Hunan Express

One word «gross.» I ordered two very different dishes and spring rolls and all three items tasted canned, overly sweet, greasy (even for Chinese food), and weirdly cornstarchy. I am not even tempted to try anything else on the menu. I know it’s hard owning a restaurant but more care needs to be given to the food no matter how cheap it is.

Chinese fast food, exactly. Good service. Order is correct every time. Greasy, laden with oils and probaby MSG… and somehow my favorite Chinese takeout after many years.

Cheap but good. Portions are huge. I only get it to go as the interior is run down and ghetto. They are fast. Fried wontons are sweet. Spring rolls are good and greasy. I always get the pork lo mein and always wish there was more cabbage. They don’t skimp on the «meat.»

If you like overly sweet American-​style Chinese fast food, you’ll like this place just fine. If you go there expecting something more, you won’t be happy with the food. The building is a bit run down, but the portions are large and the price is reasonable.

Unfortunately my experience was not very good. The food is quite salty and lacks in flavor (I got the Chicken Lo-​Mein). There is really no service. The atmosphere just kind of seems unsanitary. It’s unfortunate because there could have a good amount of business for their location in East Nashville.

Today I fear no man, for I have survived the digestion of Hunan Express.
This is the most immediate and aggressive food poisoning I have ever had. Eighteen straight hours of shitting liquid. Vomiting. The smallest rumbling in my gut had me sprinting for the toilet. And it didn’t even taste that good. Should I know better? Probably. Less than 20 bucks for general joe’s, pork fried rice (I’m pretty sure this was the culprit), and 2 egg rolls. This was a bad choice on my part but these guys show up to work every day and serve biohazards to the community.
I have some limited food service experience so I’m not usually one to outright insult a restaurant like this but these people should be ashamed. Service has always been prompt and friendly but if you knowingly serve poisonous food I would prefer a menacing glare. The money I saved on this «meal» was spent in toilet paper. And dignity.

My husband and I haven’t finished unpacking our kitchen and we wanted Chinese food, so here we are. We ordered General Joe’s tofu and Orange tofu and 2 spring rolls. The wait wasn’t that long (maybe 8 minutes?) considering the guy told us next time we should probably call ahead for tofu dishes. Maybe meat dishes are a super quick 4 minutes, I dunno. I really liked how they cooked the tofu and the sauce was tasty. I didn’t love the rice or the fact that they put the entrée directly on top of it. Next time I will either request no rice or on the side. The spring rolls were GROSS. Definitely frozen and I still don’t know if they were vegetarian or not. I took a couple bites then tore mine apart like a 5 year old to examine the filling. There were a couple small pieces that looked like pork or chicken but at that point I threw it away because I didn’t like it anyway. I will probably go back because sometimes I just like cheap, questionable Chinese food, but I would rather look for a better choice in east Nash.

What can I say? It’s Chinese fast food. It’s cheap, and gets the job done.
I always get the Shrimp Lo Mein, extra spicy.
If I had to choose one item on that menu to be my favorite, it would most likely be their steamed dumplings. It’s surprisingly really good!

I went here today on May 18, 2014, and I went with my friend. We got general joes chicken w/​lo Mein. They charged us $ 6 and something. Then we went back due to a missed up order, and charged us an extra $ 1.75 to fix to meal. Also I ordered another general Joe, and then they charged me $ 8. They make up prices!!! Never eating here again.

Good and fast. Eat here often and they have consistently good food. First time I went here I thought it had been closed down for years, it has that kind of vibe, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually open the next time I went by. Don’t expect to be wowed, but if you’re in the mood for Chinese this will satisfy.

