Chef Ho's (243 Atwells Ave)

Chef Ho's restaurant serves an authentic Chinese dish the way his customers want. My vegetable fried rice was not greasy, not salt just the way I like it. Although piece of onion was found between my fried rice its not a deal breaker... Onion is not for me. The meals are fresh and taste, and the price is reasonable. Hot and Sour and vegetable soup is my go-to because they are so filling.

Chef Ho’s provides classic, no frills, affordable Chinese-American food. Most of their business is now takeout and delivery, though there are still a handful of tables to dine in. The table for four people right in the front window next to the entrance is a perfect spot to dine in, especially on Saturdays in the summer when Atwells Ave is closed for “Al Fresco dining” and lots of people are walking around (it’s a prime time for people-watching). I was told that the food is so affordable because the owner purchased the building that the restaurant is in long ago and isn’t pressured to raise prices to pay increasing rents to a landlord. The owner is very kind and is even willing to honor “secret” menu items that are in their computer system, but not on their posted or printed menus. For example, they have a “Dinner for Four” for just under $75 including tax, which is a pretty good deal, especially since it’s a huge amount of food (see photo). The owner also has a small hidden parking lot on Falls Place that she allows clients who dine in to use. The parking lot is primarily used by their delivery drivers and staff. The lot can be accessed by Messenger St. It could also be accessed from Atwells, but the small Falls Place alleyway is sometimes blocked by cars. After you park, you just walk across Atwells to the restaurant. Chef Ho’s is a classic spot. Although the average Google star rating (currently ~3.9) might give you pause, if you go with the expectation that you’ll have a good meal at a good value and not the type of extravagant experience you might have at newer restaurants that have opened nearby, you’ll be satisfied.

I ordered online takeout, combo #1 combo #3 sesame chicken and the egg foo young. I was pleased with the woman who gave me my order she was very nice and helpful because the online ordering mentioned an app but I couldn’t get it. She said best to call and if you spend $45 or more there is a coupon for free food. The food was hot and the taste was good on everything, except the chicken skewer was very dry on the outside if you pulled back the outside the chicken inside was moist and tasty. Also I ordered sesame chicken and got orange chicken or tso chicken? It was ok but not what I ordered. The rice was delicious and it was the reason I decided to order here because I wanted traditional brown pork fried rice. The chicken egg foo young was good, but would get the gravy on the side next time. Boneless spare ribs were good and the sauce tasted fresh with hints of cherry. The egg rolls are huge and had a traditional flavor. Crab Rangoon was like most in RI could use more filling but still tasty. I love sticky wings and these were crispy and heavily sauced. The chicken fingers were golden and delicious and the beef teriyaki stick was just ok. They packed plenty of duck sauce and soy sauce but I forgot to ask for hot mustard and prefer house made sauces in lieu of packages. There was 4 fortune cookies, they were fresh and crunchy. I would try it again, the prices are reasonable for the area.

Food is always hot, fresh, large portions, and full of amazing flavors!

Their combination appetizer option is great. Good amount of food for reasonable price. It’s plain Americanized Chinese food. Very casual small dine in section because this is mostly a take out restaurant. It is a good value spot for large portions

The food is excellent..I always order take out or get it delivered... the prices are very good and you get a lot of food, they always give you enough food so you can eat twice... I definitely recommend trying it..

This was the WORST Chinese food I’ve ever eaten! AWFUL! From the appetizers, dumplings (thick, soggy bad), ribs (tough and tasteless), sticky wings (rubber), egg drop soup (white and liquidy) and main meal, curry chicken (rubber)! DO NOT waste your money on their horrible food! There are wayyy too many great restaurants on Atwells Avenue to go here! I threw away everything!

