Cafe Chinois - Wilmington, NC

"Great atmosphere, art, decor was on brand with menu. Started with Crab Rangoons, perfectly fried wonton stuffed with cream cheese & nicely seasoned crab.The dipping sauce elevated the Rangoons. The Thai Papaya salad was absolutely divine! The shredded green papaya, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, chili & lime juice, peanut butter and Thai dressing was a great blend of sweet, crush, savory, and spicy. Well balanced with every bite. The Vietnamese Banh Xeó is a fresh fried crepe”ish”treat. The dis includes shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, fresh Thai basil, and fresh lettuce. I used the lettuce to make “wraps” and boy was it delish. Pad Kee Mao flat rice noodles sautéed with eggs, bell peppers, tomatoes, basil, in chili garlic sauce. was standard, compared to the other dishes it was a supporting dish, not a superstar of the night. I’d eaten it before and absolutely enjoyed it . I suspect I liked the other dishes so much, plus my expectations from previous visit. The server was great, the restaurant was very understaffed which adversely affects the service of all the patrons."

"We ordered 4 dishes, 2 of which arrived hot to the table. The other two were warm at best. Then we were certain that we received the wrong dish. We ordered the Vietnamese Lemon Grass Chicken. Which according to their menu is not a battered and fried dish. When we asked our server she said NO that’s right. We asked her to double check. She took the dish (supposedly back to the kitchen) and came back in a flash and said, “No that’s right.” Now I have been eating lemon grass dishes for over 30 years and can distinguish between Lemon Grass and Turmeric, and a Thai Chili sauce. They are not even close. If you look at pictures from DoorDash you can tell our dish is an exact description and picture of their Thai Souther Chicken dish that is battered and fried. We were not looking for a free dish, just an acknowledgment that we didn’t get what we ordered. It was Christmas Eve and figured they might be short staffed and we didn’t want to go full “Karen” on them so we dropped it. I would not recommend the place and will not be returning."

"Cafe Chinois is one of my favorite restaurants in Wilmington. The ambiance is so nice! Beautifully decorated. Trevor was our server and was very attentive. The duck and Pad Thai was delicious! Highly recommend if you want to try a great Thai place in Wilmington"

"My friend and I stopped here on a whim. The food did not disappoint. We ordered the fried dumplings, appitizer sampler, and the Korean beef bulgogi. Each dish was tasty and delicious. My favorite on the sampler was the moo todd with the dipping sauce provided. The bulgogi was cooked to perfection with the right amount of flavors. The wait staff was nice and helpful. I would definitely go back."

"The waiting time is a bit too long since it’s not busy, Almost an hr wait for the food. But the Food were awesome and the curry tasted very rich in coconut milk. Great portion size as well. Will definitely come back."