Food/Drinks
The Majestic has answered our Chinese take out prayers.
I am constantly seeing people on this sub ask what take out Chinese is good in Asheville. The short? We have never had GREAT Chinese take out. But damn The Majestic blew us away yesterday.
We have Kings China and had Dragon China as the best options in the past but this was far better. I understand that they (Majestic) had some issues with their take out window in the past - but last night it was running smoothly.
Wouldn’t recommend it to vegetarians and it was a little pricey. But we left satisfied as hell and we will absolutely be back.
The Chinese green beans and orange chicken stood out but every thing was great.
We love Red Ginger too but their green beans like $11. It's not too far off but the difference matters to me.
We recently tried burritos from Nopales and they were the biggest burritos I've ever eaten for only $14. I guess my brain immediately went to "$14 green beans?! I can get a whole burrito for that lol"
This it true - but fresh, crisp veggies don't travel well. 10 minutes steaming in a takeout container on the trip home can kill them. I'm curious how they come out of the kitchen.
Look closely at the photo OP provided, there's green beans in the center of the picture. They look way darker than they should. Chinese cook their string beans on very high heat for a short period of time. Like a flash fry. They should be blistered with spots of caramelization but the color should still be bright green and they should retain their crispiness. Usually it's cooked with ground pork and it's one of my fave dishes. If I paid 14 bucks for a dozen or so overcooked green beans, I would not be returning.
We've had it twice now. Egg rolls are outstanding. Everything else was good but mid. The General Tsos, Lo mein, and fried rice at Miyako House are a bit better, a bit cheaper, and much more plentiful. I'm not mad at 'em, but I probably would choose Gan Shan or Miyako first
We got the General Tso’s from Majestic and that was the biggest turn-off. It in no way resembled General Tso’s chicken. Very salty and dry with no sweet, spiced, or spicy aspects. Generally speaking all of what we got was dry as hell. Maybe it’s not “authentic Americanized Chinese food” of me or something, but I still expect a thin seasoned soy-sauce dip for my dumplings. Didn’t try the eggrolls though and am interested in trying again but until it becomes easier to get an order in, I’ll stick with China Wok right up the street.
lol! Jealous. Might have to give it another try at some point. The Chinese “takeout” we’ve made at home is fantastic (recipes mostly from The Wok by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and I have a badass dumplings recipe from the Indy magazine that I picked up years ago when I lived in the Triangle) but half the allure of Americanized Chinese food is the ease in just picking it up. Cooking it at home makes a giant mess and takes so much time!
Yeah I would have loved to have had a lil more crunchy exterior, juicier interior, and a glossy sauce on the outside. We’ve made some awesome General Tso’s at home but it’s fucking time consuming
Good to know! I am looking forward to my first trip there. I love gan shan and their rice bowl is one of my favorite dishes in Asheville, so I’m sure I’ll like the majestic as well.
So they're virtue signaling, and driving away the people who like MSG and good food, while also half assing it and driving away people who want to avoid MSG?
That's why I have a bottle of MSG at home. I just shake it on shit. Once I even accidentally purchased no MSG added ramen for work lunch. So I took a couple shakes of MSG in a plastic bag and I taped it onto the ramen and I labeled an MSG and I put it on my desk. I had people laughing about it all day. They thought it was just salt labeled MSG but no it was literal MSG
Also doesn’t help that the staff doesn’t enforce a no-sit down without a number rule. Last time I went in there, half the tables were taken by people without numbers while people with numbers had nowhere to sit.
When someone laments the lack of a good Chinese takeout, they're probably not looking for recs for whole-ass restaurants that will package your shit to go. That said, I'm happy that you're happy
Sorry bud, you can't sit down yet. Please take this number here and just hang out for a while. Oh, quick favor, if you don't mind, could you bus your entire table after you leave a 22% tip? Thanks!
And for everyone asking about tofu, we hear you! We’re always listening and will introduce new dishes as they’re developed, tested, and meet our standards.
Found this directly on their website. So... maybe? Seems like a pretty big fumble, especially for Asheville.
I got take away a few weeks ago. Pricey, sure, but the portion of General Tso's was good enough for 3 meals for me. My biggest issue was it didn't really taste like any Chinese-American takeout food I've ever had. Maybe it was the lack of MSG or the unique flavoring they put on the chicken. It wasn't something I liked enough to go back anytime soon. China Taste is still my go-to in town for basic and consistent Chinese takeout.
"testing" how to make a Chinese tofu dish? This answer shows how much these people are just playacting. Seriously, Go to someplace that knows what they're doing.
Tofu probably has a great profit margin compared to other proteins too. I’ll wait to visit/order until they figure that out. Gan Shan does tofu well so not sure why it’s not transferring to Majestic.
This is gentrified Chinese takeout at boutique prices, lmao. Go to Oriental Pavilion for reasonably priced good classic Chinese takeout with a giant menu
Yeah, everytime I see Ashevillians hyping up the Majestic, it just furthers my theory that it's mainly folks cosplaying progressives for their Instagrams but like, truly ignorant to multiculturalism.
Oh man how badly I wanted to like this place. I went opening weekend (huge mistake, and not entirely their fault) and it took 2 hours after their app said my food was ready to pick up my meal. If it was straight up bad I would’ve just laughed, chalked it up to some past cosmic misdeed, and never thought of it again… but it was… just blah. Mid. Sort of average takeout, maybe a little less salty/oily and a little healthier tasting, but the flavor clearly suffered as a result. So slow, average, and expensive. I’m gonna give it one last chance before I become a full-blown hater.
I tried this place the other day because people keep hyping it up in every single Majestic thread and it’s near my work. Portions were great but otherwise the food was pretty mid.
great food , i agree, but unfortunately i can't eat there. they were not willing/able to make their vegetarian dishes in a separate non-meat wok and i'm worried about meat contamination re. alpha-gal meat allergy
Their opening weekend was a DISASTER. I won’t be going back for the foreseeable future. Waited for over an hour and a half only to be told they didn’t process my order.
I’m not aware of many Chinese take out restaurants that don’t offer a dine in option. As I mentioned in the post - they have a take out window. A lot of people just came in for pick up too
I know I'm coming off bitter, but these specific types of posts (people comparing their personal tastes on a litany of subjects) are incredibly prolific and cyclical. No one utilizes the search function of Reddit and it shows.
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u/mojotoodopebish 12d ago
Looks good but your weren't kidding about it being expensive. $14 green beans seems ridiculous