that is good

verything is good.that is a real chineserestaurant

Family favorite for years. Many generations in my family have grown up eating here. Servers are friendly, food is great, and probably one of the cleanest chinese restaurants I've seen.

The best Chinese food in Lamorinda.

A local favorite. Great for takeout.

This is a great place to get your local Chinese food and to be with your family. I would definitely recommend the Pot Stickers, Hot and Sour soup, and the Chicken Wings. Nice atmosphere, the service is friendly, and the menu in general is very good!

That had to be one of the least satisfying meals in quite some time. We go to China Moon regularly, but wants to give Chef Chao a try - mistake. I'm a bit surprised by the 4-star reviews. The calamari was all breaded, no calamari. The green beans were drenched in sauce and lacked any flavor. The Hong Kong noodles were the worst. Same sauce for every dish. Kids liked the dumplings. Full agreement from family never to set foot in there again. Too bad.

We have been loyal chef chow patrons for almost 30 years! Food is great and service is terrific!! Kenny/johnny and Amy are a great team!! Best hot and sour soup!!

Food is about average, portion size is average, seating is spacious & uncrowded, service is good, . . . but Chef Chao is way, way overpriced.Now that Yan's in Lafayette has lost its lease, I have been looking for a new Chinese restaurant for lunch.I had lunch at Chef Chao on Monday, 7/30/12. I ordered the Mongolian beef, my favorite, and the dish I use for comparisons.The beef itself was good quality, but the sauce was rather mild & bland, and frankly had a somewhat different taste than Mongolian beef at other restaurants - Not a bad taste, just different.Overall, the Mongolian beef was about average, and just a tad inferior to the same dish at China Moon across the street.The big shocker was price. The lunch order of Mongolian beef was $9.50 (before tax & tip), which is the highest lunch price I've encountered. It is $2.00 (27%) over the Lamorinda average of $7.50, and $3.00 (46%) more than China Moon ($6.50), the restaurant across the street, which has larger portions and slightly better food.To be fair: Other Chinese restaurants typically offer only (no choice) soup of the day and spring roll - Chef Chao offers (1) choice of won ton soup or soup of the day, and (2) choice of pot sticker or spring roll.Chef Chao is OK, but you can do better, and for a lower price.COMMENT: I lunch at Chinese restaurants at least once per week, sometimes twice. (I love good Chinese food.) I spread my business around among 7 or so Chinese restaurants in the area locals call "Lamorinda" (after the 3 small, adjacent cities of Lafayette, Moraga, & Orinda).I've decided to publish Yelp reviews on the 7 Lamorinda Chinese restaurants I patronize regularly. I'm doing full reviews on all 7, but here is a summary of my personal opinions - The first letter grade (after the name of the restaurant) ignores price, the second letter grade considers price, and is a "value for money" grade.1. The Great Wall (Lafayette): A A-2. Uncle Yu's (Lafayette): A B3. China Moon (Moraga/Rheem): A- A+4. Szechwan (Orinda): A- B+5. Lily's House (Lafayette): B+ A6. Chef Chao (Moraga/Rheem): B+ C-7. Basil Asian (Moraga): C+ C-

I think Chef Chao is the best chinese food restaurant in Lamorinda area for sure! their Orange Chickens are irresistible. I have never had orange chickens so good anywhere!you get 10% discount if you pay cash;)

It is always difficult hunting for Chinese food with my parents since they typically demand "traditional Chinese food" wherever we go. I thought I was in trouble when we pulled up to a place in Moraga with no Chinese characters on the sign and a very English-dominated menu.We ended up ordering their pot stickers, fried chicken wings, tofu and eggplant special, and peking pork. Our low expectations were pleasantly blown away. All their food was more than traditional enough, even for my parent's picky tastebuds. I would say that it was far less "Americanized" than most places in this part of the East Bay.The pot stickers were handmade (from scratch) and taste very authentic. The fried chicken wings, although not a traditional dish, was extremely tasty (I'd highly recommend it!). Eggplant and tofu was great, even for a avid tofu-hater such as myself. The peking pork pleased my dad greatly, and he's somewhat of a peking pork enthusiast.Service is light years beyond any traditional "Chinese" restaurant. Their staff is friendly, honest, and care deeply to earn your repeat business. They put their customers first and it certainly shows.If you're not looking for "traditional" or "authentic" Chinese food, this place deserves five stars.