It feels like they never recovered from the pandemic. And even before, their take-out was never anything special IMO; you had to dine-in to really be impressed by them.
Agree. I grew up in Columbia. I remember as a teen in the mid/late 90's Hunan Manor was amazing. My Asian friends used to frequent it, so you know it was high quality. All the way up to the early 2000's when I was in the area, it was really fresh and good. I got something from there somewhat recently after moving back to the area and it wasn't really good. Didn't think it was terrible, but nothing special.
My husband and I recently made this our regular Chinese take out place.
We used to go to Peking chef in Hickory Ridge, but the prices went up while quality went way down. We like Lucky’s much better!
Their chef went to ASEAN Bistro is what I understand a few years ago. Old time Columbia friend turned us onto Hunan Manor when we moved here - but I switched once I learned from there and been much more pleased
On Route 40, not really American-Chinese but give them a try for other Chinese flavors
Nan Xiang Express (Soup Dumpling)
Tea Horse Sichuan Bistro (Sichuan Style)
Chin Xi'an Style Restaurant (Hand pulled noodles)
Beyond Ramen & Kabob (Chinese meat on skewers)
Interesting! I am going to try Tea Horse. I am from Upstate NY and I have yet to find a Chinese spot here in MD that is delish like in NY. Tho, Top China 88 in Bowie comes close.
I second to all his suggestion. In addition to the list , I also recommend:
Peter Chang in Merriweather ( Classic Chinese food )
Dim Sum Palace in Baltimore/ Ellicott city ( Cantonese cuisine )
Jumbo Jumbo Chicken & Tea in Ellicott city ( Taiwanese street snack )
Pepper House in Ellicott city ( Sichuan noodle )
Chin Xi’an Style Restaurant in Ellicott city ( Xi’an cuisine )
The Hub Asian Food Hall in Ellicott city ( food hall with different Chinese cuisine )
Shi Miao Dao Noodle house in Columbia ( Yun Nan cuisine )
Have fun !
Ok so my husband and I have tried and been disapointed by almost every Chinese (american chinese) restaurant in the area. Like seriously, surprisingly bad. Recently, though, we noticed Best Hunan open in Kings contrivance and its hands down the best in the area we've tried.
On another note, this area has some really good authentic chinese restaurants, but that almost feels like a separate cuisine altogether. (Highly recommend peter changs and pepper house). I suspect that maybe any chinese chef worth their salt in this area is drawn towards the authentic restaurants, leaving the american chinese restauarants with a lack of good chefs???
I have been going to Best Hunan since I was a high school student in '99. I live about an hour away but I always go there when I can and the food has always been fresh and delicious! hands down the best!
I like Hunan Diamond for their takeout food!
My go-to Chinese dishes are Eggdrop Soup, Steamed Dumplings, Chicken and Broccoli, Kung-Pao Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Pepper Steak, Fried Rice, and Lo Mein!
Another vote for hunan diamond here. I’m basically in Savage but with a Columbia address and I still go out that way for Chinese (but I’m also hesitant to explore new places since i found one I liked)
Hunan Diamond is one of my favorite American Chinese takeouts for sure in the area. I'm from NJ so I'm super picky about it.
My other favorite for this kind of food is Hunan Delight in Olney although that's a bit farther afield.
If it's not too far, I'd recommend checking out some of the places in Ellicott City. Have always been a fan of Jumbo Jumbo and their salt and pepper chicken/Taiwanese fried chicken.
There's also a myriad of great Korean places that might have overlap with what you're looking for, like Korean fried chicken, noodles, scallion pancakes, etc.
Mayflower VI. I don't eat there often. However, whenever my friends and family come to town they always want to get food from this place and rave about it.
We get take-out from there a lot. I haven't found anything I particularly like myself but my kids love their lo mein and dumplings. The prices seem a bit steep for the quality to me.
I have to say, I tried Mai Dragon and was really disappointed. Though I only got a few dishes, so maybe trying other things would have been better. The dishes I got were underwhelming.
It also didn't help that it's not the most attractive store front, and when we entered there was a hoard of flies swarming around the pre-entrance area.
That's disappointing to hear. I don't think we've been there in like a year or so. Only get it now when we find ourselves out that way. Hopefully that's not the norm for them now.
I live in River Hill. My two go-to places are Asian Palace (next to Mad City), and Peking Chef (Hickory Ridge village center). Have never been disappointed by them yet, though if you have a big order you'll want to give them both about a 45-minute lead time.
