Red Lotus Restaurant — Restaurant in West Yellowstone

The good is the food. I was in Yellowstone for the week from Chicago with my Chinese wife and in laws, quite picky eaters, and we all agreed this was one of the best Chinese we have had outside of major US cities. Much better than the so/so food at the many Chinese spots we have tried in the rural midwest as a comparison. Very nice spicy fish in boiling pot (off the Chinese language menu), beef and scallion, sautéed Gai Lan among others. We can get better at Chicago's Chinatown, but this was really quite god for the location, and almost entirely filled with vacationing Chinese. And in contrast to what others have said, we had very good service.

The bad - the prices. $118 for five dishes. Much more than even Chicago prices. 12.50 for a mid sized plate of sautéed broccoli. 18.00 for the Gai Lan. If we weren't so desperate for Chinese meal we never would have gone there. But to be fair the prices are on the menu, so if you don't like it then don't act surprised.

The ugly - as many have mentioned, they charge 15% tip without telling you, which is sleazy. Then they add 3% more for no reason, which is just abusing your customers since there is no sales tax in MT. My interpretation is that they have forsaken the local market and are now 100% focusing on Chinese tourists who know no better. And all that for 3%. They have easily lost a star off their ratings due to this cheap-a$$ trick. I knocked two off mine because it is just so unnecessarily insulting.

You have...

I want to preface my review by saying this review is in the context of this being a Chinese restaurant in a town with 1200 population and limited food diversity/options.

As a Chinese American visiting from Chicago where authentic Chinese food is plentiful, I knew this wasn’t gonna stack well to the Chinese options there, but it also wouldn’t be fair to compare it to that. We were initially hesitant to try this place given some of the strongly worded 1-star reviews. But having eaten here, I can say that it simply does not deserve those bad reviews!!! (which prompted me to write this review) The food was not of the best value based on the price but definitely decent in taste and quality! We got 3 dishes for a table of 3 that all were fairly authentic and fair in serving size (photos taken half way through meal). The steamed fish in particular was a little pricy ($59) but well seasoned, fresh and authentic. The ambience was also great, very well decorated and clean, well above average for a Chinese restaurant you would expect out here. Service was average but there were no issues with hidden/pre-added tip as some reviews claimed. Staff was helpful and respectful. Overall a surprisingly great Chinese food option and definitely worth the...

I understand this restaurant is in a tourist trap town & prices will be higher, but Red Lotus' prices are insane. Over $80 for what would have been a $30 meal anywhere else. Also, I've never been to any other Chinese restaurant where the entrees aren't served with a side of rice. They add a gratuity charge of 15% to your bill regardless or your party size & blame it on foreign tourists who don't understand how to tip. We were forced to tip 15% despite having bad service. We weren't asked if we wanted any beverages, our "appetizers" (2 eggrolls) came out with our meal, and the food was below-average at best. The fried rice was overcooked, mushy, flavorless and definitely not fried. The sweet & sour chicken was brought with the sauce already covering it instead of on the side. The sauce was overly thick and made the chicken soggy. The pork lo mien had decent flavor to the sauce but the pork was so tough that I had to spit it out. We overheard the manager telling a couple at the next table that if they wanted rice, they had to order it separately per person. He was obviously trying to rip these people off. I don't recommend anyone waste their time, money, or taste buds...