Any of their szuchuan dishes are a great option. I’ve had their szuchuan pork belly which was delicious and the pork intestines. Both meats were very tender and easy to chew, flavorsome and a good portion size.
8.5/10
I’ve also had a tofu vegetable stir fry which was decent. No wow factor, the tofu was soft and there was a satisfactory amount of it compared to the vegetables.
7/10
(Also recommend mao’s braised pork belly! there’s one with rice and the pork belly is still such a generous portion-so worth! The pork is pretty delicious, best right there and then, and it also has pickled vegetables on the bottom of the dish, such a yummy accompaniment!)
Edit 26/4
Decided to opt out of my comfort zone today and ordering something different from my usual choices of pork belly!
Ordered the sliced lamb hot pot with Chinese medicinal herbs and it was definitely a goodie. The lamb was tender and soft to chew, and the tofu was a perfect solidness-not too firm but not fall apart soft either, and stayed well intact when I picked it up with my chopsticks. Other accompanies bits were bok Choy which were a little tough and two pieces were very dry (at the top), a few sweet Chinese dates (yummy not dry!), and bamboo shoot pieces throughout. They were a nice addition, but the flavor of the soup really carried the meal through. The soup was full of flavor and really well paired with lamb, it was sweet yet ever so slightly tinged with a hint of the distinct traditional medicinal herb flavor-dare I say bitter? Definitely worth trying if you’re a fan of lamb hot pot. The meal was a generous portion for the price and definitely worth. It could’ve been separated into two meals but I was greedy and ate it all. 4.5/5
My friend got the kimchi pork hot pot, and let me try a bit-the kimchi flavor was slightly spicy and sour, a delicious awakening for the taste buds, however the pork had a ‘strong pork taste’ and was a bit tougher than I was expecting (more so than the lamb) and did not hold my attention as much. Still delicious, but if the pork was more tender I would’ve rated higher. 3.5/5
Eggplant with mince and salty fish is also a decent one!
Love this place ! Staff are always friendly, food is a great price with huge portions and something for everybody. Always busy in here and its easy to see why once you've been for yourself. Love trying something new everytime we visit and haven't been disappointed yet.
Only come to Dunedin once or twice a year, chopstick 101 is definitely something I don’t want to miss. Had streamed pork belly and preserved vege on rice. The pork was really nice and did not have the nasty pork smell I sometimes get when I eat out. Tried their bbq on rice, tofu with pork belly and Taiwanese fried chicken. Have not tried like sweet and sour pork or chicken cashew, so can’t comment on those kiwi-popular dishes. But if you are looking for some authentic Chinese food, here is a good choice.
The best place without a doubt for authentic Taiwanese/Chinese. DO NOT MISS. Never been disappointed and the owners are just lovely! Hard to go wrong - great menu selection.
Went there with flatmates, about 7 pax on quiet Monday evening. Restaurant was busy with Uni students and we were able to get a round table enough to serve 7 of us. Ambiance is same as any Asian restaurant, pop red everywhere. The only one thing different here is service is DYO (do your own) meaning you have to go grab your own cutlery and Crockery from the shelf.
Restaurant is BYO and they charge $5 corkage fees per wine bottle. I had white bottle so asked for a ice bucket or something similar to chill my wine. However was informed that they don’t have one. Meaning I had to gulp that wine down in room temperature.
Menu is extensive and can be somewhat confusing as there is no description of abh particular dish, so we have to make some guess or figure out by watching the picture of that dish.
Food itself is really good and tasty. Prices are easy for pocket too.
Easily one of the best takeaways in Dunedin. Super good food that is cheap, large portions, and made quickly.
Personal favourite is N8 which is the noodles with chilli with choice of meat or veg (I tend to get chicken). Their large size is massive and can serve 2. Also love their pork and cabbage dumplings. I’ve also had the chicken and cashew nut stir fry which was good as well.
