- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Chongqing
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Chinese Seafood, Chinese [Edit]
1260 Robson StreetVancouver, BC V6E
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 568-0303
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Fri-Sun 11:30 am - 11 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
28 reviews for Chongqing
Review Highlights
-
"Ginger beef was awesome, orange chicken was yummy, too." In 4 reviews -
"The spicy green beans were awesome and their spicy tofu was..." In 7 reviews -
"...and I tried hot and sour soup, veggie dumplings, spicy..." In 3 reviews
Loading...
28 reviews in English
-
Review from Summy L.
10/13/2011
Big flavor, opens late, quick, attentive, and friendly service, good size portions.
We just arrived in Vancouver and was looking for a late night Chinese restaurant. Searched yelp and this place kept popping up, so we gave it a try. The front of the restaurant is not very big. Chongqing's atmosphere feels more like a modern cafe instead of the usual run down type of old school cafes.
The food is definitely authentic with tons of flavor. We ordered the mooshoo pork, shanghai chow mein, and the seafood tofu (small fried tofu). I think we ordered way too much food for such a late dinner. That's what happen when you don't know the neighborhoods of a new city and you're searching yelp at the last minute for a late night restaurant.
We were the last customer of the evening and the waiter/owner was very hospitable about not rushing us out the door. Kept offering us more tea and letting us know it's ok to stay a bit longer. We talked to him a bit and he recommended different places for us to try around the area. Very nice guy.Listed in: When in Vancouver
-
Review from Kenneth E.
Vancouver, BC
Pretty good value if you go for the lunch special, $8.45. there's a choice of about 10 items.
Ordered the fried rice special, bbq, nice and fluffy. Just this location gets higher marks, as it's newer, trendier than their other locations.
Still, it's not something I would recommend as top of mind, but in this particular area, a nicer decor than Hon's if one is in the mood for Chinese. -
Review from Mari T.
4/22/2012
Husband and I were in Vancouver for a short vacation and found this place via Yelp. The location is on Robson near an upscale shopping area and is located in a very Asian-centric neighborhood. The restaurant is bright and modern looking with elbow room at the tables. When we went in there were several groups of young Chinese people eating, which was a good sign. The service was quick and friendly without being pushy.
We got the Ginger Beef and the Shanghai Shredded Pork Chow Mein with soft noodles and the food was SO good. The Ginger Beef was spicy so get it milder if you are not in to hot food, but the flavors were fantastic. The noodles were good because they were NOT overly sauced or seasoned, so you got to actually enjoy the noodles.
Next time we are in the area, we definitely plan on eating here again -
Review from Wendy Y.
3/22/2012
I came here with my colleague on a work day for lunch. I was glad I made a reservation because the restaurant was packed at 1:15pm. Because we only had an hour to eat we checked out the online menu prior to making our way down.
We ordered a Peking duck 2 course: lettuce wrap and duck skin with Asian crepes with sweet soy paste. We asked the waiter if the 2 course would be adequate. He said, "If you guys are not too hungry, then it's enough". Hmm...okay. To be on the safe side we ordered the 2 course and a Tan Tan noodle with pork chop as it looked like a popular dish amongst the patrons who were already there.
Service was quick and attentive.
The duck crepe came first. The duck skin was pretty good. The crepe was stale though. It tasted as if it was leftover from the night before or it was exposed to air for a long time. The crepe was hard and chewy. I really had to work my molars. The Tan Tan noodle came next. I was surprised to find my pork chop in long strips. The broth was peanuty, flavorful, but not salty. The noodles were soggy and had no bite. The pork chop was good. It was well seasoned. The lettuce wrap came shortly after. Although this dish (sauté duck bits, celery, water chestnut, fried vermicelli) was on the oily side, the flavor was excellent.
The food was spotty, but overall I enjoyed my experience here and would come back. We had quite a bit of left overs so I packed them home. Next time when you hear servers say things like ""If you guys are not too hungry, then it's enough", "under" order especially when you don't plan to pack the left overs. If you don't find the food quantity enough, you always have the option of ordering more.
