Chinese food in Columbus lives mostly in strip-mall plazas and standalone storefronts scattered from the northeast side to the west side, and the range runs from steam-table lunch specials to sixty-item bistro menus built for groups. This guide covers the plazas worth knowing by name, the takeout counters that move fast, and the rare room, like Hunan Lion, that has held its ground for decades.
№ 01
Tai's Asian Bistro & Sushi
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Tai's covers East and Southeast Asian ground in one menu, which makes it the pick when a table can't agree on a country. The chicken egg roll and mapo tofu sit next to kung pao chicken and sushi rolls, and portions run large for the price. Seating is plentiful and the kitchen moves fast, built for groups that need consensus more than precision.
What to orderchicken egg roll, mapo tofu, kung pao chicken
№ 02
Molly Woo's Asian Bistro
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Molly Woo's works as a group room first: potstickers and a spicy tuna roll at the bar during happy hour, a full table for a family celebration on a Friday. The bar staff gets consistent marks for pace and friendliness. Tempura shrimp is a menu constant, and the kitchen will adjust standard dishes for a table that asks.
What to orderpotstickers, spicy tuna roll, tempura shrimp
№ 03
Asian Kitchen
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Asian Kitchen sits near Easton and pulls a following for its egg rolls, which draw drivers from across the northeast side even when a couple end up in the freezer for later. Wonton soup and general Tso's chicken round out a takeout menu built for families, with portions generous enough that a Christmas Eve order for two covers leftovers.
What to orderegg roll, wonton soup, general Tso's chicken
№ 04
Taste of Orient
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The dumplings at Taste of Orient skip the filler vegetables and go straight to meat, which is the reason regulars keep coming back to this strip-mall counter. Chicken lo mein arrives in portions big enough to justify the price, and fried rice rounds out a menu built for weeknights when cooking is not the plan.
What to orderchicken lo mein, dumplings, fried rice
№ 05
Hunan King | Chinese
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Hunan King runs the standard Columbus Chinese-American menu, a straightforward option for a neighborhood order when the goal is dinner on the table without ceremony. The name signals Hunan-style cooking, and the format, a compact storefront serving the immediate area, is typical of the city's Chinese takeout tier.
№ 06
Red Chili Asian Kitchen
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Red Chili built a following near campus on its ramen, ordered often enough that regulars treat it as a monthly habit. Pork pad thai and spring rolls round out the counter-service menu, and the kitchen holds its own on the coldest days of the year when a hot bowl matters more than atmosphere. Pricing stays modest throughout.
What to orderramen, pad thai, spring rolls
№ 07
Haveli Bistro
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Haveli Bistro is Indian, not Chinese, and worth the distinction: tandoori shrimp and tandoori chicken lead a menu built around the tandoor, with saag paneer for the table and gluten-free items clearly labeled. It draws large groups even on weeknights, loud with conversation, and runs a buffet at lunch alongside the à la carte tandoor list.
What to ordertandoori shrimp, tandoori chicken, saag paneer
№ 08
Golden Phoenix Restaurant
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Golden Phoenix runs cocktails at five dollars with no cutoff hour, which pairs the bar crowd with the dinner crowd on any given night. Shrimp toast and shrimp pad thai are the dishes worth ordering; the wonton soup is a lesser bet. The room reads themed and colorful, built for a table of friends more than a quiet dinner.
What to orderShrimp Toast, Shrimp Pad Thai, Wonton Soup
№ 09
Hunan Lion
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Hunan Lion has carried its Hunan sauces for four decades, long enough that regulars measure other Chinese restaurants against it. The dumplings and mapo tofu anchor the menu, and the sauce work is the reason the room keeps its following despite service that can run brusque. It remains a fixture for a sit-down meal after a long day.
What to orderdumplings, Hunan sauce dishes, mapo tofu
№ 10
Ding Ho Restaurant
$$
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Ding Ho keeps a low profile in a well-worn building surrounded by cleared lots, but the kitchen turns out fast, friendly weekday lunches with little to no wait. Fried rice and mapo tofu are steady orders; kung pao chicken rounds out the menu. Consistency varies meal to meal, though the counter service stays fast and the parking is easy.
What to orderfried rice, mapo tofu, kung pao chicken
№ 11
Bendi Wok n' Bar
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Bendi Wok n' Bar plays as Asian fusion in a room built for date night, with the Pink Elephant cocktail, citrus and gin, as the drink to start with. Pad thai and crispy spring rolls back up the kitchen's stronger showing in the dining room than on delivery. The setting reads intimate and polished, a step up from the corridor's usual counter-service tier.
What to orderPink Elephant, pad thai, crispy spring rolls
№ 12
Peking Wok | Chinese
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Peking Wok holds down the west side with lo mein, fried rice, and kung pao chicken at lunch-special prices, and it delivers where some comparable kitchens only do dine-in and takeout. Portions and pricing draw repeat orders from the neighborhood, and the kitchen accommodates spice preferences on request. It functions as a reliable weekday lunch or delivery option.
What to orderlo mein, fried rice, kung pao chicken
Frequently asked
What is the best Chinese restaurant near me in Columbus?
It depends on which side of the city and what the room is for. Hunan Lion has the longest track record for sauce-driven Hunan cooking, Asian Kitchen and Peking Wok are strong for fast neighborhood takeout, and Molly Woo's or Tai's work best for groups. None of these restaurants paid to be listed; placement follows the Insider Score, which is built from the review record.
Which Columbus Chinese restaurants are best for groups?
Molly Woo's Asian Bistro and Tai's Asian Bistro & Sushi both run wide menus built to satisfy a table with different preferences, and Golden Phoenix adds all-day cocktail pricing for a livelier group night. Hunan Lion also seats groups comfortably for a sit-down dinner.
Is the Insider Score based on paid placement?
No restaurant pays for a spot in this guide or for a higher Insider Score. The score is generated from the volume and content of the public review record for each restaurant, and it updates as that record changes.
Where can I find cheap Chinese takeout in Columbus?
Taste of Orient and Asian Kitchen both run at the lower end of the price scale with large portions, and Red Chili Asian Kitchen keeps prices modest on its ramen and pad thai. Peking Wok on the west side also offers lunch specials at a low price point.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Tommy Vu
Staff Writer · Top of Columbus
Tommy Vu is the Corridors and Heritage Editor at Top of Columbus. He grew up rolling silverware in his parents' pho shop in a Bethel Road plaza and has been eating his way through the city's strip-mall corridors ever since. If the best kitchen in the plaza has handwritten specials taped to the register, he has already ordered them.
