Worst service you can imagine. We've been going here for years because the food is good, but it's turned into an abusive relationship and we're done. Food isn't THAT good. Every time we call for pick up, the female proprietor is so rude it's hard to believe. Don't bother giving them your business unless you like being berated.
(1)
Zachary E.
A great value! Tasty food, and great lunch specials. It's often busy, but I've never had to wait.
(5)
Chris C.
Love this place. Great chinese, cool owners.
(5)
Mark O.
As many have said, it is similar to many Chinese restaurants around the state and country. But I find the quality and consistency excellent. Also if you are willing to try the none standard dishes, even better.
(4)
New Y.
People are nice and food is great. Remember, veggie fried rice has egg and be sure to specify no egg if you want it vegetarian.
(4)
nick w.
This has got to be the quintessential strip-mall chinese food joint, right down to the placemats with an explanation of your birth-year animal. Satisfies the basics, nothing more or less.
(2)
Vince D.
I live right down the road from the plaza in which Lee Yuan resides. While this doesn't compare to being downtown, I still have a number of excellent restaurant options less than a mile from my house. Lee Yuan is one of my less-frequented places, but is still a fine restaurant. The dining room can get kind of cramped, so I like to get takeout here. I really like the General Tso's Chicken.
(3)
Jojo G.
just soso. compare chinese food in my district
(3)
Lindsay H.
We went to Lee Yuan for a wedding rehearsal dinner so our experience is probably a bit different than most. It was amazingly good. The service was excellent for our large group (Over 50!) The food was all delicious -- the spring rolls, cream cheese wontons, and prawns to start were fantastic. They didn't seem too greasy. The duck pancake was very well done. The walnut prawns came in a crispy edible dish, which was a really nice touch. The broccoli beef was like broccoli steaks, really high quality beef. The fried rice was really well done - especially the veggie fried rice with brown rice. We were impressed -- we weren't expecting such good food from a strip mall chinese joint! The one negative was we ordered wine (probably not smart) and it came very warm. All in all, highly recommended and hoping that their regular dinners are as good as our special rehearsal dinner!
(4)
Tim F.
Food isn't actually all that cheap for the quality. Eggplant and garlic was WAY too oily and eggplants overcooked. Overall good flavor, and fast, easy pickup. Online ordering tool worked great. 2 starts seems like too few, but the verbal association is "Meh. I've experienced better", and that's how I feel. Especially for the price.
(2)
Holly C.
When I lived in Boulder, this was my Chinese food of choice, tried and true. I see some of the negative reviews are from people who dined in which I've never done, but I've done takeout/delivery on numerous occasions. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about the authenticity of Chinese food, but I'm never disappointed here. When I was in Boulder the other day and heading home to Louisville, I actually decided to pick up some takeout because I missed it so much. Some Chinese takeout places (especially in Boulder) are hit or miss and you're left praying you got them on a good day, but Lee Yuan is a hit every time. I've tried quite a few dishes, but after I tried the Moo Shu Pork I found it hard to try anything else. The egg drop soup has a pleasantly subtle taste and tastes very fresh, which can be a problem at some other places. Lee Yuan is a step above the rest of the generic Chinese delivery you're going to get around Boulder. And yeah, a few times when I've gone in to pay I was ignored by the owner while she was on the phone, but I can't really explain why it never bothered me. I guess it's because I didn't consider myself ignored. If you pay attention, you'll notice she's always taking orders - it's not like she's just chatting on the phone for no reason, and she takes care of you as soon as the call is over. If you want great customer service, try something more upscale like Zoe Ma Ma. If you're just looking for good 'n dirty takeout, Lee Yuan is the place.
(4)
justin d.
Well this place lived up to it's 4 star promise very good food and it's was pretty traditional tasting too. Fast and friendly service from what I assume to be a ninja. My water glass was always full but I never seen him fill it up... You defiantly Get more then you pay for in quality and quanity!
(4)
Chris W.
The food was really good and so inexpensive. Sauces with good flavor and consistency, not gooey or gummy or viscous (aka why Chinese is my least favorite cuisine generally). It tasted like my mom made it, only better. I also ordered off menu but I'm not sure how to say what I ordered in English (or in Chinese either). From the reviews it looks like the owners are from Taiwan, which makes sense-- Mom's from Taiwan too.
(5)
Greg K.
The food is ok, the service for delivery is lacking tho. It was a snowy day but the communication was not properly given on times. Items were missed in our order and it took the driver 60 minutes to bring us the missing items.
(2)
Myla P.
First of all, a disclaimer. I went to Lee Yuan with a large group of 20, split into 2 tables of 10. We had a reservation and it was a Wednesday night, so they seemed ready for us. I ordered Wonton Soup, an Egg Roll, and the House Spicy Lamb. The soup and the egg roll were great, but the problem was my entree. They started bringing plates out one at a time, very slowly. This was actually understandable considering it was a small place and there were a lot of us. But my entree took AN HOUR AND A HALF. Not exaggerating. Another woman at my table ordered a steamed fish filet, and her order only arrived 5 minutes before they realized my entree was missing. When I finally asked the owner why the lamb had not arrived yet. She started yelling at me that she had already sent the lamb out. Then she went between both large tables, yelling that someone must have eaten the lamb and asking what was on already-emptied plates. She refused to believe that no one in our party had seen the Lamb. At this point most of our party had finished eating and everyone was simply waiting around for me to get my food. Finally, she went back to the kitchen to make another one, which took an additional 20 minutes. Even after the dish was delivered, I had to wait another 10 minutes for a bowl of white rice. To be honest, this would have been forgivable if the dish was delicious enough to be worth the wait, but it really was not. Sliced lamb, stir fried with vegetables and a brown sauce with red pepper flakes. It was not very spicy, but it still tasted pretty good, until I realized that the dish included a HUGE scoop of dried shrimp paste. Now, I actually really like shrimp paste. The problem was she put so much into the dish that it overpowered everything. Every bite tasted like shrimp. I couldn't eat it and was way too frustrated at this point to even tell the owner that it was awful. I will say that I sampled other dishes from people at my table, including the steamed fish, shredded duck and walnut shrimp, and all of those were excellent and I would order those again in a heartbeat. I guess it just was not my night. I know this is a small, family run restaurant with many loyal patrons, and I did like some of the food that I tried. But to be honest, this is one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had, and based on this one experience, I will not be returning.
(2)
Oliver P.
A nice place for lunch. I've been known to drive 45 minutes to get to a good chinese restaurant. While I wouldn't drive that long to get to Lee Yuan, if I was in the area and looking for a good chinese meal, this is definitely worth going to.
(4)
Rebecca J.
Normally I don't write bad reviews for restaurants. The food here has always been so/so but the customer service the last few times I went was horrible. The owner actually yelled at me while I was in the lobby because I had the nerve to only order a bowl of hot & sour soup and that they usually want customers to spend at least $5 (I believe the bowl of soup was $4.50.) Usually I do spend plenty there and get take out often, but now I will be sure to never go there again. I mean seriously, yelling at a frequent customer for spending too little?
