Yau’s Chinese Bistro

Some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. I really like the fact they have bubble tea as well.

Nice family owned Resturaunt with well priced Chinese food. I always call and order chicken fried rice and they have it ready as soon as I walk over! Definitely a place you must try on college campus. Especially when you don’t have time to cook. Love this place!

We checked out Yau’s for the first time this past weekend, and it really made me nostalgic of places I’d eat at in college. Minimal décor, mainly college kids, and a bunch of cold booths. I loved it!
They have a counter to order or pick up carryout, but if you’re dining in, they’ll come to the table a take your order. Like most people have mentioned, they have a larger more Americanized menu and a smaller Chinese menu. We ended up ordering Szechuan wontons and dumplings, and I had the Je Je Chicken hot pot of the Chinese menu as an entrée.
The dumplings were pretty good, but the sauce that came with it was a bit too thick and sweet for my liking. The wontons are filled with shrimp, so heads up if you’re expecting something else, because it doesn’t say on the menu. The shrimp was a bit too tough for me which didn’t help, since I’m not really a shrimp person to begin with. The sauce that they came in was really the only thing that helped me get them down.
As for my entrée, I really liked the Je Je Chicken. It isn’t traditional hot pot in a sense, where the meal comes out on a heat pan and stays warm throughout the meal, but instead, it just comes in a really hot pot that’s still sizzling on the way out. The flavor of the dish was really good, but I don’t know if it was really a Chinese dish. The sauce and spices in it reminded me more of just a normal stir fry I’d make at home. It was a pretty sweet dish too, and I was hoping for something less so, but that’s not their fault since I didn’t know. My girlfriend ended up getting the General Tso’s, and she thought it was pretty tasty, but that was also a bit too sweet.
There’s definitely some dishes I was to try here, and I probably should have stuck with my gut on what I really wanted. I asked the server what some of the best hot pot dishes on the Chinese menu were, and he had pointed out the Je Je Chicken. I’d really like to try the lamb and the many seafood dishes they offer here. If you like oysters, they have quite a few oyster plates and specials.
This place isn’t too far from me, so I’ll definitely be swinging by again, and I’ll continue to update once I try a few more of the traditional plates!

Got the chicken broccoli mushroom and steam rice, it was not all that great. The seasoning was not there, I will not go back prices to high.

I really like Yau’s. It’s cheap, some dishes are kind of Americanized, but you can find more «authentic» items if you take a look t their specialties and don’t just stick to sesame/​General Tso’s/sweet and sour chicken.
I would give it 4 stars, except for the service this year.
They hired a new guy — young guy with brown hair — who is not a good server. Have interacted with him twice, and he doesn’t have a friendly/​welcoming attitude, barely knows about the menu items, and doesn’t refill your glass or even ask if the food was OK, despite the place not being busy. Not attentive — doesn’t come to pick up the tab even though the customer has been done for a while, because he’s too busy making unprofessional snarky comments with his friends.
He literally bangs dishes down on the table, and didn’t hand me back my card when I payed, instead placing it down on the counter — again, rude, and if I were a mean person, I wouldn’t even have left a tip.
everyone else working there is at least polite, even if it’s not known for *great* service. but this guy’s service isn’t just OK, it’s kind of bad and it makes me not want to go there because he’s an uncomfortable person to interact with. should have better social skills or at least training if you’re going to hire someone and put them in a position to interact with customers. I will not frequent Yau’s as often because of this hire.

My dear Unilocallings,
If you’re ordering from the multiple-​page-​long menu, you’re basically in the wrong place. Ask them nicely for their non-​American menu, a far briefer affair, and pick something from there. I recommend the fish hot pot highly. I will say that their house pan fried noodles, found on the American menu, is to die for.
I saw the high ratings on Unilocal and ordered some takeout from the online menu – which is all Americanized stuff. When I went to the restaurant to pick it up, I saw the amazing things the people around me were eating. And the smell, oh the smell. I’ve frequented Chinatown in NYC and SF with people in the know, and the smell in Yau’s was seriously legit. It was the real deal.
So imagine my devastation when I got home and opened the containers of kung pao chicken and general tso’s chicken. The dishes were lackluster to say the least: even though these are Americanized dishes, kung pao chicken can be really yummy, as can general tso’s. These were not. These were awful.
My friends nodded sympathetically when I bewailed my misery. They told me to ask for the Chinese menu. I marched back in the very next day and did exactly that. And, reader, I was in heaven. I devoured the fish hot pot. I devoured the pan fried noodles. And I am going back today again because oh my god I need Yau’s in my life, and in my belly.
And there you have it. The True Story of the Secret of Yau’s. Be wise. Order from the Chinese menu.
You’re welcome.

Desk attendee was not very knowledgeable about the menu items. The fried rice is just white steamed rice with soy sauce. (Struggle Rice)
I believe they are too expensive for the quality of food they serve.

The food here is delicious. Reminds me of the Chinese food you get in cleveland, ohio. Its the best Cantonese type of Chinese food you can get around osu. I had the squid with black bean sauce and beef rice noodles from here and they are delicious. The price is really cheap.