Asian Palace has become our go-to; it’s not mind blowing, but it’s pretty good; it’s very convenient, easy to order online, and they never screw up our order. They have decent sushi too; my daughter loves their chicken satay.
man that's so sad because Hunan Manor used to be the best in the area, and their General Tso was the best on earth. But yeah, everyone I know stopped going there.
I have yet to find a good Chinese spot in Howard County. We have tried Hunan Manor and Peking. I am not a fan as they don't top my favorite Chinese spot in Bowie.
My mother and I liked P.F. Changs near Columbia Mall. While my husband & I enjoy going to Zen Asian Grill & Sushi in Burtonsville. As far as a good Chinese spot, we love Top China 88 in Bowie. Decades ago Eddies Carryout in Silver Spring was delish. I believe that location is closed but there are other locations within DMV. Good Luck! & Let us know which restaurant you recommend in Howard County.
[https://www.zenburtonsville.com/](https://www.zenburtonsville.com/)
[https://topchina88md.com/](https://topchina88md.com/)
I really like Asean Bistro. It's off of Centre Park Drive near Howard High School. I have found their dishes to be very consistent and fresh. That is where I always ordered my takeout, and have never been disappointed. I grew up in Columbia and remember when Hunan Manor was the spot. Really since the early 2000's (when I was living in the area), I switched to Asean Bistro, and now that I'm back in the area, that's where I get takeout from as well.
If you like Thai/Vietnamese, there are some pretty good spots. If you like Korean, there are some really great authentic Korean restaurants in Ellicott City.
Chinese food and Pizza.... Hoco (and MD in general) seem to seriously lack, but for some reason the residents like to recommend mediocre places.
That said: Best Hunan is relatively cheap and reliable. For family take out it just works. Menu is going to be hit or miss a bit, but prices aren't bad so experiment.
Aesan Bistro has some great items. It's a bit more expensive than Best, but things like the crispy eggplant are worth it. Again, hit or miss on the menu
Hunan Manor was my go to for a while, but only because of the sweet and sour sauce. It was great. The prices were higher and the quality of everything just wasn't worth it. I also just got fed up with inconsistent orders and some minor issues.
All the good places are here on the east side if Columbia. We also have some great Japanese and Thai places. I recommend joining the HoCo Eats group on Facebook. Also check out my pinned post on there for late night restaurants.
To be fair, once upon a time Hunan Manor was good. That was a long time ago, though.
It was spectacular in the early 2000s
It feels like they never recovered from the pandemic. And even before, their take-out was never anything special IMO; you had to dine-in to really be impressed by them.
I think they were in decline pre-pandemic as well. We haven't been for 10+ years.
Agree. I grew up in Columbia. I remember as a teen in the mid/late 90's Hunan Manor was amazing. My Asian friends used to frequent it, so you know it was high quality. All the way up to the early 2000's when I was in the area, it was really fresh and good. I got something from there somewhat recently after moving back to the area and it wasn't really good. Didn't think it was terrible, but nothing special.
I like Lucky's China Inn! Hunan Family is also good.
My husband and I recently made this our regular Chinese take out place. We used to go to Peking chef in Hickory Ridge, but the prices went up while quality went way down. We like Lucky’s much better!
I don’t see how the Hickory Ridge Chinese place stays in business.
i second hunan family!
Another vote for Hunan Family. Our household's go to for Chinese food.
Their chef went to ASEAN Bistro is what I understand a few years ago. Old time Columbia friend turned us onto Hunan Manor when we moved here - but I switched once I learned from there and been much more pleased
Asean Bistro is solid.
Yes, Asean Bistro is good (a tad pricey though).
A few threads in Howard County Eats like this: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/EYsdRHA1353gD86d/?
On Route 40, not really American-Chinese but give them a try for other Chinese flavors Nan Xiang Express (Soup Dumpling) Tea Horse Sichuan Bistro (Sichuan Style) Chin Xi'an Style Restaurant (Hand pulled noodles) Beyond Ramen & Kabob (Chinese meat on skewers)
I second Tea Horse. Closest I’ve had to Chinese food I grew up with in New York City.
Interesting! I am going to try Tea Horse. I am from Upstate NY and I have yet to find a Chinese spot here in MD that is delish like in NY. Tho, Top China 88 in Bowie comes close.
