06/27/08

LOVE THIS PLACE!

by melzzz

You get what you pay for. Really. This is a reasonably priced restaurant with GREAT, authentic Chinese food with so-so atmosphere and so-so service. If you want pricey service, go to a pricey restaurant.

Love the Chow mai fun. Have been ordering it for years. the owners are always friendly and its almost always busy - all those people can't be wrong!

Love it - am a regular and always will be!!!!

• Pros: Great food! Great location! Reasonable prices
• Cons: so-so service

03/30/08

Not so good these days

by sandylovesfood

I've loved this place since it's original location, and have made the trip from a northern suburb to satisfy my cravings at least once a month for several years...but something is missing- the food is only ok, and often greasy and overspiced. The service is lackluster, and the place just seems to need an overhaul. Too bad, because it was a strong restaurant with a nice ambience for so long. No longer worth the trip, or the price of the entrees.

11/03/07

Authentic Chinese does not include Sesame Chicken and Lo Mein

by robotulius

Wow, I'm surprised by some of the people saying it's not "authentic" Chinese cuisine...The Wong family that owns Rainbow came to America about 30 years ago and has been in Minneapolis for the past 20 years. Trust me, it's as authentic as you can get. As some people have said before, it may not seem as authentic to other people because they are used to sesame chicken, lo mein, and chop suey. You will be disappointed if you get these dishes because they are typical Americanized Chinese dishes. The Wong's beat all of the bland dishes with their Fried Walleye and Black Bean sauce, appetizers, Seafood fare and Hong Kong noodles. Leave old habits of ordering American Chinese food at the door and go out of your way to get real dishes. Ask the waiters, they are very helpful.

It is more expensive than other Chinese restaurants because the owner goes out to the farmer's market every day for fresh vegetables and fruits. So stop complaining, you're getting the best quality foods you can get here. She will tell you this when you go in, just ask, she loves conversing with the customers. Ask any Asian American (like myself) they know Rainbow is one of the best, most authentic Chinese restaurant in the Twin Cities!

• Pros: Great servers, great bar, great food selection, good parking
• Cons: American chinese items bland

02/18/07

Best Chinese in the Twin Cities.. if not, EVER!

by sayc0002

This place is by far my favorite restaurant ever. Why you ask? Rainbows has the best black bean sauce style dishes you can't find anywhere. They've built their reputation around this which as given them nothing but success. Mixed with a little Vietnamese flavor, it gives their food a unique Chinese taste. Because of this, I do NOT recommend buying common dishes you can at any other Chinese restaurant (Example: Lo-mein, Sesame Chicken). If you're brave and would like to try something different, look under the seafood section. I recommend getting the Seafood and Gai Lan. You have an option on what type of noodles you want for the dish; I recommend Fun noodles. It comes with a thicken seafood sauce with scallops, squid, shrimp, Chinese broccoli.. absolutely to die for. If you have a party of four, I recommend getting the Fried Walleye with Black Bean Sauce. Although they have this dish at other Chinese restaurants, nothing comes close to the taste of Rainbows. For appetizers, I absolutely love the Spicy Tachien Chicken Wings. Wrapped in special Asian-bread, they come deep fried with awesome Vietnamese-Taichien brown sauce. I also recommend the Wontons with Black Bean sauce. Another great black bean sauce dish. On top of all the great food, the place is a comfortable atmosphere with a chic Asian theme. The bar looks like its built with bamboo shoots and a beautifully painted mural on their wall. They offer great cocktails and closes at 11:30pm on the weekends. And if you can't find parking, don't worry! They have their own, but small parking lot with weekend Valet service. Both my girlfriend and I are Asian Americans that love to try new restaurants. We've eating at places that look like shacks but somehow come out with great food, then eating at places like Wolfgang Puck's Postrio in Las Vegas and going home not very satisfied. We've eaten at many places over the world and still.. nothing comes close to this place.

• Pros: Black Bean Sauce, Seafood, Asian Comtemporary Style Restaurant, Located in the middle of "Eat Street"
• Cons: Can be a bit pricey, Should be saved for special occasions

12/28/06

Don't just order lo-mein!

by claypot2001

The first time I was at Rainbow, I thought the food was ok, nothing so special...no big craze as few of my friends have raved about. The atmosphere was good, not a typical tacky chinese decorations, bright colors or the ugly whole-nine yard fake flowers. Honestly, I thought Raibow was unique with the gorgeous wall-mural, the old-time jazz music background, and the fact all the servers were actually good-looking twenty-something hipsters (even the asian ones!) However, my recent trip to Rainbow has changed my view about Rainbow's food. This time, I decided to ask our server what to order--she actually patted my shoulder sympathetically for having ordered ginger chicken at my first visit. Obviously, it was not her favorite. She recommended wontons in black bean sauce as appetizer, Singpore noodle (something mei-fun), sautee green beans, and scallop with basil and cashew. We let her order for us and everything was extremely tasty and delicious. No disappointment as the first visit. I was, forever, hooked on the wontons in black bean!! I can't wait to expand more of my horizon on Chinese food next time I visit Rainbow.

• Pros: Wontons in black bean, helpful servers, atmosphere, wall-mural, parking.
• Cons: Too big of the menu selections which can be quiet over-whelming.

Chinese and Vietnamese eatery in the Asian Commercial Center known for authentic dishes at a good value.

by Contributor

In Short
This bistro-like space offers seafoam and pale yellow walls, stone floors, a large aquarium, and an inkbrush-like mural of a pagoda. The menu offers all the old standbys, but also showcases enough unusual dishes to keep epicures interested. Favorites include pan-fried noodle dishes in a choice of three types of noodle, Singapore chow mai fun, and the generous noodle soups, including roasted duck and fish-cake.

06/21/06

Agree with recent reviews

by todorove

I agree with the recent reviews. The service and setting were adequate (not great), but the spicy dishes we ordered were bland and uninspiring. The only positive experience I can point to were the happy hour beer prices ($3 for a pint of Guiness).

06/10/06

Howdid itgetranked so high?

by chicago227

I'm from Chicago and am used to eating Chinese food in Chinatown. Now that I'm living in Minnesota I was hoping to find some good Chinese food. This is not it. I was so let down by the ranking it has. It's set up is trying to being modern/yuppy (first warning sign for bad ethnic food). Service was fine. Bottom line, food is awful, I mean did not finish my meal. I'll never go again, I my search continues for good Chinese food in Minnesota.

05/22/06

not that good

by Shivy12

While the service and ambiance was fine, the food was quite disappointing. The food was rather bland, and the dishes labeled spicy (indicated by a chili pepper) were mild at best. The one exception to the poor food were the egg rolls which were exceptional, and probably the best egg rolls I have ever had. I would not recommend Rainbow unless you plan to have a meal of egg rolls.

• Pros: Egg rolls
• Cons: Everthing else

02/26/06

iced water with lipstick

by vikingshe

I ate my lunch an hour ago in Rainbow and I still feel bad taste in my mouth (literally). Not only because the food is horrible. You don't see the real difference between Hunan chicken and spicy shrimp in terms of taste. To me, every dish looks and tastes just the same. Are they "Chinese food?" Give me a break. As far as the food is concerned, it's easily one of the worst in town. If I could live with the food, something else surprised me. I was offered a glass of iced water only finding some red color on the glass. Upon reexamination, the red must be trace of lipsticks. I've never seen such unclean dishwares and glasswares in other restaurants before. I protested. So, the waiter examined all glasses and scrubbed some with cloth.

Geez, I now question the creditability of some so-called reviwers who "highly recommended" Rainbow.