Chang Hai Restaurant

One of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve ordered from! The steamed white rice was perfectly cooked—chewy and fluffy. The General Tso’s chicken was delicious, and since they didn’t have Orange Chicken, they went the extra mile to make us a special side. The scallion pancake had a wonderfully crisp texture, reminiscent of a Haitian pâté Kode without the filling. The vegetable lo mein was fantastic—even as someone who doesn’t like mushrooms, I found myself enjoying them. The egg rolls, however, were a bit dry and the filling wasn’t my favorite. One downside is that they don’t accept American Express, only Visa and MasterCard, so keep that in mind. Overall, a solid spot, and I’d definitely eat there again! Atmosphere is dry, old style could use a refresher.

Just ate at Changhai and it seriously impressed me. The place has a chill, clean vibe with some nice traditional touches. Service was on point — friendly, fast, and helpful with recommendations. We had the soup dumplings (amazing — thin skin, flavorful broth), Mapo Tofu (authentic Sichuan heat and numbing spice), and the hand-pulled noodles (fresh, chewy, and full of flavor). Even their General Tso’s Chicken was a standout — crispy, not overly sweet, and actually had depth. Portions were solid, prices totally fair, and everything came out hot and fresh. If you’re tired of greasy takeout and want real, flavorful Chinese food — Changhai is the move. Definitely going back.

Everything was hot and fresh! The fried rice was delicious and the chicken was tender and moist

I used to go here 5 days a week 20 years ago when I worked nearby. Today I happened to be in the area so I stopped in to get my old usual for lunch spicy green beans and an egg roll. Used to pay about $6 for the lunch but now was charged $20.54. Wow! Inflation! When I walked up to the counter I said I used to come here 20 years ago and I didn't need to look at the menu. I'll have the spicy green beans and an egg roll. The order taker asked me something I think about sizes and I just for me, one. While I was waiting I looked at the menu taped to the front window. It showed the lunch as $12.75 or $12.95. When the order was ready I asked about the price difference I was told I had to say the work "combo" or something like that. I mean it was 12:33 PM. Lunchtime. I mean, I am older but I don't eat dinner that early. So she tells me next time I have to say the magic word. I told her there would not be a next time. At the very least she should have asked me if I wanted the "combo" or whatever it is. I feel very ripped off having given her $8 more than what I should have paid for lunch. I will never go back. Remember to use the magic word if you go during lunchtime or you'll be charged an extra $8 for your lunch.

Get the pan fried Peking Raviolis. Soooooo good. Same with the General Tso's chicken.

I really wanted to like this place, but after 2 visits I will not be going back. I ordered hoisin 3 delights which stated it included scallions which is fine. The dish was smothered in onions, drowning. That's all you could see that's all you could taste. We had to pick them all out one by one but the flavor of oniosn remained. Sorry, we will not go back!

Takeout only Chinese that's been there before I was born. Great food fast.

Quite literally the best chinese takeout in the area. Might be the best scallion pancakes ever.

This place is the definition of quantity over quality. Their portions are good unfortunately the food itself is seasoned in a strange way. Would not recommend the egg rolls or lobster sauce here.

Not sure what to think of this place. Tried it once a month ago and it was outstanding. Ample portions of beef chow foon and pork lo mein with generous amounts of meat. Went again tonight and ordered the same dishes. Portions were not as large, and truly comically small amounts of meat--maybe five pieces of beef in the chow foon, and so little pork in the lo mein, I seriously wondered if they gave me a meatless version by accident, until I found maybe four tiny matchstick sized slivers. First time there was a lady behind the counter, this time it was a guy. Not sure what that has to do with anything, but if I wrote this after the first time I went it would be a four star review, and if I only went tonight it would be be two stars, so I'll give them the average.

I used to go here 5 days a week 20 years ago when I worked nearby. Today I happened to be in the area so I stopped in to get my old usual for lunch spicy green beans and an egg roll. Used to pay about $6 for the lunch but now was charged $20.54. Wow! Inflation! When I walked up to the counter I said I used to come here 20 years ago and I didn't need to look at the menu. I'll have the spicy green beans and an egg roll. The order taker asked me something I think about sizes and I just for me, one. While I was waiting I looked at the menu taped to the front window. It showed the lunch as $12.75 or $12.95. When the order was ready I asked about the price difference I was told I had to say the work "combo" or something like that. I mean it was 12:33 PM. Lunchtime. I mean, I am older but I don't eat dinner that early. So she tells me next time I have to say the magic word. I told her there would not be a next time. At the very least she should have asked me if I wanted the "combo" or whatever it is. I feel very ripped off having given her $8 more than what I should have paid for lunch. I will never go back. Remember to use the magic word if you go during lunchtime or you'll be charged an extra $8 for your lunch.

