Highest-rated Chinese restaurants in Durham

Forget General Tso's and chop suey. Today's Chinese restaurants are skipping the American takes on Chinese food and instead are bringing diners on a culinary journey through the diverse regions of China. Fiery chili-infused Sichuan food, stuffed bao from Beijing, Shanghai-style soup dumplings, Guilin rice noodles, and Cantonese seafood and dim sum are just some of what the country has to offer.

By seeing the world through social media, more consumers have learned that there's more to Chinese food than fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and egg rolls. Consumers increasingly want to go deep into Asian cuisine and understand the variety of flavor profiles, which in turn is influencing how we eat. Forty-five percent of consumers believe that Asian food and flavors will have a big impact on food trends, second to American cuisine by just 1%, according to the American Culinary Federation's 2025 trends report.

That's evident in the rise of chili crisp as a must-have condiment, which was on menus 77.8% more times between 2023 and 2024, compared to just 10.5% for hot honey, according to Technomic.

Social media and restaurant review sites have made it even easier to hunt out unique and delicious options for Chinese food. Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Chinese restaurants in Durham based on diners' reviews on Yelp as of July 2025. Restaurants with at least 20 reviews tagged as "Chinese" on Yelp and within a 10-kilometer radius of Durham were included. Some restaurants featured may serve other food items besides breakfast food. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, national chains with more than 10 locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.

Chirba Chirba Dumpling

1 / 29

#29. Chirba Chirba Dumpling

- Rating: 3.3/5 (248 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1101 West Chapel Hill St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

Golden China

2 / 29

#28. Golden China

- Rating: 3.3/5 (36 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1515 North Pointe Drive Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Happy China

3 / 29

#27. Happy China

- Rating: 3.3/5 (290 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2505 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

China Buffet

4 / 29

#26. China Buffet

- Rating: 3.3/5 (141 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3720 Mayfair St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Sushi Bars, Buffets
- Read more on Yelp

Hong Kong

5 / 29

#25. Hong Kong

- Rating: 3.3/5 (58 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4711 Hope Valley Road Ste 1K Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

China Star

6 / 29

#24. China Star

- Rating: 3.4/5 (36 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4639 Hillsborough Road Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Asian Kitchen

7 / 29

#23. Asian Kitchen

- Rating: 3.4/5 (284 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1125 West Nc Hwy 54 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Thai
- Read more on Yelp

Red Lotus Asian Kitchen

8 / 29

#22. Red Lotus Asian Kitchen

- Rating: 3.4/5 (149 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 239 South Elliot Road Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Vegetarian
- Read more on Yelp

Dragon Inn Chinese Restaurant

9 / 29

#21. Dragon Inn Chinese Restaurant

- Rating: 3.5/5 (101 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3823 Guess Road Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Orient Garden

10 / 29

#20. Orient Garden

- Rating: 3.6/5 (145 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 202 NC-54 Ste 401 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

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Kwik Wok

11 / 29

#19. Kwik Wok

- Rating: 3.7/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3723 Wake Forest Road Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant

12 / 29

#18. Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant

- Rating: 3.7/5 (315 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3003 Guess Road Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Dim Sum
- Read more on Yelp

Dim Sum Asian Bistro

13 / 29

#17. Dim Sum Asian Bistro

- Rating: 3.8/5 (388 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5410 NC-55 Ste Y Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Dim Sum
- Read more on Yelp

Wok On Fire

14 / 29

#16. Wok On Fire

- Rating: 3.8/5 (118 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1216 Parkside Main St. Cary, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Indian
- Read more on Yelp

Li Ming's Global Mart

15 / 29

#15. Li Ming's Global Mart

- Rating: 3.9/5 (210 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3400 Westgate Drive Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, International Grocery, Bakeries
- Read more on Yelp

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Shanghai

16 / 29

#14. Shanghai

- Rating: 3.9/5 (324 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3433 Hillsborough Road Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Cantonese
- Read more on Yelp

Peony Asian Bistro

17 / 29

#13. Peony Asian Bistro

- Rating: 3.9/5 (275 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3515 Witherspoon Blvd. Ste 108 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Sushi Bars, Thai
- Read more on Yelp

Jujube

18 / 29

#12. Jujube

- Rating: 3.9/5 (301 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1201 Raleigh Road Ste L Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Noodles, Vietnamese
- Read more on Yelp

Sizzlin Stirfry Asian Bistro

19 / 29

#11. Sizzlin Stirfry Asian Bistro

- Rating: 4.0/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8521 Briercreek Pkwy Ste 117 Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: Asian Fusion, Chinese, Indian
- Read more on Yelp

G.58 Cuisine

20 / 29

#10. G.58 Cuisine

- Rating: 4.0/5 (259 reviews)
- Address: 10958 Chapel Hill Road Morrisville, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Cocktail Bars, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

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China Star

21 / 29

#9. China Star

- Rating: 4.0/5 (28 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5128 North Roxboro St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Handy Chinese Restaurant

22 / 29

#8. Handy Chinese Restaurant

- Rating: 4.1/5 (101 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5279 North Roxboro Road Ste 10 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Peng's Asian Cuisine

23 / 29

#7. Peng's Asian Cuisine

- Rating: 4.1/5 (192 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 108-A Factory Shops Road Morrisville, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Banh's Cuisine

24 / 29

#6. Banh's Cuisine

- Rating: 4.1/5 (156 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 750 9th St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Vietnamese, Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Spring Rolls Durham

25 / 29

#5. Spring Rolls Durham

- Rating: 4.1/5 (63 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 701 West Main St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Sushi Bars, Asian Fusion, Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

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Nan Xiang Express

26 / 29

#4. Nan Xiang Express

- Rating: 4.2/5 (49 reviews)
- Address: 1605 Erwin Road Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Shanghainese, Noodles, Dim Sum
- Read more on Yelp

Wheat

27 / 29

#3. Wheat

- Rating: 4.3/5 (103 reviews)
- Address: 810 9th St. Ste 130 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Noodles, Desserts, Szechuan
- Read more on Yelp

Sister Liu's Kitchen

28 / 29

#2. Sister Liu's Kitchen

- Rating: 4.5/5 (295 reviews)
- Address: 5504 Durham Chapel Hill Blvd. Ste 103 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp

Szechuan Mansion Hotpot

29 / 29

#1. Szechuan Mansion Hotpot

- Rating: 4.6/5 (74 reviews)
- Address: 746 9th St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Hot Pot, Szechuan
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 317 metros.