To go up the Canton Tower or not was a debate between my boyfriend and me, since ticket prices are by no means cheap. But ask us if it’s a good idea to have dinner before going up the tower and you’ll get an easy answer. It’s a resounding yes! 🙂 Problem was, there’s not a lot of restaurants in the area and the more decent-looking ones are really expensive. Left without much choice, we ended up reserving seats at CHOPSTIX Restaurant (筷子荟餐厅). Prices of a la carte items on the menu were high, so we just hoped that they would be justified by the food quality.
CHOPSTIX, located at the basement of the Canton Tower, was the first restaurant we spotted from descending at the Canton Tower metro station. It is an Asian specialty restaurant that caters a unique and festive fusion of authentic Cantonese cuisine and Southeast Asian delicacies.
Review of Chopstix Restaurant 筷子荟餐厅 (Canton Tower 广州塔, Guangzhou)
Ambiance: ★★★★★
The restaurant was spacious and well-decorated in earth-color tones. Dominating bright lights, wooden furniture, and brick-imitated walls made the interior ambiance feel cozy in contemporary style and nothing quite oriental. Through the open kitchen and bar counter, dining guests could see the skilled chefs showing their exquisite culinary skills.
Although varying in shapes (round, square, and rectangular), tables and chairs were of the same finish, providing a visual line of repetitive elements that is both attractive and hypnotically fascinating to the eye.
Service: ★★☆☆☆
We were third on the waiting list and upon stepping inside, we found that the crowds were not as demanding and not as full. In fact, several tables were unoccupied at the back. Still, the receptionist did not allow people to come in. We guessed that the management was short in staff and more diners could not be accommodated at the peak of dinner hour. Beyond doubt, serving speed was too slow and wait time was long. The staffs were not welcoming, not attentive, and not so friendly.
Food: ★★★★☆
When far from home, there is always a familiar nostalgic feeling whenever I encounter places that serve authentic Chinese food in an elegant setting. The thing is, once I smell that beautiful intoxicating aroma of Chinese spices and familiar dishes, I’ll somehow feel like home. This happened while waiting for our orders at CHOPSTIX. 🙂
Beef chow fun is a classic entree in the Cantonese cuisine repertoire, and it’s one of my favorites. Chopstix’s version of the Wok-fried Rice Noodle with Beef 乾炒牛河 (RMB 58) was done right, very much like Wan Chai’s beef horfun in Chinatown, Philippines. The rice noodles were springy and firm, sticky and tender. What I loved most about it was the charred flavor called wok hei (or in English, “the essence of the wok”).
Another dish we shared was the Kung Pao Chicken 腰果宫包鸡丁 (RMB 58), complete with slightly gloppy sauce and mild heat. We ordered a bowl of steamed white rice separately to fully enjoy the diced chicken with Sichuan peppers and peanuts in sweet, sour, and zesty sauce.
All we needed was one singular bite of this glorious, rich concoction to confirm our love for it. The kung pao chicken was juicy and with browning characteristics, it was easy to find that the marinade was designed to optimize its natural meatiness.
Price for Value: ★★★☆☆
Price for value was so-so. Food tastes were good but without that big WOW factor expected from such restaurant associated with the Canton Tower. It’s best to come with an appetite here, since the portions of food are meant for sharing.
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
hmmmmm seems like it would have been better to try other resto in the area. I would agree with you that it would be better to go there full rather than hungry so that you won’t be forced to eat at these kind of restos. Most likely the fact that the resto is in a tourist area, makes the prices high. 😀 😀 😀
Yeah. We came from Tai Koo Hui and we should have had dinner in Food Republic. I thought we could catch some vendors selling street food near Canton Tower since there’s a lot of tourists as expected, but there was none. Huhu. Lesson learned and shared! 🙂
so happy to find your blog post. I adopted my daughter in 2000 and we are traveling back to China this summer as part of a homeland tour for her. We will be in Guangzhou, so I will be checking the Chopstix restaurant out for sure!!It might be pricey-but we will be on va-cay! So as long as the food is good-that’s what matters-thanks for the review!!
Right! You can try to visit the Canton Tower in the weekdays and probably there won’t be a lot of people in line for the restaurants. Chopstix Restaurant actually is a good option to enjoy some authentic Cantonese cuisine, if only their service would be better. 🙂
I love Asian food! I eat Asian dishes at least twice a week. There are so many wonderful Asian Restaurants in my neighborhood that I could never become bored.
