Chili Palace Restaurant

This has got to be some of the best and most authentic Chinese food in the Bay Area.
I read through the other reviews before writing mine and can certainly see why some people didn’t appreciate this restaurant so I’ll clarify (as unbiasedly as I can).
This is a place to go if you dig authentic Hunan cuisine (the chef and Maitre D’ are both FROM Changsha — the capital city of the Hunan province AND their epicenter for good cooking!).
Their food is heavy on oil, most likely coated in MSG, and probably spicier than you can handle. Everything is RED. Everything swims in a sea of fried chili peppers and red oils. The only foods that aren’t red are white… and (deceptively) are even spicier. The white are sundried peppers that will literally set your face on fire.
Do note that, unless you are a connoisseur of spicy, you will more than likely not be able to taste much except for «OMG HOT!!!» For those of us who like spicy food, dang is this good…
Don’t expect anything of their non-​Hunan dishes… those are NOT their specialty. If you order sweet and sour pork, fried rice, lemon chicken, or anything equally non-​Hunan, you will be disappointed! Want orange chicken? Go to Panda Express… Want walnut shrimp? Go to Panda Express…
As for service… it’s a typical Chinese joint. If you see your waiter more than twice a meal, you’re lucky.
Come here to eat authentic Hunan cuisine that will make you sweat. Do not come here for good service or healthy cooking.

Really good an worth the drive for us. Kung poa was so flavorful no need for soy sauce. The sweet sour not soggy and very delicious. Overall good service and food.

Have you ever get so hungry that you can eat anything and it’s still the best thing that you ate? Well, not going to happen here.
I ordered a lot of different dishes including the Mongolian beef, chow –fun combo, crispy chicken, eggplants, prawns with chestnuts, and etc.
This restaurant does not live up to its name. Nothing was spicy. The crispy chicken was not even crispy. It was basically boiled chicken and they just fried it. –_​_​– Yeah, pretty lame and disgusting to consume. It almost seems like the restaurant was made for while people to eat.
I highly recommend not coming here esp if you are looking for a real Chinese meal.

I ordered to go from here last night mince beef onion soup and spicy chicken with fresh basil. A female greeted me when I came in. She gave me my order. When I got home to eat what I had bought I wasn’t impressed. The chicken was entirely too salty! The soup fairly bland, egg whites inconsistent (big chunks) SMH. PRICEY! These two items cost $ 16.39 including tax. Talk about feeling ram rodded!

I had my eye on Chili palace for a few months now, and got a chance to try the place last weekend. I deceided to go with their 3 entrée-​to-​go-​cash-​only deal for $ 17.99.
The portions were good sized. My fiancée and I ordered spicy garlic chicken, twice cooked pork and beef chow fun. The beef chow fun and pork were delicious, but the chicken lacked spice and garlic flavor. Overall the value was good as we ate off the leftovers for almost two days after, and the chicken was good when recooked with a little more garlic and some siracha.
Didn’t get any poor service, but the price tag on my to go order was $ 34,xx at first, which ended up being corrected to $ 19 and some change. I wonder if they thought I’d fall for that and just fork over $ 34?

The following is a team effort, in collaboration with my significant other:
Once upon a time, this was our go-​to spot. We are less than a mile away. We are locals. Regulars, if you may.
The charming hostess, older Chinese woman, loves, absolutely loves our daughter, having known her from infancy. She tries to teach her Chinese. But as time has gone on, this lovely lady is one of the few reasons we haven’t completely given up.
Minuses:
–the rude, unsmiling waiters
–the fact that all 5 high chairs in the place are greasy and/​or broken (despite the fact that my very vocal boyfriend has made a point of complaining about these unsafe contraptions)
–it seems the Asian customers are often seated in the nicer part of the restaurant. we are always seated by the cash register, along with the non-​Asians.
–we sometimes have to ask repeatedly for refills on water or the check. A refill can sometimes take several minutes.
Pluses:
–authentic Chinese food. The best hot and sour soup. Hunan Beef hot enough for a Chicano. Chicken with Red and Green Chili Peppers.
–the one friendly hostess.