I specifically ASKED FOR EGROLLS WITH CABBAGE AND PORK AND GOT UNCOOKED ALMOST BOILED CELERY EGROLLS DISCUSTING HAD TO PUT IT IN THE AIR AIRFRYER for 30 min and empty the nasty celery and only ate the dry uncooked egroll wrap skin after being AIRFRYED!! I swear and the least time i had fried rice it was more boiled and no grease i like my fried chinese food greasy not watery or dryyyyyy

Stopped in for a late lunch special. I typically don't expect really fresh food from the lunch special list but this was an exception. Delicious food in a very clean setting

This place is seriously riding the struggle bus. The food is fine (as far as taste goes) and the portions are good--even generous. I've only gotten take-out or delivery from here, and the service can be a little slow (as far as Chinese restaurants generally go). The prices are also fine considering Atwells can be an expensive strip around Federal Hill. My issue is that something always goes awry or is slightly off every time I order. The most recent time (on a delivery order) they forgot an entire entree. However, they somehow put in two spring rolls in the bag even though no one ordered spring rolls? The most egregious/bizarre part is that my lo mein noodles were not lo mein noodles. I mean this in that they were not... the cylindrical egg noodles most people would associate with lo mein. They used some type of flat noodle and the "lo mein" looked more like pad thai? It tasted fine, but I was like... why do I keep giving this place my money? Idk, man. I guess because it's close by? I need to find another cheap Chinese place because Chef Ho's isn't cutting it. Chengdu Taste is amazing, but it's too expensive for when I just want junky takeout.

We ordered takeout from here: House Pad Thai Beef Chow Foon (Chow fun) Peking Chicken Wings (x12) The customer service was good! The speed of the food was good! The packaging was good! Quantity is a lot! It was very hot when we picked it up. For both the noodle dishes (pad thai and chow foon), I thought it's too oily. Yes, I know Chinese restaurant food is typically already very oily. But in these dishes, the oil might interfere with the flavor of the noodles as well, because I thought they were a little bland. Maybe it needs more light and dark soy sauce to balance the flavors more? But who am I to say, I'm not good at cooking noodles. For the pad thai, a sweet citrus-y sauce was included with the dish. It's not the usual fish sauce that other Asian RI restaurants give... and I don't think the sweet citrus sauce pairs with the pad thai very well. The wings were sweet tasting. While I think the food is decent, it can be improved. So, because I care about a restaurant's food more than anything else: three stars (it's ok; I may or may not order from here again) for the meal and experience we got. In addition, but not really important to the rating: parking is easy in the residential area behind. Or there is street parking in front (good luck because it's a busy street). Honestly, Atwells Ave would make a really nice No Cars, Pedestrians Only street.

My husband and I have been eating here for over 20 years. Food is always hot, plentiful, consistently delicious. I've tried lots of Chinese restaurants but nothing has ever compared to chef hos. I live in Cranston so unfortunately they do not deliver to my location, I don't mind going to pick my food up at all... Boneless ribs are one of my favorites, trimmed without any fat. I ate 1/3 of my plate before I took picture could not resist.

Amazing food always good service if going inside. The food always taste great the tenderness of the spare ribs at always great. Definitely recommend

I'm beyond loyal to Chef Ho's. Food is consistent and great. Prices are good. Delivery is super fast and courteous. (They use their own drivers) Lots of variety. When there has been an issue in the past it was quickly resolved. Chef Ho's forever.

We love Ho. Rapid service, consistently good food. Delivery is always super fast. The owners are awesome. Another great Federal Hill business

My friend raved about this place. The vegetable spring rolls were delicious. The sticky wings were baked wings with sauce poured over them. Not impressed at all. I will probably not try again.

OMG. I gave this place another try. Not Chinese food. I ordered vegetable egg foo yung. Peas and carrots, really?! What about broccoli, bean sprouts, etc.? Also, fried dumplings were not pan fried, tasted like frozen heated in an oven. Never again. Han Palace in Warwick, Dragon Palace in North Kingstown and Coventry, New Dragon in Narragansett are the restaurants to go to for excellent Chinese food.

I had the Lunch combo. Pork fried rice, egg roll and sweet and sour Chicken. Everything was delicious. I would give this a 5 but the chicken was overcooked.

Have been back multiple times since my initial review. Same great food and same friendly and efficient service.