(1)
Veg B.
I've been going to this restaurant for a year and a half and have been very pleased with the food though the service is erratic, usually slow even if there's only a few diners present. The last time my wife and I went the woman owner asked to see my ID when I ordered a beer with dinner. I am 64. When I balked at the ridiculousness of what she was asking, she lied and nervously said it was policy and they always ask everyone who orders alcohol. She said the police might come in and check! She was babbling. We got up and left and obviously won't be back. This woman has acted strangely in the past too but nothing so outrageous. It may be time for the next generation to take over this family restaurant. Maybe she is showing signs of early dementia.
(1)
cindy w.
I don't know what's up, but the last two recommendations I've followed up on through Yelp have been strictly "meh" experiences. I really am hoping that I don't need to drop $25+ to get an excellent meal in Boulder. I went here for lunch, and it was OK. Nothing great. I had a tofu and veggie bowl with rice, and it was boring, at best. Edible, but not yummy. My companion was not really thrilled with hers, either. OK if you're in the strip mall but not worth a drive out of the way.
(3)
Wayne B.
the food here is good. it is the most consistent in boulder. they are putting less chicken and meat in their dishes. anything with a batter and fried,has very little meat. they are not real social. their silverware seems to always have a film over it. they are better them most of the others. some of their food is precooked. asian food is one of the cheapest foods to make.!)10 to15% food cost. american food is 30%. they could afford to give more meat.
(3)
Yoyo T.
Having been raised on good Chinese food all my life, I don't trust most people's opinion of Asian food, especially Chinese food - unless you are 1. Asian or 2. Lived in Asia. Anyways, onto the review. I've been here two times. Once during the weekdays for an American Chinese lunch (gross, for the fact that Chinese food isn't suppose to taste like that and wtf are those fried wonton thingys?) and a pretty good Taiwanese street food meal. Obviously, this review is going to be about the latter. Me and my friends ordered about 12 plates of food. It was hit or miss, but the hits were pretty good. I remember the oyster pancake, spring onion pancake, hot soy milk with fried stick and wa gue being pretty delicious. All of it was pretty inexpensive. The only downside was that it took a long time to get food out, but seeing as there was only one other family (who was Chinese) in the restaurant, I understand why. So if you didn't learn anything from my review, let me leave you with this helpful tip to pick out a good Asian restaurant. If there are a lot of Asians in the Asian restaurant, you can probably trust it. If it's full of non-Asians, run! Tried and true.
(4)
Bruce R.
Unfortunately, there aren't any great Chinese restaurants in East Boulder area (that we've found anyway). Lee Yuan is one of the best, and a few of the dishes are very good. Their Egg Foo Yong is excellent, General Tso's Chicken is good, The Walnut Shrimp is usually good, although it was terrible one time we ordered it. Overall the food is just what I've rated it, 3 stars. We usually take out, the atmosphere is typical Chinese restaurant in a strip mall. One complaint I have to make here is that when they get the order wrong (which has only happened to us twice in about 20 orders), they don't immediately fix it and take responsibility. For a regular customer like we have become, this was very disappointing, they just don't get customer service. But tell me where there is better Chinese food in the East Boulder County area please (with the exception of Spice China, the nicer cousin of North Boulder's awesome China Gourmet.)
(3)
David Z.
Very good chinese food and friendly staff!
(4)
Andre J.
Basic, no frills chinese restaurant. The chicken fried rice and hot and sour soup are tops. Scallion pancakes are pretty good too, though they can vary between crispy and soggy. Other menu items are hit-or-miss, so if you find something you like, just stick with that.
(3)
Keith S.
I really enjoy the food at Lee Yuan. I live relatively close, in walking distance, and have frequented here on many occasions. Some high points: The Lo Mein is always good and tasty. A little greasy, but hey, it's lo mien. I enjoy the hot 'n' sour soup. Great flavor. I have also been pleased with chicken and broccoli, sesame chicken, and general tso's chicken. In all honesty, I have never left this place and thought the food was ever bad. Here is the catch, you have to be patient because they have limited staff and sometimes to go orders can take a little longer than usual. I just tell myself I am waiting for quality food and quality food takes time. The ambiance is what you would expect from an Asian restaurant. The staff is also very friendly and the service is always fine.
(4)
Tyler G.
For "chinese" take-out food this place is amazing. Everything seemed made from fresh, quality ingredients. The pan fried noodles were amazing!
(4)
Carmel U.
Ate here for lunch today and took advantage of their $6 Lunch Bowls. I got the General Tso's chicken and my Fiancee got LoMein. The portions are appropriate for being both a Lunch item and only $6. I think they could've gone a bit lighter on the sauce, but I prefer light sauce no matter when I go for chinese. Service was prompt and the food was good! There were quite a few people in there so I think it is a popular lunch spot for businesses in the area. Would eat here again.
(4)
Zubey L.
this place is very up and down, been going here since 2001, ive had food here that has been excellent, average and nasty... its hard to say why its so up and down like this... but one thing is for sure.. when its on... its VERY good.. they used to be pretty crowded at lunchtime but it looks like they've lost a lot of their customers from bad service and food .. when they are down.
(2)
Lisa C.
We've been to Lee Yuan several times....never been disappointed! I always order the same....hot "n" sour soup and, the vegetable fried rice. The owner is usually on site and friendly. Service can be slow from time to time but, that's Ok. Price wise....it's pretty reasonable. Overall... service and food are good!
(3)
Kirstie B.
I have been coming to this restaurant since I was a kid and I have never been disappointed! I love the egg roll wrap they put on the veggie egg rolls, I can't find it anywhere else. All of the food is fresh made to order and you can totally tell because everything is absolutely delicious. For sure my favorite Chinese restaurant.
(5)
Anh N.
First of all, this is a real tradition chinese food. No americanized shit stuffs. The owner and her husband are from Taiwan, and they kept the original tastes of the middle south chinese foods. I've been to china for many times. So i kinda differentiate real foods and shit stuffs. Secondly, the restaurant is nice-decorated, clean, tidy, and smells fresh compared to other restaurant. And moreover, the owner is really nice and friendly.
(5)
Margaret A.
I order delivery from here often. I have never actually eaten in the restaurant, so I can't speak to the location or the service. I really like they're online ordering system, I've never had any problems and they always get the order right. If you're a big eater like me, then the portions are not huge. I don't usually have too much left-over like when you go to other places and have left overs for days. The price is a little more expensive than your run of the mill Chinese, but I do think the food is better. I really like the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce, and the Sesame tofu. Although what I do now is order the Steamed Assorted Vegetables, and then I ask for the sesame sauce on the side. That way it's healthier than fried food, you get veggies, and plenty of the sesame sauce. The biggest down side about this place is no matter what time or day you order, it always take 1+ hours to deliver. I know that's a long wait, but it's worth it if you're in the mood for delivered Chinese. Just try to order early so the food gets there right on time when you want to eat.
