Guide to Chinese food

One of the fourteen Chinese restaurants on this list is likely to come in handy this holiday season. Whether you and yours hold Christmas dinner at your neighborhood Chinese spot every year, or your holiday roast suffers a Griswold-esque comic tragedy, from cart service dim sum to trusty takeout, Cantonese to Taiwanese to Sichuan, there is sure to be a spot (or two) on this list to incorporate into your family traditions this year.

1 China Gourmet

This Boulder spot is one of the best options for Chinese food in the Front Range area, hands down. With a broad menu featuring all of the usual suspects, as well as fabulous specials like the Hong Kong crispy sole, there will be something to please all Chinese food lovers at China Gourmet. Pro tip: order the Hunan chicken off the secret menu.

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3970 Broadway St
Boulder, CO 80304

(303) 440-3500

2 China Jade

China Jade may be tucked into the obscurity of an Aurora strip mall, but it also just may be one of the best spots for authentic Sichuan style Chinese in the area. Try the cumin-cinnamon beef, the spicy boiled fish, or the mapo tofu - it is hard to go wrong here. Wash it all down with a Qing Dao beer and you're in business.

Lori Midson

12101 E Iliff Ave
Aurora, CO 80014

(303) 755-8518

3 Emperor Palace

Emperor Palace in Broomfield is the place to be for weekend dim sum. Multiple tanks house live seafood in the front of the restaurant, the contents of which come into play in many of the dishes. Service is quick and courteous and prices affordable.

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6700 W 120th Ave
Broomfield, CO 80020

(303) 635-1688

4 Hong Kong BBQ

This Federal Bouldvard gem is known for its siu mei glory, that is, roasted meats. The duck is fabulous, as is the twice-roasted pork. You can even pick up full roasted ducks and pigs to take home and really impress at the holiday feast. For something less meat-forward, try the heavenly congee.

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1044 S Federal Blvd
Denver, CO 80219

(303) 937-8882

5 Hop Alley

The newly opened Hop Alley in RiNo is a hip Chinese spot brought to you by the people behind the highly acclaimed Uncle. It seems the ramen masters can do Chinese food too, and have a snappy beverage program at Hop Alley to boot. NOTE: The restaurant will be closed December 24-26.

Adam Larkey

3500 Larimer St.
Denver, CO

(720)379-8340

6 JJ Chinese Seafood Restaurant

Any of the live seafood, fresh from tanks in the front of the restaurant, doused in XO sauce, is what you need to order at JJ Chinese. Bonus: JJ's is open late and perfect for a nocturnal seafood feast.

JJ Chinese Seafood Restaurant

2500 Alameda Ave
Denver, CO 80219

(303) 934-8888

7 Lao Wang Noodle House

For arguably the best potstickers and soup dumplings in town, get yourself to Lao Wang noodle house. Diners be warned: service can be a bit Seinfeld-esque and particular here - you must follow a strict orderings and seating policy or it will be no soup dumplings for you. Wash down dumplings and porky dan dan noodles with a Lao Wang lager, brewed by the owners' son at Caution Brewing.

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945 S Federal Blvd
Denver, CO 80219

(303) 975-2497

8 Peter's Chinese Cafe

This friendly Congress Park neighborhood spot is great for dining in, carrying out, or delivery. Go-to's here are pork mushu and crab cheese wontons.

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2609 E 12th Ave
Denver, CO 80206

(303) 377-3218

9 Star Kitchen

Star Kitchen is known best for its dim sum, of which the options are seemingly endless. The shrimp and cilantro dumplings are a great place to start, as well the legendary pork buns.

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2917 W Mississippi Ave
Denver, CO 80219

(303) 936-0089

10 Super Star Asian Cuisine

This dim sum hot spot is located in the Alameda Square shopping center - a fine collection of Asian restaurants and markets. Weekend dim sum brunch is a treat at Super Star, and traditional Cantonese dim sum from the pushcart will not disappoint.

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2200 W Alameda Ave
Denver, CO 80223

(303) 727-9889

11 The Empress

Another Alameda gem, The Empress tends to be less busy than its Alameda dim sum counterparts, Star Kitchen and Super Star, thus a good choice for those hoping to avoid the lines. The dim sum menu is even lengthier than the other spots, with standouts like the scallop dumplings and sweet barbecue pork croissants.

The Empress

2825 W Alameda Ave
Denver, CO 80219

(303) 922-2822

12 Uncle Joe's Hong Kong Bistro

Uncle Joe's recently underwent a major menu overhaul to include 7X wagyu in many of the traditional Chinese dishes, as well as a new build-your-own hot pot feature, where guests have the choice of broth, protein, and starch. Many of the ingredients, like the dried scallops, come straight from Hong Kong.

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891 14th St
Denver, CO 80202

(720) 330-8487

13 Wok Uptown

This is a go-to for Chinese takeout and delivery in the Uptown area, and will likely be swamped with orders on Christmas this year so leave plenty of time for delivery. Bonus: Wok Uptown throws in an extra order of crab cheese wontons or egg rolls for every $20 spent.

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1789 Ogden St
Denver, CO 80218

(303) 861-2888

14 Zoe Ma Ma

Zoe Ma Ma's original Boulder location has been serving up noodles and dim sum bites to hungry Pearl Street Mall pedestrians for years now, and its second location at Union Station is equally as delightful for Denver diners. Cool noodles never cease to satisfy and refresh, and the freshness is a quality you can taste here.

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