I haven't been here since high school -- which is a long time, mind you -- and my mom and I decided to try Changhai again the other week. It is delicious, I can't get over how hot and fresh everything is, and it's really flavorful. Just... wow. A genuine treat for sure. Standouts are the Sesame Chicken, Veggie Lo Mein, Crab Rangoon and Egg Rolls. And they deliver! The prices are very reasonable for the quality and portions you get. I am already looking forward to our next meal.

Best food ever!!!!! My husband is from Lexington and we live in California. Getting food from Changhai is the best part of our yearly trip. Everything we've tried is amazing and I would give my entire life savings for them to open a location in the Bay Area.

I have been going to Chenghai for years. Always great quality take out, big portions and fair prices. Great seafood options too

called and ordered. got there and owner had an attitude when I asked for extra duck sauce. got home food looked it was microwaved and dry.called to get money back . no way. so next morning through food in front of store. you've been warned stay home

So I am a person who believes there is a spectrum of Chinese/Asian food establishments that shouldn't be graded against each other but at the level they aspire to be. There are low tier greasy spoon places, mid tier you would serve to family and friends, and top tier fine dining places that are worth traveling to. Changhai is excellent in it's simplicity as a take-out only Chinese food establishment. While the establishment slots itself in the low tier greasy spoon demo as there is no real option to sit down and dine it, the food you order is punching well above its weight class. The food here is undeniably high mid tier and if you are looking to take-out or order delivery this is the place to go. The price point is right on the money for the quality and amount of food they offer.

I haven't eaten here in 20 years because I moved to California, but I still think of it every time in rains. Love you, Changhai.

Food was great as usual! Ready quick and exactly as I ordered it. General Gaus chicken was fantastic, plus they have the best crab Rangoon's! Really like the set up with the "pickup" window in the door they created!

Average take out Chinese food. Got a pupu for 2 and rice. Wings were good, as were the pork ribs. Rangoon and spring rolls were average. Small and over cooked beef teriyaki. Fried shrimp were a joke. Tiny dry shrimp with huge batter surrounding. Same for the chicken fingers. Fried rice not memorable. There are many Chinese joints. Go somewhere that is trying to impress you with their food. This is not that place. It's partly our fault as diners. We don't demand better.

This is officially the worst Chinese I have ever had. Hot and sour was terrible and room temp. Crab Rangoon and chicken fingers were extremely undercooked. I can't imagine a cook looking at this food and sending it out. I had it delivered by Grubhub so I called to complain about the delivery time. The food was done and on its way from 3 miles away for 40 minutes. It was in the car for 40 minutes. Grubhub said that this location handles their own deliveries so this was their fault as well. I attached a pic of the undercooked food.

Not worth the trip. Had three dishes and all pretty tasteless. Did not meet the expectations set by the other reviews.

The best takeout Chinese I have found in the Boston area. Combines classic Chinese-American favorites (General Gau's chicken, orange beef, spareribs) with their own recipes which are just as good. The Changhai chicken in particular is a delightful culinary experience. I've been ordering there for over 20 years and it's always a treat.

BE AWARE OF ALLERGENS WHEN ORDERING! None of the order listings online have allergen information. I ordered the Kung Pao Spicy Shrimp on the Seamless app, and the dish has peanuts in it. I am allergic to peanuts! When I called to inform them they did nothing but offer a credit for next time I ordered. Ridiculous, when peanut allergies are so common and can be so dangerous.

Our takeout order from last week was excellent. Everything tasted great, including the egg drop soup, house special fried rice, and egg rolls. But the best item was the Garlic Chicken (I think it's in the "specials" section of the menu). There was plenty of chicken, cooked to perfection, in a wonderful sauce with fresh vegetables. I've come here a number of times before, I realize that the quality does vary. But I just had to compliment them on the terrific food they sold us last week at a reasonable price.