(4)
Andy F.
I've been going to this restaurant for a few years and enjoy their meals. Lunch you can get in and out in about 20 minutes so service is fast. Dinner can be good too. I think their food is fresh and the staff is friendly. Having said that, I can understand where people might rate this a little lower than my rating. Sometimes, less than 20% of the time, there can be inconsistencies, but if I speak up they rectify the issue.
(4)
Ashley B.
2012 Review #354: After my dismay at Namaste Nepal being closed, I gave this place a try. It's been here as long as I can remember but I've never been. It's very, very small inside, and the (assumable) owner was on the phone when I walked in, and wordlessly handed me a menu so I sat myself. They currently have $6 lunch bowls, but the lunch specials are very cheap at $6.50 for veggie and chicken options. I went with the "spicy" vegetables in garlic sauce. The specials are supposed to come with soup, fried rice, and an egg roll or wonton. They asked me what soup I wanted but just sort of decided I wanted an egg roll. There was one server who was a college kid and he did a good job; every table gets a pot of jasmine tea which is surprisingly rare for lunch specials. The egg drop soup was pretty good but a little pre-made tasting. My lunch was fine- the veggies were pretty fresh but the sauce wasn't spicy at all and was a bit sweet. The egg roll was also fine but a bit pre-made along with the soup. The fried rice was the most egg-heavy fried rice I've ever seen. I took a couple bites but it wasn't really worth it. For $7 this is a good lunch option but Tsing Tao is definitely a lot better, at an almost identical price and within 2 miles. If I'm ever strapped for time like today, I'll go again but for now, I'll probably check out somewhere else.
(3)
Laura S.
They took the delivery order. 1 hour later they called to say we were out of their delivery zone but they were assembling the food for delivery anyway. The call I guess was to let us know how much they resented us. After another hour of waiting, we called to cancel. Turns out they still hadn't prepared the food. Why would I ever trust them again?
(1)
Kevin U.
Stopped into lee yuan because we were staying close. Didn't expect a lot of the small but nicely decorated and clean place. What a surprise. The food from the start was amazing. You could tell right away that they make all the sauces and insist on the best ingredients. Nancy was amazing and friendly and all the servers were really attentive. This place is a keeper!
(5)
Brian K.
This was one of the worst meals I've had in my life. My girlfriend got the sesame tofu. The texture of her tofu was mushy, and it tasted uncooked and flavorless. My kung pao tofu was slightly better, but the peanuts tasted like disgusting cocktail peanuts and the sauce was rather bland. Both of our entrees smelled like feet. Add on to this a group of old, loud honkeys laughing about their money as they discuss politics at an unreasonable volume. So, if you're old and like mild and bland food, this might be a good place for you. Otherwise, head somewhere else.
(1)
MrandMrs H.
Middle of the road prices... Middle of the road food (in most instances). We used to live close by, and ordered from Lee Yuan ... A half dozen times. I think tat in the end what got to us was that it was hard to try new things and discover they weren't as flavorful as the items they are clearly well liked for (see online menu, popular items are marked as such). My two bits - order from here what they clearly do well. The rest, at your own risk - depending where you are coming from, you might find it amazing, or just Blah.. I will say this - when ordering the favorites, you are paying for their most costly dishes, and that means this place is not such a bargain anymore. The less popular menu items are certainly less expensive, and less well put together (ie Another case of you get what you pay for). The egg rolls (not spring rolls) are good!! Worth a trip there just for a dozen of them if you are in the mood!
(3)
Stacie J.
Nope! Do not eat here! This use to be our favorite chinese food place ever! Our old roomate got my husband and I hooked on it for the past 4 years. We haven't had it in a while and decided to enjoy our Friday night with chinese! My husband loves General Tso's even though he's not a fan of spicy. It was awful; sweet as can be and no flavor! The crab ragoon was 2 days old, dry and had nothing in it! Very very dissapointing Friday night! Ugh!
(1)
Sharon R.
Lee Yuans is the best, And I am from California. I have been to every Chinatown in the world, and this restaurant is by far the best, with the best food and service that knocked my socks off. The food was so good, that it was like coming home and I'm not even Chinese.
(5)
Jane D.
There food is ok, but there service is the worst, and I'm sick of it. These people are lazy. I have often called them to deliver me food...they are just around the corner from me. Today I called to have lunch delivered. I called at 1:50pm. I literally live less than 3 min away, but I've been sick today, so I wanted my soup delivered. On the website it says they deliver until 2:30pm however she would't take my order even though it was 40 minutes until they closed. It doesn't take long to deliver soup, she wasn't having it tho, worst of all she didn't even offer for me to pick it up. I guess this is a sign to just stop supporting this business. I told her I was a long time customer. I won't be ordering from them any longer. They just lost my business.
(2)
Matthew B.
Just a big ol 'nope'. Eggdrop had zero flavor. I've never had to add soy sauce to soup before to give it some semblance of flavor. Waiter/hostess lady was extremely "edgy", borderline rude to people coming in and on the phone. General Tso Chicken also no flavor. Extremely bland. Actually tastes AND LOOKS like buffalo sauce'd wings. People in Boulder must like bland cause there is a steady To-Go/Pickup throughput. But to this South Texan, there's no flavor in anything.
(2)
Melissa M.
Lee Yuan is a yummy, reasonably priced, and locally owned restaurant. Their lunch specials are a great deal and their survice always gets you in and out in a good amount of time. The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars is because the take out always takes longer than they estimate. Overall, Lee Yuan in great!
(4)
Phil C.
Ordered hot and sour soup and general tso chicken. Soup was 4/5 and general chicken was 2.5/5; sauce was excessive and mildly flavored. Normally this dish should be cooked with garlic, red dried chili peppers which this dish had none. Sauce wasnt sticky as I should be. The restaurant has nice decor and clean on the inside.
(4)
Benson S.
Went for the lunch buffet on a Saturday. Pretty scary. Female owner lived up to her reputation, and was quite rude. I have read form other posters that on Saturdays they have a special menu of Taiwanese foods. But the buffet was scary old, bland, greasy American-Chinese food.
(2)
Andrew T.
HOTBED FOR CREDIT CARD FRAUD First, let me start with the Chicken Broccoli I got was awful. I'm pretty sure they thawed it in the microwave and forgot to put sauce on it. But terrible Chinese food comes along... The MOST disturbing thing of my entire experience is that I'm going to have to cancel a credit card because of their online ordering system. A coworker and I tried to do the takeout ordering from their website, and when he tried to pick up the food, they told him the orders didn't go through. He asked if we were charged for it, and the worker said "no, but never use the online ordering because people's information has been stolen from that". GREAT!!! take down the online ordering if it doesn't work, don't walk your (now former) customers into a identity scam! They are probably the ones scamming the cards themselves as a nice little side business. Not that I would go back because of the terrible food , but after the credit card experience, I'm just pissed at them.
