Chinese food in Palo Alto

Palo Alto's Chinese restaurants are fewer than you might expect in a city with so many residents of Chinese heritage, but they cover more regions than a quick look suggests. Downtown has a long-running Cantonese dining room, though we could not confirm its 2026 service. A shopping center by Highway 101 has a Shanghainese kitchen. El Camino Real has a restaurant built around Inner Mongolian lamb. Town & Country Village has a modern take on Chinese-American food.

Each restaurant below was confirmed as open in October 2026 through its own website or a verified directory page. The exception is Tai Pan: its website has not been updated recently, so call before you go. For the full range of Asian cuisines in town, see our Asian food guide.

Regional styles to know

Chinese cooking is a set of regional traditions, not one cuisine. Knowing the region helps you order.

Most Chinese meals are shared. Order a few dishes for the table rather than one plate each and add rice or noodles.

Where the restaurants are

Chinese restaurants are spread across the city rather than grouped in one district. Tai Pan is downtown on Waverley Street, a block off University Avenue. Chef Zhao Kitchen is at Edgewood Plaza in the north of the city, near the Embarcadero Road exit from Highway 101. Tie Mu Zhen is on El Camino Real in south Palo Alto. Mamahuhu is at Town & Country Village across El Camino Real from Stanford. Dumpling Time and P.F. Chang's are at Stanford Shopping Center. Most have their own parking or sit in shopping centers with lots, except Tai Pan, where downtown street parking has posted time limits. Its website has not been updated recently, so call before you go.

Places to try

Tai Pan, 560 Waverley Street

Tai Pan serves Hong Kong-style Cantonese cooking, with seafood specialties, family-style dishes and a separate dim sum menu of more than 80 varieties. The restaurant explains its name on its website: in Chinese culture, a tai-pan is someone who shines above all in their field. It has a full bar with its own cocktails and a VIP room for 14 to 36 guests. It lists lunch and dinner every day, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 8:30 p.m. Treat those details with care: its website has not been updated recently and still shows old pandemic-era notices, so call before you go. Our dim sum guide covers confirmed alternatives downtown.

Chef Zhao Kitchen, Edgewood Plaza

Chef Zhao Kitchen has cooked Shanghainese food in Suite 120 at 2180 West Bayshore Road since its grand opening on May 27, 2016. The menu features pan-fried pork buns, sold six to an order, xiao long bao soup dumplings and braised Dong Po pork. Other sections cover cold appetizers, handmade noodles, rice cakes and stir-fries. The family behind it also runs restaurants in Fremont, Milpitas, Union City and Cupertino. It is closed on Mondays and has three private rooms. Our Midtown and Edgewood Plaza guide covers the shopping center.

Tie Mu Zhen, 3345 El Camino Real

Tie Mu Zhen is a newer restaurant that serves Inner Mongolian food. Lamb is the center of the menu: roasted ribs, steamed lamb shaomai, dumplings and soup. A second section covers spicy Sichuan dishes. The restaurant recommends ordering family style with friends. It serves lunch and dinner daily, with pickup and delivery.

Mamahuhu, Town & Country Village

Mamahuhu is the Palo Alto branch of a San Francisco group co-founded by chef Brandon Jew. It cooks Chinese-American classics with a vegetable-forward approach and calls its dishes meals made to be shared. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for dine-in, takeout and delivery. The Palo Alto menu is posted as a separate download with allergen information.

At Stanford Shopping Center

The mall's dining list includes two Chinese options. Dumpling Time, which opened in May 2025, serves dumplings and small plates in a modern style with roots in San Francisco. P.F. Chang's China Bistro serves familiar Chinese American food. Both are easy choices on a shopping day or with a mixed group. See our Stanford Shopping Center guide for parking and layout.

Market stalls and sweets

The Saturday downtown farmers market lists two Chinese food stalls among its 2026 vendors. Bao Bao Express sells fresh dim sum, dumplings, buns and boba tea. Bun Bao sells frozen steamed buns, dumplings and sesame balls to heat at home.

For dessert, Topi at 2305 El Camino Real opened on October 8, 2025. It sells tea-flavored cakes, character cakes for birthdays and daily desserts. Many cake names on its menu appear in both English and Chinese. It takes online orders for pickup at least two hours ahead.

Dietary notes

• Vegetarian. Mamahuhu marks vegetarian items with a carrot symbol and vegan items with a circle. Tai Pan's posted menus list vegetarian dim sum and Jai, or Buddha's Delight, a traditional Buddhist dish of mushrooms and vegetables, but those menus may be out of date, so call first.
• Gluten. Soy sauce, dumpling wrappers and noodles usually contain wheat. Mamahuhu marks dishes with a fully gluten-free recipe as GF and warns that cross contact is possible.
• Hidden ingredients. Oyster sauce, fish sauce, lard and chicken stock show up in vegetable dishes at many Chinese restaurants. Ask if you avoid them.
• Spice. Sichuan dishes can be very hot. Ask how a dish is prepared before you order for children.
• Allergies. Peanuts and sesame are common. Tell staff when you order.

For more meat-free choices across all cuisines, see our vegetarian and vegan guide.

Reservations and ordering

For a banquet or a family celebration, call Chef Zhao Kitchen ahead about its private rooms. Tai Pan also lists a VIP room; call to confirm it is still taking bookings. Ordinary weeknight meals rarely need a booking. Weekend lunch is the busy time for dim sum, so arrive early or plan for a short wait.

A few ordering habits help:

1. Count dishes, not plates. A common rule is one dish per person plus rice, then share everything.
2. Mix cooking methods. Pair something steamed with something fried, braised or stir-fried.
3. Order dim sum in rounds. Start with a few steamed dumplings and buns, then add more.
4. Eat soup dumplings carefully. Set one on a spoon, bite a small hole, sip the broth and then eat the rest.
5. Use takeout for Sunday nights. Tie Mu Zhen and Mamahuhu both handle pickup and delivery.

Nearby in Mountain View and Menlo Park

Many Palo Alto residents drive south for regional Chinese food. Downtown Mountain View along Castro Street is known for its range of Asian restaurants, especially Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese and Indian. Restaurants there open and close often, so walk the street and decide on the spot. Large Chinese supermarkets are also a short drive south. We did not confirm a Chinese restaurant in Menlo Park for this guide. Our Mountain View guide covers Castro Street and the train station at its north end.

Frequently asked questions