Amazingly, I have checked in here a few times, but never actually yelp'd it. Chinese food is something of an art. Like, you either know it's good chinese or not - and sometimes it can fake you out. This is what I call an "American" Chinese food place. Everything that boring American's expect chinese food to be - and being that it's in Lexington, it's damn expensive "fake" chinese food. When hunger strikes so hard that I don't care what falls into my mouth, this is the place to go. If I had to choose good asian cuisine - or a Vermeer over little Sandy's color by number picture, well, I'd choose H-Mart over Changhai. Just sayin' Oh by the way, only take out here...no dining in unless you wanna eat in your car (which I have done btw)

As far as (Americanized) Chinese takeout goes, Changhai has to be one of my favorites. I've been coming here for years but it never occurred to me to write a review until now. Prices have gone up in the 10-or-so-years that I've been coming here, but its still one of the cheapest places in Lexington and a good value for the amount of food you get. One order can comfortably feed 2 people. I always order from the Lunch specials, which come with steamed/fried rice and two fried chicken wings. I like the lunch deals are available every day of the week! My go-to order is the Beef teriyaki/boneless rib/spring roll option. Be warned that the beef teriyaki more closely resembles Hong Kong-style bbq pork than your usual mall-chain teriyaki. Its not drenched in sauce but is still super flavorful. I'd recommend at least trying it to see if your thing. The boneless rib is really good as well. I'd say that the veggie spring roll is average/on-par with those at other takeout places. The general gau's chicken is pretty good as well. The batter on it isn't super hard/crispy, which I like. All white meat, too. Sweet and sour chicken is the kind that resembles "chicken fingers" with white meat and crispy batter. There's that standard red sauce that comes with it. Not my favorite dish here but it still decent if you like that kind of chicken. Lo Mein noodles are alright. Some veggies and your choice of meat mixed in. Nothing out of the ordinary. I personally wouldn't get them because you already get a ton of fried/white rice, so adding a large helping of noodles would be too much carb and not enough MEAT. Szechuan spicy string beans have a good flavor but have a lot of sauce, so be warned. My parents like the beef with green (bell) peppers--standard stir fry kind of thing. I can't speak about the quality of the shrimp entrees because I've never had them. The chicken wings that come with lunch are actually pretty good. Always hot and not super hard/too crispy/too dry. The only criticism I have is probably for their fried rice. It's not great---just some soy sauce, peas, carrots, chicken/pork, onions, some egg. Fried rice can be so much more than this! It used to be better. I suspect this downgrade has to do with trying to keep their prices low despite rising food costs. Keep in mind, this place is mostly for takeout. There are tables inside but I wouldn't consider it a sit-down place. If you want a more "restaurant" experience, maybe try Taipei Gourmet (also in Lexington). If you're looking Americanized-Chinese takeout, this is the place!

Gone way down hill! Crab Rangoons way less stuffing, beef and Broccoli has very little beef ratio and the lady who takes ur order is rude! NEVER AGAIN! THEY SUCK!

It's relatively cheap Chinese food with tons of flavor that comes in huge helpings - what's not to love? I don't recommend getting anything that comes in a brown sauce, as their brown sauce doesn't taste like any brown sauce I've ever had before, but the spring rolls, ginger lo mein, and General Gao's chicken are so good, who cares if they can't do brown sauce to suit an American who's never eaten Chinese food in China? I mean really. Take-out's great, delivery's even better - they tack on a fee for delivery and you have to buy at least $25's worth of food to get it delivered, but COME ON. It's so worth it. The place itself is kind of janky and gross, but it's not a restaurant at all - more like an enclosed food stall, so who cares. Just call ahead, go in, get your food, and go home happy. That's what we do, and it works just fine. This is my favorite place to get food when I'm too lazy to cook. Love it!

Very clean tasting, fresh food. My fav dishes are house special soup, house rice, two side pan fried noodles, Peking ravioli. My Thai-food loving friend raves about their pad thai.

Happily Surprised! Ordered takeout tonight from Changhai, 1st time. Got pork fried rice, egg rolls, sweet and sour chicken, and chicken chow mein. All were great! Granted, this is not gourmet Chinese, this is American Chinese but they really hit the mark. Rice was fresh, egg rolls were full and tasty, sweet and sour chicken was perfectly fried, and chow mein was full of bean sprouts and white meat chicken. All had great flavor. The best part of this meal was that nothing was overly salty or greasy. Even after a few hefty helpings I did not have the Chinese food hangover usually associated with cheap Chinese food loaded with MSG. I noticed on their menu that they do NOT add MSG to their food. So happy to find our new go to for Chinese food in Lexington!

