Went there for a weekday lunch. Was impressed by the hot and sour soup, was spicy and very flavorful. However the spicy beef over golden rice dish was awful, and the rice on the side was still wet. Wasn’t impressed at all.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Rose E
Spicy cauliflower was super greasy and required a knife to eat. The rice was a hit!
Food: 4
Service: 2
Shelby Tonelli
What has happened to this place? I’ve come here probably 10 times over the past 5 years. The food used to have so much flavor and spice. Now, every time I’ve been here in the last two years, the “authentic spice” level is hardly spicy at all. Went with coworkers today and the lack of any flavor in each of our “power lunch” dishes was laughable. Maybe the trick is to avoid ordering from that menu entirely, and do their standard menu? Our service was also incredibly slow, with 5-10min waits between several of us getting our food.
I’d like to chalk it up to inconsistency, given the other positive reviews. But the last 3-4 times I’ve come here, I’ve been so disappointed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Josh Tomazin
Probably my favorite food in town. Fun drinks and the live music (typically jazz) is great when they have it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Toys Koomplee (Toys)
TL;DR: If you're here because of the Dine Out Boston, ASK FOR THE MENU! No one would mention it or give this menu out. Although the food was really good, we left this place feeling cheated.
Long version: When we saw that this place participated in the Dine Out Boston, we were very excited because their tasting menu looked very good! We arrived a bit before our reservation, and the staff was very nice. Once seated, we only got their regular menus and were very confused. When we asked the waitress about the Dine Out Boston menu, she looked a bit upset and brought us a separate menu card. We looked around, and no other table had this Dine Out menu either. No one mentioned anything about the Dine Out Boston menu at any table as well. Not even a sign. It was as if they were trying to hide it.
Despite the initial disappointment, the food came very quickly, and everything was delicious. The BBQ ribs festival was my personal favorite! Very crispy and well seasoned, yet still tender. The MALA duck was also very good. The shumai literally melted in my mouth. It was such a great meal.
It's just really sad for us because we take Restaurant Weeks and Dine Out Boston as our opportunities to try out different menus from new restaurants. The fact that we're so excited to come here and no one said a word about Dine Out Boston (despite their extensive introduction to 5 different menu cards they have) makes us think as if they only participated in Dine Out Boston just to advertise themselves. I hope we're wrong because their food was already very good to get people's attention. If we're the only table that didn't get the menu, then we can take it as an honest mistake. When no table around us got the menu or any mention of the Dine Out Boston event, it's something else.
We really love the food, but it's unlikely that we'll be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Silpa
The cucumber appetizer was great but getting the regular spice level for spicy made the dish sweet. I wish I listened and got the authentic spice level. But the fish and rice we got was great. The service was great too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Adam Ball
Our favorite restaurant in town. It's rare to see an upscale Chinese restaurant (aside from fusion places), and they easily justify the price point with quality, creativity, and outstanding depth of flavor. Various appetizers are to die for including the nom numb wings, century egg with pepper, mala duck, and taro bao. Their mains change frequently and we often try the latest chef's specials and are never disappointed.
If you go in expecting standard Chinese-American fare like chow mein, you'll be disappointed. That's not what they're aiming for, and you may as well go somewhere cheaper for it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
M L
We had the most wonderful time at Sumiao on February 17th. Food was delicious and service was excellent! A huge thank you to Patrick who went above and beyond for our son with severe food allergies!! Not only was he safe but he had the best meal out of the rest of us (according to him))). We highly recommend and will definitely come back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
A G
In a nutshell: Bib Gourmand prices, failing grade service.
We were really looking forward to celebrating Chinese New Year's Eve with friends and family and decided to order from Sumiao. Unfortunately, we received the wrong order because it's likely that the restaurant stapled our receipt to someone else’s bag.
The dishes we received were completely different from what we ordered, and due to dietary restrictions and allergies, some of us couldn't eat anything at all. It was incredibly disappointing given the holiday occasion.
We called the restaurant to see if there was any way to remake the order, get a refund, or find another solution in another form, but were told that we should contact Uber ourselves and there was nothing else that they could do. While mistakes happen, the lack of accountability or effort to make it right was frustrating.
Given the restaurant’s Bib Gourmand recognition, expectations were higher. For those who were able to try the incorrect dishes, the food was average at best and not worth the premium pricing. There are many Chinese restaurants in the Boston/Cambridge area that offer better flavor, better value, and far better service.
