Shining Rainbow in Albany
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Albany, Albany County, New York, US
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Site: http://www.shiningrainbow.com/
Related: best american restaurants nyc
- Monday:11AM–10:30PM
- Tuesday:11AM–10:30PM
- Wednesday:Closed
- Thursday:11AM–10:30PM
- Friday:11AM–11:30PM
- Saturday:11AM–11:30PM
- Sunday:11AM–10:30PM
We had the won-ton soup, barbecued spareribs and honey walnut shrimp. All three dishes were delicious and beautifully presented. The waiters were friendly and engaging. The restaurant is gorgeous with fancy runners on the tables and even little cloth bags for chopsticks!
Always the best. Authentic, consistent and fresh. Great customer service, too!Honey walnut shrimp, pan fried whole butter fish and shrimp fried rice/lo mein combination. Served family style. Ask the chef for his suggestions. Always perfect4/14 Birthday/ work dinner. Still outstanding service and quality.
Fantastic dining experience with delicious food and excellent service. The wait staff answered my many questions, and even added extra insight into the different styles of hotpot. We decided to have the mala hotpot halved with a plain chicken broth soup because my young son was eating with us. The food was incredible, the hotpot was SO flavorful.I 100% recommend this place to anyone willing to be a little adventurous.This meal was my best meal of 2019, im very excited to come back.
Best Chinese in the Capital Region and beyond! A few years ago they were rated 38th best in the country and my husband and I use that as a bragging point when bringing out of town guests. Full menu with both authentic and American Chinese offerings. Fresh, crunchy veggies and flavorful sauces, fluffy rice and perfectly tender noodles. Prompt service with cozy, quintessential Chinese restaurant feel.
This place is like a hidden gem 💎. You can literally miss it driving on the road like I have for many years. Once you are inside, it’s nice and cozy with polite staff that’ll greet you and show you where to sit. The food is phenomenal and authentic as it can be if you love to experience real Chinese dishes, not takeout 🥡. Now they do offer takeout but the portions are huge and can be too much that it will spill depending on certain dishes. The prices are higher than a regular Chinese takeout restaurant, but it’s expected because of its quality. The parking lot is very nearby… if you can find it. 😂
A little too expensive for hotpot in my opinion, and I did not feel like I got my moneys worth. If the service was better I would have felt as though I was eating enough. Hotpot was good. The ma la broth and a mild broth is a great combination.Meat was fresh, and service was pretty good with friendly staff...I DO NOT recommend getting their shellfish though - the oysters and clams tasted absolutely horrible, and they give you a ton them. It seemed like they were trying to get rid of their bad supply of shellfish.
I was going to my usual Chinese spot down the road but noticed they didnt do dine in. I ended up doing a Google search and found this place. I couldnt describe how amazed I was when I got inside and tried the food. The staff are amazing and the place is beautiful inside. This place is probably one of the best Chinese spots Ive ever been to. I ended up taking several of my friends there. Its just so good you could come multiple times a week and enjoy their food. It has a NYC superiority feel to it but right in our local area. They even have hotpot but I never tried that before. Looking forward to my next visit!
Are you telling me these are all the bones from a whole fish?Was a fan untill today. Ordered 酸菜鱼 and most of the bowl were bean sprouts. I had about five small peices of fish and only half head. Waiters insisted I had all the fish. Charged for full price $21. Very disappointed!!!!!!!!!!
Shining Rainbow has the best tasting Chinese food in the area. I had the tofu with Chinese eggplant and all I can say is , I absolutely cannot wait to go back and get it again. The service was efficient, I sat with my partner in a little window seat just made for 2. You are omly overlooking Central Ave but the ambiance of the little alcove table is nice.
The food here was ok but not that good. There was way too much oil in my chong ching spicy chicken and the wrapper for my fried dumplings were very thick. However, I have to admit my fish and chicken were very tender and did not require a lot of chewing effort. The soup was also very good and had a lot of beef in it. The rice was probably my favorite i was really good.The service was something you would see in an ordinary restaurant. Nothing spectacular and nothing horrible just plain old service.The atmosphere was something that really annoyed me. They had way to much decor and there was way too much cloth on the table it was just multiple pieces stacked in a collage pattern. There was too much going on.Overall, food was ok and service was ordinary but decor was too much.
I cannot count how many times Ive been to this restaurant. Every time Ive gone there, Ive been pleased beyond belief. 2 appetizers and 4 entrees for around $90, so the prices are great. Every dish Ive had has been absolutely delicious, and I havent even done hot pot yet! If you have not gone here yet, please do.
