Nan Xiang Express - Durham, NC — Restaurant in Durham

Where do I even begin…. The restaurant is located in an apartment which was confusing and weird. Parking was very difficult. Walking in to the place no one greeted us or seated us down. I’m Confused whether it’s a dine in restaurant or an Asian take out restaurant. The customer service was bad and the staff were obviously not trained well in hospitality and providing good customer service. I ate in the restaurant and had to get my own cup of water which was in a red party cup which was weird and ghetto. The seating are arrangements are terrible. Space was small and could have had more booths and seating. Sat down and gave us takeout containers and I was expecting plates and actual silverware. The staff kept yelling out the table numbers which was annoying. I had a $10 reward for signing up on the app and they told me that it wasn’t working and when I asked for $10 off my meal instead they offered me 10% off which was very disappointing. They could’ve given me $10 off and I was upset. Found hair in my fiancé’s food and my spicy crispy chicken as very overcooked. It wasn’t even spicy at all which was disappointing. The spicy chicken was sweet, no spice, or any flavor whatsoever. It said garlic broccoli came with it but the broccoli was cold and had no flavor. The chicken was very dry and not tender. They’re was no air conditioning it was very hot. Overall this restaurant is a total disappointment and a huge failure. Not to mention the staff almost threw my food away without asking me if I was done with my meal. I don’t ever plan on coming back again bc the price is not worth it for the disgusting food. Better off just going to PF...

I would not recommend this place simply because it's not good. There's not enough parking. When you walk in, you are faced with 2 ordering kiosks, which are nice, but while you're using them the lady behind the counter keeps signaling that she can help you too... Couldn't be more annoying, we know that, we like to look at the menu and push the screen. You finish the order and you're default presented with a 20% tip, little do you know that no one is going to do anything for that tip. All they do is bring your food to the table when you put the tag with number on it, nothing more. No drinks, no additional food, not even cleaning up. You do it all yourself and you pay a tip, yay? If that was the only issue it wouldn't warrant a 1 star review here. The biggest issue is that the food is not good. Ordered crispy pork noodle soup and got a bowl of hot water with noodles and a small dish of fried strips of pork. Ate the pork, threw away the noodles cooked in bath water. The dumplings taste like they are frozen and thrown in a deep fryer. Scallion pancake tastes like burnt cracker. They should leave the Korean food to the Koreans that know how to make these things. There is hot oil and soy on the tables but you don't get a little bowl to mix them. There's boxes of tissues on the tables instead of napkins. Everything is overpriced and the people that are working there clearly don't want to be there and do this thing where you talk to them, they pretend they didn't hear you, you say it louder, they act like they understand then they get someone else to do what you asked them. Don't take my word for any of this, just try...

It is a rare and delightful thing to discover a restaurant that warrants a journey, and Nan Xiang Express is, without question, one of those treasures. Though it requires more than half-hour’s drive from my corner of the Triangle, the experience it offers is so thoroughly rewarding that distance becomes a trivial concern.

Let us begin with the crown jewel: the soup dumplings. Steamed to a gossamer perfection, each delicate pouch is filled with rich, aromatic pork broth that bursts forth with flavor. These are not merely good soup dumplings; they are, without hesitation, the finest in the region. A careful sip, a touch of vinegar, and then the whole dumpling, an orchestra of textures and taste in a single, elegant bite.

My visit extended beyond dumplings, and I was impressed by the shredded beef and pepper noodles; robust, deeply savory, and perfectly balanced. The wontons in spicy peanut sauce were another highlight; comforting yet complex, with a gentle heat and nutty depth that lingered pleasantly on the palate.

Having had the pleasure of dining at both the original Nan Xiang in Flushing, New York, and its Manhattan counterpart, I can attest with confidence that the craftsmanship here is every bit as authentic, and perhaps even more refined.

Nan Xiang Express is a gift to this area, and I look forward to returning again and again. Excellence, it seems,...