chang’s prior but I am officially hooked! From the atmosphere to the excellent menu choices, this is the place to be in Scott’s Addition.
I was excited when I heard they were moving into the Hofheimer Building — as that historic gem was in need of a good establishment to give her some much needed love. Walking into Peter Chang’s, I can see they did just that. As a part residence of the building, they have kept her beautiful charm while adding a few pieces to make it their own.
I was seated by the bar at a small intimate table for two, my companion and I. While he had heard plenty of times about Peter Chang’s, I was relatively new to it. I glanced over my shoulder to see Peter Chang himself observing the workings of the day. Totally cool!
The menu was very diverse, and I was excited to see so many delicious items selected for the Scott’s Addition location: from Dim Sum, to Salads, and Main Course. I immediately ordered an appetizer/​Dim Sum of Duck and Fennel bites. They were amazing– crispy outer layer with a flavorful duck and fennel mix inside and topped with a sweet and slightly spicy sauce. It was phenomenal. I could have ordered a couple of more rounds of that but I knew the main course was not too far behind.
Next, we had a cold noodle salad with soba noodles, celery and a chili sauce. This was a palette opener for certain. It was a tad spicier than I had anticipated but I was certain that minus the spice, we could have eaten it all in one large bite! The main course was #44 Duck with Onions, Carrots and Scallions (we had a small side of rice as well). Over the top amazing! It was fajita style and each bite of duck was as tender and juicy as the next. I was amazed at how much flavor was in each bite. It was outstanding! And our service was over the top!
While Peter Chang’s is synonymous with fancy cuisine and bold flavors, this new restaurant in Scott’s Addition is proving to be an excellent addition to the neighborhood and the rest of his establishments. Excellent service, Outstanding Quality and Freshness, that is what you will find nestled right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of broad street’s newest kid on the block!

I had been looking forward to eating at Peter Chang’s for several months now after seeing several of my friend’s posting pictures from there. I current live in Cary, NC and was visiting family in RVA yesterday so we decided to try it out. I was quite disappointed. We ordered several dishes: the Bamboo Fish, Dry fries green beans, combination Lomein, and three peppers beef. The best items were the Bamboo Fish and Dry fried green beans. However, they were not to the level of the same dishes available at Taipei 101 in Cary, NC. The other dishes were rather bland. For $ 68 I expected the quality of the food to be much better than other locations.
The service was rather terrible. It took our server more than 5 minutes to even acknowledge our table. The table didn’t have enough silverware for the number of people at our table (3 adults and 1 child). I kept having to asking other servers for assistance since our sever was not really checking up on us.
Overall was disappointed as I was really expecting a lot more after reading so many reviews. May go back just to get the Bamboo fish when I’m in the area and have a strong craving for it. Otherwise, most likely will not be dining in.

INCREDIBLE. I cannot say enough great things about his restaurant. I went with a large group and they were
Happy to accommodate us. Our waitress was attentive and very helpful. The food was breathtaking. It was presented nicely and tasted even better.

While I have not had dinner yet, I am going to rate the lunch sine I have enjoyed it several times.
First, it is crowded so arrive early or late.
I always order off the lunch specials, a huge portion with an egg roll (fried) and soup (either wonton or egg drop). Including ice tea… under $ 10. A choice of fried or white rice. All well prepared.
I am waiting for Peter Changs to open near the Boulevard so I don’t have to travel to the West End for dinner.

Definitely a great place for Chinese food! Whenever I stop by in Richmond to visit my sister we always come here for lunch or dinner.
The fried eggplant appetizer is delicious, while the bubble pancakes are a must for first timers! You really can’t go wrong with your selection here… so be adventurous! Be careful with spice level though… dishes can get extremely hot!

We’ve all heard the popular gossip and rumors about Peter Chang and how quickly he moves from restaurant to restaurant. Someone with so much #hype I thought the restaurant would be in a more appropriate location. Anyways, I first came here for my cousin’s graduation and I couldn’t eat much because the food was way too spicy for my liking. The décor on the ceiling was beautiful and the service was standard.
Visiting here for the second time with the boyfriend, the restaurant’s reputation definitely needed help. Our server was terrible and the entire staff was lazy, standing around and talking to each other in front of guests, and not really paying much attention. I’m a server as well and I know I don’t like to be bothered when I’m eating, but please do show some attention.
The food was BEYOND salty. A little too much NaCl in here, you know? #chemjoke The food was overpowered by salt that I couldn’t really taste anything. The menu had an array of food choices, which I think should be cut down as well. I’ll definitely be visiting if the chef himself is cooking the food.