The food at Shining Rainbow is excellent. Shining Rainbow has truly authentic Chinese cuisine, ranging from Cantonese to Szechuan dishes. They have a large menu and most of the items are prepared well. The steamed dim sum is lackluster, but the fried food is well prepared. Service is sometimes lacking, having to wait to get your order taken or having to go out of the way to flag a waiter down, but in my opinion, the quality of the food makes up for it.
My sesame chicken was dry but the cuts of meat were good. My main complaint is that i was turned off by the look of the tanks for the fish, lobster and crab. There were 2 dying fish in the tank. It was disturbing to wonder if i had ordered an item using one of those fish would they have given me one of the dying ones?
Some of the worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. The sweet and sour chicken was a bland soggy mess, the wonton soup had excellent broth but again the wontons themselves were mushy and tasted of rank fish. I threw out $65 worth of food and had to make due with just the fried rice because the rest of our food was inedible. Really disappointed and I want my money back.
Whatever you do, DO NOT ORDER THROUGH THE WEBSITE!! Waited 20 mins with no call or email, so I called the place myself and asked about the status of my order. The person on the phone was extremely rude and impatient. I put my correct name and phone number into the order and he could not find it, so I decided to tell him my order through the phone. I asked for a mango bubble tea drink and he said “huh?? we have mango bubble tea??” in a rude and mocking tone so I hung up and decided to just give up on it. HOURS later, I started getting spam calls from them. It was already 10 at night and I had eaten dinner elsewhere. It was a disappointing, rude, and confusing experience. I’m sure the food is fine judging by the reviews; but the online order on their website link is a mess and doesn’t seem to work. Need a new phone guy too.
Very good restaurant, nice decoration, and very nice service. When I walk in, the wonderful environment surprised me. A very traditional Chinese restaurant. And it also has the karaoke rooms! Me and my friends spent a lot of great night in this fine restaurant! Love it
This is probably the only authentic Chinese restaurant in Albany (you can be sure of it because theyve got hot pot). Good food and excellent service. I knocked out down one start only because I feel like the food there is overpriced. Last time I went there I paid $60 for two people just for some basic stuff... Yikes (the same meal in China wouldve only cost me like $15).
Favorite Chinese restaurant in the town. I always get Americanized Chinese food tho. Nice price point for lunch menu too. Never had their hotpot. Get fried taro puff and water chestnut cake from dim sum section. High calories usually means happiness. 👀 Dine in is open but I only did take-outs. Hand sanitizer available.
Let me start by saying my server was great . I left a $6 tip on a $48 to go order.I was cheated by another gentleman because he was upset that I returned 1 of the items because of the way it was prepared. He laughed at me saying he did nothing wrong . He said I can throw it away for u but that’s it. .He then started laughing excessively proceeding to make a mockery of my concerns causing customers to turn around and focus on the matter. He gave me $7 back on my order when the item cost $9.25 plus tax . I will not return back here because I hate confrontational people and thieves make me cringe. I called back and the gentleman that cheated me said the manager don’t speak English
My favorite Chinese restaurant in the Albany area. Their food is always delicious. I especially like how you can get almost any meat in the General Tsos. My favorites are the squid General Tsos and the shrimp and scallop one. The only drawback is you have to order rice, because it doesnt automatically come with your food, like every other Chinese place. They have a large menu.
Shining rainbow is always a joy to be able to stop in to lunch. The lunch is always very fresh. The servers are always very nice. You never have to wait long for your food to arrive piping hot. The lunch pricing is very reasonable served with hot green tea as well as a beverage.
Three stars for the food, plus one star for service.I was just planning to have a cup of tea and some refreshments there, but I found a huge menu with nearly all Chinese food I found in US. It would be an advantage for the restaurant if they have large variety of cooks to get the food quality guaranteed but unluckily it doesn’t. Some of the food are great but some still need a little improvement on details. 3/5 for the food.The service was great though.
First time there, we got take out. Restaurant is warm and inviting and the staff were very polite. Got pork fried rice, egg rolls, fried wontons, bubble tea, and steamed buns; all delicious! I did have some confusion, as i thought the steamed buns were meat buns, instead they were actually sesame, but was still really good. Hope to come back for hot pot, it smelled so good!
I’m really sorry to give this place a low rating. The first few times were amazing but then the last one was a real train wreck. First several of our dishes were dirty and we had to request them to change it. Then we learn they don’t have soap in the bathroom. The worst part was that there bugs still on our greens for the hot pot, and we didn’t realize this till halfway into our meal. On top of which, one of the waiters had a sour attitude with us. I’m really disappointed all these mistakes were made. I’m going to go with they were having a bad week, but I am having a hard time wanting to go again.