Overall, a very disappointing and frustrating experience. We won’t be ordering again.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sammi Chan
We were excited to try this newly minted Michelin Bib Gourmand Chinese restaurant in Cambridge. The service was nice, space clean, and vibe was chill.
We love their fish in foil, duck egg yolk coated shrimp, and beef on fire. Their tieguanyin tea was whole tea leaves so it helped cleanse the palette between bites very well.
Food is good but priced higher than avg. they do give large portions. There were empty tables but we were asked to wait for a table to be prepared or something. Never understood placss thy do that other than if they under staffed. The food menu is extensive and describes atypical type chinese food you will not see at ur typical Chinese restaurant. Overall good, i probably wont go back due to difficult parking, higher prices, and me u items not enough to be a destination for me.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Nicholas Furno
I enjoy stopping by for drinks and dinner. The food is unique and delicious and the service is quite good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A C
Food is fine, and waiters are certainly nice enough. Service was a bit slow for my taste. They give you about 1.5 hours to dine, and it probably took around 45 minutes to get drinks so I didn’t really get a chance to order more than one drink. Food comes out rather sporadically which is probably expected but it took the noodles I ordered substantially longer than the other 4 dishes I ordered.
Billy
The food at Sumiao Xiang is authentic and genuinely delicious, but the overall experience was hurt by service and communication issues. I ordered pickup on a very cold day and wasn’t given any utensils, which meant I couldn’t eat right away. Neither host mentioned this, and the pickup website appeared to show utensils as included by default unless you opted out—which I did not.
When I called, I was initially given incorrect information about the website and utensil policy. On a second call, the general manager handled the situation more professionally and arranged to deliver utensils, but they arrived about 30 minutes later, by which time the food was lukewarm. The main issue was inconsistent communication. The food is excellent, but clearer policies and better service are needed for a higher rating.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 2
Sid
The food is good, but I’m not sure it rises to a “special” level because it tastes similar to the solid, average dishes you can find at any Sichuan or Hunan kivhens. We were not raving about the food. Still, it’s enjoyable, and the portions are generous. Prices aren’t cheap cheap (all above $20), but they are reasonable. The service was slow for us but I am not sure if that was the case on every table. It gets quite crowded, so I recommend making a reservation.
Overall a good place, spicy flavors! A good place to try and you haven't missed anything if you did not.
Went there for a weekday lunch. Was impressed by the hot and sour soup, was spicy and very flavorful. However the spicy beef over golden rice dish was awful, and the rice on the side was still wet. Wasn’t impressed at all.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Spicy cauliflower was super greasy and required a knife to eat. The rice was a hit!
Food: 4
Service: 2
What has happened to this place? I’ve come here probably 10 times over the past 5 years. The food used to have so much flavor and spice. Now, every time I’ve been here in the last two years, the “authentic spice” level is hardly spicy at all. Went with coworkers today and the lack of any flavor in each of our “power lunch” dishes was laughable. Maybe the trick is to avoid ordering from that menu entirely, and do their standard menu? Our service was also incredibly slow, with 5-10min waits between several of us getting our food.
I’d like to chalk it up to inconsistency, given the other positive reviews. But the last 3-4 times I’ve come here, I’ve been so disappointed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Probably my favorite food in town. Fun drinks and the live music (typically jazz) is great when they have it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
TL;DR: If you're here because of the Dine Out Boston, ASK FOR THE MENU! No one would mention it or give this menu out. Although the food was really good, we left this place feeling cheated.
Long version:
When we saw that this place participated in the Dine Out Boston, we were very excited because their tasting menu looked very good! We arrived a bit before our reservation, and the staff was very nice. Once seated, we only got their regular menus and were very confused. When we asked the waitress about the Dine Out Boston menu, she looked a bit upset and brought us a separate menu card. We looked around, and no other table had this Dine Out menu either. No one mentioned anything about the Dine Out Boston menu at any table as well. Not even a sign. It was as if they were trying to hide it.
Despite the initial disappointment, the food came very quickly, and everything was delicious. The BBQ ribs festival was my personal favorite! Very crispy and well seasoned, yet still tender. The MALA duck was also very good. The shumai literally melted in my mouth. It was such a great meal.
It's just really sad for us because we take Restaurant Weeks and Dine Out Boston as our opportunities to try out different menus from new restaurants. The fact that we're so excited to come here and no one said a word about Dine Out Boston (despite their extensive introduction to 5 different menu cards they have) makes us think as if they only participated in Dine Out Boston just to advertise themselves. I hope we're wrong because their food was already very good to get people's attention. If we're the only table that didn't get the menu, then we can take it as an honest mistake. When no table around us got the menu or any mention of the Dine Out Boston event, it's something else.