The restaurant was a mad house, well on Saturday night. We were passing by to head home and decided to check it out. Any standing space was filled up with people waiting. We took a number and were told it would be a 45-​min wait or so. Then there were people who made reservations who just walked in. That’s a first. Then there were the people who didn’t understand why later numbers with smaller parties were getting seated because they had 7 or 10 people.
We got a booth table which was nice. The cleaning crew worked at top speed unlike anything we had ever seen but at the same time they were throwing dishes into containers like it was a Greek festival loud and violent. As we were getting seated, we saw food wiped down from the table to the bench. And bench to hopefully to the dish cloth or floor.
For appetizers we ordered the five-​spiced beef tendons — 90% meat and 10% tendon? It had good flavors though. The marinated shredded bean curd skins with chili oil that was really fragrant and delectable. The poof-​up bread was of course such a fun thing to enjoy.
The Grandma’s sweet and sour pork was made with thinly sliced pork fried to a perfect crisp and I loved the use of the Zhejiang vinegar that made the dish however it was 80% sweet and 20% sour, I just preferred a more balanced sweet and sour. Still it was a great dish!
The other dish that I was intrigued by was the flounder tofu fish balls. I didnt know what quite to expect. It was a house made mixture of fish and tofu and fried then braised with vegetables in a brown sauce, it was not spicy (totally mistaken) but very tasty dish. Loved the enoki mushrooms and other vegetables in it as well.

I wanted to try Peter Changs a few times before I gave my review. After visiting for the 3^rd time, I feel I can confidently give it 4 stars.
The atmosphere is casual and they have many large tables to accommodate groups who like to eat family style. The lazy Susan is the perfect addition to these large tables. This time it was just two of us, but the place was pretty packed for a Tuesday night, so we opted to sit at a large table that was available so we didn’t have to wait. I didn’t mind and did appreciate them for letting us do so as most restaurants would not for fear of losing out on money from a bigger group.
This most recent time I had a super secret dish! Just kidding, it was Mongolian Beef, but for whatever reason it isn’t listed on the menu. The only reason I knew to order it was because the last time I went I was with a friend who ordered it. It is a sweet beef dish with a hint of tang from the green and white onions. I do think the onions were ²⁄₃ of the plate but the actual taste and flavor did not overpower the meal and so I just skipped a few (or ten) with every bite. So delicious and it actually was a huge portion that kept me full for 2 leftover meals after. Very good!

Traditional. Authentic. Prized. Satisfying.
From the outside, Peter Chang’s just look so unassuming, sitting in a strip mall among Walmart and GNC and Game Stop. But as soon as you drive close, you’ll see many people parking and getting out of their cars and walking quickly toward the restaurant, fighting for those precious seats inside.
This place is always hustling and bustling every time I visit, and I can tell you that this might be the only few restaurants that I’m willing to wait more than 30 minutes to take bites of their delicious morsels.
–You WANT/​HAVE to start your meal with CRISPY PORK BELLY appetizer. Little pieces of belly/​bacon coated and seasoned in Sichuan spices, serve in basket with scallion and more peppers.
–PETER CHANG DUCK IN STONE POT is my go-​to order. Selected cut of duck meat, seasoned and loaded with goodies and flavors. You’ll eat all your rice with this and ask for more.
–BASIL CHICKEN is probably another prized dish on this menu, and people love ordering it, because it comes out with decoration – the main dish is wrapped in aluminum foil, folded and molded in the shape of a chicken.
–THREE PEPPERS BEEF IN SKILLET is another go-​to order. If you feel like satisfying the carnivore inside of you, while challenging yourself to Sichuan peppers, then by all means!
–HOT & NUMBING HOT POT (combination or just beef brisket) is probably what most people think when they say Sichuan, and they are not wrong. This is not for amateur; and for you professional spicy eaters, you don’t want to skip this.
Sichuan food is all spiciness? Not quite.
–I know everyone was attracted to Peter Chang by his SCALLION BUBBLE PANCAKE. I mean, the photos only show up everywhere when you look up scallion pancake… It’s a very unique technique that make it an attraction.
–FISH WITH SOUR CABBAGE SOUP is a definitive Sichuan dish. If you appreciate your pickled vegetable in comforting soup, this is it for you.
–DRY-​FRIED GREEN BEANS is something that I grew up making and eating. So simple, yet so satisfying.
–JING JIANG SHREDDED DUCK is Peter Chang variation on a traditional dish, substituting shredded pork for shredded duck, in a sweet/​rich black bean and soy sauce. Wrap them sucker with the pancake served on the side and it’s the most delicious Chinese crêpe imaginable.
***WOULD RECOMMEND*** to anyone who think there’s no more authentic Chinese food restaurants in Southeast/​east coast, or anyone who think Sichuan cuisine is just one simple (spicy/​hot) note.
*** «If dining with parties of 4 or more, we suggest that you make RESERVATIONS to dine during our peak lunch and dinner hours. For parties less than 4, please arrive at 5 PM or after 8 PM in order to minimize the wait.»

