I used to be quite fond of East Cafe. Â It was always a go-to spot for a quick lunch or dinner after shopping or running errands. Â However, based on my experience last night, I have to agree with the other reviewers who stated that the quality has really slipped.
Let me be clear. Â My expectations are in line for a restaurant that charges on average $9 for a dinner entree. Â I'm not holding it up to unreasonable standards. Â My Hurricane Chicken was extremely bland and flavorless. Â My mom's sweet and sour shrimp was gummy and oversauced. Â I was also annoyed to find pork dumplings on my plate when I'd specifically ordered veggie. Â Sigh.
The portions are nice for the price. Â I'm also glad they added brown rice as an option. Â I think I'm going to give East Cafe a rest for a good long while...too many other options out there.
Usually I'm not thrilled to go to the Denver area for work but the saving grace is always the chance to try a new restaurant.
About half a mile from where I was at is the East Cafe. The outside is all brick and no windows and looks like a total dive. Sign me up! The best food often times comes from the least expected places.
The inside is clean and the host was really nice. He patiently explained the most popular dishes. I was looking for something on the spicy side and settled on the hurricane shrimp. The shrimp was very nicely cooked but I could have used more veggies and more heat. The sauce was really good and I used the brown rice to soak it all up.
Because I couldn't narrow it down to just one dish, I also ordered the smoked salmon fried rice. I thought it might be too salty with the smoked salmon but it was the perfect amount of salty and rich with the salmon. I love veggies so could have used more veggies in this dish. Overall, the fried rice was fantastic and I'd probably order that next time.
A great find!
I love great Chinese Food which Denver has several good places: The Imperial, P.F Changs...but this place is the best in the Denver metro area.
East Cafe has a vast menu that is prepared well and always served with care. Â Try the best Hot and Sour soup that you can find. Â
Prices are moderate, but well worth the money...
A friend took me here for lunch today, and I thoroughly enjoyed this place. Â While you'll recognize the names of items on the menu, they are not your normal Americanized Chinese dishes. I ordered the Sesame Shrimp with fried rice... the right level of spiciness, and delicious. Â The lunch included salad or soup. I had the hot and sour soup... delicious. The best I think I've had. Â The decor is traditional Chinese restaurant... so nothing to write home about, but the service was great... fast, attentive, and unobtrusive.
Review Source:Lunch specials are reasonably priced. Â You get a fair amount of food for your money. Â I enjoyed the wontons and thought the eggrolls were okay. Â The beef dish I had (How You Beef: Â w/ asparagus, bamboo shoots, and scallioins) Â was not especially flavorful, but was a good portion size. Â The hot and sour soup had a metallic tang to it on my first couple spoonfuls.
I used to come here for the Singapore noodles (they were really good). Â However, they are not a lunch special item. Â I should have ordered those on my most recent visit.
I have been a regular customer of East Cafe since the mid 90s; it is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Aurora. The wait staff is always friendly and prompt, as is the mangement/owners. Prices are very reasonable and they offer lunch and dinner specials.
It is a small restaurant, but I find it cozy. It is always clean and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. The location is somewhat dicey, but that doesn't deter me from this restaurant.
I just have to give this place a shout-out. Â I remember the first time I stepped into this restaurant with my family about 15 years ago and every time I go back to Denver to visit (I live in NYC), I make it a must to come eat here! Â As a New Yorker, we pride ourselves on having some of the best food options at our fingertips, but I can definitely say no other Chinese place I've had out here can compare to East Cafe in Aurora. Â The Mongolian Beef is my favorite dish and if you come for lunch and get the salad as an appetizer instead of the soup you will be pleasantly surprised by the delicious taste of the dressing. Â Sesame Chicken comes in at a close second!
Review Source:A  local resident first brought me here a couple of years ago, and we've made it a regular stop when we visit Denver  when we are wanting some good Chinese food at a great price. I'd say the average meal is priced at around $8!  Pretty hard to beat that!  I love the hurricane beef, sesame chicken, and lemon chicken--not that crazy about egg foo yung but that was the only thing I've tried and did not like.  Service has always been good and they are very accommodating.  Atmosphere is just ok, nothing great but nothing bad.  Just check it out if you want good food, good service and good prices!
Review Source:In a fight between East Cafe and three stars, East Cafe loses. After viewing that it had 16 reviews and a 4 1/2 star average, we thought 'can't go wrong,' right? No, wrong. The food here was not even average.....the dumplings, tough on the outside, sesame chicken was dry and NOT spicy, as the menu indicated. The chicken chow mein was gross w/ hardly any noodles and a gelatinous sauce. Does this sound like your kind of place? If so, come on down! For me, however, it left such a bad impression that I threw away the take away menu I took home, as there's no need for it!
Review Source:Pretty good food, good prices. Ok service. Gotten several awards for best chinese, or establishment, etc.