The service is friendly, and they do well considering how busy they always are. A real popular student joint and there’s no wonder why.
Good portion and food! Best sweet and sour pork in town ;) came here too often and tried a lot of combo meals. The noodles with beef are very good, as well as their side dishes.
Amazing pork wontons the sweet and sour sauce was just how I like it the fried rice had a really eggy taste but it was still good the staff are all so nice and the smell when you walk in is amazing
Very yummy food, and staff were very friendly, highly recommend chopsticks 101 to anybody going to Dunedin , certainly will be coming back again
So many delicious dishes full of flavor and with a huge variety to pick from. Highly recommend this place!! Great prices here and wonderful customer service!! love the little squid dish!!! YUUUUM.
How can you have visited Dunedin without having gone to this Taiwanese restaurant. This is definitely a student favourite. The restaurant is often always packed especially at meal time (lunch and dinner) and needing to wait on for tables for meals to have here or takeaway with bubble tea.
Service is good and very fast.
Few favourite dishes of mine are:
- Lamb hotpot (good for a cold winters night.. Or every night in Dunedin)
- sweet and sour pork (very well done, large portion of rice and the dish itself)
- combination fried rice ( authentic and also delicious)
- popcorn fried chicken is another traditional Taiwanese dish that they have done very well
- beef noodle ( large portion and the beef is very tasty and the soup is flavourful)
Good service and a pleasant time each visit.
We had lunch in this nice little unpretentious restaurant in Dunedin on 26 May 16. We had a spicy lunch and were not disappointed with the fare provided. The service was also good and were as expected. We had a mix of fried noodles and rice with a couple of side dishes such as chicken spring rolls and chicken with red chillies. we had requested for raising the chilli level and were glad that the request was acceded to. The quantity and quality were excellent. Would rate it as value for money. Highly recommended.
Chopsticks is normally always buzzing and there's no wonder why. For the massive proportion size and relatively inexpensive and extensive menu, it is no surprise. The bubble teas are one of my favourite attractions (I highly recommend the lychee black tea with pearls and coconut jelly.. Mmm. The jellys taste like lychee). The food is not the most authentic and has been very westernised but other than that it is ok and good take out food. Try and avoid dishes such as stir fries as you'll be paying for overpriced stodgy vegetables in a corn flour slurry however their hot pot dishes are delicious and perfect for winter!
Also don't forget to get your loyalty card stamped!
The 406 garlic shoots with pork is amazing, a must try. Service is usually very good too. The menu being very large can be a bit off-putting at first so it can be hard to find something you like.
Enjoy the visit all the times. Haven't been to many rest in Dunedin but this is the place that we go every year.
Thanks for bring chinese food to Dunedin.
I really enjoyed the food at this place. Very much just a simple Chinese takeaway sort of place, but the food was good and the waitresses were lovely! Unfortunately we had to pay $5 per bottle in corkage but it was quickly forgotten after the wonderful service!
Always good food!! I dine there regularly and the staff are friendly and always cater to my fussy food wants. I love their spicy chicken with chilli oil!!! Delicious
Cheap and cheerful. Food isn't exceptional by any means, but you do get big portions and good value for what you pay making Chopsticks a student favourite. Staff is always friendly and despite their exceedingly large menu, they do manage to push out their dishes quickly and consistently. The few limp leaves of cabbage that come with the mains do leave much to be desired though, and extra cabbage is a paid option.
Absolute best food in Dunedin!
I am down for work to Dunedin about once per quarter and always have dinner here most nights. They have a huge menu with a range of dishes from Taiwan as well as other places in Asia.
The food is fantastic! Tasty and also very affordable. Try the soft bone chicken, the steamed pork belly with mustard pickled vegetables on rice and the simmering beef noodle soup.
If they had an Auckland branch I don't think I'd ever cook again!!
