China Family Restaurant at Highland

I just love a good hole in the wall food place and that’s what China Family is. I was finally convinced to try this place out; don’t let the exterior push you away! As someone who grew up eating Chinese food this place absolutely blows me away! I haven’t found a perfect 10/10 hot and sour soup in Austin but I think this place is it (not oily and actually spicy). Portions are generous and everything served family style. I’ll be back!!

China family has been our go to Chinese restaurant in Austin since they opened their first location. This location is the best one now. It’s the most authentic Chinese restaurant in Austin. More similar to Chinese food in NYC or California. We love the Sichuan chicken and the Chongqing spicy chicken! So good! ( skip the Chinese-American dishes)

China Family Restaurant serves delicious food in huge portions! I would recommend eating family style and trying lots of different dishes. The sesame chicken and Mongolian beef are excellent. I’m not sure how service is during busier times, but at 4:30, the restaurant is just opening back up and the service is friendly and very fast. I highly recommend this restaurant!

Absolutely Disappointing – Don’t Waste Your Time or Money! This place was a complete disaster from start to finish. The food was downright awful! Everything was unbearably salty to the point where it was inedible. We kindly informed the server, hoping for a fix, but the replacement dish wasn’t any better—it was still ridiculously salty and came with a measly 5-6 shrimp. To top it off, the griddle-cooked cauliflower was no different—just another over-salted mess. It’s clear that they don’t taste their food before serving it. Save yourself the frustration and avoid this place altogether!

10/10 Chinese spot! I had an Awesome dinner here over the weekend! Food was delicious and it came out the kitchen fast and hot! Eva was amazing, she was very charming and helpful with the menu! I will definitely be returning to explore the menu some more!

This is the absolute best Chinese food I've ever had in my life, I don't care if it's fusion or authentic, but the taste, seasoning, temperature & portion is great for the price. Also the server Eva is very attentive and has great customer service skills. Annie is nice as well. Y'all just gained a loyal customer, I'll be coming often!

Whoever was cheffing Thursday 6/19, you are a godsend! I ordered the chongqing chicken and the red braised pork belly, both always amazing, but Thursday it was the best I’ve had from here. Chongqing chicken pieces were bigger than usual, pork belly pieces so tender, and both takeout containers were packed. Also flavors are always delicious and accurate, makes me miss my mom’s cooking. So so worth the money. Love y’all!!

I really enjoyed their chongqing chicken and stir fried green beans! The chicken was crispy and has a nice Szechuan flavor to it. I also tried their hunan combo with the three different proteins and their eggplant and green beans dishes. They were both okay. I do recommend to eat in person since the portions seems bigger and the chongqing chicken stays crispy. The portions are big so great price.

Stopped in on a Sun night with friends. I had never been here even knowing it's been there awhile. It's an unassuming place tucked next to the Crescent shopping center and the Mercedes dealership. When we got in there was one 1 other person there waiting for takeout. We had about 6 in our party so we waited a little for them to bus some tables for us. While waiting, we noticed it seems like they do a decent amount of takeout orders and then several parties started to trickle in. Nice to see people supporting small family businesses. Great prices on the menu and generous portions to share family style. We ordered wonton soup for an appetizer, then our mains included: Chongqing chicken, garlic bok choy, mapo tofu and Singaporean noodles. Sadly no photos, but everything was delicious and great amount of food for everyone. We were stuffed and it was perfect bc we cleared all the dishes without leftovers. After tip and all, it only cost a out $16 per person for our party. Definitely heading back to eat there again