The atmosphere is comfortable and feels like you are at home. Staff was amazing, friendly, and service was outstanding. Last but not least, the food was delicious! We had some dim sum to start and spent the entire evening enjoying some hot pot! My new favorite restaurant!
I really wish I could give this place more stars because the food was great, there are a whole lot of options and prices are reasonable.However, just right off the bat, our server treated us like we we were pests and he didn’t want to serve us at all. I order the hotpot buffet and my bf orders his food. He rolls his eyes, smirks condescendingly and says “Have you tried hotpot before?”. I said yes. Then he leaves, a little annoyed. Then comes back and says “You can’t have the hotpot buffet.” Then leaves again.The other server, he was very nice, explained to us that I can’t do the hotpot buffet because my bf is not doing a hotpot buffet. I was understanding about it because I thought that they probably had bad experiences with other guests free loading off of their partner’s hotpot buffet. I order the hotpot a la carte which was more expensive but the portions were hefty. I had a lot leftover.When the meal ended, the first server approaches us and asks rudely, “Can I take this pot?” Thinking that he was going to go pack the leftovers, I said “Yes, thank you.” He takes it rolling his eyes. Kind of amazed at how much this guy seemingly hated us, I say “Wow you really must hate us. Did we do something wrong?” He rolls his eyes again and walks away. I pay the bill and our leftovers never got packed/he didn’t give us a box. I decided to not make a scene and leave. Tipped him well anyway because I thought he probably had a bad day or something.Regardless, food was great. It just put a damper on our date. We had been looking forward to it.
Great service. Amazing service. The wait staff is humble, respectful, polite and attentive.The food. I was introduced to this place from a friend from China. Notice all of the Chinese dining there. They have the best general tsos chicken. So crispy. Great Peking duck. Great hotpot. Great chowfun. And probably a bunch of other great things I havent tried. I know they have real authentic stuff, just dont know what to order.Enjoy an awesome meal at Shining Rainbow.
We ate the Asian-American dishes(Honey Walnut Shrimp,General Two,& Sesame Chicken)Was cooked very well,lightly battered, crunchy,and just the right about of sauce used to toss;beautiful.The fried rice is light on soy with a good amount of egg tossed in their,had nice body,not too wet,not too salty;very lightNow the wonton soup(which comes with lunch $9.25)was the weakest on the table but still very light green onion and chicken stock base,wasnt too bad,nothing to write home about.Remember not all the staff are native English speakers dont give us a bad impression by being rude,these guys are trying to learn and may look unhospitable but theyre actually just figuring out American vernacular in a dialect heavy state like NY which is tough;just be nice and direct no reason to be a piss pants.Now the only cons Id have are scuffed drinking cups and no fountain(I love carbonation) but they are thousands of $$$sAll in all one of the better prepared and tasting takeout locations you can find around here.Shining Rainbow is the definition of a hole in the wall and of you are tired of the bready ketchupy Merican Asian food you need to come in here.Though not the best restaurant in the world but they deserve 5 stars for pleasantly suprising me.
PURE AWESOMENESS!! This place is absolutely amazing and it has a karaoke bar that is pretty awesome in backand you can rent it out and have a party and simply by renting it out there is there amazing food included. They have real dim sum here which I have had to go to New York City to get up until now. Keep on doing what youre doing shining rainbow and keep up the good work
I paid $43 for food that did not come with white rice????? What type of establishment is this. And I know what you’re probably thinking, NO the person who took my order DID NOT tell me the food I ordered didn’t come with white rice. Who eats chicken and broccoli just like that? PLAIN. Great food though. Very upset at this white rice situation. I’m currently making my own. Thank you.
Great service, excellent ambiance. They have large menu to chose from, whether you like what you order depends on your taste. I liked the chicken fried rice, the fried pork dumplings, the shrimp dumplings, and the fried flounder fish. Kind of reminded me of the indo-chinese cuisine I am used to.