This is 3.75 star review.Listed in: Chinese Food
-
Review from David D.
2/4/2012 1 photo
"Chong-qing! Chong-qing! Chong-qing!"
Little known fact: Chongqing is Chong Li's lesser-known half-cousin. You know, of Bloodsport fame. Don't be mad. Frankie Dux made me SAY EET!
Classic American cinema aside, the restaurant was clean and the food passable for what it was -- Canadian/American-style Chinese. Service was very attentive.
We had the Peking Duck, Cashew Chicken, Dai Ching Prawns, Chinese Broccoli, and the ["ong chow, ming choi, kim chee, jja-jjiang myun, chow mein..."] Moo Shu Pork! If even one of you fuckers gets that this will all have been worth it.
Finally, don't trust the listed 11 pm closing time on Saturdays. We showed up shortly after 10 pm and almost didn't get seated as their closing time seems based on how busy it is. Call ahead, just in case.
Matte, bitches. -
Review from rosquete b.
3 1/2*
Cantonese/Szechuan cuisine
Upscale ambience
Great, friendly food service by Jerry
Lunch specials $8.95
Tasty jasmine tea
Liked the spicy chicken, ginger w/broccoli
Request for no additional MSG in food
Loyalty club card -
Review from Gale L.
Vancouver, BC
1/1/2012
Good. Really good, spicy and plentiful and delivery was right on que.
Ordering in from Chongqing will be repeated. I'll just place the Kleenex box within easy reach before hand. -
Review from Sin-Yaw W.
12/17/2011
I am not sure why the raving reviews of this restaurant. As a Chinese, the foods are simply average and, as common to this class of the restaurants, the dishes are over-spiced, deep fried, and similarly sauced.
The "Dang Dang Noodle" however, is very good. -
Review from N F.
Vancouver, BC
2/28/2012
Our choice for good Chinese in the area - good portion size, reasonable prices, enough variety, solid flavour, attentive service. Decent, "modern" decor for extra points. :)
-
Review from Kate W.
Vancouver, BC
7/3/2011 12 Check-ins Here
This place is amazing! We first visited after a hankering for szechuan and a quick look on Yelp led us to Chongqing.
I was first struck by the restaurant's cleanliness, decor and attentive staff. The buck didn't stop there as we enjoyed excellent food. The ability to do half orders is a great way to try multiple dishes!
A couple weeks later we ordered take out -- unfortunately, no half orders for delivery. No worries, we ordered the lot (and it was equally tasty) but will say the delivery portions are smaller than the in-house ones.
Easily one of the best restaurants in the West End! Stays open late and we have always been seated immediately. -
Review from Joe L.
Vancouver, BC
8/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
We walked by the restaurant enough times that we thought we should give it a try. Although the space is long and narrow, it does not feel cramped at all due to the modern decor with well-balanced shades of white, black and glass.
Service was very courteous and every one of the wait staff was friendly. There are many Szechuanese and non-Szechuanese dishes on the menu. We ordered wonton with red chilli and peanut sauce, gailan with garlic (half order), salt and pepper spareribs, and shanghai noodles.
Wontons were great. The wraps were thin and tender and the sauce was thick and flavourful without being too spicy. The gailan was fresh and crispy. The spareribs would have been better if they were not cut in strips but left as whole chop pieces. With whole choo pieces, you know you get the lean and fatty parts with each piece. When cut in strips and coated with batter, you don't know what you are going to get. You may end up eating half a dozen lean pieces before finally lucking out on a fatty one. Shanghai noodles were not the best we had but it's a Szechuanese restaurant after all.
Many dishes come in half order portion but the prices aren't halves of the regular orders as the half portions are probably more than literally half of the regular dishes. -
Review from Lans S.
