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Shanghai River Restaurant
Review
About
Shanghai River Chinese Restaurant offers authentic and delicious tasting Chinese cuisine in Houston, TX. Shanghai River's convenient location and affordable prices make our restaurant a natural choice for dine-in & take-out meals in the Houston community. Our restaurant is known for its variety in taste and high quality fresh ingredients. Come and experience our friendly atmosphere and excellent service.
Features
CUISINES
Chinese, Asian, Szechuan, Shanghai
Meal types
Lunch, Dinner
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly
FEATURES
Delivery
Reservations
Seating
Serves Alcohol
Table Service
Takeout
Wheelchair Accessible
Location
Afton Oaks/ River Oaks
Menu
Is this a Chinese restaurant?
Save this restaurant
Hours
Closed now
• Opens at 11:00 AM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Contribute
3.6
40 reviews
Excellent
12
Very good
16
Average
2
Poor
3
Terrible
7
Kevin W
Katy438 contributions
Jul 2020 • none
This spot has been my go-to Chinese since Covid-19. I sit in the bar for lunch and usually nobody else is there. Steve and Wen are great servers. Great food always very traditional old school American Chinese!
Written July 25, 2020
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.
mangom
Houston92 contributions
Dec 2019 • none
We came here between Christmas and New Year. Very old school Chinese. Very reminiscent of NYC Chinatown in the 1960’s except the prices are not of 50 years ago.
The egg drop soup was good. The Marvin Ziegler and the Chicken with vegetables came to our table quickly, hot and fresh. The veggies were crisp, the chicken, beef, and sea food were cooked correctly. Finding hot mustard on the table brought a smile to my face. I love hot food. This place is old school Cantonese including to smiling Old waiters working here 35 years. The joint is a little warm around the edges. But the food and service are solid. Why they even have a pu pu plater. I haven’t seen that in 20 years. We will come back.
Written December 28, 2019
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.
ems0911
San Diego47 contributions
Mar 2019 • family
Very good Chinese food in the Upper Kirby area of Houston. Go during dinner rush hour to get the freshest of their offerings. Pay close attention to the menu. Items written in red ink can be spicy hot. The lamb is delicious, but the spiciness varies from bite to bite. The Happy Family has a nice variety that will satisfy those who cannot chose between land and sea. For those unable to eat gluten, the rice noodles are delicious and make a good meal with all the ingredients they add to it (ask the waiter). The price is reasonable and the service is good.
Written April 1, 2019
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.
AM-HTX1
Houston73 contributions
Jun 2022 • none
Quite possibly the worst Chinese food I've ever ordered. I selected the Mongolian Beef and a wonton soup. The former - greasy, fatty, veiny low end beef that tasted like a month old grease fryer. Absolutely gross. The latter - tasted like someone made it a year ago. Nothing was fresh. Nothing was good. They couldn't even get the rice right. Clearly this place uses subpar ingredients. I need to go drink a gallon of lemon juice to clean out my stomach now. Eww.
Written June 20, 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.
Aure T
Houston48 contributions
Apr 2023 • none
We ate at the restaurant after trying it once many years ago. It was more disappointing this time. The crispy duck we ordered was the worst we have ever ordered, bar none.
Written April 4, 2023
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.
AUSAGUY007
Houston4421 contributions
Dec 2022 • solo
Best chinease I can find in houston good flavor and consistant been around 30 yrs average ticket is 40 a person never that busy and also good for chinease new yr
Written December 5, 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.
Kevin W
Katy438 contributions
Jan 2021 • business
If you want to have a private bar experience with a client or colleague I’d recommend Shanghai. Steve runs bar and very attentive.
Written January 26, 2021
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.
David G
Dubai49 contributions
Aug 2019 • family
We ordered the spicy Szechuan dumpings. We were expecting them to be spicy. They were not. They were sweet and bathed in peanut sauce. When I brought this to the water’s attention he dismissed us.
The table next to us ordered their sauce on the side. The waitress was very frustrated and very negative tone. To top it all they put the sauce on the dish. No apologies. They told us we should have told them early.