(1)
Clea C.
This was an odd evening. I sat down in the mostly empty room on a Tuesday night and asked for a glass of wine. I was carded. I was born in 1963. I was asked if it was really me. I pulled out another ID and got a giant eye-rolling experience with a glass of wine. I ordered spring rolls, hot and sour soup, and pan fried wontons. Spring rolls smelled bad from the oil, hot and sour soup was very thin but actually tasted okay, and pan fried wontons weren't that good. Service was just strange, like, "Aren't you ready to order?" and "Don't you see the condiments?" Then I got the bill. The total for 2 glasses of okay wine and 2 mostly uneaten appetizers was almost $30. That would be okay, but the totals didn't add up! For example, the first four lines were the appetizers and soup + the 1 glass of wine which didn't add to the total, then the other glass of wine which didn't add to the final total and didn't equal the other total. I asked and she said she rounded it up for the tax. Then she retotaled the whole thing and I owed 20 cents more. Fine. I'm tired, let me pay and leave and never come back. Very confusing.
(1)
Pamela D.
We went here for dinner the evening of 4/17/2014. We've been here many times before because it is close to our house. As far as Chinese food goes, it's nothing special & is just so-so. The lady who appears to be the owner always seems to be in a short & bad mood. Tonight I was simply asking what vegetables where included in the steamed vegetables. Her response was "broccoli, snap peas...just fresh vegetables." When again asked what kind of vegetables she snapped back "fresh vegetables" with an attitude as if I hadn't heard her the first time even though she only partially answered my question. When my boyfriend pointed out to her that the men's bathroom was nearly out of toilet paper, she simply said okay & went back to her reading without actually doing anything about it. While he was in the restroom, I overheard the owner on the phone taking an order & I heard her snap at that individual meaning times saying "Is that all?!...(wait for next item & snaps again) Is that all?!" The attitude of the service here explains a lot. Every time we've eaten in at this place, more people are getting take out than actually staying to eat there.
(2)
Michael K.
I ordered take out. The food was okay at best. The lady at the front desk is a little rude. The rest of the staff is great! I really think they should move the microwave out of the view of the dining room. They also do not take Amex.
(3)
Anonymous R.
Slowest delivery on the planet. Ordered my food at about 6 pm and it did not show up until after 8 pm - I called several times - after 1 hour and then again after 2 hours and they accused me of giving them the wrong address. I asked them to read it back to me and it was correct. Eventually they showed up with a grease soaked bag of food that had obviously been sitting for quite some time. The food was bland, or so salty that it was inedible. No spice, no seasoning, everything was brown, lumpy, salty, filled with too much MSG and just plain nasty. Never ever again.
(1)
Hsin S.
Come here on Saturdays and ask for the Taiwanese menu. They serve traditional Taiwanese street food such as pork rice, oyster pancake, soy milk, beef noodles, radish cake... It's like eating my mom's home cook meals! The owner is very nice and the restaurant is clean and well maintained.
(5)
Brenda G.
I took my children in for lunch today and the owner was obviously not happy to see us. It seems children are not welcome there. I was rudely informed NOT to give the children any tea and we were rudely reprimanded for moving paper placemats. We ordered steamed dumplings, soup, and chicken lo mein. The food was greasy and I'm not certain sanitary. This is NOT a restaurant for children. We will not return.
(1)
Amy K.
I'm vegan and I like their vegan dishes A LOT. This is my favorite place in Boulder to get Chinese take out.
(4)
Ir C.
Best Taiwanese cuisine in Boulder Ask for the home made meatballs. Not sure it is on the menu They also make some traditional bakery items. All home made
(4)
Andreena S.
Rude employee (might have been the owner). Expensive and slow. $15 for a chicken chow mien that took 25 min to make. When I asked her why it takes so long she replied "we use don't use can food. only fresh". I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure I can make a stir fry in about 10 min if everything is prepped restaurant style. The lady that helped me was super stingy with the soy sauce and wanted to give only one packet for a meal that serves three people. She ended up charging me like $3 for some additional ones! My advice would be to avoid this place at all cost!
(1)
Bradley S.
One star is for the staff, each time I've come here they are very polite and hardworking. Another star for the food, as it is pretty tasty and decently priced. Last star for the staff again, they seem a little understaffed sometimes and they do everything to keep it going. That said, the past two times I've been told 20 minutes for pickup. First time it took 38 minutes. I am currently sitting in their restaurant at 7 pm, still waiting for a order I was told would be ready around 6:30. Overall, not a bad place, nice place for a bite to eat if you want some Chinese fare and a sit down environment. Staff works hard and is always polite. Just wish they could be a little bit more accurate on the wait times.
(3)
Lily S.
Word of advice: come here on the weekend and try their homemade Taiwanese style street food. You'll get the kind of specialty found in the famous Taiwan night markets such as the Oyster omelet, fish balls in seafood sauce, etc, and they're all really good! We chatted up with the owner's wife who made some of the dishes, she used to be a pastry chef in Taiwan before moving to the US and we tried one of her Chocolate Cake Roll with Taro Fillings, it was very appeasing to our Chinese tastebuds! We took a peek at the buffet station and saw foods you can pretty much get at Panda Express so we know we must stick to the plan of visiting only on the weekend! If you enjoy Zoe Ma Ma, you'll like getting the kind of homemade street food offered at Lee Yuan!
(4)
Barbara B.
My sister and I went there for lunch. Because we were short on time, we opted for the buffet instead of ordering from the menu. Big mistake. (The biggest mistake was going there in the first place. You'll see why.) The food on the buffet was not hot. It was room temperature at best. Although we were there at 11:30 (shortly after they opened), the food looked as if had sat there for awhile. We really should have just walked out at that point. My sister had some chicken from the buffet that she said tasted old, and the stir fried green beans from the buffet were wrinkled and pretty nasty. The rest of the offerings were just as unappealing. While we were eating, a small bug - either a gnat or fruit fly landed on a small plate that I had an appetizer on. Then, I noticed one on my lunch plate. I took my plate and showed it to the owner, and she claimed it was not a bug, it was part of the food. A tiny black thing that moves isn't usually part of any dish I would order. She told me her kitchen is very clean, the buffet is always very very hot, and she has never had a problem like this. Then, she said if there were any bugs, it was because people kept opening the door. She talked to the waiter and told him it wasn't a bug, I was mistaken. She repeated this several times as we paid the check and left. Fortunately, neither one of us got sick. Probably because we didn't eat much. A $9.95 lunch buffet is pretty overpriced, especially since we left the majority of the nasty food behind. Who wants to eat after they find bugs on their plate? Don't go there, unless you work for the Health Department.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Deryn W.
