Shanghai River Restaurant

my family and i love the food. we will go back. the dinner for four was more than enough

Pros: dinner special for 2,3,or 4

Posted 10/19/09

The food was not bad, but it was not the best either. Ming's restraurant was a lot better than this. I had asked the server for sesame chicken with noodles instead of fried rice. She said, "I'm sorry, but we do not allow that." I said, "Why?" She repled, "We just don't." That made me angry, but I was hungry, so I figured I would just eat what I could. There was no way for me to even get noodles on the side! The noodles they make have shrimp, beef, and chicken in it. It was good, but it frustrated me that I could not just have prepared noodles with my sesame chicken. I won't go there again.

Pros: Nice atmosphere, quick food delivery, great noodles

Cons: Food was not made to order, over priced for what you get

Posted 04/27/09

In the endless pursuit to find the best chinese food delivery we decided to try Shanghai river, which I hadn't tried in a couple of years. It's more expensive than Auntie Chang's. But then again, A. Chang's has started halving the size of their portions and using lots of cheap fill ingredients.

So, here was the order: hot & sour soup, spring rolls, moo goo gai pan, spicy fried tofu and veggies, and spicy walnut chicken w/ brown rice. Overall, the food arrived hot and promptly. I don't know if it was an off night for the chef - but it was all incredibly bland. Off to a bad start with the soup - it was neither appropriately spicy or sour, and seemed mostly to be bamboo shoots and eggs without all of those luscious exotic mushrooms or flavor I could get at PF changes. The spring rolls were better - large and filled with meat, but again pretty bland. The entrees were better (even if the spicy ones had no spice). They were all filled with luscious real chinese vegetables - baby corn, straw and shitake mushrooms, huge chunks of fresh bamboo... Still because of the blandness of the sauce I ended up soaking them in soy sauce and hot mustard to gain a bit of flavor. They charged extra for the brown rice which wasn't particularly cooked through all the way. The saving grace, was the Walnut Chicken which actually managed to have at least a bit of zing to it and great ingredients. But, I could have paid less and gotten a better meal by just picking up food at PF Chang's (gee, I wish they had delivery). Anyway, I think it'll be another year or so before I give this place a try again. But, if you like bland vs. spicy it might not be a bad option for you.

Pros: High-quality entree ingredients, no MSG, fast delivery

Cons: Bad hot & sour, very bland food even when it says it's spicy

Posted 02/15/09

I cannot believe that anyone would rate this place highly, much less return after one visit.

Although it was nearly empty at 7 pm on a Thursday night, there was no one at the hostess stand when we arrived so we loitered about and then finally ended up sitting at a table on our own. I ordered their steamed chicken with vegetables and special sauce. All I received was vegetables - no chicken or special sauce. My vegetables had been steamed so hard that they were literally slimy and brown. My boyfriend had their tofu/vegetable dish which was so awful that he only ate half of it (and that NEVER happens!).

And to top it off, this place ain't cheap. For the food mentioned above plus 2 small cups of soup and 1 house wine and 1 beer, our bill was $50 (before tax and tip). I don't care if Marvin Zindler loved this place before he died, Shanghai River is not somewhere I will ever return.

Posted 01/18/09

The atmospher was nice and the service was excellent. Your food was out quickly also. However, the food was just average. My boyfriend had the lamb and said it was okay, a little pland. I had the lettace wraps and thought they were also just okay. We don't regret trying it, but will also continue to seek other establishments to find one that is amazing.

Pros: Good service atmospher and decent price

Cons: Average food

Posted 01/17/09

Wow. That was the most disappointing chinese food I think we've ever had in our lives. My boyfriend, who will eat just about anything, even refused to take a second bite. They are closed, but in the morning we are bringing everything except the dumplings (just needed jelly and you have a pb&j) and greasy egg rolls(because it's the only decent thing in the order) back for a refund. DO NOT RECOMMEND!!!

Pros: Fast takeout.

Cons: Food is honestly disgusting.

Posted 10/02/08

This is the best place we have found in Houston to go for Chinese food. This is one of the only places in town that serves schezuan shrimp and they do it well. The food here has never been greasy or of poor quality. Service has always been great and waiters are polite and attentive.

It is in a very nice setting which you would not expect upon driving up to it in a strip mall. The decor is very classy with a Chinese flair. It would be fine for a date. Portions are good. The prices may seem a little more expensive than other restaurants, but we have found none that compare to the quality put forth from this restaurant.