After my experience I have a hard time believing the reviews here are legit. I ordered take out and the entire experience was disappointing. I was told my order would be ready in 30 minutes and though my experience is that Chinese take out usually takes far less time to prepare I waited until the specified time to pick up the food. When I arrived the food was not ready and took more than ten minutes before it was ready. This was at 3p.m. when the restaurant was empty and they did not appear to have any other takeout orders.When I got home and began unpacking the order one of the items was leaking all over the other food, sauces, etc. They had packed it in a styrofoam clam-shell container with no saran wrap or anything else to prevent it from spilling over everything. Next, I realized that they left out an item (wonton) that was supposed to be included and that there was no white rice to go with an order of Orange Chicken.When I called to ask about the rice I was told they are a family style restaurant and therefore the rice is not included, but a separate order. Ive never ordered Chinese before that doesnt include a pint of white rice for each order of pork/chicken/beef/seafood dish, and I definitely did not order a family style sized order.I wish I could say the food made up for all of the above. The coating on the orange chicken was soggy and the beef with scallions had huge chunks of ginger that were overpowering.bottom line for me is lesson learned - dont always trust the reviews.
OMG the best Chinese food Im telling you try this place and you will like it they have respect for you they do a great job they are just awesome there are a little bit expensive but it is worth it please try them if Im a liar I will turn around and kick myself in the behind
An experience everyone should at least try. Im talking about the hotpot. Now it might seem silly to cook your own food at the table, but its a hell of a lot of fun. They have dozens of selection between meat and vegetables to add to your soup pot. Everything they serve is fantastic. You have your choice of 4 broths, or you can get a Yin Yang pot, which is half spicy broth and half vegetable broth. Its great for a night out with friends.
It was my first timeTo the restaurantGot there 15 minutes before they close On a Friday night Customer service was very good very friendly And my server told me the food was going to be prepared fresh I got home ate a the food was very fresh I can tell that it was floweredIn house and fried fresh to orderI recommend trying If you like Chinese food😊
I ordered take out and the food was terrible the General Tsos was soggy and over breaded, the fried rice was soggy as well. The wonton soup was flavorless and the meat in the wontons was chewy and had a odd consistency. I would give this place negative stars if I could I will never eat from there again.
A good restaurant for spicy sichuan food and hotpot. Their ingredient for hotpot is fresher than other Chinese restaurant in this area. It get crowded around 6pm on weekends so if you didnt reserve a seat, try go there earlier. Also, try park your car on the street, we had a break in of our car in the nearby parking lot and it seems the person only wanted to steal my coat.
Looking for cantonese style cooking - look no further. The only competition in town is Hong Kong Bakery & Bistro. Shining Rainbow serves dim sum as well during weekend. My recommendation: shrimp dumplings, turnip cake, beef tripes, salty pork congee, gluten rice chicken wrap, beef chow fun. If you like clay pot rice, then a must-have is chinese sausage/preserved meat clay pot with rice. I also have great experience with the fresh steamed fish and scallion/ginger lobster. One of my top restaurants in the area.
I stopped going because the service got so bad. I liked the food and their lunch special was always a very good price, but the last time I went I ordered carryout and they simply never prepared my food. I ordered through the web at 3:30, called at 4:00, went to the restaurant at 4:30 and waited until 4:50. They owe me $9.00
My favorite restaurant around here. Ive been going for years. They pretty much know Ill be ordering curry chicken, or chicken with eggplant and garlic. Both of which I totally recommend. Along with the honey pork... and really anything on the menu. Its all absolutely delicious, and very inexpensive. Its a total gem.
Im not sure how to feel about this spot. The food is tasty and authentic. Always has customers. I question the cleanliness. Saw a mouse scurry across floor once. Fish in tanks did not seem healthy. Staff can also be irritable here and a little unprofessional. If the place itself does not bother you then youll like the food better than Chinese takeout.
One of the most talked about Chinese restaurant in the Capital Region is perhaps Zi Jing Ge, because compare to other Chinese restaurants around the area, this is one of the better ones. You can order lunch and dinner for under $10 and usually comes with a lot of food, which is something I like. For students, they get 10% of the bill, which is still better than nothing. The environment of this place is fantastic, and has a contemporary look to it with calligraphies hanging on the wall. I enjoyed their food even though it’s the typical Chinese food you find in other Chinese restaurants, but still, it was delicious. I would definitely order from here again.
I take cleanliness quite seriously. I will however ignore things if the food is worth it. This is a bit over the top though dirty plates, stained table cloths, dirty sea food tanks, dirty floors, sticky carpets (think about that), and an atrocious bathroom (Ive seen cleaner ones in a frat house after a party. The food was good but in no way makes up for the lack of up keep
The freshest tasting Chinese place in Albany. After CCK changed hands, I searched extensively for a new Chinese place. Id put Shining Rainbow up against anything within a 2 hr radius - maybe even some top places down in NYC. Ive never eaten in the restaurant, but everything they offer there looks excellent as well (like the Hot Pots).