Recommended by my Chinese friends, China Family Restaurant in Highland exceeded expectations. Specializing in Szechuan cuisine, this restaurant offers a range of bold and traditional flavors that set it apart. While the interior could use some updates, this often signals a focus on delivering better food, and that was certainly the case here. Tips: Ask the server for recommendations; they know the menu well. Order family style, with no more than one dish per person to share among the table. The Experience: The staff was excellent and attentive throughout our visit. Despite encountering a hair in one of our dishes, the issue was handled promptly and professionally, which left a positive impression. The Food: Double Cooked Pork Belly (四川回锅肉): A standout dish with spice and heat that were perfectly balanced. The flavor was amazing, and I highly recommend it to anyone dining here. Vegetable Delight (素菜什锦): A good mix of vegetables, though my wife thought it leaned too heavily on broccoli. Still, it was well-prepared and a solid option for those looking for a lighter dish. Final Thoughts: China Family Restaurant offers authentic, flavorful Szechuan dishes that are far better than most people might expect at first glance. While many may be tempted to stick with typical American-Chinese options, I highly recommend exploring the more traditional Chinese dishes on their menu. Even their Mapo Tofu, which we didn't have on this visit, is well-regarded and worth trying. While the interior could use a refresh, the excellent food and attentive service make this a spot worth visiting. If you're in the area and craving Chinese cuisine, this is a great choice.

Not having any plans for Christmas I looked places to pick up dinner and found China Family. I did have difficult because their website didn't show the Airport location, so I called and said no phone orders only via Toast. Went on the Toast app and ordered salt and pepper pork chops, grilled beef, and green beans all hefty portions of rice were also included. Price was good for the large amount of food you get. Food was ready when I set the time and I knew it was going to be packed on Christmas Day so thankfully I ordered online because there was a long wait and the place isn't huge. Fresh food and service overall!

I had high expectations for China Family Restaurant after hearing so many good reviews, but my experience was nothing short of a flop. While the service was friendly and welcoming, the food was a different story--and not in a good way. Not long after eating, I found myself battling severe food poisoning that nearly sent me to the hospital. It was one of the worst experiences I've had, and to say it was disappointing is an understatement. I'm all for giving local spots a chance, but when the food puts your health at risk, it's a hard pass. Unfortunately, no amount of friendly service can make up for such a horrible meal and the consequences that followed. I tried to call the restaurant to let them know about what happened and they wouldn't answer the phone.

Tried China Family recently and really enjoyed the food. I tried the Mapo Tofu and the Hot and Sour soup. I appreciated that they had a vegetarian mapo tofu option. Both items were VERY spicy so be warned! But they were delicious. They were super understaffed on a Saturday night though and had so many online orders, so just be warned that there may be a bit of a wait. The interior is definitely nicer than the exterior as well.

I had the vegetable fried rice (no egg to make it vegan) and the vegetable lo mein (vegan as-is). The rice was better than the lo mein. I placed a to-go order and it was ready earlier than expected. The building is unassuming from the outside but looks nicer in the indoor dining area.

Food: crab rangoons were nice and hot but something about the wonton wrapper didn't taste fresh. The filling was good. The spicy chicken was great, good seasoning, and I love that it didn't have any bones so it was very easy to eat. Salt and pepper shrimp was big in size but lacking a little bit of salt. Mapo tofu could be spicier but the flavor was good. I will definitely be coming back, our waiter was also very attentive and kind.

I am in love with this restaurant! And I can't get enough of the Fish in special chili sauce. Spicy as heck but full of flavor and it so fresh. The friendly and helpful staff are always available to answer my culinary questions. I also appreciate the private booths if I need to get a little work done. Again, I love this restaurant!!

The food is amazing, very authentic, and comes with a lot of flavor. If you like spicy food, for sure PLEAse try Beef in Chili Oil. I love that dish so much that when I pack my to-go boxes, I ask for soup containers and cook other food in the chili oil. Griddle griddle-cooked lamb was decent, and also spicy, which I liked. There's mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, wood-ear, and lotus root in the dish. Both meats were very tender. These dishes come with white rice for the table. They were very friendly, came to refill water often, and checked if we liked the dishes. The decorations inside the restaurant are very pretty, I just wish the table/chairs could be updated to a more contemporary style.

Great authentic chinese food, good prices and portions! Highly recommend: hot and sour soup eggplant with garlic sauce mapo tofu Taste authenticated by my grandma and aunts who are visiting from china - they loved it! Service was great and the inside has pretty decorations.

