My husband and I dined at Shining Rainbow for a late lunch/early dinner on Saturday. The food was so good! We typically go for authentic Chinese food in Chinatown in Manhattan, we don't like the Americanized version of what some people call Chinese food, which tastes nothing like real Chinese food. The food at Shining Rainbow is very authentic- the flavors jump out at you. The price is a little higher than your typical take-out because that's not what this restaurant is. If you're looking for take-out flavor, this isn't it. This is the real deal. The prices are justified by the quality of the dishes and the portion sizes. The service was also excellent. The owner was very nice and checked on us several times. We hope they don't change their business format- the flavors, the portion sizes...all work well. We plan on making this a regular stop when we crave authentic Chinese food.
Hitesh Rao
Good food.
Zeph Gillen
Picked this place while driving through Albany. Way a great choice. Very tasty food and some of the best roast pork I've had!
bilinda Blume
Omg, we went in and the place was not very busy on a Saturday night and honestly, we were concerned. However, this is the best Chinese food I have ever experienced. I live on Long Island with some of the best food on the planet. Be cautious, not to order too much food the servings are tremendous and everything is amazing
Shad amzad
The food has always been great but the service lately has really gone down hill. It took a very long time to get our meals. The servers were not attentive either and rarely checked in.
Isa V
Absolutely amazing! Shining Rainbow deserves way more than 5 stars—it’s the best of the best in Albany! The staff is incredible, especially Leo—he's simply the best! So kind and welcoming. And the food? Hot, delicious, and everything you could imagine—dim sum, pan-fried noodles, you name it! I can’t recommend this place enough, plus they’re open late, which is a huge bonus!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kam Chaotic
This place had tasty food and it was filling, but it was incredibly uncomfortable to sit in. The fish in the tanks were all sick looking, some of them near death. When bringing this up with the employees, they brushed it off as though this wasn't a concern...
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 4
Caryn M
One of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve eaten at in a very long time. The shrimp and honey walnut was perfectly made. The fried dumplings were very tasty and had very thin dough. The shrimp dumplings were very good as was the chicken and eggplant. The restaurant was pretty busy and there lad a large Asian party there which tells me the food is good and authentic. Surprise for me was that I was charged for rice and the neighborhood was dicey however I’m willing to look the other way because the food was excellent. I’ll definitely return✅✅✅✅✅
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joe Gravelle
Great food, service, and atmosphere
Charmaine H.
Absolutely adore this establishment!! The Ambiance!!!!!...simply amazing!! OMGGGG!!!!!! THE FOOD IS TO DIE FOR!!!.. the service is impeccable ?? ? ?. This is a regular haunt for my family and a true hidden ?!! We dine in take out and get delivery!!.
Kid-friendliness: Kids are welcomed and always well-mannered
Wheelchair accessibility: Ramp to walk in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Peking Duck, Orange Shrimp, House Special Fried Rice, BBQ Pork, House Special Lo Mein, Shrimp Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, Wonton Soup, Honey Walnut Chicken, Curry Seafood Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Dim Sum, Roast Duck, Sweet and Sour Spareribs
I wish I found this place sooner. We loved our host and the food was to die for. Service was beyond top tier, we felt like family here. Best general tso chicken I have ever ordered, including manhattan and the jersey shore. Will be back soon and frequently ??????
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Chow Fun, Walnut Shrimp
Sivaporn Dardarananda
We ordered the egg drop and minced meat soup and it was excellent. The lobster was lovely. We also enjoyed the sweet sour pork and the beef with snow peas. The tofu was very good too. Excellent service by our waiter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
LaShell Miller
Thus place is always amazing. Staff is always amazing and great portions and flavor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer B Zhu
Avoid this place – dishonest and poor quality.
I had one of the worst dining experiences here, and I want to make sure no one else gets cheated like I did. Here’s what happened:
First, the food. It was simply not fresh, which is the most basic expectation in any restaurant. The beef slices were dry, rubbery, flavorless, and hard to chew. Imagine chewing on a rubber band—that’s how bad the main course was.
Second, the service. While the staff was polite, the experience felt strange. I ordered a single portion of rice for my husband (I don’t eat rice), but the waiter repeatedly urged me to have more. Despite my polite refusals, he brought me an extra bowl anyway, which I didn’t ask for. At the time, I thought it was a kind gesture, but I later realized I was being set up.
Finally, the hidden charge: The real issue came when I saw the bill. Without any prior notice, a 20% mandatory service fee was added. The waiter casually mentioned that it included the tip only after I questioned it, but they never explained this upfront. I almost left an additional tip, thinking it was just a kind gesture, but after looking at other reviews, I see they regularly fail to inform customers of this charge. This lack of transparency feels deceptive and dishonest.
I’ve always felt welcomed in other Chinese restaurants, where the staff is warm and gives a sense of home. Unfortunately, here I only felt cheated. I won’t be returning, and I hope this review helps others avoid the same disappointment.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Xu Guo
Foods are good. Tips were already auto included in the bill. Be careful.