We are native Rhode Islanders living in Kentucky, back in RI visiting family. And each time we come home, we have a hankering for local Chinese food. Our hotel manager suggested Chef Ho's. My wife Sherry and I, along with our three adult kids ordered food for delivery to the hotel. The food was really quite tasty and the dishes were overflowing with the main entree and pork fried rice. We had chow mein, dumplings, 2 tofu dishes, egg fu young and egg rolls. The delivery was faster than expected and prices quite reasonable. Definitely will order again when we are in town.

Nothing like cheap Chinese food, this is top notch in that category. The general chix is 10/10 could eat that weekly. Great take out spot.

Excellent small friendly Chinese! Great portions & excellent value. We were in from California visiting our Daughter & wanted something quick & reasonable. This is surely your place! Very friendly service & food that matches any great Chinese food we get in California.

One things for sure.. Chef Ho's is open during every holiday and through snow storms. Their rice has a unique smoked, hibachi taste to it. Their meat is usually a hit or miss, not always fresh which is very unfortunate because their sauces taste so Good. Except the Sesame chicken, it's pretty tasteless! general Taos chicken taste great but had an overly chewy texture to it from the lack of freshness. Broccoli and garlic combo taste wonderful and was delightfully spicy. . however! My veggie spring roll was placed in the same container and was extremely soggy from being smothered in garlic sauce. Which was So NOT cool. The regular eggroll is much thicker and stayed intact. I couldn't finish my meal, it taste old and that's unhealthy. I only recommend this place if you want veggies and tofu.

It was very good. I always have good experience with them. I love the sticky chicken with the shrimp fried rice in the eggrolls. Thanks for asking. I'll give them five stars.

Best Chinese food ever I only eat there. I LOVE the egg foo Yung the egg rolls are delicious and House fried rice

Well 11 years ago they obviously could afford better ingredients and I've never had wonton soup with dark broth so let me begin the pork fried rice was way overcooked as if it was made days ago and heated up,and we haven't tried the egg foo young yet but I was extremely suspicious because how could they cook $60 worth of food in less than 10 minutes,and we won't be going back.

We were looking for something to eat for dinner on our first trip to Rhode Island. There was a snow storm starting so we ventured over to Federal Hill to find sustenance. A gentleman was coming out of this location and we asked him how it was. His response sold us on giving it a try. Walking in the restaurant was welcoming. We were asked if we wanted our food to go or stay. We were seated and given drinks quickly. We ordered the General Tso's chicken with pork fried rice, egg roll and spring roll. There was an extra charge to get the spring roll instead of egg roll. The egg roll was huge. It was the biggest egg roll I've ever had. The food was delicious and I liked that the chicken was a tad crispy. In fact, I remarked I'd never had general tso's chicken with such a crisp to it. I felt it made the flavor run deeper. We were also able to ask for our spice to be on the lighter side, which was very accommodating for our taste buds. I wouldn't say this place is anything special, but it was very good. The pork fried rice didn't have any veggies in it. It was just rice and pieces of pork. Had they added veggies and even eggs to my rice my review would be a 4 star. The portion was pretty nice sized for both our meals so I would say you could share if you come with someone.

Decent..... Not sure I'm gonna rush back but also it was what it was. Rice doesn't come in a poo poo platter? Oh well. I'll probably keep looking.

I ordered a boneless spare ribs combo for takeout and while I was eating I noticed something squishy in my mouth..... i upped it out and this was what it was. From my fried rice and boneless spare ribs plate. Disgusting. I will never eat here again.

Heard from a family member this place was delicious. Hubby & I were disappointed as we hoped it would be as delicious as we heard it was. We both ordered combo plates with an order of crab rangoons and chicken fingers. The chicken fingers were good and crispy but very small amount of meat and a lot more breading compared to other Chinese places. The crab rangoons are different, they are not sweet and creamy like other places, they are more cream cheese tasting and savory with a thick filling. The general tso and sesame chicken in our combo plates were good tho. But the extremely horrible experience was my fried rice tasting like someone literally ashed a cigarette in it! It was smokey tasting, idk if the rice was burnt or what but had my hubby try and he said the same thing! He is a smoker and even said it tasted like someone sprinkled an ash tray over the rice.