8/14/2011
The tale of Chongqing begins on a random Wednesday evening. It was 9:20 and we needed food. It turns out Vancity restaurants aren't into the late night business, so time was of the essence. We were hoping for Banana Leaf but since they take last orders at 9:30, we were out of luck.
I take a moment to consult my trusty digital directory, aka yelp, and decide Chongqing will lead us to happiness.
At first glance, Chongqing's decor, cleanliness, and service set it apart from your average Chinese establishment. The four of us were pleasantly overwhelmed w/the options and may have gone slightly overboard w/our selection.
Wonton w/Red Chili & Peanut Sauce: Ah-maz-ing! The best spicy nutty sauce evah!
Szechuan Green Beans: Super.
Chongqing Chicken: Perfect and my fave.
Shredded Pork w/Spinach: Super delish.
Mongolian Beef: Didn't even get around to tasting, but word is it's tasty.
Everything was well seasoned, perfectly spicy, and ultra fresh. The option to order full and half sizes makes brilliant sense for trying a variety of dishes.
When the check arrives, Emily takes a gander, smiles, and announces, "This mades me happy!"
End of story. -
Review from Michelle F.
9/1/2011
Authentic Chinese food in an inconspicuous little restaurant.
We almost missed this place while walking down Robson; it sort of blends in with the rest of the stores. Everything on the menu sounded good but, alas, there were only two of us so we settled on two dishes. Good thing too, the lunch portions are huge.
The wontons with peanut sauce were delicious if not a wee bit heavy on the sauce.
The green beans and chicken with black bean sauce was not quite as good but still very flavorful and the beans were fresh and crisp.
The food comes out when its ready, not when you are. We were almost done with our first dish before the second one came out.
Overall, a good spot for lunch. Nothing fancy. -
Review from Ramon V.
6/21/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Two words: Ginger Beef!
This Chongqing location is a step up from its uglier sisters on Broadway and on Commercial. I have a feeling that the portions are slightly smaller, but I could be wrong. The staple menu items do not disappoint. The ginger beef is perfect and is one of the finer dishes that could be had in Vancouver. Other favourites are the orange peel chicken, the hot and sour soup, the szechuan style green beans.
I hate to add this. On my last two visits, the one qualm we all had was the choice of music playing in the restaurant. Chinese food and auto-tune do not go well together, and I'd rather hear muzak over T-Pain or Pitbull. -
Review from L. K.
Vancouver, BC
2/20/2012
Great food! Fresh and flavourful. I have only ordered delivery but plan on going this week for the lunch special.
-
Review from Anne S.
1/2/2011
It doesn't look like much from the outside and we probably wouldn't have found it or tried it if it hadn't been for Yelp, but five of us went here for our last night in Vancouver. We were really happy with the food and the service. Our waiter was attentive and charming, and the restaurant was small but not cramped. It seemed very clean and new.
We went family style so that everyone could sample a bit of everything, and I tried hot and sour soup, veggie dumplings, spicy green beans, red chili scallops, and a veggie prawn dish. The spicy green beans were the highlight of the night. They were cooked perfectly and had a bit of a kick. Yum! My second favorite was the red chili scallops, which were also quite tasty. -
Review from Heath A.
Vancouver, BC
10/18/2011
I just ordered some Monday night take-out from here an hour ago based on the other reviews, and all I can say is I was absolutely blown away by the food. I haven't eaten this well since I was actually in Asia. Ordered the pork dumplings which, by the way, are impossible to eat without tasty flavourful juices exploding all over your plate and hand. Totally worth it.
Had the Chongqing chicken which is rated on their menu as quite spicy but as someone who likes spicy food it was totally perfect. Not only that but the portion size was big enough that I have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Chongqing = Winning -
Review from Shawn N.
