Chang An- Concord, MA

[JohnnyQ1960]

I've never eaten at Chang An and would welcome reviews. I can't get a group to come to Chinatown in Boston and this place is the compromise. The person who recommened Chang An is not experienced in Chinese cuisine,but he lives in Concord and seems to like it.

[Keith15]

Sichuan Gourmet is VERY good. The Billerica door is very busy at regular meal times, but seriously worth a trip. I have yet to sit down and eat with a big group (that's what you need to really enjoy the experience), but we have done take out a few times and they do the dumplings right, the soups are spot on and if you like Sichuan style you will absolutely love this.

[shoshi24]

Chang An is very good American Chinese food, and has a nice atmosphere and good service. Pineapple chicken is my favorite dish here. The lunch buffet is convenient but does have generic choices as another poster stated. Ginger Court is ok to good, a bit less expensive than Chang An, also Americanized. For more authentic Chinese in the vicinity, I would choose The Great Wall in Bedford along Rt. 4/225 in the shopping plaza with Staples and Super Stop & Shop. They also have a lunch buffet (I can't remember but I think they have it at dinner too) and the dishes change day to day so they're not quite as generic. Nice atmophere here. Many Chinese customers at all times. Can be quite crowded and have a significant wait for tables on weekend evenings. Large parties can reserve ahead and they have semi-private areas for larger parties.

[EmilyEstUnePatate]

I was kind of surprised by all the negative feedback; I may be biased because I used to live in Concord, but Chang An is my favorite food in town and my favorite Chinese food in the state. The lunch buffet is pretty good, but it's missing some of the most important items on the menu: Peking duck, moo shi anything with pan fried noodles, pan fried (as opposed to steamed, which the buffet has) ravioli, and chung king pork. The buffet is still very good, it's just a little generic in its selection, but I can't think of anything "bad" that they serve.
Overall, Chang An is not the most authentic Chinese, I'll grant you, but for Americanized Chinese I find it to be outstanding. Anytime I visit Concord it's always the first place I go for takeout. And regarding the comments on the personnel, while they can be a little severe, they're extremely efficient and always gracious when it comes to special requests or dealing with complaints.

[rubysdad]

No one would mistake it for Peach Farm, but Chang An is good and their lunch buffet of an above average quality. Have you condidered Bernard's at the Chestnut Hill Mall? A bit further in toward town but much less hassle, plenty of parking and unusually high marks for freshness and presentation. The Thai style wild boar spare ribs are consistently pleasing. Dim Sum (Sunday only?) is made to order, and though it may not have the variety of selections which you'll find in town is well worth a try.

[JohnnyQ1960]

Bernards is a good call. I'm not a regular (now that Boston has a Barneys!) but never had a bad dining experience. Unfortunately Concord is ground zero for the meeting place.

[cannedmilkandfruitypebbles]

I hear their lunch buffet is good. Comments anyone? People from work go and I guess you can get the buffet to go. We literally have people that bring rubber bands to get the containter closed. Apparently you can fill it with all the food you want, the only caveat is that the containter MUST close- hence rubber bands.

[icedtea]

It is awful. Poor quality ingredients.

[JohnnyQ1960]

Thanks to everyone for their comments. I'm sort of resigned to a medicore meal in Concord but the company will be good. I have eaten at Chili Garden (Medfordf) many times and have made a mental note of the Billerica recommendation.

[three of us]

Maybe you could talk with the manager about some off-the menu options?

They might be able to come up with something interesting for you. It's worth a shot.

[Tir_na_nOg]

The hands-down best authentic Chinese in that general area are Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica (although that location is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall compared to the fancier sister restaurant in Natick, and be prepared for spicy) and Beijing Star in Waltham.

[Alcachofa]

Their lettuce wraps are OK. Not up to Best Little standards, but OK.

Dan dan noodles not good!

The typical Americanized stuff is OK. Definitely overpriced for what it is.

It's the only place for miles to get a scorpion bowl, I'm guessing!

[lola22]

Chang An is really pretty lousy and EXTREMELY bland. I second the suggestion to go to Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica. I also love Chilli Garden in Medford. Me, I am finally trying Fuloon this weekend!

Of course if your friend thinks chinese food is Chang An you might consider going out for burgers instead!

[robertlf]

Chili Garden is pretty good. There is also the Korean BBQ restaurant next to it that I hear is good but haven't tried yet. It's on the TO-DO list...

[three of us]

Always thought it was ordinary American-Chinese with high prices.

Bamboo in Burlington gets good marks for Am-Chinese. They are near 62 and the road to Sun Microsystems.

Different but tasty is New Jang Su Korean BBQ in Burlington on Cambridge St.

[robertlf]

I second the recommendation on New Jang Su Korean BBQ. And soon H-Mart will open and give us more options!

[spicypadthai]

Nothing special, it used to be a lot better. The owner is a jerk, too.

[frond]

I think nearby Ginger Court on 2Rt A in Acton is better than Chang An. You might want to consider Asiana Bistro on Rt 4 in Bedford. It is pan Asian. I have only eaten there a few times because it is new and I no longer live in Bedford. The first time was a Chinese banquet arranged by a Chinese colleague which I thought was very good. The second time was with a friend who wanted red curry chicken which we really enjoyed and I asked them to make a vegetable pan fired noodles which were also very tasty.

[robertlf]

Ginger Court may be a tad better but they both are lousy restaurants. Better to head to Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica or Bamboo in Bedford or Westford (Americanized but better than average).

[hiddenboston]

It's decent, mostly Americanized Chinese food. I'd say that it is one of your better options in the Bedford/Concord/Acton area, but don't expect Chinatown-quality authentic Chinese food there.