Beef Teriyaki and fried chicken were great but the crab Rangoon was fair. Overall I would definitely recommend this place.

Lady at counter very disrespectful Came in with my daughters had ordered already , and sat down to wait she came and literally almost pushed us off the chairs because the chairs were for eat in customers only will never go there again have to give one star so I could review if not they would not get any, heard her telling another customers if you don't like it go buy somewhere else very bad experience at a restaurant for first time ever

This is my favorite go-to place for take-out!!! The food is always delivered HOT, fresh, and quick. They have never had an issue with me changing something. And the delivery people are always friendly.

Good portion. Perfect temperature and everything tasted on point. I'll definitely order from them again.

Great experience every time. Small, cozy atmosphere if you're looking for good Chinese not a fancy setting. They have a full bar with reasonably priced drinks and overall great food! I'm from NY and so far this is the closest thing ive found in PVD that anything close to NY Chinese!

A cold Friday night in Providence and we are on an adventure. We decided to try somewhere new for our Chinese food Friday night tradition. A cute little place nestled away on Federal Hill. I remember getting food from their street stand during the Italian Feast and I really liked the Boneless Spareribs. We started with some libations: a Zombie and a Mai Tai to toast with. The Zombie had quite the kick. For an appetizer, we got the Appetizer Combo #3 which included Crab Rangoon, Boneless Spareribs, sub Peking Wings, and Fried Rice. The wings and boneless ribs were delicious; both sauces were savory, sweet and finger looking good. For the main course we got a General Taos Combo and a Happy Family. The Happy Family had fresh broccoli, chicken, pork and shrimp in a tasty house sauce. Our server was all smiles and she got us everything we asked for. The atmosphere was livened by the sounds of Lite Rock 105 playing from the speakers. I'll definitely be back for more Boneless Spareribs.. I'm addicted now!

Meh. I like Chinese food but I got pretty bad heartburn after eating here - and I don't usually get heartburn. The fried food has a lot of batter and is overly fried. The drinks are not particularly good.

This place gave me food poisoning. I was throwing everything up thought i was gonna pass out it was so bad. And i used to love this place but after that I'll never eat here again

I ordered a $52 order from them. Not only was my order confirmed 40 minutes later after I placed it, the meal was incomplete when the delivery arrived. I proceeded to call the restaurant to receive a refund from them, but instead I got called a liar pretty much by the woman on the phone stating "two people were seen packaging the food into the bag", I gave the driver a $7.60 tip on top of the $3 delivery fee on grub hub. All I wanted was my food after I worked on my feet all day long. But no, Instead I got called a liar, and said all she could do was give me credit for next time. As if I was trying to score a free crab Rangoon order. I should have saved my $7.60 tip and ordered 2 crab Rangoon instead.

Admittedly I am only giving this a 5 star because I feel that other reviews have been unfair. Really a 4 star in my mind. I am from Hong Kong and then Toronto before living in Providence. I am pleasantly surprised to find a restaurant (believe me I've tried many places in RI/MA) that had dishes that meet my Cantonese palette. I came here and ordered the Yeung Chow fried rice, because that is my go to dish at any Chinese restaurant. Pure unadulterated quality. I have brought my other Chinese friends here and they too can't get over how good this fried rice is. Let me tell you something about fried rice. The usual crap that is American take-out fried rice is the soy-sauce fried, brown piles of mush with peas and carrots. Please no. The picture I see for Chef Ho's is Carrie Diandazuri D's order and that's the travesty I'm describing. THAT IS NOT CHINESE FRIED RICE. I get it. This stuff sells because soy sauce is an easy sell in America. It's also cheap. I get it. Do yourself a favor and order the Yeung Chow fried rice if you actually want to try Canto cuisine. Jasmine rice fried in a wok over an open flame with Chinese BBQ pork and shrimp, with (don't remember but uh...) lettuce and egg. The rice comes out slightly brown and the remaining oil gleams in the light as expected. Granted, fried rice is still fried rice and it's not like it's gonna blow your mind or anything, but it tasted like home and that is saying something. I have also tried their Singapore rice noodles (vermicelli) and it also meets my standard. Hunan beef was tasty but I've had better. I implore you to try ordering off the "dinner combo" menu for once. General Tso's chicken isn't a thing outside of America. Looking at some of the pictures that have been posted, I'm really glad I didn't try those common "American-Chinese" items here because I would have missed out. All the other reviewers who tried such bastardized items and then gave 1/2 stars are scumbags.