Worst service you can imagine. We've been going here for years because the food is good, but it's turned into an abusive relationship and we're done. Food isn't THAT good. Every time we call for pick up, the female proprietor is so rude it's hard to believe. Don't bother giving them your business unless you like being berated.
(1)Zachary E.
A great value! Tasty food, and great lunch specials. It's often busy, but I've never had to wait.
(5)Chris C.
Love this place. Great chinese, cool owners.
(5)Mark O.
As many have said, it is similar to many Chinese restaurants around the state and country. But I find the quality and consistency excellent. Also if you are willing to try the none standard dishes, even better.
(4)New Y.
People are nice and food is great. Remember, veggie fried rice has egg and be sure to specify no egg if you want it vegetarian.
(4)nick w.
This has got to be the quintessential strip-mall chinese food joint, right down to the placemats with an explanation of your birth-year animal. Satisfies the basics, nothing more or less.
(2)Vince D.
I live right down the road from the plaza in which Lee Yuan resides. While this doesn't compare to being downtown, I still have a number of excellent restaurant options less than a mile from my house. Lee Yuan is one of my less-frequented places, but is still a fine restaurant. The dining room can get kind of cramped, so I like to get takeout here. I really like the General Tso's Chicken.
(3)Jojo G.
just soso. compare chinese food in my district
(3)Lindsay H.
We went to Lee Yuan for a wedding rehearsal dinner so our experience is probably a bit different than most. It was amazingly good. The service was excellent for our large group (Over 50!) The food was all delicious -- the spring rolls, cream cheese wontons, and prawns to start were fantastic. They didn't seem too greasy. The duck pancake was very well done. The walnut prawns came in a crispy edible dish, which was a really nice touch. The broccoli beef was like broccoli steaks, really high quality beef. The fried rice was really well done - especially the veggie fried rice with brown rice. We were impressed -- we weren't expecting such good food from a strip mall chinese joint! The one negative was we ordered wine (probably not smart) and it came very warm. All in all, highly recommended and hoping that their regular dinners are as good as our special rehearsal dinner!
(4)Tim F.
Food isn't actually all that cheap for the quality. Eggplant and garlic was WAY too oily and eggplants overcooked. Overall good flavor, and fast, easy pickup. Online ordering tool worked great. 2 starts seems like too few, but the verbal association is "Meh. I've experienced better", and that's how I feel. Especially for the price.
(2)Holly C.
When I lived in Boulder, this was my Chinese food of choice, tried and true. I see some of the negative reviews are from people who dined in which I've never done, but I've done takeout/delivery on numerous occasions. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about the authenticity of Chinese food, but I'm never disappointed here. When I was in Boulder the other day and heading home to Louisville, I actually decided to pick up some takeout because I missed it so much. Some Chinese takeout places (especially in Boulder) are hit or miss and you're left praying you got them on a good day, but Lee Yuan is a hit every time. I've tried quite a few dishes, but after I tried the Moo Shu Pork I found it hard to try anything else. The egg drop soup has a pleasantly subtle taste and tastes very fresh, which can be a problem at some other places. Lee Yuan is a step above the rest of the generic Chinese delivery you're going to get around Boulder. And yeah, a few times when I've gone in to pay I was ignored by the owner while she was on the phone, but I can't really explain why it never bothered me. I guess it's because I didn't consider myself ignored. If you pay attention, you'll notice she's always taking orders - it's not like she's just chatting on the phone for no reason, and she takes care of you as soon as the call is over. If you want great customer service, try something more upscale like Zoe Ma Ma. If you're just looking for good 'n dirty takeout, Lee Yuan is the place.
(4)justin d.
Well this place lived up to it's 4 star promise very good food and it's was pretty traditional tasting too. Fast and friendly service from what I assume to be a ninja. My water glass was always full but I never seen him fill it up... You defiantly Get more then you pay for in quality and quanity!
(4)Chris W.
The food was really good and so inexpensive. Sauces with good flavor and consistency, not gooey or gummy or viscous (aka why Chinese is my least favorite cuisine generally). It tasted like my mom made it, only better. I also ordered off menu but I'm not sure how to say what I ordered in English (or in Chinese either). From the reviews it looks like the owners are from Taiwan, which makes sense-- Mom's from Taiwan too.
(5)Greg K.
The food is ok, the service for delivery is lacking tho. It was a snowy day but the communication was not properly given on times. Items were missed in our order and it took the driver 60 minutes to bring us the missing items.
(2)Myla P.
First of all, a disclaimer. I went to Lee Yuan with a large group of 20, split into 2 tables of 10. We had a reservation and it was a Wednesday night, so they seemed ready for us. I ordered Wonton Soup, an Egg Roll, and the House Spicy Lamb. The soup and the egg roll were great, but the problem was my entree. They started bringing plates out one at a time, very slowly. This was actually understandable considering it was a small place and there were a lot of us. But my entree took AN HOUR AND A HALF. Not exaggerating. Another woman at my table ordered a steamed fish filet, and her order only arrived 5 minutes before they realized my entree was missing. When I finally asked the owner why the lamb had not arrived yet. She started yelling at me that she had already sent the lamb out. Then she went between both large tables, yelling that someone must have eaten the lamb and asking what was on already-emptied plates. She refused to believe that no one in our party had seen the Lamb. At this point most of our party had finished eating and everyone was simply waiting around for me to get my food. Finally, she went back to the kitchen to make another one, which took an additional 20 minutes. Even after the dish was delivered, I had to wait another 10 minutes for a bowl of white rice. To be honest, this would have been forgivable if the dish was delicious enough to be worth the wait, but it really was not. Sliced lamb, stir fried with vegetables and a brown sauce with red pepper flakes. It was not very spicy, but it still tasted pretty good, until I realized that the dish included a HUGE scoop of dried shrimp paste. Now, I actually really like shrimp paste. The problem was she put so much into the dish that it overpowered everything. Every bite tasted like shrimp. I couldn't eat it and was way too frustrated at this point to even tell the owner that it was awful. I will say that I sampled other dishes from people at my table, including the steamed fish, shredded duck and walnut shrimp, and all of those were excellent and I would order those again in a heartbeat. I guess it just was not my night. I know this is a small, family run restaurant with many loyal patrons, and I did like some of the food that I tried. But to be honest, this is one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had, and based on this one experience, I will not be returning.
(2)Oliver P.
A nice place for lunch. I've been known to drive 45 minutes to get to a good chinese restaurant. While I wouldn't drive that long to get to Lee Yuan, if I was in the area and looking for a good chinese meal, this is definitely worth going to.
(4)Rebecca J.