My husband and I dined at Shining Rainbow for a late lunch/early dinner on Saturday. The food was so good! We typically go for authentic Chinese food in Chinatown in Manhattan, we don't like the Americanized version of what some people call Chinese food, which tastes nothing like real Chinese food. The food at Shining Rainbow is very authentic- the flavors jump out at you. The price is a little higher than your typical take-out because that's not what this restaurant is. If you're looking for take-out flavor, this isn't it. This is the real deal. The prices are justified by the quality of the dishes and the portion sizes. The service was also excellent. The owner was very nice and checked on us several times. We hope they don't change their business format- the flavors, the portion sizes...all work well. We plan on making this a regular stop when we crave authentic Chinese food.
Good food.
Picked this place while driving through Albany. Way a great choice. Very tasty food and some of the best roast pork I've had!
Omg, we went in and the place was not very busy on a Saturday night and honestly, we were concerned. However, this is the best Chinese food I have ever experienced. I live on Long Island with some of the best food on the planet. Be cautious, not to order too much food the servings are tremendous and everything is amazing
The food has always been great but the service lately has really gone down hill. It took a very long time to get our meals. The servers were not attentive either and rarely checked in.
Absolutely amazing! Shining Rainbow deserves way more than 5 stars—it’s the best of the best in Albany! The staff is incredible, especially Leo—he's simply the best! So kind and welcoming. And the food? Hot, delicious, and everything you could imagine—dim sum, pan-fried noodles, you name it! I can’t recommend this place enough, plus they’re open late, which is a huge bonus!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place had tasty food and it was filling, but it was incredibly uncomfortable to sit in. The fish in the tanks were all sick looking, some of them near death. When bringing this up with the employees, they brushed it off as though this wasn't a concern...
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 4
One of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve eaten at in a very long time. The shrimp and honey walnut was perfectly made. The fried dumplings were very tasty and had very thin dough. The shrimp dumplings were very good as was the chicken and eggplant. The restaurant was pretty busy and there lad a large Asian party there which tells me the food is good and authentic. Surprise for me was that I was charged for rice and the neighborhood was dicey however I’m willing to look the other way because the food was excellent. I’ll definitely return✅✅✅✅✅
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food, service, and atmosphere
Absolutely adore this establishment!! The Ambiance!!!!!...simply amazing!! OMGGGG!!!!!! THE FOOD IS TO DIE FOR!!!.. the service is impeccable ?? ? ?. This is a regular haunt for my family and a true hidden ?!! We dine in take out and get delivery!!.
Kid-friendliness: Kids are welcomed and always well-mannered
Wheelchair accessibility: Ramp to walk in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Peking Duck, Orange Shrimp, House Special Fried Rice, BBQ Pork, House Special Lo Mein, Shrimp Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, Wonton Soup, Honey Walnut Chicken, Curry Seafood Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Dim Sum, Roast Duck, Sweet and Sour Spareribs
Restaurantji Recommends
I wish I found this place sooner. We loved our host and the food was to die for. Service was beyond top tier, we felt like family here. Best general tso chicken I have ever ordered, including manhattan and the jersey shore. Will be back soon and frequently ??????
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Chow Fun, Walnut Shrimp
We ordered the egg drop and minced meat soup and it was excellent.
The lobster was lovely. We also enjoyed the sweet sour pork and the beef with snow peas. The tofu was very good too.
Excellent service by our waiter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Thus place is always amazing. Staff is always amazing and great portions and flavor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Avoid this place – dishonest and poor quality.
I had one of the worst dining experiences here, and I want to make sure no one else gets cheated like I did. Here’s what happened:
First, the food. It was simply not fresh, which is the most basic expectation in any restaurant. The beef slices were dry, rubbery, flavorless, and hard to chew. Imagine chewing on a rubber band—that’s how bad the main course was.
Second, the service. While the staff was polite, the experience felt strange. I ordered a single portion of rice for my husband (I don’t eat rice), but the waiter repeatedly urged me to have more. Despite my polite refusals, he brought me an extra bowl anyway, which I didn’t ask for. At the time, I thought it was a kind gesture, but I later realized I was being set up.
Finally, the hidden charge: The real issue came when I saw the bill. Without any prior notice, a 20% mandatory service fee was added. The waiter casually mentioned that it included the tip only after I questioned it, but they never explained this upfront. I almost left an additional tip, thinking it was just a kind gesture, but after looking at other reviews, I see they regularly fail to inform customers of this charge. This lack of transparency feels deceptive and dishonest.
I’ve always felt welcomed in other Chinese restaurants, where the staff is warm and gives a sense of home. Unfortunately, here I only felt cheated. I won’t be returning, and I hope this review helps others avoid the same disappointment.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Foods are good. Tips were already auto included in the bill. Be careful.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
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