Absolutely terrible. I ordered a spicy pork dish for carryout. When I got it home and looked at it, there were disgusting chunks of fat which should have been trimmed from the pork and just a side of sauce so it was totally plain. Luckily I live nearby, so I walked back and returned the order, letting them know that this was unacceptable. To replace the pork dish, I decided to play it safe with an order of Kung pao chicken, which was mediocre at best. I’m shocked by the amount of positive reviews this place has for such subpar food and also disappointed because I really wanted to have a good Chinese place close to my house. I tried two different dishes and both left much to be desired. I’ll never be returning here.

The beef was the consistency of rubber. The lo mien noodles weren’t lo mien noodles. The service was so bad I was amazed my girlfriend tipped at all.

My bf and I stopped by Yau’s for a quick dinner before seeing a movie at Gateway tonight. We got broccoli chicken, General Tso’s chicken, and fried rice ($ 16). As 2 Asian people, we were a little bit embarrassed to be ordering basically the most Americanized «Chinese» food on the menu. But whatevs. When you want General Tso’s you get General Tso’s.
Food: Yau’s General Tso’s chicken was fried white meat chicken coated in a very sweet, somewhat tangy pepper sauce. The sauce was a bit too sweet for me and very reminiscent of BBQ sauce, but overall pretty tasty. The broccoli chicken was pretty standard Chinese takeout: dark meat chicken, lots of broccoli, and a salty/​savory sauce.
Pros: Service was quick for a sit down restaurant. We were in and out in under 30 minutes.

Never disappointed with the food here! I’ve been going here for years! The Chinese broccoli is amazing and the seafood bowl is so good. The owner is so nice and hospitable. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the food is authentic! I suggest this place for sure!

Although they have better than average food I will not be back.
I was approached in the alley near the restaurant by the young man that works the afternoon shift. He said he recognized me from the restaurant and ask if I would loan him money. I declined his request.
I will not go back. How might the employee retaliate?

I ate here while on a project: I would take the bus from downtown to here. SO WORTH IT! I love their spicy pork chop; it is the BOMB. In general, everything I have had is good. It isn’t fancy but the food is great and worth it. Fyi… Parking is around back in a lot just south of the building.

Yau’s was one of my favorite places to go for Chinese food (or any food for that matter) while I was at Ohio State. I don’t go here as often living in the burbs and it makes me kinda sad because the food here is so good and authentic and cheap! You’re definitely not coming here for a fancy restaurant experience with nice plates, cutlery and décor. It’s all about the FOOD! I always get the spicy schezwan wontons as an appetizer. The beef or shrimp with egg and the salt and pepper squid or pork chop are some of my favorites too. Yau’s is nothing fancy. quick service and great authentic Chinese food!

I don’t know why it took so long to come here. A bit out of my way, I guess, but it is worth a detour.
On the far south edge of campus sits this little «bistro.» It is not fancy. It isn’t very big. But the food is really, really good.
I got crab Rangoon and the spicy pork chop. The Rangoon was pretty good, with big chunks of «crab.» There’s a jar of hot sauce/​oil on the table, which made me nervous, but it’s really not all that hot. Granted, I love spice, so my taste buds may be different than yours.
The spicy pork chop was deep fried bits of pork chop, perfectly cooked, and sized just right for chopsticks. Again, not as spicy as I was afraid it might be, but I did have a pleasant tingle on my lips and tongue when I was done. I would call it moderately spicy, not overwhelming. There are pepper seeds mixed in, and chunks of pepper that I thought would be hot but were very mild. All in all, the heat was just right, adding flavor but not much pain.
I had the fried rice with it, and it was very plain. A good counterpoint to the meat, but no veggies, etc. Drinks are in cans, but there is real silverware and nice chopsticks. Service was basic but good. Prices were okay for how much you get, and how good it is.
I will absolutely be back (and not just because I stupidly left my jacket there…)

UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS REVIEW!
I previously gave this place three stars. After trying out the handmade dumplings and handmade stretch noodles soup tonight, I give them four stars! Both are excellent dishes… especially on a freezing cold day.

Yau’s is by far one of my favorite places to go for Chinese food. Thank god I live close by because the food is delicious and authentic. I got the shrimp and egg with fried rice the other day and it was perfect. The eggs were fluffy, the shrimp wasn’t over cooked and the fried rice wasn’t oily like most places. Everything I’ve had here has been on point.
Service is always great too.

I’m constantly on the hunt for good Chinese — I liked Yau’s. Didn’t love it. Maybe I need to try one of the soup noodle bowls, being a sucker for noodle soups.
I tried the ma po tofu and the beef with wide rice noodle. Both were ok — beef chow fun is one of my favorite dishes ever and I’m always looking for a good one. If you know of a place, let me know, because Yau’s didn’t fit the bill. Both dishes tasted very fishy. Literally. Neither of them contain fish. If it weren’t for that, I would have been much happier! I’d come back, but I’d try something else.

I came in specifically to try the pork wonton soup and I was not disappointing. The soup was huge, the pork was well seasoned, and the veggies were cooked to perfection. This would be my go-​to meal on a cold day or if I were home sick with a cold. It’s simple but hearty.
I was, however, unimpressed with their bubble tea. I got the taro flavor and it had no flavor. Also, the bubbles were rock hard.
Still, I’m giving it a 4 star rating because of the soup. Delicious.