I am rarely compelled to rate restaurants and normally it's to have a whinge, however while down in Dunedin for the ABs test 4 of us had a fantastic dining experience at Chopsticks 101! We'd all highly recommend this for anyone looking for authentic Asian food, they were even happy to deviate from the menu and nailed the 'special orders' (how often does that happen). The hostess was fantastic; not only was her English superb but she was very friendly and attentive to all patrons. Top that all off with the fact that you can BYO (they even chilled my wife's white wine) and very, very reasonably priced.
Whenever I'm craving for some authentic Chinese food, I make my way to Chop Sticks 101.
The people are always super friendly there, and food arrives relatively quickly.
Everything I've tried has been delicious and reminds me of home.
I would recommend the beef noodle soup.
Been there a few times when I was traveling down to Dunedin for courses. Love the Taiwanese food here, especially roast chicken and also pickled veges. Very reasonable price and good value. Free soup when you dine in. Even though my Taiwanese friend found certain dishes abit disappointing, for my tastebud, I still love them! Definitely back for more! So many dishes on the menus to try!
Chopsticks 101 really stands out for its service. All the staff are very friendly, especially the owner's daughter, and the chefs are very fast. While the meals aren't particularly complicated, they're usually very tasty and decent value. I also can't resist the bubble tea every time!
Awesome value for money and you get lots in your dish.
I would recommend the hot pot dishes they have. Two people can finish it and still be pretty full. The rest is bla bla bla because I need 200 words.
Food comes out pretty fast. Food is authentic and very tasty. Prices are very reasonable - value for money.
I am a Chinese and only recommend restaurants where I think it is worth recommending.
Went there especially to have the tofu jelly. But was informed it was not made during winter (was very disappointed) however items and was not disappointed.
Definitely recommend this place if you do not want to spend a lot of money.
Staff were very friendly and informed us who and where to order our food.
Cheery faces on all the staff, and the food is amazing! the sweet chicken and corn soup, stewed pork and not to mention the hotpots are all delicious. Oh, and the bubble tea is also great! Might be a little overpriced for a casual eatery, though.
I regularly grab something to eat here, its pretty cheap but authentic. The beauty of this menu is the variety and its nice to get a few different dishes.My fav is the pork ribs with orange peel.I have also got one of their whole ducks before and taken it home to have with pancakes yum yum.The decore is simple but as I said authentic.
The sweetest people run this place, and the food is good and well-priced. Cafeteria atmosphere, but close to school and pleasant enough.
The foods are so good, reasonably priced with great portion size. It's not salty but definitely not bland! Highly recommend the TW pork belly buns. I really appreciate fushion foods - they added gherkins and pickled cabbages into the mix, making the bun salty, sweet, sour and crunchy. The staff there is very friendly too even though they are super busy. Highly recommended!
AN ABSOLUTE MUST—HAVE. My wife and I were in Dunedin for 3 days, and we visited this restaurant every single day. It’s by far, our favourite place in the whole of New Zealand. The food is so damn delicious and staff here are so nice. The sour and spicy fish soup is our favourite. My wife have made me promise her to bring her here every year. And I’m from Singapore, by the way 😆 so that’s a huge commitment right there. Enjoy the food and thank us later!
First time visitor, I have walked right past many times but tonight beckoned me to check it out. Pleasantly surprised yummy food, wide selection, must have a team of chefs, fast delivery from order to the table. Great friendly service.
Highly recommended.
Great menu, made special request for veg egg fried rice with tofu.
Hands down best Chinese restaurant I’ve ever had the delight to eat at, highlights be maos braised pork belly, hot pot, stone pot. Tooooo good. Wish Auckland had one of these, this’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Any of their szuchuan dishes are a great option. I've had their szuchuan pork belly which was delicious and the pork
intestines. Both meats were very tender and easy to chew, flavorsome and a good portion size.
I've also had a tofu vegetable stir fry which was decent. No wow factor, the tofu was soft and there was a satisfactory amount of it compared to the vegetables.