Normally I don't write bad reviews for restaurants. The food here has always been so/so but the customer service the last few times I went was horrible. The owner actually yelled at me while I was in the lobby because I had the nerve to only order a bowl of hot & sour soup and that they usually want customers to spend at least $5 (I believe the bowl of soup was $4.50.) Usually I do spend plenty there and get take out often, but now I will be sure to never go there again. I mean seriously, yelling at a frequent customer for spending too little?
(1)Veg B.
I've been going to this restaurant for a year and a half and have been very pleased with the food though the service is erratic, usually slow even if there's only a few diners present. The last time my wife and I went the woman owner asked to see my ID when I ordered a beer with dinner. I am 64. When I balked at the ridiculousness of what she was asking, she lied and nervously said it was policy and they always ask everyone who orders alcohol. She said the police might come in and check! She was babbling. We got up and left and obviously won't be back. This woman has acted strangely in the past too but nothing so outrageous. It may be time for the next generation to take over this family restaurant. Maybe she is showing signs of early dementia.
(1)cindy w.
I don't know what's up, but the last two recommendations I've followed up on through Yelp have been strictly "meh" experiences. I really am hoping that I don't need to drop $25+ to get an excellent meal in Boulder. I went here for lunch, and it was OK. Nothing great. I had a tofu and veggie bowl with rice, and it was boring, at best. Edible, but not yummy. My companion was not really thrilled with hers, either. OK if you're in the strip mall but not worth a drive out of the way.
(3)Wayne B.
the food here is good. it is the most consistent in boulder. they are putting less chicken and meat in their dishes. anything with a batter and fried,has very little meat. they are not real social. their silverware seems to always have a film over it. they are better them most of the others. some of their food is precooked. asian food is one of the cheapest foods to make.!)10 to15% food cost. american food is 30%. they could afford to give more meat.
(3)Yoyo T.
Having been raised on good Chinese food all my life, I don't trust most people's opinion of Asian food, especially Chinese food - unless you are 1. Asian or 2. Lived in Asia. Anyways, onto the review. I've been here two times. Once during the weekdays for an American Chinese lunch (gross, for the fact that Chinese food isn't suppose to taste like that and wtf are those fried wonton thingys?) and a pretty good Taiwanese street food meal. Obviously, this review is going to be about the latter. Me and my friends ordered about 12 plates of food. It was hit or miss, but the hits were pretty good. I remember the oyster pancake, spring onion pancake, hot soy milk with fried stick and wa gue being pretty delicious. All of it was pretty inexpensive. The only downside was that it took a long time to get food out, but seeing as there was only one other family (who was Chinese) in the restaurant, I understand why. So if you didn't learn anything from my review, let me leave you with this helpful tip to pick out a good Asian restaurant. If there are a lot of Asians in the Asian restaurant, you can probably trust it. If it's full of non-Asians, run! Tried and true.
(4)Bruce R.
Unfortunately, there aren't any great Chinese restaurants in East Boulder area (that we've found anyway). Lee Yuan is one of the best, and a few of the dishes are very good. Their Egg Foo Yong is excellent, General Tso's Chicken is good, The Walnut Shrimp is usually good, although it was terrible one time we ordered it. Overall the food is just what I've rated it, 3 stars. We usually take out, the atmosphere is typical Chinese restaurant in a strip mall. One complaint I have to make here is that when they get the order wrong (which has only happened to us twice in about 20 orders), they don't immediately fix it and take responsibility. For a regular customer like we have become, this was very disappointing, they just don't get customer service. But tell me where there is better Chinese food in the East Boulder County area please (with the exception of Spice China, the nicer cousin of North Boulder's awesome China Gourmet.)
(3)David Z.
Very good chinese food and friendly staff!
(4)Andre J.
Basic, no frills chinese restaurant. The chicken fried rice and hot and sour soup are tops. Scallion pancakes are pretty good too, though they can vary between crispy and soggy. Other menu items are hit-or-miss, so if you find something you like, just stick with that.
(3)Keith S.
I really enjoy the food at Lee Yuan. I live relatively close, in walking distance, and have frequented here on many occasions. Some high points: The Lo Mein is always good and tasty. A little greasy, but hey, it's lo mien. I enjoy the hot 'n' sour soup. Great flavor. I have also been pleased with chicken and broccoli, sesame chicken, and general tso's chicken. In all honesty, I have never left this place and thought the food was ever bad. Here is the catch, you have to be patient because they have limited staff and sometimes to go orders can take a little longer than usual. I just tell myself I am waiting for quality food and quality food takes time. The ambiance is what you would expect from an Asian restaurant. The staff is also very friendly and the service is always fine.
(4)Tyler G.
For "chinese" take-out food this place is amazing. Everything seemed made from fresh, quality ingredients. The pan fried noodles were amazing!
(4)Carmel U.
Ate here for lunch today and took advantage of their $6 Lunch Bowls. I got the General Tso's chicken and my Fiancee got LoMein. The portions are appropriate for being both a Lunch item and only $6. I think they could've gone a bit lighter on the sauce, but I prefer light sauce no matter when I go for chinese. Service was prompt and the food was good! There were quite a few people in there so I think it is a popular lunch spot for businesses in the area. Would eat here again.
(4)Zubey L.
this place is very up and down, been going here since 2001, ive had food here that has been excellent, average and nasty... its hard to say why its so up and down like this... but one thing is for sure.. when its on... its VERY good.. they used to be pretty crowded at lunchtime but it looks like they've lost a lot of their customers from bad service and food .. when they are down.
(2)Lisa C.
We've been to Lee Yuan several times....never been disappointed! I always order the same....hot "n" sour soup and, the vegetable fried rice. The owner is usually on site and friendly. Service can be slow from time to time but, that's Ok. Price wise....it's pretty reasonable. Overall... service and food are good!
(3)Kirstie B.
I have been coming to this restaurant since I was a kid and I have never been disappointed! I love the egg roll wrap they put on the veggie egg rolls, I can't find it anywhere else. All of the food is fresh made to order and you can totally tell because everything is absolutely delicious. For sure my favorite Chinese restaurant.
(5)Anh N.
First of all, this is a real tradition chinese food. No americanized shit stuffs. The owner and her husband are from Taiwan, and they kept the original tastes of the middle south chinese foods. I've been to china for many times. So i kinda differentiate real foods and shit stuffs. Secondly, the restaurant is nice-decorated, clean, tidy, and smells fresh compared to other restaurant. And moreover, the owner is really nice and friendly.
(5)Margaret A.
I order delivery from here often. I have never actually eaten in the restaurant, so I can't speak to the location or the service. I really like they're online ordering system, I've never had any problems and they always get the order right. If you're a big eater like me, then the portions are not huge. I don't usually have too much left-over like when you go to other places and have left overs for days. The price is a little more expensive than your run of the mill Chinese, but I do think the food is better. I really like the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce, and the Sesame tofu. Although what I do now is order the Steamed Assorted Vegetables, and then I ask for the sesame sauce on the side. That way it's healthier than fried food, you get veggies, and plenty of the sesame sauce. The biggest down side about this place is no matter what time or day you order, it always take 1+ hours to deliver. I know that's a long wait, but it's worth it if you're in the mood for delivered Chinese. Just try to order early so the food gets there right on time when you want to eat.