My boyfriend and I ordered takeaway here this week and we were pleasantly surprised! We ordered ahead of time and the food was ready not too long after. I ordered the chicken lo main and my boyfriend ordered the general tso chicken. The portions were really generous, and we ate everything so quickly that I didn't have time to take a picture! I'll definitely be back soon and will upload a photo when I do. Parking was ample outside and not a hassle at all. Service was quick inside, too. We just said the name on the order and they handed it to us. I didn't see too many people seating inside. I'm wondering if this is mainly a takeout place? Either way, it was so delicious and I have no complaints!

China Family Restaurant states on their sign that they have the most authentic Szechuan cuisine in Austin so I had to give it a try. There was a good mix of Chinese people and other backgrounds so you know it's gonna be good. The portions are large and definitely shareable, unless you want leftovers. : ) I will be back to China family.

When the temperature drops, that craving for suichuan food hits hard. China Family is a very unassuming restaurant down Airport from the Crescent plaza. The place was not busy at all on a Saturday night, but the food was incredible. We ordered the dandan noodles, the mapo tofu, and the fish fillet in chili oil. We've had these exact dishes at other Chinese restaurants, but China Family does it the best. Everything was cooked perfectly and really checks all the boxes for good, authentic, homey Chinese cooking. China Family also doesn't shy away from the spices. Perfectly numbing, every dish packs a punch and my nose was running for most of the meal. Definitely will be at the top of my list when I'm craving suichuan food.

Don't judge a book by its cover! While the exterior of the restaurant is quite humble, they offer such flavorful meals! I got the chonqing chicken ($17) and it was spicy, crispy, and delicious! It can easily be up to 2-3 meals.

I really enjoyed their chongqing chicken and stir fried green beans! The chicken was crispy and has a nice Szechuan flavor to it. I also tried their hunan combo with the three different proteins and their eggplant and green beans dishes. They were both okay. I do recommend to eat in person since the portions seems bigger and the chongqing chicken stays crispy. The portions are big so great price.

We really enjoyed our visit to China Family. Like many good Asian restaurants it looked a little sketchy on the outside but don't let that turn you away! Inside it is clean and has lots of space for groups! We ate family style (everyone shares) and 2 dishes easily fed 3 people with lots of leftovers. Their Mongolian beef was AMAZING. The meat was tender and the sauce was flavorful not overwhelming. It was satisfying! We also got the sweet and sour chicken which was a nice complement to the Mongolian beef since it was fried. We loved it and will go again.

This place is an Austin institution. Been around for a long while. Always busy, there's usually a wait. This review is solely based on takeout, though I plan to dine in soon. I can say the takeout counter is always jammed packed and the cashiers are not very attentive. The tend to ignore the line of guests to pack orders. The restaurant is dimly lit with ample seating, everything headed to the tables looked amazing. Now for the food! I tested the water with shrimp fried rice, the portions were huge and filled with large shrimp. I had lunch for the next day. It was delicious. I asked about on of my favorite dishes and they said they offer it but not on the menu. Visit 2, and every time since I've ordered the dry fried fish. It's perfectly seasoned and fried flounder, tossed with chilies, green onions, garlic and ginger. I keep trying to order something else but it has me in a chokehold. Looking forward to going back.

This place gives you HUGE portions of some of its dishes like the Spicy chicken and cauliflower. They are pretty understaffed though so when we went, there was a waitlist even though most of the tables were empty. We ended up waiting 20 minutes and were seated first since the tables ahead of his on the list just left. Ordering was quick and so was the food. We got the spicy chicken, cauliflower, beef dry pot and eggplant. Honestly loved all the food!

Have only had delivery, but what I got the last time was right on point. It was orange chicken with Chinese red peppers sliced a little in there giving the chicken that orange-sweet, but a oh a little spiced hot that was great. It was a bit hotter than I'm used to and did push some peppers out, though. But chef, other than that, I ate every bit of it after 2 meals ( except some sacrificed Chinese red pepper) ha! . . Glenda B

Ordered the sesame chicken and combination lo mein the other day after getting a craving for Chinese food. I would say the main pro is the portion sizes are massive (enough to make a few meals for one person). Outside of that, I unfortunately dont think I would recommend this restaurant and I am genuinely confused as to why there are such good reviews on Yelp. Maybe it was just the specific items I tried, but both were super greasy, lacked flavor (noodles in particular tasted more like play-doh noodles to me), and the sesame chicken had a sickly artificial aftertaste that made it hard to finish (in addition to the lack of actual chicken underneath the layers of breading). Had this meal been more expensive, I would have been tempted to give it only one star- I've had better Chinese food at mall food courts. Very disappointed!