We really love the food, but it's unlikely that we'll be back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
The cucumber appetizer was great but getting the regular spice level for spicy made the dish sweet. I wish I listened and got the authentic spice level.
But the fish and rice we got was great. The service was great too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Our favorite restaurant in town. It's rare to see an upscale Chinese restaurant (aside from fusion places), and they easily justify the price point with quality, creativity, and outstanding depth of flavor. Various appetizers are to die for including the nom numb wings, century egg with pepper, mala duck, and taro bao. Their mains change frequently and we often try the latest chef's specials and are never disappointed.
If you go in expecting standard Chinese-American fare like chow mein, you'll be disappointed. That's not what they're aiming for, and you may as well go somewhere cheaper for it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had the most wonderful time at Sumiao on February 17th. Food was delicious and service was excellent! A huge thank you to Patrick who went above and beyond for our son with severe food allergies!! Not only was he safe but he had the best meal out of the rest of us (according to him))). We highly recommend and will definitely come back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
In a nutshell: Bib Gourmand prices, failing grade service.
We were really looking forward to celebrating Chinese New Year's Eve with friends and family and decided to order from Sumiao. Unfortunately, we received the wrong order because it's likely that the restaurant stapled our receipt to someone else’s bag.
The dishes we received were completely different from what we ordered, and due to dietary restrictions and allergies, some of us couldn't eat anything at all. It was incredibly disappointing given the holiday occasion.
We called the restaurant to see if there was any way to remake the order, get a refund, or find another solution in another form, but were told that we should contact Uber ourselves and there was nothing else that they could do. While mistakes happen, the lack of accountability or effort to make it right was frustrating.
Given the restaurant’s Bib Gourmand recognition, expectations were higher. For those who were able to try the incorrect dishes, the food was average at best and not worth the premium pricing. There are many Chinese restaurants in the Boston/Cambridge area that offer better flavor, better value, and far better service.
Overall, a very disappointing and frustrating experience. We won’t be ordering again.
Food: 1
Service: 1
We were excited to try this newly minted Michelin Bib Gourmand Chinese restaurant in Cambridge. The service was nice, space clean, and vibe was chill.
We love their fish in foil, duck egg yolk coated shrimp, and beef on fire. Their tieguanyin tea was whole tea leaves so it helped cleanse the palette between bites very well.
Highly recommend this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Food is good but priced higher than avg. they do give large portions. There were empty tables but we were asked to wait for a table to be prepared or something. Never understood placss thy do that other than if they under staffed. The food menu is extensive and describes atypical type chinese food you will not see at ur typical Chinese restaurant. Overall good, i probably wont go back due to difficult parking, higher prices, and me u items not enough to be a destination for me.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
I enjoy stopping by for drinks and dinner. The food is unique and delicious and the service is quite good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is fine, and waiters are certainly nice enough. Service was a bit slow for my taste. They give you about 1.5 hours to dine, and it probably took around 45 minutes to get drinks so I didn’t really get a chance to order more than one drink. Food comes out rather sporadically which is probably expected but it took the noodles I ordered substantially longer than the other 4 dishes I ordered.
The food at Sumiao Xiang is authentic and genuinely delicious, but the overall experience was hurt by service and communication issues. I ordered pickup on a very cold day and wasn’t given any utensils, which meant I couldn’t eat right away. Neither host mentioned this, and the pickup website appeared to show utensils as included by default unless you opted out—which I did not.
When I called, I was initially given incorrect information about the website and utensil policy. On a second call, the general manager handled the situation more professionally and arranged to deliver utensils, but they arrived about 30 minutes later, by which time the food was lukewarm. The main issue was inconsistent communication. The food is excellent, but clearer policies and better service are needed for a higher rating.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 2
The food is good, but I’m not sure it rises to a “special” level because it tastes similar to the solid, average dishes you can find at any Sichuan or Hunan kivhens. We were not raving about the food. Still, it’s enjoyable, and the portions are generous. Prices aren’t cheap cheap (all above $20), but they are reasonable. The service was slow for us but I am not sure if that was the case on every table. It gets quite crowded, so I recommend making a reservation.
Overall a good place, spicy flavors! A good place to try and you haven't missed anything if you did not.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
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