Yu Zhou Cafe

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Review

36 reviews

#53 of 349 Restaurants in Rockville$$ - $$$, Chinese, Asian, Szechuan

+1 301-330-9808+ Add website

Hours

Sun

11:30 AM - 9:30 PM

Mon

11:30 AM - 9:30 PM

Tue

11:30 AM - 9:30 PM

Wed

11:30 AM - 9:30 PM

Thu

11:30 AM - 9:30 PM

Fri

11:30 AM - 10:30 PM

Sat

11:30 AM - 10:30 PM

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Ratings and reviews

4.0

36 reviews

#53 of 349 Restaurants in Rockville

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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CUISINES

Chinese, Asian, Szechuan

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

features

Location and contact

576 N Frederick Ave, Rockville, MD 20877-2504

+1 301-330-9808

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Is this a Chinese restaurant?

Yes

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Details

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CUISINES

Chinese, Asian, Szechuan

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Delivery, Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Wheelchair Accessible, Table Service

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4.0

36 reviews

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#EnjoyingRetirement

Charlotte7696 contributions

Fun Experience

Apr 2022 • none

We enjoyed our recent experience at Yu Zhou Cafe in Gaithersburg. Entered the restaurant early on a recent Saturday evening. We were given a choice of a table of a booth in the dining room. We opted for a table and were escorted and given menus. Shortly after we were served hot tea and ice water. My mother in law ordered ice tea. The server said initially that they didn't have any but shortly said she would check and came back in the affirmative. We didn't know that she was bringing an Asian style with tapioca ($3.50). My mother in law liked the flavor but didn't enjoy the tapioca in it. We ordered our food. A couple of orders of Spring Rolls ($3.50) I ordered an Orange Beef $16.95 and my wife ordered to share with her mother the Shrimp Chow Mein ($15.95), I also ordered my rice to be fried rice (additional $2.50). Food was served quickly, the spring rolls were very good. Served hot and crispy. The mustard sauce was very hot. Shortly after our Spring Rolls were served the entrees were brought to the table. Orange beef was very flavorful and spicy although the beef was chewy. The fried rice was just a few vegetables tossed with the rice and some soy sauce and didn't have much flavor. My mother in law was somewhat disappointed in the shrimp chow mein as it didn't offer much flavor. Portions were big on both orders and the Orange Beef was served with fresh broccoli. The check was brought to the table along with 3 fortune cookies. The restaurant became very busy as we departed. All in all we enjoyed our experience and my mother in law took home the leftover shrimp for the next night.

Written April 24, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barbara C

5 contributions

Owner very unfriendly but food is worthwhile

Mar 2022 • none

Although I have enjoyed the takeout dish I have bought on several occasions, I went with friends and had a most unpleasant experience with the older woman at the cash register. She was extremely unpleasant from start to finish. I asked if they had a sampler to which she stonefacedly said, "no". I told her I order a particular dish from a very nice woman and wanted to ask about it. Her immediate harsh and disgusted response was, "She's in tomorrow, come back then!" I told her that her unprofessional business response was very unfriendly and uncalled for. I asked the waiter who was the owner and he said, the woman behind the cash register was. Whew...so much for customer service! My friends were not crazy about Chinese food to begin with and they did not care for this food either. I was hoping this experience would change their minds, but not only did they not care for her behavior, they did not like the food. I have been with them to many restaurants and they are very easy to please. On the other hand, I liked my food and the waitress (who took over for the waiter) was very sweet and accommodating.

Written March 18, 2022

APU

Gaithersburg5 contributions

Our most preferred Chinese Restaurant in Gaithersburg, MD

Oct 2021 • none

Ya Zhou is a great Chinese food joint. Their food taste is authentic and tasty. Their Mandarin Casserole is a King among soups as everything about this Super soup is amazing- its quantity, ingredients, its taste and its contents making it so nourishing. We love their FengTei Fish dish too. Made to eat with sticky plain rice, it is simple, flavorful and heavenly fish dish. We also enjoy their snow peas leaves fry with garlic and their extras of fried stuff and the fortune cookies. Ms.Julie working there is very nice. One of the best restaurants in Town, Ya Zhou can beat any DC restaurant in terms of the quality of their food.