O… M…G!!!
Best Sichuan food I have ever had. I loved it’s authenticity. We shared the following: crispy pork belly, fish and cabbage soup, soup dumplings, a mixture called hot dumbning, and Peters Duck in stone pot.
I loved all of the food. It was all cooked perfectly. Even the rice was steamed just the way I like it.
VERY CLEAN BATHROOM!!!
We will most definitely come back here. There is copious amounts of food when you order. You will have enough to take it home. There is usually long wait for tables, so make a reservation if you don’t wish to be tormented by the delicious food passing in front of you for long.

I have been to Charlottesville location but I thought to give this place a shot as well. I got the duck in a hot pot, which was a recommendation by the server. The duck was very chewy and delicious! It wasn’t as spicy as I thought so it was a plus since I didn’t have to chug water for each bite.
Pro:
Very friendly server
Free refills on rice
Yummy food that’s not just fried like those cheap Chinese places
Good atmosphere
Cons:
A little pricier than most Chinese places ($ 20 for duck in a pot)
I recommend this place if you’re in for some authentic elegant Chinese food.

This review of Peter Chang China Café is a tough one for me. I wanted this place to excel so bad it hurts to write this. It was date night and we LOVE elevated American-​Chinese food. We walked in and loved the ambiance. Peter Chang runs a classy looking place. We were seated promptly and put in our drink orders.
A quick look over the menu revealed Minced Chicken Lettuce Wraps! Score! We ordered those and waited with anticipation. They were excellent. Not sure if they were good enough to dethrone the king of lettuce wraps (that place in Stony Point Fashion Park with an eerily similar name *wink*), but they were definitely better than Ginger Red’s in Mechanicsville.
The next appetizer was the steamed pork dumplings and this is where we nose-​dived into the sad territory. The presentation was first rate. The dumpling was terrible, just abysmal. No flavor, water running everywhere, weird texture, etc. This dish wasn’t for me. Sigh.
Last, and sadly least, was the pork ribs & mushroom soup in ceramic pot. I’m not sure what this was supposed to taste like. But if they were going for completely bland with a hint of earth flavor they nailed it. No depth of flavor, no seasoning. I’m not even sure it was a broth of any kind. I don’t expect an eight hour masterpiece like Phở but show me a little effort. This seemed like water with boiled meat in it; a total fail.
I’m giving you 3 stars by a hair because of the lettuce wraps and the great service. Not to mention you have a 4 star rating with over 300 reviews. Peter Chang China Café — I’ll be back to give you a second chance.

Definitely a fan of Peter Chang. We had a blast at Supper Club last week and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
I can’t even begin to tell you every dish that we ordered because with about 10 people in attendance and all of us ordering something different, you can imagine that we ate A LOT and were conquered by the food. Food: 1, Us: 0. We all left stuffed and very, very happy. Between all of us we had dumplings, pancakes, chicken dishes, soup, beef, spicy food, mild food, fish rolls, seafood pots, etc. You name it, we got it! I can totally see why they don’t do take out orders. This place was jumpin’ on a Tuesday night. Imagine a Friday or Saturday? Plus, the whole family style of eating really made the experience for me. Takeout just doesn’t have the same effect.
Unfortunately, the dish I ordered (#32) was not my favorite. It was a fish pot in curry. Mind you, it was GOOD, but we had so many other standout dishes that this one seemed to fall by the wayside. What were the standouts? The fried dumplings were amazing, the pancake was a really unique, and the soup was great.
The service was equally as good as the food. I think she did a great job handling a group of 10. The food came out really fast (which would usually make me suspicious), but it was still delicious.
Good job, Peter Chang! I’ll be back.