WINNER: #1 Asian Restaurant
Review Highlights -
"For a quick lunch and some of the best Asian dining in Austin, Din Ho can't be beat. This Chinese restaurant in North Austin boasts over 200 dishes like Chinese broccoli sautéed with ginger and Cantonese roast duck... This is a perfect place to relax with friends or coworkers and enjoy the authentic flavors of Chinese cuisine."
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Top Rated
Review Highlights -
"When I crave Chinese, Din Ho is always my first choice."
"Best Chinese food in Austin."
"Authentic."
"Quality fresh food."
"Wonton soup is phenominal."
"Egg rolls are the best I've ever had."
"Pepper steak was tender and flavorful."
"Amazing General Tao chicken."
"Delicious BBQ pork."
"Get the Szechuan bean curd."
"Excellent prices."
"Highly recommended." |
Rated Excellent for Food
Review Highlights - "Authentic Chinese eats" keep chowhounds coming to this North Austin outpost specializing in BBQ duck and pork plus "traditional" Cantonese-style items like fresh seafood right out of the tanks; prices are... a "bargain". |
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2nd Edition
Stunning duck and seafood straight from the tank at one of Austin's best Chinese restaurants
We're endlessly amused by the pervasive Jekyll-And-Hyde nature of Chinese restaurants all across America. Often, the kitchens are capable of turning out so much more than the General Tso's chicken and Orange Beef that is being asked of them. A savvy (or maybe just pushy) orderer knows how to gain access to the secret Chinese side of the menu, which is worlds away; it's almost as if food is coming from two different kitchens. Keep this in mind at Din Ho, where the barbecued meats are where the kitchen really shines.
The menu has some really intriguing items like sea cucumber with duck web (it's one of the best duck webs in the Austin area), but the pièce de resistance is the corner of the restaurant that perveys roast and barbecued meats. Pork is succulent and tangy, while memorable roast duck is bursting with juice, one of the best preparations of the bird in the city. Back in the kitchen, scallops and shrimp with garlic sauce is a superb dish, with buttery seafood, crisp vegetables, and a suprising, fruity sauce that, happily, couldn't be further from the Szechuan-brown-sauce gloop that we dread so intensely. And don't miss the Dungeness crab with garlic and onion, which, like the whole fish preparations, comes straight out of the fish tanks in back; the dish requires a bit of manual labor but is a succulent fantasy.
Din Ho has done little to decorate this large, hallowed hall, but the atmosphere comes from the guests and the food. There is always a jolly, multi-colored crowd, with many families, and through the throng weave carts of glistening red smoked ducks, their necks curved in neat rows. Service is friendly and remarkably fast given the hordes, and there is always an agreeable patron happy to translate the staff's halting English. Best of all, Din Ho still sports that fast-disappearing standby of family Chinese restaurants, the lazy susan, making it a great destination for large groups.
There's also a handwritten note tacked on the wall, written in both English and Chinese: "If you would like chicken with head on, please reserve with cashier." Clearly, these folks aim to please both authenticity-craving Chinese families and scaredy-cat Westerners. But come on, whoever you are: go for the head. - FC
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Review Highlights - The first thing you notice is the BBQ stand with hanging ducks, chickens and pork" at this "good, cheap, and fast" North Austin eatery whose "authentic Cantonese-style cuisine" is "about as real Chinese as it gets deep in the heart of Texas"; it may not be much to look at, but the "large round tables with Lazy Susans are great for large parties" - and best of all it "stays open late." |
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Austin Monthly Magazine, November 2008
Peking Roast Duck
If you're there for the stellar service, you may have come to the wrong place. If you're freaked out by a passel of, well, dead ducks, it ain't the hang for you. But if you're in for a boisterous brunch with friends that strays from the usual or a Chinese dinner that breaks the mold, head on over to Din Ho for the Peking roast duck. With delicious, crispy skin, spring onions and hoisin sauce, this hefty delicacy will serve several hungry Austinites in need of some delicious Oriental treats. This really is amazing stuff. |
WINNER: #1 Asian
Review Highlights -
"Pretty close to my mother's cooking. Casual atmosphere, real Asian setup (platters are shared at the table by all diners, etc.). Reasonably priced."
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Humble, authentic, delicious Chinese cuisine, on a Lazy Susan if you please.
The handwritten note tacked on the wall at Din Ho Chinese BBQ is written in English and Chinese: "If you would like chicken with head on, please reserve with cashier." Clearly, these folks aim to please both authenticity-craving Chinese families and scaredy-cat Westerners. But com on, whoever you are: go for the head.
The menu offers a variety of options ranging from Chinese-American standards like beef lo mein to the intriguing sea cucumbers with duck web (it's one of the best duck webs in the Austin area). It's hard to go wrong here. Just about everything is tasty, with fresh ingredients and tender meat, but the piece de resistance is the corner of the restaurant that purveys roast and barbecued meats. Pork is succulent and tangy, while memorable roast duck is bursting with juice, one of the best preparations of duck in the city. "Salt Chicken," another product of the barbecue corner, is moist and delicious. Back in the kitchen, scallops and shrimp with garlic sauce is a superb dish, with buttery seafood, crisp vegetables, and a surprising, fruity sauce that, happily, couldn't be further from the Szechuan-brown-sauce gloop that we dread so intensely. And don't miss the Dungeness crab with garlic and onion, which, like the whole fish preparations, comes straight out of the fish tanks in back; the dish requires a bit of manual labor but is a succulent fantasy.
Din Ho has done little to decorate this large, hallowed hall, but the atmosphere comes from the guests and the food. There is always a jolly, multi-colored crowd, with many families, and through the throng weave carts of glistening red smoked ducks, their necks curved in neat rows. Service is friendly and remarkably fast given the hordes, and there is always an agreeable patron happy to translate the staff's halting English. Best of all, Din Ho still sports that fast-disappearing standby of family Chinese restaurants: the Lazy Susan. Hooray! -RM
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Review Highlights -
"This is one of the vew few authentic Chinese restaurants in Austin."
"Great Chinese food at a very good price ... very large selection."
"Excellent; highly recommended!"
"Best Chinese food in Austin!" |
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The first thing you notice is the BBQ stand with hanging ducks, chickens and pork" at this "good, cheap, and fast" North Austin eatery whose "authentic Cantonese-style cuisine" is "about as real Chinese as it gets deep in the heart of Texas"; it may not be much to look at, but the "large round tables with Lazy Susans are great for large parties" - and best of all it "stays open late." |
Review Highlights -
"Din Ho is the best place in central-ish Austin for authentic Chinese food."
"Loved and adored by the Chinese community, this place has fresh seafood in big ol' tanks and a ... grandma's living room type of atmosphere."
"Never been disappointed... It totally hits the spot."
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Featured in the 2002 Restaurant Poll
Best Chinese Cuisine
Austin Chronicle |
2001
Best Chinese Food
Citysearch.com |
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