Written November 28, 2021

Anbrugo

Gaithersburg354 contributions

THIS RESTAURANT IS IN GAITHERSBURG! NOT ROCKVILLE

Mar 2020 • none

Restaurant is in Gaithersburg, on the rear side of Gaithersburg Square Shopping Center. Food and service remain outstanding - took take out on March 15th - and everything was perfect. Go see them - hopefully they can stay in business until the crisis eases. If you go, tell cashier Bruce sent you!

Written March 28, 2020

LightPacker308286

Rockville688 contributions

Six dishes are well cooked and delicious.

Jun 2024 • friends

In a Friday lunch of June, we visited Yu Zhou. We ordered six dishes: Stir Fried Shrimp with Yellow Leek (韭黃炒蝦）、Tofu Balls With Shrimp and Crabmeat ( 枇杷豆腐）、Tea Smoke Duck （樟茶鴨）、Sicpy Beef Tendon （麻辣牛筋）、Fei Teng Fish （沸騰魚）and Shred Pork with Hot Peper （辣椒小炒）. They are well cooked and delicious.

Written June 14, 2024

Joanne S

Fort Mill407 contributions

Really good dinner

Oct 2023 • family

9 of us had a good take out dinner from here. The food was all quite good. The duck with hot garlic sauce and the dumplings were great! We'd definitely go back.

Written November 1, 2023

Mama Travels

244 contributions

Good Chinese Food for a Relatively Good Price Point

Aug 2023 • family

Was looking for a good place for Chinese food in the Gaithersburg area since we always frequent Rockville. We were glad we came here as the food prices were not as expensive as other places and the portions were still generous. We ordered the spinach and tofu soup, the shrimp balls (the winner!), three cups chicken (kids loved it but I've had better elsewhere), braised beef shank (tender meat and it comes with radish), the crispy fried squid (looks like fries but has enough salt and pepper to add that nice flavor), and the steamed fish fillet (love the soy ginger broth it is was served, fish is flaky and a much healthier alternative to the fried fish fillet). If you want a good Chinese meal within a reasonable price point, this is the place to go. The only downer is you don't get to really talk to your servers. They hand you a piece of paper for you to write down your orders and you hand it back to them. It will be hard to ask questions about the menu.

Written August 12, 2023

LIVELAUGHANDSMILE

Sayville39 contributions

I Think Things Have Changed...

Jul 2021 • none

First and foremost I do not like leaving Negative Reviews. I usually have constructive comments, but always try to find the pros and cons of each place and let the reader make a decision. I know a negative review can hurt someone's livelihood and that is not my intention. I went to this restaurant based on the overwhelming # of positive reviews on Trip Advisor. I was in town for a business meeting and needed to grab something good but quick. The staff was very nice and professional. When I look at the pictures on this site and other review sites... I think things have changed! I think this restaurant must have been hard hit by COVID-19, b/c while I can tell it's the same place... as soon as you walk in you realize things have changed. I am now also aware that the Glowing reviews seemed to have ended in 2020 and I visited this restaurant in July 2021. The restaurant looked more like a warehouse backroom than a place I would sit to eat. But based on the great reviews I tried the food. Food was not inexpensive and they didn't offer any combo options. I got the food to go. The food lacked flavor and almost immediately I realized something was not right and I stopped eating. I wound up getting quite ill that night and the next morning and it was my only meal of the day. Meaning it had to have been the reason I got sick. Based on the Awesome Reviews of this Restaurant... I Think Things Have Changed... or I got a really bad batch of food. I am more annoyed at myself than anything, b/c the inside of the restaurant was not a place I would have normally gotten food... and I should have listened to my gut.

Written July 29, 2021

Ashley O

Bethesda2 contributions

Great food. Great service.

Apr 2020 • couples

Great food. Great service. Spicy, tasty dishes. Great use of peppers and peppercorn. We come here often because the food is consistent great!

Written April 4, 2020

Patricia L

Gaithersburg119 contributions

Why have we not been here before?

