Our Least Favorite Chinese Restaurant Chain Has A Plethora Of Bad Reviews

The best fast food restaurants have a few things in common: quick service, a happy vibe, and generous portions of food that is so tasty that it's borderline addictive. Going by the plethora of bad reviews online, our least favorite Chinese restaurant fails on each of these parameters. When Tasting Table ranked 13 Chinese restaurant chains, Asian Chao finished dead last, with our expert describing it as a "chain Chinese restaurant that we unequivocally recommend you avoid, no matter how much you're craving Chinese". 

Asian Chao is part of Food Systems Unlimited Inc.'s portfolio of fast food chains, which also includes Chao Cajun, Maki of Japan, Sushi Fuji, Tobu, and Wok N Grill. The first Asian Chao opened in 1991 at the Florida Mall in Orlando, and nearly 30 outlets exist today, with the chain's stated goal being to become "the go-to choice for shoppers in malls and airports who crave a quick and satisfying bite."

Unfortunately, whether at malls or airports (or on Google, Yelp, or Tripadvisor), the restaurants consistently get poor ratings and bad reviews, with unhappy customers writing about long wait times, tasteless food, small portions, and poor service. Even Asian Chao's signature dish, Bourbon Chicken, gets consistent hate online. Far from the "irresistible sweet and savory glaze" that Asian Chao's website mentions, one Google reviewer found "pieces of very hard chicken in it," while another on Yelp said it was "full of chicken skin and gristle". You'd be far better off making your own, using our tried-and-tested sticky Chinese bourbon chicken recipe.

While airports aren't meant to be gourmet hubs, you will usually find something quick and easy to dine on (here are several American airports with the best food selection). But when it comes to Asian Chao's outlet at Atlanta International Airport, the reviews are scathing. One review on Tripadvisor talks about a horror experience, where the rude server threw the bags of food at them and another child. "Also, we had to wait five minutes to pay because the guy decided he wanted to just sit around," posted the customer. Another reviewer on the same outlet mentions how the "small container" of noodles fell apart, sauce and all, by the time the traveller boarded their flight.

Things aren't much better over at Asian Chao's outlet in Garden City, New York. In fact, they might be worse, with two separate reviews on Yelp mentioning hair in the food. "I found a hair in my food ... and the bourbon chicken was raw," one user posted, while another reviewer spoke of a friend who warned against eating at Asian Chao as "in the past she found hair in her food multiple times". Having ignored her friend's warnings and ordered a portion of veggies, she was duly punished with an errant strand, which serves "hair" right (pun intended).

Apart from the quality of food and the service, there's one more string of criticism — a lack of generosity when it comes to portions. One unsatisfied customer complained on Yelp about a $9 combo that was "not even enough for one person", while another was able to count "four small [pieces] of meat in the tiny portion." Basically, Asian Chao won't hit the spot, even if you're really hungry!