An extra star because the fried doughnuts have become a fave for potlucks and seriously good, just like we make back home drenched in sugar not a glaze in sight, inject them with your favourite liquor for a special treat… or just jelly

It is imperative that, before you pull into the drive thru here, you are aware what it is you’re getting yourself into. This is not fine dining. It is also not, despite the surfeit of employees who don’t speak English as their primary language, authentic Chinese food.
It is, quite simply, good, cheap, americanized Chinese food. For 5 bucks you can get a double handful of rice, a lot of ‘meat’ or ‘seafood’, and enough MSG to stun a water buffalo. And if that ain’t what takeout chinese is all about then what are we doing here anyway?
So, if you are drunk, in college, a musician, or want to eat chinese food without all the hassle of putting on pants so you can sit at a restaurant, here’s where you wanna be. And let’s face it – who in Nashville doesn’t fall into one of those categories?

It’s a drive-​thru Chinese place, nothing more, nothing less. It has ok food for a great price. Pork fried rice is standard and good. Portions will fill you up! Closed Sundays.

The food is disgusting. I’ll give them credit for three things: they’re fast, they’re cheap and they were really nice when I took my «food» back and told them I wanted my money back.

I’ve eaten here about 20 times in the past 4.5 years. Its $ 5 and drive thru… you get what you pay for. You can get any of the dishes with Tofu which is nice. I would really recommend not ordering chicken; Its dark meat and its gross. I have stopped going here since I found out No. 1 on Thompson Lane delivers to East Nashville.

Sometimes, actually most of the time, you get what you pay for. At Hunan Express all of the meals are right at 5 bucks. For that you get standard (americanized) chinese take out. Everything is a little bit too sweet and a little bit too greasy, but if you are hungry and low on cash it can hit the spot. I would recommend the hot and sour soup for a cheap add on. I think I will also take Marcia M.‘s advice and just sub tofu out next time for meat, probably will make me feel at least 37% healthier afterwords.

Quick and dirty.
Okay, maybe not dirty but it sounded edgier…
Hunan Express is quick (hence the drive-​thru option) and very inexpensive (everything is around $ 5 or less) and certainly offers up a filling meal. I tried it out and although the taste is what you would expect from this price point, I can’t totally knock it because I knew what I was getting myself into.
They offered up tofu as a protein and the Kung Pao was not too bad.
I would suggest it if you are on the go, on a budget, and planning on staying in for a night of low-​key time.

I love going to this place because they have a drive through… If you go up to the drive through and the get owner, he says «SUPPER READY!’ Then you must ask if the egg rolls are good or anything is good for that matter and he says ‘THE BEST IN TOWN» I don’t know why but it cracks me up every time.
Everything is under $ 6 on the menu including dinner portions and the the egg rolls are indeed fine as well as the egg drop soup. i mean come on this is cheap Chinese, it is what it is. They are quick and consistent. The sesame chicken is good. My husband get’s the General Tso.

East Nashville is disappointingly devoid of Chinese food so Hunan Express became my first choice by default. It is definitely not a bad choice however. I usually opt for the drive-​through option. The menu is simple and affordable (all items are just under 5 bucks) and the portions are generous.
Be careful when you get your order because they apparently have some sort of kitchen device that makes the food the temperature of fresh lava, but your patience will be duly rewarded. I recommend something saucy since all dishes are served atop fried rice and the sauce keeps it nice and moist. The shrimp with lobster sauce has never let me down.

I appreciate the fact that Hunan bills itself as «Chinese fast food.» More often than not, if you want some Chinese, you’re probably going to have to hang around at a buffet or a traditional style restaurant. At Hunan, you can dine in or hit the drive-​through, and your wait will probably never be over five minutes.
Hunan has the typical menu items you’d expect from an inexpensive Chinese joint: sweet and sour chicken, several varieties of lo mein, General Tso’s chicken (which is listed on their menu as General Joe’s chicken), and more. The food is pretty tasty, but it certainly isn’t the best I’ve ever had. My friend and I got the sweet and sour chicken and the pineapple chicken, and we were brought two identical plates with different small containers of sauce.
The staff at Hunan is pretty friendly, and the place looks like it probably used to be a Long John Silver’s or Wendy’s. There is plenty of room (and several booths) to dine in with your friends, but the speedy service and drive-​through make it ideal for carry out. I definitely wouldn’t recommend taking a date there, but if you’re a fan of Chinese, it’s worth a visit.