Best Chinese Food in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina — updated August 22, 2026
Three Chinese restaurants around Raleigh, ranked by how settled their ratings are: a Sichuan kitchen in Morrisville with Peking duck and no advance call required, a long-running Lead Mine Road spot, and a Hillsborough Street standby near NC State.
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Raleigh's Chinese restaurants are spread thin across strip malls and college blocks rather than clustered in one district, so finding the good ones means driving. Two of the three below close on Mondays, which catches people out. The list runs from the most heavily reviewed to the least, because a rating backed by hundreds of visits tells you more than a high score from a handful.
1. Szechuan Garden
The strongest evidence base of the three: 4.3 across 566 reviews, which is enough volume to call the rating settled rather than promising. It sits in Morrisville, off Chapel Hill Road, so budget the drive from central Raleigh. Peking duck is on the menu and, unusually, does not require calling ahead to order it. The kitchen closes between 3 and 4 PM Tuesday through Friday, then reopens until 9 PM, so a late lunch arrival can find the doors shut. Weekends run straight through from noon to 9 PM. Closed Mondays.
2. Imperial Garden Chinese Restaurant
Also a 4.3, over 483 reviews, and the closest of the three to north Raleigh proper, tucked into a Lead Mine Road shopping center. The menu is large, and there is a buffet, which is the reason to come at lunch rather than dinner. Hours are the thing to watch: Tuesday through Friday it runs 11 AM to 9:30 PM, Saturday it does not open until 4 PM, and Sunday it is back to 11 AM. Closed Mondays. For a weekend lunch, this is not the one.
3. Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant
On Hillsborough Street near NC State, and the most convenient option if you are already downtown or on campus. The rating is a 4.0 from 173 reviews, lower and less proven than the two above, so treat it as a solid neighborhood standby rather than a destination. It keeps the longest hours of the three, opening at 11 AM and running late into the evening, including Mondays when the other two are dark. Delivery and takeout are both available. Yelp notes a menu refresh, though the brief does not say what changed.