Pepper Asian Bistro — Restaurant in Denver

This place has been around for a few years and has always looked intriguing to me with its elegant, black awnings and large, tinted windows. I walk past it constantly (on my way to the local Starbucks!), but have never chosen to stop in. My friend was dying for a noodle dish and it's right in our neighborhood, so this seemed like the perfect time to give it a try.

The first room is cute with a tiny bar, a striking stone wall, and a few tables. The larger, second room is pretty drab with tables on one side and booths on the other. I was hoping for a little more elegance, but we were seated in a large booth that was comfortable and reasonably private.

We started with the potstickers. These came out almost instantly--within 30 seconds of ordering. The sauce was good and the dumplings were very flavorful, but whatever scheme the kitchen used to keep them at temperature did have an effect. The dough was a little tough and lacked the unctuous mouth feel of a cooked-from-scratch product. A little disappointing.

I then had a cup of wonton soup. This was delicious. Full of flavor and full of the little dumplings, more than I've ever seen in a bowl of this soup. It was great.

My friend ordered the Lo Mein combo which came with a mix of proteins, I believe beef, chicken, and shrimp. I had the Happy Family which is, I confess, an Americanized "Chinese" dish featuring chicken, beef, shrimp, and scallops in a brown sauce with a variety of vegetables. Well, I like it, even if it's not at all authentic.

The main dishes arrived barely warm. It was a chilly night and the restaurant was not that warm, either, nor had the plates been heated, so the food was cold pretty quickly. So was my tepid "hot" tea which I sent back. The second cup was much warmer, which I appreciated. You are apparently allotted only one cup of tea per meal at this restaurant as my (generous) cup came out without an accompanying pot and I was never offered a refill.

My friend enjoyed her noodle dish and the proteins were nicely prepared. I was not as happy with my Happy (?) Family. Again, the proteins were generous and well-cooked, but all of the vegetables were extremely al dente. The green beans were totally raw and very hard to eat. The other components were beyond crunchy. I took most of the dish home and re-cooked the vegetables before eating the leftovers.

This place has a lot of promise, but the decor and execution leave much...

Edit: I received a call from the restaurant within a few days of leaving this review. They wanted to make it right, and they did just that. Not only did they apologize, but they granted me a credit for my next order. Even more importantly, I felt acknowledged and appreciated as a long-term, regular customer. Thank you, Pepper!

First of all, let me start by saying I love your food! You have phenomenal specials and prices, and if I order directly from the website, fast delivery. HOWEVER, the drivers delivering directly from your store (not via DoorDash) are really lacking in customer service skills. I always put clear directions of how to reach my apartment unit, yet I get a call every time asking if I can meet them downstairs. That’s totally fine, as sometimes our intercoms don’t work, and in that case, I am happy to come meet them. But even then, they are always in a rush, always act as if it is a chore to wait for me for a whole 2 minutes to get from the 5th floor down to the lobby in a building with over 400 units (it’s huge). They never say thank you or have a nice day, even when I do. And I ALWAYS tip. I know it sounds like a dumb complaint, but I order from you regularly and every time, I’m not treated very nicely. It’s almost enough to make me stop ordering because of the consistent rudeness. If you look at my other reviews, the majority are positive, so for me to write this even though I love your food, tells me you need to provide better customer service training to your...

This has to be the absolute best Asian restaurant I've ever been to, possibly the best restaurant period. I even ate here on Christmas. This is somewhat of a late review, I've eaten here probably 7 or 8 times in the past 6 months or so. First off, all the food is cooked perfectly every time. I don't know what kind of magician they have cooking the food in the back but they are definitely earning their keep and then some. Veggies at Asian restaurants are often over cooked, not here. They have an amazing eye for perfectly cooked food. It is difficult to flash fry calamari perfectly but they got it down here. And the orange chicken is done so well it is still crispy the next day. One of my favorite foods, being from the south, is sea food and these guys cook their shrimp and scallops to perfection. Sea food can be kinda dubious here in Denver but this place has amazing seafood! I highly recommend the happy family or the Mongolian chicken with the lo mien as a side. I honestly tried to think of a con to balance out this mostly pro review but I have difficulty doing so. If i could really complain about anything it is probably that they draw a large crowed in the evening sometimes and it can get packed, if their popularity keeps increasing they will require a...