Wow! Best fried rice ever and Chicken Hunan was outstanding too. Mapo Tofu was a little salty, but I can't get over the rest and how good it was. Even the chili oil was not ordinary--somehow they made it savory. 5 stars for food alone: the rest could be awful and ww'd still be back, but all was good.

Great food, very flavorful, generous portions, friendly staff and unassuming location is how I would describe China Family Restaurant. I had the General Tso chicken and steamed rice for lunch. This dish was amazing. The portion was so big I could only eat about 60% of it. But I really enjoyed it... I would definitely come back to try other menu items.

Delicious if you're chinese and homesick. Order from their chinese menu to get more authentic food. Definitely a restaurant i recommend to people that's craving chinese food

Well, the eggrolls I just got delivered were burnt. Not edible. Seems like any cook would notice that?

You get a lot of food (which tastes great) for a good price! The people who work here are very nice and I love what this restaurant has to offer. And the ambience is very comforting. I highly recommend.

Very very quick service. Everyone I interacted with was nice and polite. Enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and gentle lighting. The food was terrific! Just enough spice for the griddle chicken with great flavor. Like the addition of the ear mushrooms and the ton of veggies included in the dish. Also had the veggie egg rolls, which were very Crunchy on the outside with plenty of flavor.

One of the better tasting Chinese restaurants in Austin. Had the pickled fish and the green beans. The wait staff were attentive. Whereas bamboo house 5 minutes away was packed with wait time of 1 hour, there was no wait here... I hate waiting to get food.

Ordered the orange chicken for LUNCHDROP through work. It was good flavor and the fried rice was good as well. I prefer more white meat with my chicken (I know my preference while some prefer dark meat). A lot of the chicken was fatty and some was just breading. Overall the food was good.

My husband and I had the eggplant with garlic sauce, and the mapo tofu. We asked to have it be less spicy, and they were able to accommodate that. The portions were huge which afforded us leftovers for a couple of days. I thought the sticky rice was delicious and my husband thought the fried rice was also good. I think it's a good choice for Chinese food nearby our home. I think the next time I would probably order takeout as I didn't think the ambience in the restaurant was that fun, however, the service couldn't have been better. Very helpful and wonderful people in this restaurant.

Great! One of my favorite. The tomato sautéed eggs, and the sour and spicy nappa cabbage are my favorite. I can only find those tastes in this restaurant.

Came out to this little place to get some dinner. Saw this restaurant and decided to pull up and check it out. Location was right off the highway. Great location and easy to get to, good parking. They have a patio area with picnic tables where you can sit outdoors if you'd prefer. We went in and there was a small waiting line. People were signing in but the host told me we didn't have to sign in cause she would remember us. Right to start off I noticed it was such a cute cozy restaurant with Asian paintings and artifacts on wall, very decorative, and so welcoming. Saw a whole lot of people picking up orders and quite a bit of people eating in. Sitting area was roomy and have small cubicle like booths with chairs available as well. Ordered some wonton soup and egg drop soup. Wonton soup was the best I've ever had. So It was so comforting, little wontons super thin, not doughy, and packed with superb flavors. I tried the egg drop soup as well and it was so soothing and super delicious as well. The dishes contain large portions so be careful when ordering because they are rather large and are so filling. Ordered the chicken broccoli and it was on point. You could taste the fresh ingredients, and very pleased. I tried the spicy chongqing. Oh my goodness, so out of this world. Tiny little morsels packed with such goodness. I could taste all the spices and just can't explain how good they taste. Their dishes surely are very authentic. I loved tasting the fresh garlic, ginger, white pepper, jalapeños, carrots in the dishes we ordered. The waitress was so cute and friendly. She checked on us and smiled so big. We felt so comfortable and cozy in this establishment. Easy access to bathrooms. Canned sodas available, American and imported beer available and of course Sake. Bring out your family or friends and enjoy this restaurant. Food is amazing, place has such a great atmosphere, and great staff. I give this restaurant a five due to being at such a great location, good parking, cozy and cute little restaurant with great decor and art, great staff, not loud, and such amazing food!

