Hunan Taste Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Denville

Even if you're not into Chinese food, you've got to admire the style that comes with it. My top-tier chums and I came here for lunch yesterday after The Pasta Shop had a 90-minute wait (which annoyed them/pretty much quashed any interest they had in trying to go back, and made me want to go even more - so it goes), and were rewarded with approximately a 30-second wait for a table here. Boy is there a lot to look at; I'm not going to risk using incorrect terminology in describing this building, but it's a lot. I'm assuming it's a fairly accurate interpretation of an "authentic" Chinese structure, but that's as far as I'm going. Very unique, very cool. And as someone who has spent a bit of time at a time vortex Chinese place in Rockland County of late, apparently aquariums are a big part of the decor.

If you're looking for information on Hunan's authentic Chinese dishes, you've come to the wrong place - we went so basic, we might as well have ordered this with a side of Uggs and a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I ordered my tried and true Sweet & Sour Chicken, one top-tier chum ordered the Sesame Chicken, and the other top-tier chum ordered General Tso's Chicken. The edgiest item we procured were the steamed pork dumplings app to share.

Everything here was very solid. These are obviously items that we'd typically get from a hole-in-the-wall takeout establishment, so it was a nice change of pace to eat the chicken off of actual plates (maybe most people do that too with their takeout orders, but I'm a barbarian through and through). The two keys for me when it comes to sweet & sour chicken are ensuring the chicken isn't overly deep fried where you're eating more fried skin than meat, and that the sauce is on the thicker side. Hunan checked off both boxes here, and since it was served with some vegetables, etc., there was some extra flavoring at play as well. The dumplings were very good as well. I've become more of a soup dumpling adherent in recent years, but I liked the seasoning in the pork and was pleased we got something other than generic chicken with our meal.

The service overall was above average. I thought it slowed down noticeably towards the end, though we weren't in a rush or anything. But we'd clearly stopped eating and didn't receive a visit from anyone to pack up the leftovers for about 20 minutes - not egregious, and there were tons of staffers all over the place and it would have been very easy to hail someone down if the urgent need arose. Beyond that, everyone we interacted with was pleasant and efficient.

One of my chums noted a party room in the back and was openly pondering the possibility of returning in the near future and hosting a birthday in there. I wasn't QUITE as blown away by this place as she was, but I'd definitely come back. But since I'm not a frisky teenager anymore, I sadly have to pick and choose my moments to chow down on Chinese food these days. The perils of Geriatric Oregon Trail...

I had been a frequent visitor of Hunan Taste, but will never again give them my business.

I placed a take out order that included General Tso's chicken and it was absolutely terrible. There wasn't enough sauce to come close to covering the chicken. The chicken that was visible for lack of sauce looked like it had freezer burn. Unfortunately, the chicken tasted worse than it looked.

Each piece I attempted to eat was worse than the last. When I tell you it was tasteless and had the texture of a shoe lace, I'm not exaggerating. About halfway through the meal, I gave up because every bite could not be swallowed and had to be spit into my napkin. It was disgusting.

Worse than the meal was the customer service received from the manager who took my call the next day. This person (gentleman doesn't apply here) did not welcome constructive feedback. When I explained the situation, he absolutely refused to believe that they could have served an inedible dish reasoning that "we use dark meat chicken that is never dry...we never use a lot of sauce...and we have the same cook as always." His arrogance was beyond belief, as he all but called me a liar for saying I paid for a meal that wasn't good.

This restaurant is not inexpensive and the total cost of my order was high. Instead of offering to deduct the cost of this disgusting dish from my bill, the arrogant manager said the best he would do was make a note on my account to give me a free soup on my next order. The ridiculous reason he couldn't do anything more than that was because I called the next day, and not the same day I placed the order. This is even MORE ridiculous because the order was picked up late in the evening and I called the very next afternoon, less than 24 hours. I'm not sure why the time I called to complain was so important to him, because even if I had waited a week before calling, that wouldn't have changed the fact that the meal wasn't good enough to feed to my dogs.

I honesty think that the management at Hunan Taste no longer cares about providing good customer service or food quality because they think it's no longer necessary. This is a very popular restaurant now, but if they continue to rest on their laurels, their once loyal customers will dry up...just like...

Best Chinese Restaurant in NJ? Well, that's going some, but Hunan Taste Chinese Restaurant is really up there. As a bit of background, my wife came home breathless telling me she just heard about the best Chinese restaurant in NJ. It's a 40 minute haul from our house, but, what the heck? So off we went. Hunan Taste Chinese Restaurant does not disappoint. The decor is a bit over the top faux Chinese, and I was surprised by the crowd for a late lunch weekend crowd. I was prepared for a letdown. However, we were quickly seated, and both the maitre d' and our server checked to make sure we were comfortable. After the decor, the first impression you get is of the number of staff working to accommodate your every wish. Unlike a number of Asian restaurants we have dined in, the "Welcome, now are you ready to leave" routine does not apply. Service is attentive but not cloying. The food is excellent, with attention to detail. As we were seated we were served Chinese Crispy Wontons (is there a better name for these?), which are freshly made and addictive. We started with Steamed Dumplings, which were excellent. Served right out of the steamer, they were fresh and perfectly steamed. We moved on to Peking Duck. Unlike our usual practice of each getting a different dish and sharing, we got the whole duck, which was prepared at our table with great care. The duck was crispy and flavorful, a real delight. We agreed that we probably could have gotten by with the two of us sharing a half duck, but we are looking forward to those wonderful leftovers beckoning from our refrigerator. There is a full selection from the bar. My wife had a Mai Tai, which she enjoyed, I had a beer. Unlike many NJ restaurants, Hunan Taste Chinese Restaurant is not BYO. Despite the number of folks dining with us, sound level was acceptable. If you're getting together to catch up you're going to be alright. Altogether Hunan Taste Chinese Restaurant is a remarkable dining experience. Attention to detail, attention to preparation, and attention to service make for a memorable dining experience. The best Chinese restaurant in NJ? Hunan Taste Chinese Restaurant...