True. Asian food has a lot of variations and the tastes are pretty interesting. I’m thankful that I’m born into a Chinese family and I have a mom who’s a good cook! 🙂
thanx to your bblog i am having so much knowladge about good places where i can eat when ever i will be in chine.This place looks really nice.
Yup, you can consider to try eating here when you do visit the Canton Tower in Guangzhou. There’s also the revolving restaurant right inside the tower/building however do expect to pay a little bit more. Heard it’s buffet style dining.
I love the interior of this restaurant…it looks very clean and streamlined and I absolutely love that you can see the chefs preparing food. Your dishes do look really good and those are ginormous portions, meant to be shared! I wish you had had better, more attentive service though. That can be a deal breaker for me…even if the food is top notch.
I also loved the interior design of Chopstix. Your descriptions say it all. If there’s one thing that the staff did right, it’s the maintenance. They truly make sure that guests will feel comfortable once inside with the clean ambiance.
The food looks absolutely delicious and the ambiance definitely to be trifled with but I am like you I do not like slow service and worse staff who are not attentive to their customers. I do not care how busy they are every customer is important.
Yeah, high five on that one. 🙂 It’s hard to tolerate slow service and the only way you can be satisfied is when the food turns out to taste really good.
It sounds like a great place to eat. The restaurant looks nice & clean and the food in the pics looks so good.
Both dishes were huge! Price is reasonable all the way around. If you’re in the area, you may give it a shot.
The food looks really good and I was thinking about how big the portions were, but then I read that they were meant to be shared. That makes sense.
Yup, portion sizes are large and I thought we could even take leftover dish that can provide one more meal. But after some more minutes over conversation, my boyfriend finished everything off! 🙂
That looks so delicious! I can’t believe how many amazing restaurants you have around you. How fun!
It wasn’t like we had plenty of options that time. We’re just thankful to have been served with food that tasted good. I guess regardless of where we are, Chinese food still reigns best for me. 🙂
Too bad the service wasn’t better because the food looks amazing!! Maybe they were just having an off day.
Yes, maybe, we can think with that perspective.
The food looks really good! I can’t stand it when the service is bad though. It makes you think they are just there for your money!
Customer service really matters a lot. If we knew that we would be receiving a rather not so positive treatment here, we would have eaten some place else.
Having never left the US I’ve never actually been able to experience authentic Chinese food. But from what I’ve heard I don’t even know if I’d like it. I have to say that the food in your pictures look amazing, but high prices and slow service don’t make up for that sadly.
I understand that while most of these restaurants there in the US serve a full variety of Americanized “Chinese food” favorites, there’s also a number that delve deep into authentic dishes. Sometimes they’re on the menu, sometimes they aren’t. Always ask. 🙂
I’ve been craving Asian food for a while now…this post is making me hungry!! The noodles look amazing!
Those noodles are my mom’s favorite: hofan. 🙂 She always orders the same thing whenever we dine in restaurants in Chinatown.
The food looks so amazing, I am big fan of Asian cuisine! The restaurant also looks really nice, this is a place I’d surely visit.
Do keep your fingers crossed that service will be better next time. If only for the food and the ambiance, CHOPSTIX is actually worth a trip.
Well I suppose every restaurant won’t be perfect. I would have definitely ordered something spicy at this restaurant.
True. Chopstix is a good restaurant to try once but probably not worthy of multiple repeat visits. Items on the menu are also quite limited.
I love the look of that restaurant! Well lighted, looks clean and everything seems to be in place. I love the earthly colors too! I would love to try kung pao chicken, looks really good!
Their version of the kung pao chicken is nice, but you can also ask for other house specialties to make the most out of your time there. 🙂
It is so nice to visit a place that is fancier than our normal restaurants. It is one of the best ways to spend date night I think.
Yes, I’m not sure though if you can book a reservation for the date. If not, then you probably would really have to go off hours so you don’t have to wait. This restaurant fills up lightning fast just because it’s located in Canton Tower.
Sorry about the poor service. The atmosphere looks amazing and the food looks delicious! Can’t wait to find a Chopstix near me that looks like that!
I found restaurants online with the same or slightly similar name. The one in West Lake Road, for instance, is called Chopstix Asian Restaurant. They also serves a wide array of authentic Asian food. You might want to check it out. 🙂
All the food looks amazing! I love getting hot plates whenever we go to Chinese restaurants here. Would love to visit China someday.
Nice! There are so many things to enjoy and appreciate in China and not just the food. 🙂
I like chinese food, though I didn’t visited China yet.That looks so delish.
Wow, I suppose there’s a lot of great Chinese restaurants in your area. 🙂 We live in Chinatown here in Manila so we’re also quite fortunate to be close to authentic Chinese food.