I've been going to this spot for years. I love it! Always great service, nice environment. The food is amazing, I always order the same things. Order from the chef specialities menu! Things I love: green beans, eggplant in garlic sauce, fish in chili oil, mapo tofu, spicy fried chicken. Also dried fried fish filet if available.

Extremely fresh and generous portions. I was referred here by a local and was delighted. Every dish that the server passed my table looked amazing, so I will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu. I've been craving veggies and chose the chicken and veggies in a white sauce. Wasn't sure about it, but it was flavorful and chock full of a nice variety of veggies and lots of chicken. I like the interesting decor, friendly and efficient staff too. Overall, it is a wonderful place for any size group. The rice that accompanied it is in a huge bowl, and the local was right, I couldn't finish.

A 5 star find in Austin--Yelp reviews were excellent and we saw why!! From the outside, it doesn't look like much; but family warmth and service are found in the brightly lit inside. A great menu of traditional Chinese fare, excellent service and DELICIOUS food served in generous portions! Craving Chinese good in North Austin--this is the place!

All of the China Family restaurants are connected but they are all different. THIS place is the best and our go to for Chinese food in the Austin area. All the other Chinese restaurants are terrible. If you need your fix of greasy green beans and eggplants (super delicious), sesame and general tso chicken, crispy spicy fried meats, this is the place. Their soups are mediocre and crab rangoons overpriced. Always friendly and very attentive. Kpop isn't too loud and adds an interesting ambience.

The hours on Apple Maps are wrong. They're still open. I eat here almost weekly. Amazing service and amazing food.

Our visit to China Family was unplanned but a pleasant surprise. We had a family member end up in the hospital over Christmas so our traditional dinner plans were disrupted. Fortunately, China Family was open while most venues were closed for the holiday. Of course, this also meant the restaurant was slammed with orders and there were piles of bags and trays on the counters and several tables waiting for pickup. Despite the onslaught of hungry customers, China Family was quickly turning out really great, delicious food. We started with pork egg rolls and they were nicely spiced and crisply fried. We also had the Szechuan beef that had a perfect amount of heat with a flavorful sauce. I was impressed with the preparation of the vegetables and meat, all of which were finely julienned so that each bite had a nice mix of all of the dish's components. The chicken lo mein, pork fried rice, and General Tso's chicken were all prepared similarly with care and the meat and vegetables cooked spot-on. I am just incredibly impressed with how great the food was in spite of having to deal with hordes of customers on a holiday. The care for patrons by the staff was obvious. I also want to note the large portion sizes. We had so much food we ended up having a lunch feast the following day. I am looking forward to future meals at this restaurant when it's not so busy. Highly recommended.

This food was so, so good, it restored a part of my Chinese-American soul. Totally authentic Sichuan cuisine. We got the braised pork belly (I'm dreaming of it now), fish fillet in chili oil (SO flavorful and tender), and the dry fried green beans (I've never seen my friend so excited to eat a vegetable). This is why I believe Chinese food is the best cuisine in the world... The depth of the flavors and textures are unmatched. Plus, attentive service here and a nice owner who complimented our order. come here and don't get the boring fried rice or noodles... the set we ordered above is perfect.

I think I finally found the best General Tso's Chicken in Austin! I'm a get straight to it. The portion size plentiful, the chicken pieces or quality white and dark meat. There wasn't fatty chunks or pieces of fried breading with no meat! The chicken and the rice came in separate containers with the chicken being the larger container. The white rice was well cooked and delicious. The general Tso's Chicken was a amongst the best I've had in a long time! I love it so much I cook this myself. It was wert but not too much and had a nice kick of spicy flakes in it. I found this place through Google and it had great reviews so I was happy to give it a try. I ordered online for take out on my lunch break. I even got 10% off for my first order. My food was ready as promised. The lady that gave me my food was very nice and promised me I would enjoy my meal. I sure did too! I can't wait to get this meal again and try the other menu options!