They have a lunch special that comes with rice, entree, and eggroll and chicken wing appitizer. Not sure why you get a chicken wing, but hey its food. My fav is sesame chicken.
They only issues we have had were limited drink refills on sodas, they aren't big on doing substitutions or additions to dishes, and no delivery!!!
Get Delivery SOON,
Lunch. The best lunch value you will find ! For about six dollars, you get your choice of a lunch-sized entree with rice, soup or salad and a tasty egg roll and a chicken wing with sauces. And tea. Why go grab a stinking hamburger when you have this opportunity? A sit- down lunch in a nice little restaurant...for six bucks !!!! And the food is good !
Review Source:If you would have asked me about this place two weeks ago, I would have said it was one of the best Chinese restaurants Ive eaten at. Now though i would say its OK, theres better. Don't get me wrong I'll for sure go back, for at least their great lunch menu. The service was a tad bit slow for me, but it was busy. I ordered the "Beef hurricane (HOT)" which came with two egg rolls, hot and sour soup, and fried rice.
The egg rolls were small and average the fried rice as good as any, the beef hurricane was pretty good, up to the end where you could really taste how strong the sauce was, but to my surprise my fav. part of the meal was the hot and sour soup. It was terrific and next time i will get a tub to go. In the end though I would definitely recommend this place.
Is this not absolutely the best, most fantastic, incredibly delicious, breathtakingly scrumptious Chinese restaurant you'll ever visit!?!
No.
But it's A-OK, and there are a couple of things that stand out.
First, the folks are very nice. Second, the wonton soup was actually surprisingly good, with large chuncks of chicken and pork, accompanying freshly made and folded wonton. (That's not something I usually order, but I was with a fan of it last night and the "small" pot they bring serves at least 2). Third, nothing was bad, and that included the pork spare ribs and mu shoo pork, expertly rolled by the sweetie of a server.
Tea was hot, and my fortune was good. ("You will soon receive happy financial news." (Too bad it wasn't "A pro golfer's wife will soon need a place to stay, and she will choose you.") (just kidding, honey)).
All-in-all, a good neighborhood spot. Â Some place special to drive out of the way for . . .? Again, no. But if ya got a hankering for some Chinese and you're out Aurora-way, this restaurant would be a good choice.
This is the best Chinese restaurant ever! My family has been eating here since 1984 and it hasn't changed in the least. East Cafe has got to be the best ever and it shows, what with all the awards they win year after year. I cannot even think of any other Chinese restaurant that even compares! East Cafe is in a league of it's own!
Review Source:Went here with three buddies. Ordered the pork lo mein and was expecting thin yellow noddles. Instead I got some thicker looking rice noodles. The food itself was not half bad. Maybe a little too heavy on the peppers for my preference. But, the service was very speedy. Price was decent too. Kind of weird the restaurant has no windows for you to peek into the location. Did not know what to expect walking in. All in all, an average experience.
Review Source:East Cafe has been around for at least 20 years and it has not changed except for the new chairs and no smoking. Same great food & great prices. It's a local Chinese dive - the ambiance is not spectacular and they don't have a bar but you can get a satisfying lunch for less than $7 and dinner for less than $10. I always get the sesame shrimp although I recently tried the Chicken wrap (also comes in beef or combo). It comes with a neat table side presentation and tastes great. It's like a Chinese burrito with no beans of course. I LOVE this place and hope they don't change it for another 20 years. I have them on speed dial and you can pick up take out in about 12 minutes. HIGHLY recommended.
Review Source:I've been eating at East Cafe for over twenty years - the interior has changed slightly (now smoke-free!), but the food is always great. Â My family always splits a large order of hot & sour soup, lemon chicken, mu shu pork, kung pao shrimp and occassionally sesame chicken. Â Excellent Chinese food.
Review Source:I'm probably here once a month or so since it's literally blocks away from my office. Â They have a fantastic lunch service that is quick, efficient, and an incredible value for the money. Â If you go with at least one other person, order the family lunch (you get your own plate so it's not shared anyway) and soup/salad, your selection of appetizer, your choice of entree from the menu, and a drink are all included for about $7-8 a person!
The food is very good and my personal favorite is the asparagus chicken (served with a black bean sauce). Â I mix it up sometimes with the Hurricane Beef, Curry Chicken, or Mongolian Beef but it's all pretty good.
I remember seeing some "best of Aurora" awards up on their walls for past years, so agree that's it's unusual they haven't had more reviews. Â Well recommended.
I was surprised that this popular restaurant has no reviews. Â East Cafe's menu is set up a little differently, but they have good food and the reason I give them five stars is their service. Â It is outstanding. Â You will be treated very well by the wait staff there. Â The only thing I wish they had was delivery, but then I would eat there way too often.
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