6/30/2010
I had the good fortune to visit here with a co-worker, which was advantageous because we could share and sample more dishes! The hot and sour soup was excellent, but my first bite of the wonton with red pepper and peanut sauce resulted in an experience so great I can only describe it as a "foodgasm". :)
The house fried rice, green beans, and Chong Qing Chicken filled out the meal, along with a large bottle of Tsingtao beer. The hot tea was tasty and bottomless, and the service first-rate.
My only minor criticism is that all the food arrived very quickly and crowded our table before we could get through our appetizer. But in hindsight that was probably a good thing because it allowed us to evaluate the generous portions and pace ourselves accordingly.
Five stars all the way. -
Review from Bill T.
BC
5/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
Well, really stumbled on this place because of the small tip provided by James C about the Red Peppper wontons in peanut sauce, which sounded amazing. So I was intrigued. Where was this place? OH, across the street from me hahaha. OK, so I went here, and I was going to eat my food at the restaurant, but at the last minute decided to have my goodies to go.. Smart move on my part, because the portions I got were HUGE.
The red pepper wontons, were, simply put, one of the best things I have ever tried ever. The wontons were HUGE, obviously home made, smelled out of this world, but when you bit in, tasted nothing what it smelled like, but also tasted amazing as well. Just a culinary explosion there. So so good.
I also got the Ginger Beef.. It's been a while since I had some good qaulity GB and I am happy to say that Chongqing surpassed my epectations and my previous experience with the dish. Instead of narrot strips, we had big large pieces of beef (almost beef jerky sized) that were chewy, spicy. and oh so delicious.
Maybe my tummy is gonna kill me for ordering all of that, but really, how was I to know how big it was going to be? I look forward to having more ymmy dishes from there. You MUST come here!! -
Review from Eugene C.
10/17/2011
This is Chongqing, not to be confused with Chun King (that nasty fake Chinese food from a can that I ate consumed as a child). I only tried this place once (and for lunch), so this is subject to change. But from first impressions, this place is pretty good. I ordered the Szechuan spicy fish. First of all, frying the fish while still achieving a tender flaky fish on the inside is a feat by itself. Chongqing somehow manages to do that in this dish while also maintaining a satisfying crispy coating on the fish despite being bathed in a thick spicy/sour sauce. All the flavors and textures worked well together in this dish. On a bad note, the accompanying hot and sour soup which came as part of the lunch combo was not the best I have had. It was little thick and starchy and not enough richness (in terms of meat flavor). The restaurant is small but clean and modern with tufted leather (leatherette?) benches and shiny metallic chandeliers. Prices are reasonable.
-
Review from Ryan L.
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good amount of selection, very clean and stylish atmosphere. All of our dishes were quite spicy (and I love it hot, btw), even those that were not supposed to be spicy. Ginger beef was awesome, orange chicken was yummy, too. Don't be fooled by a rather drab looking exterior ... give it a go.
-
Review from Gian B.
1/1/2011
I went here based on the reviews and was not disappointed! The service was very good and the food was great! The spicy green beans were awesome and their spicy tofu was delicious. Would definitely go back!
-
Review from BB H.
Burnaby, BC
8/21/2010
Super mediocre.
Staff is excellent. Tsingtao beer is superb. Food is OK but not spectacular. We found the chingensai (I forgot tehe English but it's that green veg that looks like spinach on one end attached to a stem) hard as rock. The chicken cashew nuts was so-so.
The only truly super tasty was the chili shrimp.
Location is good but even so stick with Richmond for great Chinese. -
Review from James C.
At the location of the former Vietnamese Restaurant Vinada, Chongqing appeared in the early part of 2010. We decided to visit on Monday, 27 April 2010.
What a jolt to the taste buds! Szechuan Style Cuisine at reasonable prices!
A full menu and mini-bar area in the a nicely lit space (confined).
Our appetizer was the Wonton with Red Pepper and Peanut Sauce. The Wonton was so mouth-watering; the sauce had a slight kick to it but the flavor was excellent!
For our main dishes, we chose the Stir Fried Prawns with Red Chili Sauce and Beef with Canadian Broccoli (no, I don't know what makes it Canadian). We also added an order of Shredded Chicken Fried Rice.