(Also recommend mao's braised pork belly! there's one with rice and the pork belly is still such a generous portion-so worth! The pork is pretty delicious, best right
there and then, and it also has pickled vegetables on the bottom of the dish, such a yummy accompaniment!)
Decided to opt out of my comfort zone and ordering something different from my usual choices of pork belly!
Ordered the sliced lamb hot pot with Chinese medicinal herbs and it was definitely a goodie. The lamb was tender and soft to chew, and the tofu was a perfect solidness-not too firm but not fall apart soft either, and stayed well intact when I picked it up with my chopsticks. Other accompanies bits were bok Choy which were a little tough and two pieces were very dry (at the top), a few sweet Chinese dates (yummy not dry!), and bamboo shoot pieces throughout. They were a nice addition, but the flavor of the soup really carried the meal through. The soup was full of flavor and really well paired with lamb, it was sweet yet ever so slightly tinged with a hint of the distinct traditional medicinal herb flavor-dare I say bitter?
Definitely worth trying if you're a fan of lamb hot pot. The meal was a generous portion for the price and definitely worth. It could've been separated into two meals but I was greedy and ate it all.
My friend got the kimchi pork hot pot, and let me try a bit-the kimchi flavor was slightly spicy and sour, a delicious awakening for the taste buds, however the pork had a
'strong pork taste' and was a bit tougher than I was expecting (more so than the lamb) and did not hold my attention as much. Still delicious, but if the pork was more tender I would've rated higher.
Eggplant with mince and salty fish is also a delicious one!
Consistent Asian restaurant with simple delicious Asian style food. Ever since visiting Dunedin every year from 2013, every time I’ve always eaten here at least once or twice per trip and the food has a always been consistently good. I especially love the chicken nugget on rice or noodle. This trip we got the deep fried pork belly and it was soooo good. Highly recommend!
Food was GREAT! Authentic Asian food. Everything I had was delicious: pork belly buns, wonton soup, and pork dumplings. Definitely recommend!
Loved the authentic Chinese meals and atmosphere of this restaurant. We really enjoyed our shared plates and would go back next time we are in Dunedin. A good local treasure.
Amazing dishes, tasty and affordable price. Variety of the menus that you can choose. My favourite restaurant in Dunedin, never get bored, either for snacking or mains. Always come to fulfil my tummy:) and you can collect stamps to get free meals.
The braised pork belly and spicy crispy chicken leg we ordered were really yummy! The portion was generous, and service was top notch. Highly recommended!
26/9/2023
Overall foods all tastes good, it is not expensive and portion is big as we unable finish all and need to take away. Even it is just a simple chinese cuisine. In additional, they have vegetarian dish as well.
Was a great place and fairly busy. But they served great and the food quality was amazing. After a long time, I got a chance to try hotpot and it was much closer to the one I tried in Beijing.
Terrific value, huge portions and tasty food. Plenty to like about the place!
We had general Tao chicken and a Szechuan ground pork noodle soup, both outstanding and HUGE for very reasonable prices of $15/16
Place is open at good hours for late lunch or all day dining on Sundays.
Friendly staff and a nice atmosphere too, very unstuffy dining experience
Amazing food, great value for money and excellent service! Had Chairman Mao's braised red pork and couldn't rate it higher. Will definitely be back.
Friendly and helpful family run restaurants. Well managed our expectations when we arrived by saying it was busy and we could wait 30 mins for our food. So pleasantly surprised when it only took 10 mins. Supposed to be a Taiwanese restaurant but they did serve a variety of Chinese dishes. Portions are massive and good value for $$
Sort of oil but good for taste if you are Homesick after long travel.
It has large size, had better share by 2 persons for one meal.
#揚州炒飯偏鹹,但米飯炒的很乾爽粒粒分明😋
Good service, quick serving, reasonable price.
Highly recommended 😋
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