Oct 2019 • couples

We were out for the day and needed to find someplace close for a late lunch/early dinner. Yu Zhou Cafe came to mind and was nearby. This was our first visit. We were seated in a large but nearly empty dining room (not unreasonable considering our early time for dinner), and given pencil and paper. We were grateful for other TripAdvisor reviews so that we then knew to write our orders down. We had spring rolls, hot and sour soup, shrimp lo mein and Pork Spareribs Wu Xi with Spinach. All the food was fresh and delicious but the spareribs Wu Xi was a new dish for us and outstanding. Service was attentive and portions were enough to take some home to enjoy again later. It was hard to choose from the many tempting items on their large menu, so we'll come back to try more.

Written November 5, 2019

chakbeh

116 contributions

Buffet and/or Restaurant Menu

Sep 2019 • none

Lunch offers a buffet spread - choice of 2 entrees (variety of meat and vegetable items) and a starch (rice, fried rice, noodles). Dine in or carry out. A good low cost filling lunch.

Written September 12, 2019

Marc F

Silver Spring168 contributions

Return visit did not disappoint

Aug 2019 • none

We dined in the Yu Zhou Cafe 渝州川菜 a year ago and this return visit did not disappoint us. The Mount Pepper Wood Ear 山辣木耳 appetizer was very much to our liking as they tasted like genuine wood ears. And the Chuang Bei Liang Fen 川北凉粉 appetizer compared favorably with area Northern restaurants. As we did before, we ordered the Café’s signature dish Feng Teng Fish 沸腾鱼 (spicy flounder fish with clear noodles) which came in a boiling hot pot. The dish still tasted scrumptious. We liked the plate of String Beans Szechuan川四季豆, which was flavorful. We left the Café with a lot of left-overs together with the generous portion of 炒米粉 we purchased from the “hot bar” at the back of the eatery. It’s too bad the café is not closer to our home so we can patronize it more often.

Written August 14, 2019

Rosemarie W

Germantown39 contributions

Best Chinese Food in the area!

Oct 2018 • family

I have been a frequent and long time customer of this restaurant. Their food is excellent as is their service. I've introduced a number of friends and visitors and all have enjoyed their meals and were amazed by the large number of choices. Menus are both in English and in Chinese. The decor is appropriate and tables are available for large parties as well as couples. The number of Oriental patrons usually out- numbers Caucasians. To me, this is, a good sign that it serves authentic food. A buffet lunch bar is available on weekdays. Carry out is also available. Having dined at Yu Zhou with Chinese colleagues from work who highly recommended. this restaurant, I am doubly comfortable with my high reccommendation. Try their Crispy Shrimp with Walnuts, or Mushrooms and you'll be happy you did!. Even their fortune cookies are fresh and crisp.

Written November 11, 2018

Marc F

Silver Spring168 contributions

A very happy find

Aug 2018 • none

On our way to the Lake Forest Mall in Gaithersburg on Sunday, we were delighted to locate a Sichuan restaurant called Yu Zhou Café 渝州川菜. Our preliminary impression (which turned out to be true) was that this must be a pretty good eatery as it was still crowded at 1:35 pm when we walked in. We also noticed that most of the diners were of Chinese descent. We ordered the 2 of the 3 specials advertised on the board. A signature dish, the spicy Fei Teng Fish dish 沸腾鱼 (spicy flounder fish with clear noodles) came in a boiling hot pot and its taste was reminiscent of similar dishes at restaurants in Chengdu city 成都市.We wanted Chinese spinach 空心菜 but it was sold out so we settled for string beans 四集豆,which turned out to be quite delicious, too. Even the Chuang Bei Liang Fen 川北凉粉 compared favorably with area Northern restaurants. We were impressed with the portion size when the dishes arrived at our table at nearby tables. The rating would have been a 5 had it not taken us a long while to get seated (the wait staff appearing unaware that people were waiting) and to learn that we could get our food by ordering and picking them up at the “hot bar” or handing our written order to the wait staff. We are so pleased that we stopped in; now we have another good place to go enjoy and take guests to.

Written August 15, 2018

Valentine

843 contributions

Very tasty

Jul 2018 • family

Very large portions. Lovely small cafe. Serves is very quick and courteous. Very friendly and accommodating. We came in with a large group, made lots of noise and mess. The staff was very kind and took very good care of us. Definitely going back.

Written July 23, 2018