The food was way beyond expectations and I will return here regularly. Customer service is prompt and fast. Very friendly as well. China Family at highland makes you feel like family. I got the hunan trio with a side of their super duper good chili oil

China family is one of the better Sichuan Chinese food options in the Austin area. I have dined here multiple times and the food is generally pretty good but some dishes can be hit or miss. I highly recommend the chongqing chicken and salt and pepper pork. The portion sizes are really large so prepared to have a food coma after. The staff is super friendly and there is plenty of parking.

All the dishes are delicious and the staff are kind. In particular, the fried rice and mapo tofu are exquisite.

I recently made my second trip to China Family Restaurant. The service was excellent. Super friendly and courteous staff. Everything I've had on the menu thus far has been wonderful, especially the Chongqing Spicy Chicken. The portion sizes are huge as well, making for a ton of great leftovers. I will definitely be coming by again!

Very good carry out. Nothing more to say! Will admit I believe they have improved over the years.

Ordered for the first time take out from China Family as a third choice after we discovered that our first two choices weren't even open on a Tuesday evening. Now that we've had it, we realized that China Family should have been our first choice. Since it was take out, this review must, by necessity, be based solely on the food without reference to ambience or service. But, in this case, that's all okay, as the food stands alone. The Sichuan beef was well executed, with sufficient beef and a spice mix wherein the heat didn't obliterate every other flavor. I've tried to do that classic Sichuan dish several times and never even come close to this offering from China Family. The portions, by the way, are gigantic. There were enough left overs for an entire second dinner later, and the item warmed up well without becoming limp. My companion's Hunan Chicken was equally amazing but very, very different from the beef dish. The flavors were rich and deep and complex. The chicken was moist, and there was a touch of spicy essence, enough to make it interesting. Paired with the beef the overall experience was delightful. Again, the portion was such that we could have fed half of Fort Hood. Wow, China Family. You've climbed the ladder to first choice for Chinese take out, at least on weekday evenings. We'll done.

quick: good food, get it a bit more detail: surprising apps there was no sauce that came with dumplings or crab rangoon, which most places have a sauce for those. dumplings: were pretty darn good, would get again rangoon: crispy, not overfilled, I am generally not a fan, but they were pretty good. dinner - classics for evaluation General Tsos: good, not much broccoli could have use more, tasty sauce and chicken. Kung Pao chicken: good, heavy on the veg (which is good, but I might double the meat next time) Both mains: spicy. I like spicy, I eat spicy, I thought it was spicy. Nose running, a bit of tears spicy. Easily the most spicy of chinese food I have had. Next time will ask for less spicy, but a lot, that was just too spicy, very surprising. But we will order from here again. comparable taste and quality wise to Twin Lion to me, which I have China Family and Twin Lion as my top two austin chinese places.

Really good food. The Sichuan Lamb on Iron Plate was absolutely my favorite and wil definitely come back for it again. Also had the Sichuan chicken and it was good but not my absolute favorite compared to the lamp iron plate . Definitely enjoyed it but wouldn't order it again. The staff is very friendly and the place is nice and clean. They are pretty busy and have a lot of to go orders, but they do a great job of getting you your food quickly.

Egg drop has a lot more egg than most other places. Delicious flavor and fresh, crispy wontons. Crab Rangoon is different. They are not packed with cream cheese and crab, it's more like the insides of the Rangoon are coated with the cream cheese and crab. I prefer this bread to filling ration. Incredible flavors. Love the sesame chicken. The chunks are not to big, which is great because that means you get more crunchy breading and sauce per bite. Plus the atmosphere of this place is killer. Beautiful art work and the Asian music playing had a rock opera feeling to it. Staff was charming and very helpful.

This place is amazing! The service is always friendly and quick, and the food is spectacular! The portions are very generous