First of all the Service/​host was horrible and Rude.
went here for a lunch and should known better when you greeted with a sour face.
Food was not good and had decent portions
we only ordered 2 entrees and they were given 15min apart!
they only had 5 tables occupied?
and lastly expect a terrible service.
not a fan and will never ever return

Food was okay. Decent portions, we were here at around 2pm on a sunday. Empty and the server was extremely rude and blah.
We ordered chicken fried rice which was mediocre, mandarin chicken which was okay and greens with mushrooms which was okay too.
Every time he came to address us, he was short and no manners which really pissed me off, i really didn’t want to be there.
Overall, would not go back again. such terrible service.

Came back for the lunch specials. The lunch specials end at 2:30PM and come with soup, a small salad and with steamed or fried rice for about $ 6. I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken lunch special. Hot & sour soup was good, the small salad came with a type of miso dressing with fried wonton strips, it was okay. The Kung Pao Chicken came with both jalapeño, red chili and bell peppers. The sauce not too bad, but it’s not the best Kung Pao Chicken I have had.
The service was okay, still no smiles from our waiter. A friend with us said the lunch specials used to come with a small dab of ice cream as dessert, but we did not get that this time. Either they decided to exclude that, or it is no longer given out as part of the special. Restrooms should be avoided, hopefully the kitchen is not as bad…

I was grabbing some groceries at Safeway and had the urge for Chinese. Not knowing how to make anything close to being authentic, I pulled up the handy dandy Unilocal!app and did a quick search.
This place came up and had some decent review. I think my stomach really made the decision for me, it didn’t want to wait for anything else.
Upon walking up, I was greeted by photos of food which is a big turn off but I caught a whiff of the grub emanating from within. I stepped in and was immediately greeted by a friendly server behind the cash register.
I ordered pork fried rice, and spicy garlic chicken to-​go (I had perishable groceries so I couldn’t stay). The food was packaged in very nice containers that stacked well which always makes me happy. I have a thing about things spilling in my car.
The food was good, I’d return for it but wouldn’t stay. Like I said pictures of food gross me out. I’ll give something else a whirl and see what else they make well.

Decided to grab a quick bite to eat after visiting my parents in San Leandro.
Not a bad meal, just nothing special. I’d say I had bad service, but since there only seemed to be one waiter and over 20 people in the place, I guess he was alright, but they should have a bigger staff.
The much talked about ‘twice cooked pork’ was not on the menu. So I opted for the lamb and green onions. It was pretty good, actually. I usually order spicier fare, but this was an interesting break. Not «Great!» but very enjoyable (at least when a person is hungry). Flavorful sauce, decent meat, fresh onions.
With the overworked waiter situation, it took forever to get my check. And then I couldn’t wait any longer for him to process my payment, so I took the check up to the front desk. Bill came to $ 11 plus change (including rice) and I was nice and gave a $ 2 tip. I would recommend if only they’d spruce the place up a bit and hire another waiter (or 5!) so all three stars are only for the food.

i’ve been underwhelmed by their 3 for 17.95 menu. recently, i saw high praise for their «spicy lamb» and was intrigued enough to try it.
chili palace now offers a full northern chinese dim sum menu, all items are said to be made in house, i.e. shiu jiao (steam dumplings) xlb, porridge, .
sampling:
hot & sour soup (5.95): among the best anywhere.
lamb with cumin (8.95)
–fresh lamb meat with cumin flavoring. outstanding!
3 for 17.95
–kung pao chicken: spicy sauce with tender chicken but too much sugar.
–cashew chicken: ok, not much flavoring
–chicken chow mein: kind of bland
leftovers:
–sometimes the food tastes great, sometimes so-​so, quality not consistent
–good value
–nice décor, nice ambience to eat in.
–take out orders are prompt.
chinese lessons (mandarin)
cumin lamb zi ran yang

I just got off of work after working a Double and I’m blasted but Hungry.
So I hit my trusty Bookmark list and CP is my choice. So I hopped in my Hooptie and rolled to CP. I wander in to CP and its a Tastefully decorated Joint. I’m greeted and seated and I Peruse the Menu. I order the Combination Pan Fried Noodles. It is brought out to me 10 minutes later. Its average not bad but not outstanding. I munch it and rolled out. They have a 3 item special for $ 17.99.