(4)Andy F.
I've been going to this restaurant for a few years and enjoy their meals. Lunch you can get in and out in about 20 minutes so service is fast. Dinner can be good too. I think their food is fresh and the staff is friendly. Having said that, I can understand where people might rate this a little lower than my rating. Sometimes, less than 20% of the time, there can be inconsistencies, but if I speak up they rectify the issue.
(4)Ashley B.
2012 Review #354: After my dismay at Namaste Nepal being closed, I gave this place a try. It's been here as long as I can remember but I've never been. It's very, very small inside, and the (assumable) owner was on the phone when I walked in, and wordlessly handed me a menu so I sat myself. They currently have $6 lunch bowls, but the lunch specials are very cheap at $6.50 for veggie and chicken options. I went with the "spicy" vegetables in garlic sauce. The specials are supposed to come with soup, fried rice, and an egg roll or wonton. They asked me what soup I wanted but just sort of decided I wanted an egg roll. There was one server who was a college kid and he did a good job; every table gets a pot of jasmine tea which is surprisingly rare for lunch specials. The egg drop soup was pretty good but a little pre-made tasting. My lunch was fine- the veggies were pretty fresh but the sauce wasn't spicy at all and was a bit sweet. The egg roll was also fine but a bit pre-made along with the soup. The fried rice was the most egg-heavy fried rice I've ever seen. I took a couple bites but it wasn't really worth it. For $7 this is a good lunch option but Tsing Tao is definitely a lot better, at an almost identical price and within 2 miles. If I'm ever strapped for time like today, I'll go again but for now, I'll probably check out somewhere else.
(3)Laura S.
They took the delivery order. 1 hour later they called to say we were out of their delivery zone but they were assembling the food for delivery anyway. The call I guess was to let us know how much they resented us. After another hour of waiting, we called to cancel. Turns out they still hadn't prepared the food. Why would I ever trust them again?
(1)Kevin U.
Stopped into lee yuan because we were staying close. Didn't expect a lot of the small but nicely decorated and clean place. What a surprise. The food from the start was amazing. You could tell right away that they make all the sauces and insist on the best ingredients. Nancy was amazing and friendly and all the servers were really attentive. This place is a keeper!
(5)Brian K.
This was one of the worst meals I've had in my life. My girlfriend got the sesame tofu. The texture of her tofu was mushy, and it tasted uncooked and flavorless. My kung pao tofu was slightly better, but the peanuts tasted like disgusting cocktail peanuts and the sauce was rather bland. Both of our entrees smelled like feet. Add on to this a group of old, loud honkeys laughing about their money as they discuss politics at an unreasonable volume. So, if you're old and like mild and bland food, this might be a good place for you. Otherwise, head somewhere else.
(1)MrandMrs H.
Middle of the road prices... Middle of the road food (in most instances). We used to live close by, and ordered from Lee Yuan ... A half dozen times. I think tat in the end what got to us was that it was hard to try new things and discover they weren't as flavorful as the items they are clearly well liked for (see online menu, popular items are marked as such). My two bits - order from here what they clearly do well. The rest, at your own risk - depending where you are coming from, you might find it amazing, or just Blah.. I will say this - when ordering the favorites, you are paying for their most costly dishes, and that means this place is not such a bargain anymore. The less popular menu items are certainly less expensive, and less well put together (ie Another case of you get what you pay for). The egg rolls (not spring rolls) are good!! Worth a trip there just for a dozen of them if you are in the mood!
(3)Stacie J.
Nope! Do not eat here! This use to be our favorite chinese food place ever! Our old roomate got my husband and I hooked on it for the past 4 years. We haven't had it in a while and decided to enjoy our Friday night with chinese! My husband loves General Tso's even though he's not a fan of spicy. It was awful; sweet as can be and no flavor! The crab ragoon was 2 days old, dry and had nothing in it! Very very dissapointing Friday night! Ugh!
(1)Sharon R.
Lee Yuans is the best, And I am from California. I have been to every Chinatown in the world, and this restaurant is by far the best, with the best food and service that knocked my socks off. The food was so good, that it was like coming home and I'm not even Chinese.
(5)Jane D.
There food is ok, but there service is the worst, and I'm sick of it. These people are lazy. I have often called them to deliver me food...they are just around the corner from me. Today I called to have lunch delivered. I called at 1:50pm. I literally live less than 3 min away, but I've been sick today, so I wanted my soup delivered. On the website it says they deliver until 2:30pm however she would't take my order even though it was 40 minutes until they closed. It doesn't take long to deliver soup, she wasn't having it tho, worst of all she didn't even offer for me to pick it up. I guess this is a sign to just stop supporting this business. I told her I was a long time customer. I won't be ordering from them any longer. They just lost my business.
(2)Matthew B.
Just a big ol 'nope'. Eggdrop had zero flavor. I've never had to add soy sauce to soup before to give it some semblance of flavor. Waiter/hostess lady was extremely "edgy", borderline rude to people coming in and on the phone. General Tso Chicken also no flavor. Extremely bland. Actually tastes AND LOOKS like buffalo sauce'd wings. People in Boulder must like bland cause there is a steady To-Go/Pickup throughput. But to this South Texan, there's no flavor in anything.
(2)Melissa M.
Lee Yuan is a yummy, reasonably priced, and locally owned restaurant. Their lunch specials are a great deal and their survice always gets you in and out in a good amount of time. The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars is because the take out always takes longer than they estimate. Overall, Lee Yuan in great!
(4)Phil C.
Ordered hot and sour soup and general tso chicken. Soup was 4/5 and general chicken was 2.5/5; sauce was excessive and mildly flavored. Normally this dish should be cooked with garlic, red dried chili peppers which this dish had none. Sauce wasnt sticky as I should be. The restaurant has nice decor and clean on the inside.
(4)Benson S.
Went for the lunch buffet on a Saturday. Pretty scary. Female owner lived up to her reputation, and was quite rude. I have read form other posters that on Saturdays they have a special menu of Taiwanese foods. But the buffet was scary old, bland, greasy American-Chinese food.
(2)Andrew T.
HOTBED FOR CREDIT CARD FRAUD First, let me start with the Chicken Broccoli I got was awful. I'm pretty sure they thawed it in the microwave and forgot to put sauce on it. But terrible Chinese food comes along... The MOST disturbing thing of my entire experience is that I'm going to have to cancel a credit card because of their online ordering system. A coworker and I tried to do the takeout ordering from their website, and when he tried to pick up the food, they told him the orders didn't go through. He asked if we were charged for it, and the worker said "no, but never use the online ordering because people's information has been stolen from that". GREAT!!! take down the online ordering if it doesn't work, don't walk your (now former) customers into a identity scam! They are probably the ones scamming the cards themselves as a nice little side business. Not that I would go back because of the terrible food , but after the credit card experience, I'm just pissed at them.
