Suzi’s Chinese Kitchen

We came here for a quick 30^th birthday dinner of my friend. We are going to play bowling and do some kareoke and this restaurant is right next to it! Food is ok. It’s just same as any Americanized Chinese restaurant but a little more expensive.

There just really aren’t many good choices for Chinese food in Austin. This place makes adequate Chinese that seems better than the majority of the other places I’ve eaten at in the area. Their menu has a good selection and they have a few daily specials. The main time I would eat here is before going to Alamo to watch a movie as the food here is definitely better than there. Definitely not the best Chinese I’ve ever had but some of the better in the Austin area.

I have been going to Suzi’s for a long time and they are very good. I take out of Town guest to this place and they enjoy it also. Great place to lunch and for dinner. Even celebrities hang there. I seen it with my own eyes…

I’ve been to this location many times, and every time someone suggests going here (which is often with people that work downtown), I’m never enthused.
Basically, it is in an old strip mall, and the parking is kinda wonky and fairly limited, particularly at peak times (although I’ve never NOT found a spot, it is usually just a long walk). The outside looks like it was abandoned in the mid 1980s. But hey… when you get inside, the décor is not nearly as outdated as the exterior (albeit it is so cliché it looks like a midwesterner picked it out). But last time I was there it still has those 1980s A frame padded chairs that were popular a long time ago. Gave me memories of old style Pizza Inn buffets, which is nice.
I think sometimes Austinites hear from a friend that a restaurant is «good» and then they continue to believe it is good even it if is no where near good. This frustrates me greatly. I can’t tell you how many people told me Las Manitas, my alltime «Hall of the Overrated» Restaurant, was the «best they’ve ever had». Same with Salt Lick. Well, I put Suzi’s in that category as well.
The service has never been «bad», but rarely have I had a server that even said more than three words to me outside of repeating my order back to me. Pretty quick food delivery to the table (which makes me think they’re just thawing a frozen dinner back there), but still… for a fast lunch, I’ve never really been delayed there.
My main problem is that when I think of Suzi’s, I think of overcooked, poor quality meats in an almost flavorless sauce. Basically, what you would find in a really crappy take out Chinese food place.
But, it is close to downtown, and the pickings for Chinese food near downtown are painfully inadequate, so when I have a client or colleague that is jones’ing for some Chinese food, and they want to meet south of the river, I really don’t have an alternative I’ve tried that I can shift the conversation to, so I continue to go back. But each time they suggest Suzi’s, it reminds me of how much I really wish there were an alternative.

From the outside, this outpost of Suzi’s Chinese Kitchen looks more hole in the wall than you could imagine. In fact, at 4:30PM, I figured the place was shut and closed. They were not; in fact, it is actually quite nice on the inside. They do a good job in disguising their character.
I don’t think it’s ever happened to me that when I order an order of anything with a number in parentheses beside it that I am received with an item that is almost always free at a «Chinese» eatery. Here, you pay $ 4 for 6 pieces of fried wonton skins with absolutely no filling. Yes, they are large and fun to eat, but $ 0.66 a pop for something that should not cost you a dime as a paying customer? I have a concern here.
The hot and sour soup was OK, a little too much on the tart side.
Funny that an institution such as Suzi’s, which offers extremely mediocre Chinese fare in terms of authenticity and which also necessitates gratuity, would actually charge much more per dish than a podunk Asian eatery that happens to offer phenomenal and authentic food not requiring gratuity post-​consumption.
The Peanut Chicken is literally peanuts and chicken. The stir-​fried chicken lacked flare, though. I very much liked how they allowed the celery and bell pepper to keep their crispy integrity. Also, many peanuts adorn this dish. $ 11 price tag? Yikes… chicken dishes at Eastern institutions need not require more than $ 8−9… and no tip is needed.
All in all, Suzi’s will certainly do the job for any individual with a hankering for some sort of Chinese grub, but I would never ever send my pals who truly want an Asian experience here. Neither should you.

My roomie and I just ate there. We split an order of crab rangoons, had a cup of hot and sour soup, an eggroll each and our entrees. Tab was $ 47. Little pricey for Chinese? My wonton soup was ok, eggroll was ok, rangoons were average (seemed to have very little crabmeat if any), but my chicken macademia was very good. Wish my entrée woulda been made with white chicken meat, though. Would rather go to Din Ho Chinese BBQ or First Chinese BBQ.

I guess everyone else who reviewed this place was either dead while eating or they’re tastebuds have finally just given up on them due to their poor taste in food.
I’ve seen Suzis everyday and always been a little curious and finally worked up the courage to try it out.
My boyfriend and I were seated right away on a busy Friday night, the service was right on. Everything arrived in perfect timing and we were never left needing a drink.
We order the crab wontons, spicy chicken meal that came with soup and an egg roll and we ordered a side of fried rice. This was more than enough food for both of us. My appetite usually out does my loves but we still had plenty to take home. I took the left overs to work and they were still delicious the next day.
After eating I didn’t have that horrible chinese hangover you get from other places. I was satisfied and full without the regret!
We spent around $ 30…if you think thats pricey for a dinner for two id hate to see your bank account.
The location is perfect as well, about 6 blocks from my house so I will definitely be see Suzis more often!

I had not been to this location. It is smaller than restaurant off of Mopac. Overall the service was great and the food was good. I suggest the veggie dumplings.