Chef Ho's has been on the Hill for close to a decade at this point. And while some reviews seem to be pro-food and some anti-food, I think the reason that Ho's is really here is their drinks. We recently sampled Chef Ho's on the Federal Hill Stroll, and admittedly I did not enjoy the food they had offered (rice and I think chicken?) HOWEVER, the line was probably the longest on the street because everyone was using their drink tickets at Ho's. We both agreed that we wouldn't likely get take out from here in the future, but we would in fact stop in for drinks after work on Fridays!

I'm my opinion this is the best delivery option in Providence. It's a little pricey, but worth it. Crab rangoons are great, and I love the boneless spare ribs.

Good takeout and it was ready prior to my arrival. Food quality was nice. Good service and value overall. Recommended.

Great crab rangoon and Chef Ho's special is amazing!!

Always my first choice for delivery. They come quick, they always bring your order and they're prices are good. The food is also really tasty, my favorite veggie egg rolls of all Chinese spots! I recommend it to anyone in the city looking for quick and hot take out!

I have so far ordered only a handful of items from here, so cannot speak for their whole menu. But I give them 4 stars for having thus far the crispiest general tsaos chicken I've found in Providence so far. The sauce is solid, tho possibly a bit on the sweet side. Overall an above-average american chinese restaurant.

I can't believe the owner can even call herself chinese. Her food and service are horrible. I returned some food I ordered once.... I wanted orange chicken, now you think breaded pieces of chicken with some type of orange glaze right? NOPE what I got was cold fried chicken cut in half layed open with cold pineapple on top, nothing orange about that. When I asked her about it she said that this is how the Chinese make it. She was trying to cover up that she is a shitty restaurant owner and her food blows. She refused to give me my $15 back so instead I ordered a veggie plate, then I let her know that she is a horrible business woman. I work at one of the nearby hotels and she always brings us menus, I told her to stop bringing them because we won't send our guests there. She was offended...good. ...I LOVE the picture of her egg roll stand. Federal Hill has an Italian festival every year and all of the local ITALIAN restrurants put up stands and sell food and drinks. This woman puts up a makeshift cardboard stand and sells egg rolls, I bet she sold one and it was to her family member. Avoid this place at all costs!

Keeping it curt, let's start with the egg foo young.......its above average......the rice is light and good...... The egg roll is good and not too greasy.......the prices are fair.....I am going to order the Kung Pao next time...... I still prefer Moonstar better, cause Moonstar is cheaper and better...... Beware: There is a 2 dollar delivery fee..... Overall i am fan of Chef Ho's.......

I grew up on Federal Hill and this was basically the only Chinese place to go. I haven't had Chef Ho's in forever so I thought I'd order take-out a few nights ago. The woman on the phone could have been a little nicer though because the phone wasn't loud enough so she practically got aggravated with me everytime I'd say "excuse me?" but that didn't stop me from enjoying the food that came delivered to my job steaming hot. I recommend: - Chef's Special General Tso Chicken w/Boiled Rice - Crab Rangoon Absolutely delicious, those are probably the best two meals at Chef Ho's. Five stars for quality!!!

4 stars in the take away Chinese category. When nothing else was open during the first big snowstorm of this year, I finally had a reason to check out Chef Ho's. I've been meaning to give them a try, but since I only eat Chinese food a few times a year, it's taken me a while to get around to it. The food was you average Chinese take out food. I ordered the General Tso's chicken to go. The portion of the chicken was HUGE, enough for 3-4 meals, easily. However, the rice portion was small - only really enough for 1 big meal. I wonder if the ratio would be the same if you ate there. I went there to order and while I waited got to bond with 2 other brave souls out during the storm that were both regulars there and one of the owners. Everyone was nice and welcoming. Definitely added to my neighborhood storm experience.

