The Best Chinese Spots in Columbus (2026)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.