Wow, what a lovely looking place to eat. The food looks absolutely delicious!
Yup, you’ll go out happy and with a full stomach from here. 🙂
I don’t think I’ll be visiting very soon, but I sure would like to try the food. It looks great! I love big portions that can be shared.
This is great for families sharing food together. It’s also great for tourists who will be trying Chinese food for the first time. 🙂
Everything looks so good! I’m actually sitting here drooling! Eeeek, you making this preggy mama hungry. 😛
Haha your baby will be happy to be nourished with those food as well. 🙂
This looks good, if I’m ever in the area.. I will definitely stop through.
You might also want to check out the revolving restaurant inside the Canton Tower itself however prices are really way higher.
This looks like such a great place to eat! The food looks really great. I love learning about all these different places you go to and explore eating at!
Yup, definitely eating or trying out different food is a large part of traveling, especially for us foodies! 🙂
This looks like a great restaurant to try. The food looks amazing.
Solo dining though will be sad. Invite your friends along when you decide to eat here. 🙂
Well… At least the food was good, i guess? I hate it when a restaurant’s staffs are not friendly and accomodating! High price would still be justified if their service is impeccable, but based on your review i’d try to find other restaurant if i’m ever in that area!
Yeah well that is if you have more restaurant choices to go. I honestly think that there should be more restaurants put up in that area since it’s often crowded with a lot of tourists wanting to get inside the Canton Tower or the nearby ferry. Street foods in food carts will also be good.
I love seeing all the different places that you eat. That chicken looks really good right now!
Thanks, Bonnie. Chopstix may not be one of my favorites, but I don’t hate it either. The food was sumptuous, no doubt. 🙂
That’s one of the many things I miss about the Philippines, the variety of food establishments. It seems like in every corner, there are food to eat!
Yup, it depends on the area where you stay. I like being close to the mall where there’s like never-ending selections for restaurants to try and deciding is difficult. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and posting beautiful photos! I agree, those portions are meant to be shared! Although I have never been to Guangzhou I want to visit some day. I have to try restos at the Canton Tower if that is a happening place! Thanks for this info!
You’re welcome, Cara. 🙂 I guess when in Guangzhou, adventurous-eating and liking spicy food are a must. There are so many interesting stuff to try.
So much yummy food in there! The restaurant is pretty to look at too. We always enjoy trying new places to eat and of course, eating with chopsticks is always fun!
Yup, since menu is in Chinese, you can ask the staff for the best recommendations. 🙂
This looks like a great place to eat! If I am ever in the Canton Tower area I will look it up!
Yeah, it’s very easy to find anyway if you’re coming from the Guangzhou Metro Canton Tower Station. 🙂
It looks like there are some real plus points about this restaurant but some negative things too. I have to say though, I do like the idea of an open kitchen – I love watching the chefs at work. The food does look really tasty. Bookmarking this in case I travel to China! Ellie
We also love watching chefs’ showmanship, however we were seated somewhere far from them and there were walls blocking our view. With faster service, this is a good restaurant to try. 🙂
I love the look of this restaurant! SO interesting to watch the chefs behind the glass as they prepare your meals. It’s sad that the service wasn’t good, though – that’s a factor that can really make or break a meal, to me. The food looks delicious, though!
In fairness to the staff’s attitude, they talk decently and in a polite manner once you get their attention. 🙂
I have always wanted to travel to a new country and enjoy their unique cuisine! I have never really had authentic chinese food before and I certainly don’t know how to eat with Chopsticks. I would like to learn one day though!
Haha that’s a skill you really need to learn. I think eating with chopsticks is more elegant. Chopsticks slow down the speed at which you’re eating, so you can realize you’re satiated earlier in the meal. 🙂
The food looks absolutely delicious! It sounds like the food made up for the poor service.
Yup, it surely did. We’re so glad to be satisfied with the food here, otherwise we would completely regret going to the Canton Tower without eating dinner first.
I’m sorry the service wasn’t good…for me, that always ruins the whole experience! The pictures look fantastic, and now I’m craving chow fun and kung pao chicken!
I know what you mean about smells making you feel like “home,” too!
Yup, I hope they improve on the service and attentiveness soon. Thanks, Jacqui!
I honestly never been to the area before.. my cousin worked as an intern in the place.. their service isn’t really the best but I still want to visit the place.. in the future.
I think their service may not be the best but it should not be a reason for you not to try out this restaurant. Food is good and that’s enough reason to have a share of your own experience here. 🙂