I love this place! Authentic Chinese food, good quality ingredients, at a really good price. The only downside is that the service is not the most friendly, a bit cold really, but taking into account the tasty food, I can live with it.
I’ve only eaten here during lunch since I had training classes in the vicinity (feel quite grateful to have found such a good place, had it not been for work training, I would be missing out on this fab find), and think that the lunch special is a really good deal: Salad, soup, generous sized entrée, your choice of white or fried rice (they may have brown rice as an option too, not sure), dessert in the form of ice cream, and a fortune cookie, all for $ 5.95, you can’t beat that with a stick!
I’ve eaten here with both a small party, and about a dozen people, so the first time we got our own plates (large portions) and the times where I’ve gone in with a large party, the food is all served family style and there is enough to enjoy what you’ve ordered, and also share/​sample from the others.
My favorites: Eggplant garlic, vegetarian delight, sweet and sour chicken, basil chicken (really good!), black bean chicken, and I can’t remember the rest. My fellow diners were more carnivorous and loved the beef and pork, though I dare not try as I don’t like that type of meat.

Came here for lunch yesterday, and I’ll have to come back with a Chinese friend so that I can get access to the Chinese menu. Otherwise, Chili Palace is a pretty good neighborhood Chinese restaurant.
We had Hot and Sour Soup (good), Pork with Red and Green Chilis (not as spicy as I would have hoped), and Black Bean Chicken (also good). Nothing really stood out, but it was all good. Again, I want to come back when I can get more choices.

THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF CHINESE FOOD IN AMERICA. This fact is so important in choosing the right place to dine, I thought I say it first, «loudly».
At the top, there is the American-​Style Chinese food vs. the authentic Chinese food.
The American-​Style Chinese food can be found just about anywhere in America. (I once dined at one in the middle of Amish country in New York State…) This type of Chinese food is pleasing to the palates of many Americans. This review is not about American-​Style Chinese food. Even though I know for a fact that Chili Palace serves American-​Style Chinese food, but since I’ve never tasted it here, I can’t comment.
(Please know that I’m not knocking American-​Style Chinese food. As much as my Mexican American friends still accept me as a friend for favoring Chipotle, there is room for everyone’s culinary preference.)
The other category at the top is authentic Chinese food. This review is about authentic Chines food served at Chili Palace.
Chili Palace is owned and operated by Chinese folks from Hunan. This is a Hunan restaurant. Hunan food is a subcategory under «authentic Chinese food» in America, along with Cantonese, Shanghai, and Szechuan/​Sichuan cuisines. Flavoring from region to region differs quite a bit in a land as vast as China. Perhaps that is why some reviewers here of Cantonese descent appear to be unfamiliar with the taste of Hunan cuisine.
Like many other authentic Chinese food restaurants, in order to get the authentic stuff, you have to order from the Chinese-​language menu! I’ve been dining here for close to three years. I’ve never had a bad meal here. Here are some of my favorites: Twice-​Cooked Pork, Green Onion Lamb, Ma-​Po Tofu (ask for mild with ground pork), Tea Duck, Hunan Smoked Ham, Garlic Spinach, Eggplant with Fish-​Flavored Sauce. On weekend, I like to order the Flavored Soy Bean Soup (or the Sweetened Soy Bean Soup) and Chinese doughnut.
One of my close relatives studied Chinese culinary skills in Taiwan. She stated in numerous occasions while dining here that the food here was authentically Hunan.
For those non-​Chinese in the East Bay who are adventurous with their palates, I strongly recommend Chili Palace. (In San Francisco, Hunan Restaurant (so named) in two locations also offer authentic Hunan cuisine.
The wait can be longer than the norm. The price is also a little on the high side for a Chinese joint in the East Bay.

If I didn’t live so close in proximity to this restaurant, I would have never given this place a second glance. But unfortunately for me, I am not a great cook and I have to resort to dining out on most nights.
On this fateful night, I ran out of options as to where to eat so I had to resort myself to eating at a what I thought to be «typical» Chinese restaurant. As I walked in, I was most definitely surprised as to how clean the place was and that it didn’t look like they typical dirty, grungy, looking Chinese restaurants you find at a Chinatown.
I looked at the menu and tried to pick out the safest dish they had. Safe being, «How can anyone F up this dish, it’s only chicken and broccoli». I ordered the chicken and broccoli entrée and took it home with me to eat with rice. Sadly based on previous experiences, when I go to places like these, I expect them to serve me the lowest quality (or leftovers) meats and vegetables. Again, I was pleasantly surprised that the chicken was lean fresh, and tender. The chicken and vegetables all went well together. It wasn’t super salty and there was enough flavor from the chicken to satisfy me. The one issue I had with the dish was that it was over-​saturated with oil. If they eased off the oil a tad, it might actually be a healthy dish!
I’m giving this a place a decent review for the cleanliness and the taste of the food. It’s not going to blow you away, but it’s a solid choice for a night when you need a quick and simple dinner.