Total reviews rating 4.4
199 Reviews for Shining Rainbow 2023:
Review №1
2021-08-25Really great authentic Chinese food. Good size portions. We had the General Tso chicken, pork eggrolls, pork lo mein, & wonton soup. It was all delicious. Only drawback is the size of the restaurant its pretty small inside with about 6 booths and a few tables in the back. Probably not great for groups bigger than 8 or 10. It also has a really nice atmosphere.
Review №2
2022-07-22Beautiful place, foods great… butI’ve been ordering from them since 2018, I have a hair salon a few doors down. I always ordered black pepper shrimp NON BREADED W/ extra onions NO green peppers (I’m allergic to whatever they bread the shrimp with). My clients even order from there because of me. Michael used to work there but today I was told he left. The last time I seen Michael was last week because my client ordered from there and he would always walk it over. I ordered the same meal black pepper shrimp non-breaded with extra onions no green peppers. Today, I ordered the same meal black pepper shrimp non-breaded with extra onions no green peppers. Whomever I spoke to over the phone stated that they will not bread the shrimp. When I went next-door to pick up my food it came to nine dollars and some change. I gave them $13. When I got back to the shop I open my food and the shrimp is breaded. I went back next-door and ask them if they can remake it without the bread on the shrimp. He said that’s the way it’s made. I explained to him I’ve been ordering this meal from them for years, when I called today to speak to Michael they said he quit. That’s why I asked if it can NOT be breaded. Whoever I spoke with said that the shrimp would not be breaded. Another guy walked over said something to him (in their language) and walked away. They refuse to make it the way that I eat it, which is the only way I’ve always ordered it. Respectfully, I told them don’t worry about it, and I left the food there, declined my refund and left. Im a hairstylist that gets very busy. That’s why I order my food next door, I knew that I had a 15-20 min grace period to eat my food. But, I waste of my time and my money and I’m very upset and frustrated. I will never order from there again and will let my clients know that meal is NO LONGER served how we use to eat it and they will NOT make it that way.
Review №3
2022-06-17This restaurant is absolutely wonderful! Their food is ALWAYS fresh and delicious! The ambience is beautiful and when dining in, you feel very classy and comfortable! Id refer anyone to Shining Rainbow!
Review №4
2022-06-05Second visit... Very satisfied... I love their service... Very attentive without being overbearing. Definitely recommend!! Oh, and they have hot pot for those who havent had it...
Review №5
2022-05-20Great service but the taste was severely lacking. The inside was very elegant and I liked the atmosphere. Not a fan of the location. (downtown albany) A bit pricey but average in terms of the All you can eat section. Low chance of coming back
Review №6
2022-04-21Outstanding, every time. Shining Rainbow is fantastic at dim sum, and szechuan cuisine! My favorite place to bring family and friends. 10/10 everyday. Get the hot pepper squid.
Review №7
2022-05-15Best food in Albany, I pick up General Tso Shrimp and Scallops, Shrimp Fried Rice and Spare Ribs. All were great, fresh and delicious. I will be back again....
Review №8
2022-06-18MY BOYFRIEND AND I HAD A LOVELY ROMANTIC DINNER DATE AT THE BEAUTIFUL SHINING RAINBOW RESTAURANT ! THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS, THE PRESENTATION WAS VERY NICE ! THE STAFF WAS FRIENDLY AND ATTENTIVE ! THE ATMOSPHERE TRANSPORTED ME TO A LAVISH RESTAURANT IN CHINA ! I PLAYED TRADITIONAL CHINESE CLASSICAL MUSIC ON MY CELLPHONE TO ENHANCE THE MOOD ! ❤️
Review №9
2021-04-19Great food I tell you great food we are now regular customers just go try it out all I can say is great food great service. The guy Peter he is so amazing we get discounts everytime we go now.
Review №10
2021-01-10Living in NYC and traveling to China for over 20 years it was a wonderful surprise to find such authentic Chinese cuisine in Upstate New York. We had the Beijing duck and an assortment of appetizers. Each one beautifully balanced with rich flavor.They have set some covid-19 protocols with hand sanitizers on each of the tables plastic partitions between the distantly separated booths. This made us feel very comfortable.The decor is a Maximus dream with mid-century chinoiserie details throughout the restaurant.Service is impeccable, friendly, helpful and attentive.I read some of the previous reviews where they were concerned about the price. If your Chinese food experience is only with Panda at the mall, you not you may not find value in traditional fresh Chinese cooking.Albany is an hour plus away from our weekend home and Ill be happy to make the trip again.