Suzi, Suzi,
Who can I turn to?
You give me takeout that I can hold on to
I tried to call you before, almost lost my nerve
but now I’ve got the eggrolls, that I deserve
Suzi, don’t change your number
chicken wing tastes so fine
Suzi, I love your rangoons
very, very, very, very, very divine
very, very, very, very, very divine
Suzi, Suzi
you’re the pork for me
your moo shu pancakes make me so happy
I tried to call you before, now I’ve got some nerve
now my craving for garlic chicken has been curbed
Suzi, I got your menu
soup that tastes so fine
Suzi, I love your egg drop
so, so, so, so, so, so fine
so, so, so, so, so, so fine
I got it, I got it, I got it
I got your number on the wall
I got it, I got it, I got it
For some kung pao, for some kung pao, call…

Wow — this is some of the worst Chinese food I have ever had. How can you cover something in sauce and it STILL have no flavor? Got lettuce wrap. GAHROSSSSS
Called Suzi’s and asked that my credit card not be charged. The woman that answered informed me that she would credit me. She then said I’d have to use it in the next week.
I again asked that my credit card not be charged, as I had no plans of coming back there in a week, or ever.
She said she would delete the charge from my card.
Hopefully that happens.

Go for their lunch specials, they’re cheap and delicious!
For under $ 8, you get entrée, soup, eggroll, chicken wing!

I love going here for a quick lunch. Everytime I’ve gone, the service is fast, reliable and friendly. I’m in and out all within my hour break, and it’s nice not to have to wait for the check.
The food has always been spot on for me. I usually either get the lunch sesame chicken, or the kung pao shrimp. The lunch portion comes with a side of soup, a drum stick, and a crab rangoon. I usually ask for an extra crab instead of the drumstick, and they sub with no complaints. You also get your choice of white or fried rice. With tax and tip, it usually only sets me back about $ 9 – 11 depending on whether I order a water or a drink.
I’ve been to the other location, but I think this is my fave.

Definitely the best of the Suzi’s restaurants I’ve been to.
Consistently good food, and I like the fact that like the other Suzi’s you get soup and a tempura wing. Now if they’d just offer delivery I’d be a much more regular customer.

I have only ordered take-​out, so I can’t comment on the ambience or dining experience, but I really like this place for a few reasons:
1) The staff is ALWAYS nice. On the phone. When they are busy. When I go in. When I leave my dog outside, they are even kind enough to go out and say hello (my dog is super cute). Sometimes they want to give him a fortune cookie, but that’s just something my dog isn’t into, even though he is Chinese.
2) The portion sizes, while sometimes inconsistent, have never been skimpy.
3) We’ve ordered the orange chicken, sesame chicken, curry chicken, and egg rolls several times, and they are consistently good.
4) Its quick and easy — a place to call when you go to the kitchen and realize you really don’t want to be in there.
I did get sick after eating shrimp from there, but I can’t rule out the extreme summer heat (and me deciding to walk my dog just after eating) as the cause. My bf ate the same stuff and was fine, so we’ve just avoided shrimp dishes since, just in case…

I know too many people who have not felt so well after leaving Suzi’s. I too have never gone and felt it was a good decision. Black List.

The first time I ever had Suzi’s, my best friend ordered take-​out from this location and brought it to his apartment. We wined and ate like rabid, starving animals.
It is here that I fell in love with the spicy tangy dumplings (ground pork dumplings with peanut sauce). Seriously, I could make an entire meal out of them. They give you six, and they are large. Just having this appetizer alone will leave you satisfied.
It is also here that I was introduced to the pan fried noodle. Delish. The chicken cashew is phenom. And the shrimp with lobster sauce is mouth-​watering.
Go for it.

I had the Breaded Spicy Chicken.
Nothing special.
Not Too greasy. Not too fatty.
expensive for the quality.

I don’t really know what happen to this place. I use to eat here weekly in 02 and I had my birthday their not to long ago and the quality went down hill hard core. The use to have some awesome sesame scallops which poof are gone! They had fried but they wouldnt put the sauce on it for me. The food portions seem to have shrunk too.
The staff is still really friendly and is on top of filling drinks and clearing plates. Overall, with how much the quality and quantity of food has gone down its not worth the price.

After a rather fun (but brief) Unilocal event at The Highball my friend and I decided to go to Suzi’s Chinese Kitchen around the corner to give some time to burn off the Maker’s Mark.
I should have checked the Unilocal reviews before going. I didn’t.
At first I was very excited to see «Schezuan Bean Curd» aka Ma Po Tofu on the menu. And Schezuan Green Beans! Awesome!
My friend got the green beans, I got the Ma Po sans pork (why don’t they just call it Ma Po?). Then we realized we got a lot of beans. Oh well.
The food was ok, but kind of bland. I was expecting kick-​in-​the-​face Ma Po with Ginger, Garlic, and mouth-​numbing schezuan peppercorn. It was a little garlicy.
The green beans were the same way. Super oily, a little garlicy, but lacked that crazy delicious spice that schezuan food offers.
Then the bill was over $ 20 for … beans. Come on. You’d think maybe we were paying for ambiance, but a stained, suspended ceiling and dull lighting isn’t exactly what I’d call ambiance. This food should have cost $ 5/​plate.
Oh well. I’ll continue my quest for great in-​town Ma Po.

The food is pretty good. Higher quality than a lot of Chinese places. It’s pretty pricey for everything though — you’re looking at $ 10 for Fried Rice.
My biggest gripe is that they are NEVER open. It’s 2:30 on a Saturday, and they’re closed. I think they open at 5:00 and close at like 8:30. I don’t know, though, because they don’t have their hours posted on their website.
It would be great if they went out of business and someone else bought the place and continued serving tasty Chinese food there but for a decent price and at normal hours. One can only hope.