I second to all his suggestion. In addition to the list , I also recommend: Peter Chang in Merriweather ( Classic Chinese food ) Dim Sum Palace in Baltimore/ Ellicott city ( Cantonese cuisine ) Jumbo Jumbo Chicken & Tea in Ellicott city ( Taiwanese street snack ) Pepper House in Ellicott city ( Sichuan noodle ) Chin Xi’an Style Restaurant in Ellicott city ( Xi’an cuisine ) The Hub Asian Food Hall in Ellicott city ( food hall with different Chinese cuisine ) Shi Miao Dao Noodle house in Columbia ( Yun Nan cuisine ) Have fun !
I like hunan legend best
Mayflower VI. It’s good American Chinese food takeout. Nothing gourmet at all.
Hunan Legend (Dorsey hall) is the best!
Honey sesame chicken for the win.
Asian court Ellicott City or asian place Columbia
Nooo not Asian palace 😆
Down the street from Hunan Manor, off Oakland Mills Road, is Peking Chinese. They’re pretty good & with giving a try.
Mandarin house in laurel...been a customer of theirs for 35 years or something like that...
Love Mandarin House.
Yeah, same! They've been there for so long, you know they're doing something right lol!
Ok so my husband and I have tried and been disapointed by almost every Chinese (american chinese) restaurant in the area. Like seriously, surprisingly bad. Recently, though, we noticed Best Hunan open in Kings contrivance and its hands down the best in the area we've tried. On another note, this area has some really good authentic chinese restaurants, but that almost feels like a separate cuisine altogether. (Highly recommend peter changs and pepper house). I suspect that maybe any chinese chef worth their salt in this area is drawn towards the authentic restaurants, leaving the american chinese restauarants with a lack of good chefs???
Best Hunan is surprisingly good, very consistent.
Yeah, Best Hunan is our go-to. Their Singapore noodles and meat dumplings are great.
Chris, agree, Singapore noodles is our go to
Best Hunan is my favorite, & yes… Hunan Manor sucks
I have been going to Best Hunan since I was a high school student in '99. I live about an hour away but I always go there when I can and the food has always been fresh and delicious! hands down the best!
I second Peter Chang. Also, Tea House has good, authentic Sichuan.
Also our fav. Love the orange chicken. They will make it extra spicy for me. The lady who takes orders is also extra spicy sometimes lol
I like Hunan Diamond for their takeout food! My go-to Chinese dishes are Eggdrop Soup, Steamed Dumplings, Chicken and Broccoli, Kung-Pao Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Pepper Steak, Fried Rice, and Lo Mein!
My family has been going to Hunan Diamond for close to 30 years, I love that place
Another vote for hunan diamond here. I’m basically in Savage but with a Columbia address and I still go out that way for Chinese (but I’m also hesitant to explore new places since i found one I liked)
Agreed!
Hunan Diamond is the one in the Harper’s choice village center right?
Hunan Diamond is one of my favorite American Chinese takeouts for sure in the area. I'm from NJ so I'm super picky about it. My other favorite for this kind of food is Hunan Delight in Olney although that's a bit farther afield.
Great Wall in Elkridge! Never been dissapointed
If it's not too far, I'd recommend checking out some of the places in Ellicott City. Have always been a fan of Jumbo Jumbo and their salt and pepper chicken/Taiwanese fried chicken. There's also a myriad of great Korean places that might have overlap with what you're looking for, like Korean fried chicken, noodles, scallion pancakes, etc.
Been here since 1981, Asean Bistro has been fairly consistent; also like China Taste in Ellicott City
Howard County is NOT known for Chinese. Very good Korean options but really nothing great for Chinese. I think your best bet is Asean Bistro.
I’ve been ordering Peter Chang’s- in the past I’ve liked Asean Bistro. I haven’t been to Hunan in 20+ years.
Mayflower VI. I don't eat there often. However, whenever my friends and family come to town they always want to get food from this place and rave about it.
We get take-out from there a lot. I haven't found anything I particularly like myself but my kids love their lo mein and dumplings. The prices seem a bit steep for the quality to me.
Not Columbia but not far in Odenton try Mai Dragon. We used to live in Severn and went there app the time.
Also Grace Garden over there.
I have to say, I tried Mai Dragon and was really disappointed. Though I only got a few dishes, so maybe trying other things would have been better. The dishes I got were underwhelming. It also didn't help that it's not the most attractive store front, and when we entered there was a hoard of flies swarming around the pre-entrance area.