(1)Clea C.
This was an odd evening. I sat down in the mostly empty room on a Tuesday night and asked for a glass of wine. I was carded. I was born in 1963. I was asked if it was really me. I pulled out another ID and got a giant eye-rolling experience with a glass of wine. I ordered spring rolls, hot and sour soup, and pan fried wontons. Spring rolls smelled bad from the oil, hot and sour soup was very thin but actually tasted okay, and pan fried wontons weren't that good. Service was just strange, like, "Aren't you ready to order?" and "Don't you see the condiments?" Then I got the bill. The total for 2 glasses of okay wine and 2 mostly uneaten appetizers was almost $30. That would be okay, but the totals didn't add up! For example, the first four lines were the appetizers and soup + the 1 glass of wine which didn't add to the total, then the other glass of wine which didn't add to the final total and didn't equal the other total. I asked and she said she rounded it up for the tax. Then she retotaled the whole thing and I owed 20 cents more. Fine. I'm tired, let me pay and leave and never come back. Very confusing.
(1)Pamela D.
We went here for dinner the evening of 4/17/2014. We've been here many times before because it is close to our house. As far as Chinese food goes, it's nothing special & is just so-so. The lady who appears to be the owner always seems to be in a short & bad mood. Tonight I was simply asking what vegetables where included in the steamed vegetables. Her response was "broccoli, snap peas...just fresh vegetables." When again asked what kind of vegetables she snapped back "fresh vegetables" with an attitude as if I hadn't heard her the first time even though she only partially answered my question. When my boyfriend pointed out to her that the men's bathroom was nearly out of toilet paper, she simply said okay & went back to her reading without actually doing anything about it. While he was in the restroom, I overheard the owner on the phone taking an order & I heard her snap at that individual meaning times saying "Is that all?!...(wait for next item & snaps again) Is that all?!" The attitude of the service here explains a lot. Every time we've eaten in at this place, more people are getting take out than actually staying to eat there.
(2)Michael K.
I ordered take out. The food was okay at best. The lady at the front desk is a little rude. The rest of the staff is great! I really think they should move the microwave out of the view of the dining room. They also do not take Amex.
(3)Anonymous R.
Slowest delivery on the planet. Ordered my food at about 6 pm and it did not show up until after 8 pm - I called several times - after 1 hour and then again after 2 hours and they accused me of giving them the wrong address. I asked them to read it back to me and it was correct. Eventually they showed up with a grease soaked bag of food that had obviously been sitting for quite some time. The food was bland, or so salty that it was inedible. No spice, no seasoning, everything was brown, lumpy, salty, filled with too much MSG and just plain nasty. Never ever again.
(1)Hsin S.
Come here on Saturdays and ask for the Taiwanese menu. They serve traditional Taiwanese street food such as pork rice, oyster pancake, soy milk, beef noodles, radish cake... It's like eating my mom's home cook meals! The owner is very nice and the restaurant is clean and well maintained.
(5)Brenda G.
I took my children in for lunch today and the owner was obviously not happy to see us. It seems children are not welcome there. I was rudely informed NOT to give the children any tea and we were rudely reprimanded for moving paper placemats. We ordered steamed dumplings, soup, and chicken lo mein. The food was greasy and I'm not certain sanitary. This is NOT a restaurant for children. We will not return.
(1)Amy K.
I'm vegan and I like their vegan dishes A LOT. This is my favorite place in Boulder to get Chinese take out.
(4)Ir C.
Best Taiwanese cuisine in Boulder Ask for the home made meatballs. Not sure it is on the menu They also make some traditional bakery items. All home made
(4)Andreena S.
Rude employee (might have been the owner). Expensive and slow. $15 for a chicken chow mien that took 25 min to make. When I asked her why it takes so long she replied "we use don't use can food. only fresh". I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure I can make a stir fry in about 10 min if everything is prepped restaurant style. The lady that helped me was super stingy with the soy sauce and wanted to give only one packet for a meal that serves three people. She ended up charging me like $3 for some additional ones! My advice would be to avoid this place at all cost!
(1)Bradley S.
One star is for the staff, each time I've come here they are very polite and hardworking. Another star for the food, as it is pretty tasty and decently priced. Last star for the staff again, they seem a little understaffed sometimes and they do everything to keep it going. That said, the past two times I've been told 20 minutes for pickup. First time it took 38 minutes. I am currently sitting in their restaurant at 7 pm, still waiting for a order I was told would be ready around 6:30. Overall, not a bad place, nice place for a bite to eat if you want some Chinese fare and a sit down environment. Staff works hard and is always polite. Just wish they could be a little bit more accurate on the wait times.
(3)Lily S.
Word of advice: come here on the weekend and try their homemade Taiwanese style street food. You'll get the kind of specialty found in the famous Taiwan night markets such as the Oyster omelet, fish balls in seafood sauce, etc, and they're all really good! We chatted up with the owner's wife who made some of the dishes, she used to be a pastry chef in Taiwan before moving to the US and we tried one of her Chocolate Cake Roll with Taro Fillings, it was very appeasing to our Chinese tastebuds! We took a peek at the buffet station and saw foods you can pretty much get at Panda Express so we know we must stick to the plan of visiting only on the weekend! If you enjoy Zoe Ma Ma, you'll like getting the kind of homemade street food offered at Lee Yuan!
(4)Barbara B.
My sister and I went there for lunch. Because we were short on time, we opted for the buffet instead of ordering from the menu. Big mistake. (The biggest mistake was going there in the first place. You'll see why.) The food on the buffet was not hot. It was room temperature at best. Although we were there at 11:30 (shortly after they opened), the food looked as if had sat there for awhile. We really should have just walked out at that point. My sister had some chicken from the buffet that she said tasted old, and the stir fried green beans from the buffet were wrinkled and pretty nasty. The rest of the offerings were just as unappealing. While we were eating, a small bug - either a gnat or fruit fly landed on a small plate that I had an appetizer on. Then, I noticed one on my lunch plate. I took my plate and showed it to the owner, and she claimed it was not a bug, it was part of the food. A tiny black thing that moves isn't usually part of any dish I would order. She told me her kitchen is very clean, the buffet is always very very hot, and she has never had a problem like this. Then, she said if there were any bugs, it was because people kept opening the door. She talked to the waiter and told him it wasn't a bug, I was mistaken. She repeated this several times as we paid the check and left. Fortunately, neither one of us got sick. Probably because we didn't eat much. A $9.95 lunch buffet is pretty overpriced, especially since we left the majority of the nasty food behind. Who wants to eat after they find bugs on their plate? Don't go there, unless you work for the Health Department.
(1)