Delivery service is garbage. The delivery drivers are always rude and on the most recent order after I've given them one last chance they chucked my food out the window making me get the food off the ground. Professionalism is zero. When having called the store there was no seeming to care about the issue, the person who picked up the phone said "we cant do anything. Sorry." How do you run a business like this? Disrespectful delivery drivers, and incompetent staffing management should really rethink who they are hiring.

I seriously was not expecting much like, at all based on my fellow Yelpers' reviews. I seriously was also not planning to ever order from here based on the above same. But much in the way that I ended up McLovin' "Lucky Station," Chef Ho's menu somehow winded up in my possession through a local newspaper. Lucky day, they were actually willing to deliver to my hood which was a little shocking considering they weren't even sure where I was until they pulled up a map. Ok 'nuff for me. Granted I have never stepped inside or tasted a meat product (I went veg-head many months ago) but at the very least, from what has been ordered, I genuinely enjoyed every dish. The scallion pancakes are a bit on the greasy side so I consider them an extremely guilty pleasure (I'm not really into fried food) but overall they are totally delish. The sauce that comes with it is looks and tastes homemade: they never give me a heard time when I ask for it extra spicy. I've also ordered the chicken-corn soup sans chicken with no issues, indeed equally delicious. The broccoli in hot garlic sauce, my personal favourite in general, is also completely lovely albiet, a little greasier than need be. When not counting calories, their chow mei fun rocks my world in a questionable way: I'm not sure if it's the type of oil they use or drugs but it's addicting as hell. Service while on the phone seems fine enough if not abrupt. Delivery is wicked fast and everything's been totally fresh and hot. With so many negative reviews from 2009 I can't help but wonder if something has improved since then(?) Then again, I haven't actually tasted any of their beef, seafood or poultry dishes, perhaps for the best. Either way I can't help but give 'em four stars since I really love what I've ordered thus far. However, dieters beware as this is definitely not a grease free experience.

Just ordered for 4 of us. Take out was delivered in aluminum trays. They must store their pre cooked dishes in similar large trays because the rice tasted metallic and like I was licking an ashtray. I can't comment on other foods as this ruined the taste of everything, the one person who did not have fried rice did not have this experience.

Not as good as prior to COVID closing. Perhaps because we have been able to try other places while they were closed.

On Atwell's Ave you expect to find Italian places, not Chinese, but Chef Ho's is quite good. It's the only Chinese place I know in Providence that delivers, and that gets them a few points in Sara's big book of lazy. The fact that they're on foodler earns several more. The apps: I ordered a big bunch of stuff for friends, so I tried a few things. Loved the scallion pancakes, but thought the Peking Ravs were a little doughy. Pork Fried Rice was decent, Szechuan Chicken and Beef n Broccoli were top notch.

Please do not order from this restaurant through UBER EATS OR GRUBHUB. I placed a $60 order tonight, I ordered two combinations plates along with the rest of my food, they gave me CHICKEN NO RICE and french fries i didnt ask for. i am not a child i do not want french fries, then when i called to tell them they messed up my ordered they insisted on UBER EATS messing up my food and that they will not be replacing my missing food WHICH I PAID FOR !! and then told me RUDELY she dont know why customers order threw grubhub or uber eats cause they have theyre own delivery service ... i explained to her that im not in the delivery area and she said bot her problem to order somewhere closer to where i live, i asked for manager she said she was manaher... stuck eatting just chicken im so upset after spending $60

Well there's a reason the food is cheap...because it's cheap quality. Egg drop soup...very watered down Chicken and rice soup...way too much rice basically absorbed all the broth Dumplings...dough to pork ratio is ridiculous. You basically get a big chunk of dough with a little pork in the center Shrimp fried rice...don't get the shrimp if you're grossed out by poop veins. they don't devein. On the plus side the delivery was fairly quick and well organized.