The prawns were succulent, reasonable large, and tender. The sauce was very tasty with a little spice in it. Personally, I would have like it spicier (but then the joke is I have no spicy taste buds left).
The beef was so soft and moist with onion shoots and carrots (could have been some other vegetable as I am not much on vegetables) in a brown sauce.
The shredded chicken was so soft and tasty and the vegetables and the rice so fresh.
I cannot wait to go back to this restaurant.
Note: they also have a number of Tofu and Vegetarian dishes for those so inclined. -
Review from jimi j.
7/22/2010
this place is addictive
that's how good the food is.
i passed this place a bunch of times as i am staying on top of it. it didn't look like anything special and there were never tons of people inside so i just figured ehhh...
but one night i had a hankering for some chinese so off to chongqing i went...
then i ate the food, omfg the food! got the ginger beef (awesome-not too gingery, nice garlic), the green beans (spicy and perfectly cooked), house rice (excellent-pork/shrimp) and the chicken shredded rice (delicious)
succulent meat, fresh ingredients and huge portions. totally a la carte, which coming from nyc is new for me, but more than worth it.
can't wait to go back and try more dishes.
very helpful/attentive staff as well...
bon apetit -
Review from John R.
8/28/2011
Great service, great food. Try the string beans. If you're looking for authenticity - look no further.
-
Review from Paul F.
Vancouver, BC
7/14/2010
I am not sure if this one is associated with the original on 12th and commercial drive, but it is as good. I had the Peanut Won tons with red pepper and they were great as an appetizer. I also tried the Tan Tan noodles with minced pork and I felt like ordering another to take home along with the Szechwan green beans. mmm mmm mmm, I will be back.
-
Review from Tom D.
5/23/2010
Visited May 2010, a Friday night at about 8:00pm. The restaurant was pretty quiet for a Friday on Robson. It is a new place, only having opened a few months back.
The restaurant itself is narrow, but it didn't feel small or crowded.
Our servers were extremely attentive, and the service was excellent.
Thinking it was like other restaurants we had been to, we ordered an appetizer to share and I ordered soup, then we ordered two main course dishes and one vegetable to share. We were floored when they brought a dinner-sized portion of the appetizer (Lettuce Wrap with Chicken) and a tureen of Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken and Shrimp). The chicken filling of the lettuce wrap was delicious, the plum sauce was not cloying or over sweet but just right. The Hot and Sour Soup was a bit oily for my taste; however, all of the ingredients were very fresh and that really made it worth eating.
That freshness of ingredients shone through in all the food we had. I was able to appreciate the flavors of each ingredient, rather than having stuff that had been obviously sitting in a container of some kind. Our main dishes were the Shredded Pork with Preserved Vegetables (the 'preserved vegetables' were a bit unclear - apparently the veggies in the dish were bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and spinach) and the Beef with Canadian Broccoli. Like James C, I'm not sure what distinguished Canadian Broccoli from it's non-Canadian counterparts - in all events, both dishes were very, very enjoyable. Neither dish featured the fiery spices that distinguish so much Szechuan-style cooking; but they were pretty terrific nonetheless.
The spiciest dish we had were the absolutely superb Fried Green Beans Szechuan Style. My wife declared them the best she'd ever had. I was pretty wowed by them as well - again, the ingredients were wonderfully fresh, spicy without being ulcer-inducing, perfectly cooked and perfectly wonderful to eat.
The portions were so ample that we were stuffed twice over. Thank goodness we did not order rice. And the bill was extremely reasonable - all that food (dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a snack after lunch) for $50. We are both looking forward to our next visit. Absolutely a first-rate meal and excellent value. I would unhesitatingly recommend it.
They deliver within a 3km area, and you can get to-go; however I wonder what traveling will do to the wonderful freshness of the ingredients. I would suggest eating in, if you can.
