Red Chilli House 川湘园 — Restaurant in Albuquerque

One of the Worst Dining Experiences Ever!

I’ve never left a negative review before, but this was an absolutely outrageous dining experience. First, we had to wait for 30 minutes in line outside the restaurant. There were empty tables inside, but the staff just ignored people and didn’t seat anyone. After we finally got seated, we waited another 20 minutes for someone to take our order. When we did order, the waiter told us there would be a 30-minute wait due to Christmas, which we understood and had no problem with.

However, the absurdity continued. After waiting for 50 minutes, no food had arrived. The waiter came back and asked us what we wanted to order again—meaning they hadn’t even put in our original order! What was even more frustrating was that people who had come in after us were getting their food before we did. I questioned the owner about why our dishes hadn’t even been started after 50 minutes and why they weren’t following the “first come, first served” principle. Her response was dismissive, blaming it all on Christmas and suggesting that if we couldn’t wait, we should leave. Her attitude was incredibly rude and arrogant.

As for the food, as a Chinese person who has eaten Chinese cuisine for over 20 years, I can confidently say this place has some of the worst flavors I’ve ever encountered. The dishes were bland, and the fried rice was overly salty. At this level of quality, this restaurant would never survive in an area with a larger Chinese community.

In summary, the restaurant’s management, service, attitude, and food quality were all terrible. During our long wait, we saw other customers leave in frustration, and honestly, they made the right decision. Avoid this place...

We recently had a family lunch gathering for the first time by recommendation of a friend. The server was either stressed or irritated. We tried to make the best of the situation by being thankful and appreciative. We asked for recommendations and she seemed genuinely uninterested in helping. So, we ordered some common American Chinese food, Orange. Gen Tso, Kung Pao. As well as some noodles and a Beef in chili oil "soup". The flavors of the Orange and Tso were pretty identical with the exception of orange peel. The Kung Pao was almost inedible due to the HUGE blocks of ginger. Everything in this plate's flavors were indistinguishable due to the excess amount of ginger: no finesse here. The noodles were well made, tasted decent. Also the hot and sour soup did not disappoint. Finally the Beef in chili oil (soup) was the worst flavor I have ever experienced, the flavor was so overpowering that nothing else could be tasted. I tried to pull out some slices of beef and cabbage but it was inedible. The amount of chili oil was way too much to be enjoyed. It was so bad that my tongue (and stomach) tingled. The beef was rubbery and the broth was absolutely sour. Prices are medium high. I'm sorry to say that due to the low customer service and poor quality of the food this is...

This place has changed hands quite a few times over the past decade! It's still very nice inside, the server was friendly and attentive. I had orange chicken, my partner had fried rice with shrimp. Also, we had spring rolls and bao. The food was cooked perfectly, and was nice and fresh. It was not busy in the restaurant.

One small note If you are spice sensitive, you'll want to order accordingly. We asked for "not too hot" and it was still very hot. In New Mexico, the chili tolerance is pretty high, so I never know what "a little hot" means. Haha! But the cooking and quality of the food + great service means I'll go back... I'll just ask for "no heat". I did see some other reviews with "too hot" dishes. They did bring the bao out after the entrees, which I figured that's an appetizer, but maybe not. They were very good.

I did note other reviewers indicated a server who was not friendly. Ours was a tall young man who was friendly and made sure the soda was refilled, and replaced one too- spicy item with no problem. Our server was good! I think the owners might want to read over the lower ratings for the common...