Bamboo House Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Durham

Decided to stop by this place for a meal. I had read various reviews on this location and they seemed all over the place. Not knowing what to expect I headed to Roxboro Road with an open mind and high expectations. Upon entering the restaurant, I noticed that there was a seating area, a fish tank, and a counter. What was missing was a wait staff and a hostess. There was a kind man who invited us to the counter to place our order. We ordered our food and sat down in the seating area with high hopes. The seats were a bit run down and the spacing of the tables seemed randomly assigned. The high chairs are metal and seem a bit "death trap like". The atmosphere was slightly depressing and could use a serious makeover. The silent speakers above our heads suggested a failed attempt to brighten the atmosphere some time ago. We ordered General Taos chicken and Cantonese chicken both with fried rice and egg rolls. I added a side of egg drop soup with those crunchy noodles. The soup came out first and it was hot! Definitely hotter than I expected, but it is soup after all. After the temperature lowered I grabbed my plastic spoon and took a proper taste. It was amazing! So many restaurants get it wrong and somehow manage to make it too "eggy", too salty, or too chemical tasting. This place got it right. After a brief wait the rest of the food was brought to the table. The portions were large with enough food for at least two additional people. The General Taos chicken was well cooked and properly seasoned with a slight spicy kick to it. I'd definitely order it again. The Chicken Cantonese was a fail. I won't go into details, just trust me on this one. The egg rolls were good, but could've had less grease and more flavor. Overall it's a not bad or an...

Pros: The flavor was very good, not greasy or salty or otherwise unhealthy to the point of regret. Portion size was more than I expected for a lunch special, and they made mine spicy as requested. The dining room was clean, as was the bathroom, and mask signs were up with very little interaction with the staff, who were masked, as well. No pressure to order until you're ready, as there are a few chairs to sit and read the menu before approaching the counter. I like the option of single sodas for purchase, but they're a little overpriced. The staff are pleasant and willing to omit for allergies as necessary.

Cons: No social distancing between chairs or tables. It would be difficult given the layout here, and part of the responsibility lies with the customers...why did a man come and sit next to us when we were the only ones eating inside? I'd also like to have seen individually wrapped silverware rather than a tub of plastic folks can dig around in and spread some ickiness. That'll remind me to just bring my own.

For now, I'd stick to takeout, but would absolutely return to pick up a...

Was craving Chinese.... but this was not it. I've had really good Chinese Quisine before but this place needs improvement in a big way. The egg drop soup was the only thing I liked. It was really good. Kung Pao chicken is supposed to be spicy and it wasn't at all. It was very bland and had a lot of weird vegetables in it. Kung Pao should have green onions and peppers and brocolli in it.The fried rice had no eggs in it and had way to many onions that just overwhelmed the flavor. It was more like onion fried rice. The chicken fried rice was disgusting. I didn't even try it. It looked like boiled chicken mixed with fried rice. Plus I am used the stir fried chicken and what ever was in the king pao and the fried rice didn't taste like chicken nor was it stir fried. People do yourself a favor..don't eat here unless you like...