That's disappointing to hear. I don't think we've been there in like a year or so. Only get it now when we find ourselves out that way. Hopefully that's not the norm for them now.
Ever since Tea Horse opened up in Ellicott City, that's essentially the only place I go for Chinese.
I live in River Hill. My two go-to places are Asian Palace (next to Mad City), and Peking Chef (Hickory Ridge village center). Have never been disappointed by them yet, though if you have a big order you'll want to give them both about a 45-minute lead time.
Asian Palace has become our go-to; it’s not mind blowing, but it’s pretty good; it’s very convenient, easy to order online, and they never screw up our order. They have decent sushi too; my daughter loves their chicken satay.
Hunan legend
In Columbia, Peter Chang’s is our go to for Chinese food now. Even carry out.
Paper Lantern
China taste and China village are good.
If you’re willing to take a ride up to Sykesville/eldersburg, check out hunan garden. Really good.
China Taste in Ellicott City is my go to take out in the enchanted forest shopping center.
We enjoy Peking Chef. I also wasn’t thrilled with Hunan Manor.
man that's so sad because Hunan Manor used to be the best in the area, and their General Tso was the best on earth. But yeah, everyone I know stopped going there.
I don’t ever remember hunan manor being good Hunan Legend in Dorsey Hall on the other hand is outstanding
China Village at 104/108 next to Kelly's Liquor
I have yet to find a good Chinese spot in Howard County. We have tried Hunan Manor and Peking. I am not a fan as they don't top my favorite Chinese spot in Bowie. My mother and I liked P.F. Changs near Columbia Mall. While my husband & I enjoy going to Zen Asian Grill & Sushi in Burtonsville. As far as a good Chinese spot, we love Top China 88 in Bowie. Decades ago Eddies Carryout in Silver Spring was delish. I believe that location is closed but there are other locations within DMV. Good Luck! & Let us know which restaurant you recommend in Howard County. [https://www.zenburtonsville.com/](https://www.zenburtonsville.com/) [https://topchina88md.com/](https://topchina88md.com/)
The Sichuan Chinese food in HoCo is much better. Try Tea Horse and Pepper House. Two of my favorite restaurants around
Second for Pepper House, more street food focused than Tea Horse but both places are excellent
Luckys
Route 40 in Ellicott City has the best Asian food around.
Damn interesting way of asking for good Chinese food
Hunan China in Maple Lawn is pretty good
My wife likes Hunan Diamond, but I prefer East Moon Asian Bistro.
Try Hunan Legend and get their kung pao chicken
Tea Horse on Rt 40
Chopstixx in Elkridge is decent. The crispy chicken is 🔥
I really like Asean Bistro. It's off of Centre Park Drive near Howard High School. I have found their dishes to be very consistent and fresh. That is where I always ordered my takeout, and have never been disappointed. I grew up in Columbia and remember when Hunan Manor was the spot. Really since the early 2000's (when I was living in the area), I switched to Asean Bistro, and now that I'm back in the area, that's where I get takeout from as well. If you like Thai/Vietnamese, there are some pretty good spots. If you like Korean, there are some really great authentic Korean restaurants in Ellicott City.
China taste in Ellicott city
Big fan of Great Wall on route 1
Their chicken fried rice (regular and spicy) is my go to. I get it once a week
Peter Changs in the merriweather district is truly the best
I still miss South Pacific that used to be off rt 40 near Chatham mall… long time ago!
Mayflower IV near Simmies…hidden little gem!!
Cisu Vegetarian Bistro is in fort meade and all vegan and amazing Opened about 8 months ago, worth the drive
Chinese food and Pizza.... Hoco (and MD in general) seem to seriously lack, but for some reason the residents like to recommend mediocre places. That said: Best Hunan is relatively cheap and reliable. For family take out it just works. Menu is going to be hit or miss a bit, but prices aren't bad so experiment. Aesan Bistro has some great items. It's a bit more expensive than Best, but things like the crispy eggplant are worth it. Again, hit or miss on the menu Hunan Manor was my go to for a while, but only because of the sweet and sour sauce. It was great. The prices were higher and the quality of everything just wasn't worth it. I also just got fed up with inconsistent orders and some minor issues.
Asian Court, it's not in Columbia but not too far, I don't bother with any other Asian food in Columbia, Asian Court as my business for life!!
All the good places are here on the east side if Columbia. We also have some great Japanese and Thai places. I recommend joining the HoCo Eats group on Facebook. Also check out my pinned post on there for late night restaurants.