When you want to mix it up and eat something other than pizza and burritos, Chinese food is usually a good way to go.
Since the first Chinese food restaurant opened in 1849 in San Francisco, the eateries have spread well throughout the United States.
According to the health and wellness website 24/7 Tempo, there are now more than 40,000 of them in the country, varying from sit-down spots to fast-food chains. Of course, not every place is authentic, and Chinese restaurants here may largely be more accurately considered Chinese-American restaurants.
Regardless, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a series of the best Chinese restaurants every state has to offer. It included restaurants specializing in regional Chinese styles such as Sichuan, which was the most common, and dumpling and noodle houses, to name a few.
The website analyzed the top-rated restaurants in the U.S. listed under Yelp’s Chinese category.
“To be considered, restaurants needed to be in or near a city with a population of at least 100,000 people. In states with few or no cities of this size, restaurants in smaller cities were also considered,” 24/7 Tempo explained. “Restaurants belonging to large chains, food trucks, and takeout places without seating were eliminated from the list, as were Chinese markets — unless they had in-store restaurants — and Asian fusion establishments or those with extensive offerings from other cuisines, such as Thai or Japanese.”
Georgia’s top Chinese restaurant is in Doraville and serves Taiwanese and Sichuan cuisine.
La Mei Zi on Buford Highway offers specialties such as calamari, Hakka stir-fry pork belly and Chinese chive flower. There’s also lamb with leeks and cilantro in hot bean sauce, which the AJC has counted among its best dishes alongside three-cup chicken and beef scallion rolls. Alternatively, you could elect to dine on stewed Chinese okra with crab meat and roe, which are essentially fish eggs.
“One Yelp commentator hailed its ‘fresh, delicious food’ and phenomenal service,” 24/7 Tempo wrote. “The dining room is closed for now, but there is outdoor seating, and takeout and delivery are offered.”