This is my go-to place for take-out. The have had consistently good Peking Ravioli, Scallion Pancakes and Crab Rangoon.

Was in the area, tried it on a whim. I was pleasantly surprised by the general gau chicken. Its amazing. Although It needs to be spicier, the flavor is just awesome. Not only that, they use fresh chicken! Its not the deepfried rocks of connective tissue covered in rock hard water chestnut flour breading.... Its delicious tender pieces of partially breaded fresh white meat. The downsides of this place include the limited menu, lack of two sizes on dishes and apps and pricepoints that generally lean in the high side. That said its my fav general gau in the area.

My family has been coming to Changhai for over 25 years and we remain regular, loyal customers. Their takeout is the best in town BY FAR (I've tried it all), prompt/kind service, and they deliver. Not sure what's happening with the 1-star reviews on here but we have never had a poor experience. You can't lose with their General Gaos chicken, steamed ravioli pork dumplings, and Vegetarian's delight. It's a great, family-run business, and will always be our go-to place.

My husband and I have had take out food quite often from Changhai in the past. On Valentine's evening I decided to surprise my husband with takeout. Wow were we every surprised! The chicken fingers had large amounts of batter on them with very little chicken inside. The peking ravioli were gigantic in size due to the thick amount of batter on the outside with smaller amounts of filling noted. The house rice with pork had un-cleaned shrimp mixed in. Wonder what happened with the quality of Changhai's food. Will definitely not be buying any more take-out from them!

We ordered general gaos chicken, fried rice, white rice, dumplings, ginger green beans, beef teriyaki crab Rangoon and wings in the dinner combos and everything was absolutely delicious and delivery was super prompt. The food wasn't greasy at all, the chicken was not fatty and was not over battered. It was real chicken with delicious sauces. We ordered yesterday and whoever the chef was that was working did an amazing job. We have been looking for good Chinese food for years and we finally found it!

Best Chinese in Lexington. I've been coming here for almost 20 years, and it's outstanding.

Another Chinese food disappointment. Very sub par cooked food. I can go on to explain but will spare you from the details. Don't see how they get these good reviews. Sorry Changhai my General Gao's chicken, chicken lo mein and boneless ribs were lousy.

For local take out, it's really pretty good. Fresh ingredients with albeit "Americanized" and boring but still delicious and well made preperations of typical take out Chinese food. And sometimes there's nothing wrong with that.

Tried this place for lunch a few weeks back. Better than most, but not outstanding. Lunch plates are good size and the prices are fair. I am impressed with the size of the Dumplings here, the box was about to give in...will definitely try it again sometime.

This is by far my favorite Chinese food restaurant ever!! The vegetables are always fresh and clean looking. There is only take out and delivery but it is so worth it! Try the luncheon specials they are great portions! The crab rangoon here are actually made here and aren't some frozen variation! The scallion pancake is also phenomenal! Easily the best Chinese food in Lexington!

Shanghai is chinese take-out only, meaning there is no place there for one to sit down and eat. I've always eaten well there, never gotten sick. This place is certainly better than your average take-out Chinese joint in the Boston area, simply because Shanghai uses better ingredients.

This place is takeout and delivery only. A tad bit pricey for chinese but higher quality than most in this genre. The food comes out very quickly as well.

As far as Chinese food goes in New England they are good. They stand out for their great delivery service, friendly staff and they prepare food fast.

It's interesting what is passed off as crab ragoon. Worst fried rice I have every had, Not sure if it was overcooked or yesterday's but it was mush and the lo mein was no better. After a few bites threw the entire meal away

Nothing is better than Chinese for takeout, and we only go to Changhai. They are take-out only, and for "standard" Chinese in the US, they are very good. The ingredients are simply much better than the regular places, so it is excellent for takeout. In particular, we like their special "Changhai Chicken" which is diced chicken, pine nuts & noodles that you wrap in lettuce leaves. Yum! Fresh! Their list of Specialties is always of quality, including the Triple Delight, a spicy scallop, shrimp and beef dish.

Great Value. Some places give you low prices and the quantity shows it. This restaurant gives you low prices and the quantity is huge. The food quality is good; certainly you can't expect excellence from a small place like this. So if you are looking for a good, inexpensive, high value meal then I'd recommend this place.