Red Pepper

I pass Red Pepper on my daily commute, but it's tucked away so I had never been before. That will never be the case again!! I have NEVER had a hotpot so good -- Chef Jenny's family recipes are directly Szechuan and you can taste it in every ounce. That's important! This isn't just your neighborhood Chinese restaurant; this place is genuinely the most authentic that I've ever been to *on the entire Eastern seaboard.* I have always loved Asian food, particularly spicy Chinese food, so please trust me when I say that this is probably the BEST gem I've found. We came specifically because my girlfriend had never had a hot pot before, and she was eager to try her hand at cooking the meats herself. What we didn't expect was the quality!! Every bite was amazing - the radish and lotus roots were crisp, the meat was flavorful, the veggies were fresh, AND THE RICE!! Oh, the rice! Honestly, if Red Pepper sold their soup broths, I would buy it by the gallon. I have never been to a restaurant that made me leave this happy. We will definitely be back!!

By far the worst Chinese experience ever! The fried rice was off white with no flavor! The Wonton soup was water and chives and gooey sacks of not sure what! We got the Sesame Chicken and the General Tao Chicken. Both entrees were made the same and no crunch in any bite!! They added sesame seeds from jar and weren't even sauteed!! Please just read as a review and not judge by my experience!! $40 for 2 mains and 2 small soups, Total garbage!!! I even tipped for a carryout!! 🤮

If you're someone who loves overly sweet Americanized "Chinese" food this may not be your spot. If you're like me and continually disappointed by the Chinese food offerings in the Triangle area, get yourself into Red Pepper as quickly as possible! Everything we tried here was phenomenal and I look forward to many more meals here. Standouts for me we're the Pork w/ Smoked Tofu and the Black Fungus/Mushroom appetizer. I'm used to getting the mushroom dish as a cold appetizer at West coast restaurants, but here it was served warm with copious amounts of garlic and cilantro. SO GOOD!!!! The flavors in all of the dishes we tried were well balanced and true to those that we fell in love with in Seattle, San Francisco & Taipei restaurants. Making our experience even more enjoyable was the warm hospitality of the owner. It is painful to read the negative reviews about this place as they are so off base in my opinion. In summary, if you love authentic Chinese flavors, come here. If you think super sweet, oily and salty Chinese like you find in a mall food court or PR Changs it's probably not going to be your jam!

Absolutely wonderful! Jenny is extremely kind, we immediately felt welcome and comfortable. Now the food- it’s incredible. This is my first hot pot experience and I am OBSESSED. I’m not a soup person but this is the best broth I’ve ever had and the experience is delightful! A hidden gem, but I’m glad I finally came to experience this! Wonderful authentic food and a cozy and friendly atmosphere, it’s perfect for a cold rainy day!!

First of all I would like to start with saying the customer service was very rude and unwelcoming. It was more like hurry up and order then get out. I was trying look at the menu and asked a few questions to get the right order. After the cashier telling me they did not have any mushrooms for what I ordered she went and got the angry cook. The cook seem to have temper and asked did I want this order or not. In addition they took thirty minutes just to prepare my order. When the order was finished I had to open the bag just to see them leave no condiments soy sauce or any eating utensils. After opening the bag at the register the cashier then says "oh, did you need any sauce." I reply yes only to get two packets of soy sauce and one sweet and sour sauce with a little tiny cup of hot chili sauce. The spring roll in the order was also overcooked, you could tell by a whole in the star foam. Went here for lunch break because I thought the place looked good and would be great for lunch. Instead of enjoying it just wasted money on poor service not a good quality of cooked food. I'm really disappointed would never come here again!

I have been to all of the restaurants that serve hot pot within convenient driving distance of Durham over the past 3 years, and this is the only one I come back to. The broth is delicious, and the combos offered are a great deal for hot pot. You can also pick what you want a la carte. The ingredients are traditional and seasonal, with lots of different options for meats and veggies, heavy on the mushrooms. The restaurant is small and cozy, and the owner has always been friendly, attentive, and great with recommendations. I’ll keep coming back for more!