Definitely won’t be coming back here. Food is too Americanized.
Written August 15, 2019
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.
Jim O
Houston42 contributions
Jul 2019 • family
Awesome Asian cuisine. Joseph our waiter is extraordinarly adept at service.
The Hot and Sour is Most Outstanding in the city of Houston. Everything I have ever tried here was just excellent.
My favorite:Crispy Shrimp.
Excellent value too. Highly recommend this establishment.
Written July 10, 2019
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.
AUSAGUY007
Houston4421 contributions
Jun 2019 • solo
I come here for the Marvin. Zinnler picture on the wall... Slime in the ice machine
.. Most of the waiter have. Been here for about 20 yrs.
Looks like ur going back to the 80... And it feels. Like they good a. New chef or owner because the good is. Not that good anymore...
Written June 24, 2019
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.
ETame
Naucalpan1094 contributions
Mar 2019 • solo
Inexpensive lunch menu, the food is excellent. The service not that much. In the downtown vicinity and museum district.
Written April 26, 2019
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.
Manuel A
3 contributions
Nov 2018 • family
Service is terrible. It look like they microwave my food not taste at all. Alcoholics Drinks are over priced. I live close by but i would never come back to this restaurant again. Only 3 tables dining that night. Owner needs to improve.
Written December 15, 2018
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.
HouMSW
Elgin281 contributions
Jul 2018 • friends
It was too hot to cook or go out. We hadn't been to Shanghai River in a long time, but remembered liking it. As usual we ordered way too much for two people; two appetizers and two main dishes = too much.
Best were the cold noodles. I could've made a meal just from that. Not so great: steamed vegetable dumplings. Not a goid thing to order for take-out, as dumplings should be eaten direct from the steamer.
Eggplant was decent, but bland. And the curried chicken was blah.
Still, it beats cooking any day. I'll place two orders of the cold noodles next time.
Written July 19, 2018
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.
Tom R
30 contributions
Jun 2018 • family
This is one of the older restaurants that has survived Time.. It is well done and has the feeling of the past... Club chairs and Oriental Booths .. Nice Asian wait staff and a very nice private room available..
The menu is large as most Chinese Restaurants . They do offer Hot and Spicy dishes but order hot sauce on the side.. since Hot to the chef is Mild to most of us.. Food is good but not overly special.. We eat there often because it is very pleasant dinner and can have a nice conversation..
Written June 18, 2018
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.
Rob A
17 contributions
May 2018 • family
My beautiful daughter and son-in-law invited us for dinner on Mother's Day. I love Chinese food and had never been here before, so expectations were high given how long this restaurant has been in business on one of the busiest "strips" in Houston.
The PooPoo platter for five was served and a roach ran from under the platter and across the table. To be honest, this sort of thing happens and it did not affect my appetite. The food was decent on the P-P platter. My wife and I used to eat at a Chinese restaurant that served "Sizzling Rice Soup" that was absolutely to die for. They'd bring the rice out and put it in the bowl - sizzling. We ordered it for two. Honest to goodness, it tasted like some oatmeal or similar grain mush with some veggies floating around in it. Can't say it tasted awful because I like oatmeal - but it wasn't Sizzling Rice Soup!
My entre' was scallops cooked in vegetables. The meal tasted "old", no seafood scallop flavor and the scallops were in pieces. If there were two whole scallops there, I'd have been surprised. At $14.95, you'd think they could give me at least enough scallops to identify them in the dish! And here's a real downer - I ordered steamed rice. I don't know how a Chinese restaurant can goof up steamed rice but the stuff in that bowl tasted funny and stuck together so much I had to cut pieces out with my spoon to put it in the vegetables. Again, had they cooked it last week? I don't known
When we left at about 6:15 P.M. on Mother's Day in Houston, there were maybe 15 other patrons dining. That should tell you something. With so many awesome Chinese places in Houston, I'm very surprised this place still exists.
Written May 16, 2018
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.
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