Everything that we have ordered has been good. The sizzling soup is tasty in a comforting way. I really enjoyed the Peking duck which is served table side and schezuan shrimp. I always order their hot tea - you get your own teapot to yourself. We highly recommend this restaurant as so far it has been outstanding in service, quality, and taste.

Pros: Romantic, Food, Parking, Decor, Service, Selection, Date Place

Cons: Not so great for young kids as sometimes it's pretty quiet

Posted 09/17/08

We went to Shanghai River recently. The food was great as usual , the ambiance is beautiful as well. The only problem that make us feel very uncomfortable was the waitress . She was rude , have the dont care attitude and never smile.

Pros: Ambience,food,parking

Cons: service

Posted 06/21/08

My favorites are the steamed vegetable dumplings and pan fried dumplings. I can't seem to find them better anywhere else in town. There was only one occasion that I had the pan fried dumplings delivered, and they definitely taste better when you are there eating them at the restaurant because they are more crisp. I have been coming here for years and it is one of my favorite places to eat at. I also recommend the barbecue ribs and peking duck!!

Posted 05/20/08

I read all of these great reviews on here, so I went with a couple of friends. Our waitor was horrible. She ignored us. The food took forever, and the good was not good. I've had way better Chinese food at other restaurants for cheaper prices. They overcharged my debit card, and eventually they put the money back. I do not recommend it.

Pros: Manager was nice

Cons: Everything

Posted 09/24/07

My favorites here are the barbecue ribs, steamed dumplings, and peking duck. Whenever I forget about Shanghai River, my daughter is always there to remind me to order her favorite dish...the steamed dumplings. She is absolutely hooked on those things. Our family has never been to visit the restaurant, but the food and delivery is always great. However, if I could change one thing it would be to bring back the online ordering on the website. That made it sooo much easier to order.

Pros: Food is great and nice delivery people

Cons: No more online ordering on the website

Posted 08/28/07

A group of us at work ordered delivery today since the weather was so bad. The Chinese restaurant we normally order from was either too busy or they had taken their phone off the hook because we just could not get through. I was thankful that we didn't. Granted I had a very basic chinese meal (Beef Pepper Steak), but I was amazed at the taste. This is the best Chinese food I have had since I moved from New York City. I will be frequenting this restaurant in the future.

Posted 08/15/07

Do not go to Shanghai River Restaurant! Based upon the reviews I tried both the spicy dumplings and peking duck. Both were terrible. If you added a bit of jelly to the dumplings it would taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich. The duck was wrapped in a paper like substance which was hard and tasted like paper (I assume that is what paper would taste like). Overall everything was pretty much void of any flavor, and no spice at all.

The only funny part is that the rice was no good either. It was dry, and stale!!!

I left the restaurant hungry, frustrated and 70 bucks lighter

Pros: None come to mind

Cons: The food

Posted 05/04/07

I thought I could only find (my top favorite) and the rare Chinese dish of prawns with honey glazed walnuts (or pecans) in my home town of San Francisco. You might imagine how high the standards are coming from S. F. So I was completely delighted to find my dish here and well prepared.

Posted 12/24/06

RECOMMENDED Had a birthday party there and it could not have been better. The staff was very helpful in selecting dishes and the closed off room was perfect for 20 people. The food was excellent and you cannot beat the value for the experience!

We also have take out from there often and rate it as "very good". TIP: Some dishes are better than others, ask your waiter for recommendations and follow them.

Pros: The menue selection

Cons: none that I can think of.

Posted 08/22/06

The only part of my meal that was even halfway decent was the wonton soup. Everything else was below standard. The egg rolls were greasy, meatless, and very bland, and even the duck sauce had little flavor. For my entree I ordered Moo Goo Gai Pan which was okay, and pork fried rice which was burned. I would certainly not recommend this restaurant!

Posted 04/15/06

I haven't had peking duck...or chinese food this good since I traveled to asia. The food is very authentic and the peking duck is delicious...the skin is very crispy, and it is always fun to watch them prepare it in front of you. The people are friendly and the atmosphere is set in the posh River Oaks/Galleria area. The inside of the restaurant is lavishly decorated with ancient chinese antiques and artifacts to please the eye. The one hour commute was worth it for the peking duck alone!!!

Pros: beautifully decorated, great service, authentic food

Cons: none!!!

Posted 01/20/04

This is a great place to eat! I have been there many times, and the food and service are always outstanding. I especially love Phillip, the waiter who takes care of us on the weekend. Ask for him- he's great. He will make dinner a lot of fun. Reasonable prices and a pretty decor round out this place as a favorite.

Pros: good service, great food, good parking

Cons: none!

Posted 07/22/02