Work took me here for a Thanksgiving lunch after asking if everyone have any problem with spicy (as in peppery) food. We darted out the office door straight to the chairs of Chili Palace.
When you walk in to this place you see color hues of bright orange and loud purple. It is like a nightmare for the colorist – too much and too loud-​not in a good way. Color scream for attention in this place.
As for our team of five eaters, we leave the ordering to our team leader, aka boss, and we had the following:
Water Cooked Chili Fish — it’s one of those dish that you can easily get addicted to if you like soft fish, soggy spinach and lettuce bathed in a tub of incredible peppery fragrance broth.
Chongkong Chili Chicken — chopped wing pieces in whole Hunan red chilies with flavorful spices served in a foil wrapped bowl. Oh so spicy, yet oh so yummy.
Twice Cooked Pork — thinly sliced fat pork belly cooked with leeks, veggie, and chili oil. T-​a-​s-​t-​y.
Hot and Sour Soup — its good sour taste, but not hot enough. The other problem was, it’s luke warm at best. I like soups hot, and this type of soup, very hot and spicy please. It’s just mediocre to me.
Seasonal Veggies — medley of snow peas, carrots, baby corn, chestnut, mushroom, and celery. Eh, nothing to rave about.
Although it was my first time at this restaurant and we did ordered few dishes that are the «authentic» Hunan dishes, my manager told us that it’s as good as it gets to Hunan food when he was eating in China (i.e. fish, chicken, and pork dishes).
Oh boy, am I looking forward to bringing my spicy food lover friends back! I can handle spicy, so to me, it was a good kick, but not over the top. I know I’m addicted to their fish, chicken, and pork dishes already.
Since I work in the area, I’m sure I will come again!

Chinese food blah… How many times do i need to say this? Maybe it’s the fact that i grew up on that stuff. Maybe it’s because everything tastes the same. Maybe because it’s greasy. Maybe maybe maybe. I don’t know what makes me dislike it so, but the thought of chinese makes me lose my appetite.
Then i met Chili Palace. This isn’t your usual fried rice/​chow mein type of chinese, but it’s northern chinese/​schezuan food (which i prefer if i were to go to eat chinese food) Some of my favorites are:
~ dumplings with hot sauce
~ green onion cake
~ leek stuffed cake
~ soybean sauce noodles
~ pickled vegetable pork noodle soup
~ spicy eggplant and canadian bacon claypot
~ tofu string salad
~ shanghai dumplings
I don’t know the english names that well, but if you ask me i could translate for you. They all speak Mandarin here, so my Cantonese is useless. All i can ask for are water and chopsticks. Their service could use some work. Their décor could use a make over, i guess their music choice is alright because apparently, it’s the hot new stuff from china, but i would change that too.
Anyway, almost everything i’ve had here is tasty and great. Prices are cheap and definitely a place you’ll want to come back to.

Okay let’s get this out the way right off the bat. Judging from the name of the restaurant, the style of food it serves, and the numerous chilis hanging at the entrance, it goes without saying that when you come here you order SPICY FOOD. I do not go to a steak house and order the salad. I do not go to the dairy queen for it’s burgers. Therefore, i DO NOT go to a HUNAN restaurant to order sweet and sour chicken and chow mein. It’s like going to france and only eating macdonalds.
A good tip for restaurants like this is to bring a friend that knows chinese. Also, ask the waiter what he recommends and be sure to ask for some spicy food. Most of the staff there is friendly and knows what is good and what isn’t. The stuff I LOVE (yes, love as in ohmahgawd you are the new crack) is the white chilis cooked with meat. That is totally a half ass translation from what it’s called in chinese but that’s the best i can do :(. The spicy pig intestines (again, ridiculous translation on my part) makes me cry in pain and joy and shit FIRE.
Okay so now that i’ve offended you, grossed you out, made some terrible assumptions, and proven that my chinese is terrible, i must say that if you want some good hunan food definitely check this place out. Seriously, though… chili oil goes down like freakin liquid fire…