Fei Da Chu (费大厨) is a popular family-style restaurant chain in China that specializes in authentic stir-fry Hunan cuisine. Its signature Chili Stir-Fried Pork (费大厨辣椒炒肉) made out of green chili peppers and premium pork is one of their best selling menu that you can find in almost every table in this restaurant. Considering the affordable price point, the generous portion and the quality of the dishes served, it’s no wonder that Fei Da Chu became one of the more popular dining spots among the locals as well as tourists with long queues at almost every outlets that they have.

The founder, Chef Fei Lianghui, opened the first Fei Da Chu restaurant in 2003 and it has now grown to more than 200 locations across 16 different cities in China due its popularity which also has earned him the title of “China’s King of Stir-Fry”.

Greysuitcase Shenzhen Restaurant Series: Fei Da Chu Coco Park Shenzhen (费大厨辣椒炒肉福田星河COCO Park), 中心城 Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.

If you are traveling to one of the bigger cities in China, there’s a big possibility you’ll probably pass by one of the chains of this restaurant. Their green-colored branding (a nod to the Hunan province that is dominated by green landscapes I assume) is pretty eye-catching and if that’s not enough to draw your attention, the crowd that is usually formed in front of the restaurant probably will.

I had the chance to try this restaurant during my first ever trip to China at the end of last year. My family and I were exploring Coco Park in Shenzhen and ended up at Fei Da Chu for dinner as suggested by our local guide. We got to the restaurant a little before 6 pm and there was already a lot of people waiting for tables in front of the store. Put our name down for a table of five and waited to be called.

Considering how busy the restaurant was, the wait wasn’t too bad actually because 25 minutes later, we got seated at our table. Placed our orders and soon after, the food started to come out (service was pretty fast at this place. And also at most places in China I noticed during my trip).

What we ordered:
(Also, just a disclaimer, I am not fluent in mandarin so all these English menu names below are from Google Translate. I apologize in advance if anything is wrong or inaccurate. When we ordered, we literally just relied on Google Translate or just based it off of the vibe of the pictures.)

🍹 The “King” Iced Lemon Tea 大王冰柠檬茶 ¥19 | 8/10

The Ultimate Chili Antidote (700ml)

Refreshing Lemon Tea that really goes well with (a lot of) the spicy food on the menu. And for the price (≈$2.76) I think it’s pretty worth it (you can’t really see it from this pic, but the glass was pretty huge, almost as big as my face). You can even share it between two or three people I think.

🍟 Organic Vegetarian Crab 有机素螃蟹 ¥19 | 8.5/10

Okay, funny story. I don’t know if the English translation is a miss or not (I checked on a couple of different websites and they all gave me the same translation so I guess this is correct. But if it’s incorrect, mandarin-speaking readers, please let me know and leave the correct translation in the comment section), but apparently this is a deep-fried organic vegetarian crab. When I ordered it, I legit thought it was sweet potato fries just based off of the pictures on the menu. And honestly, it also tasted like sweet potato fries (at least to me and my family. Are we delulu? Lol). And it was good. The breading was nice and crispy and it wasn’t too oily. We all liked it. The only thing I’m now questioning is wether we ate sweet potato or vegetarian crab (or maybe both are the same thing?).

🥚 Steamed Organic Eggs (with Guoyang Minced Pork) 蒸有机鸡蛋 (加果陽肉米) ¥35 | 8.5/10

Silky smooth egg with juicy minced pork. Seasoning was spot on as well, not too salty. Super comforting dish.

🐖 Fei Da Chu's Stir-fried Pork with Green Chili 费大厨辣椒炒肉 ¥68 | 9.5/10

Tender meat with bold flavors and the right amount of smokiness. A very nice dish and I get why this is their signature dish. It is a bit spicy for me who can’t really eat spicy food, but I still ate it (with a lot of rice to cut down the spice) cause it was good. Although our guide was saying that that day, the dish was a little spicier than usual.

🐖 Pineapple Crispy Pork 菠萝酥肉 ¥39 | 8.5/10

Tender and juicy pork with pineapple sweet and sour sauce. The sweet and sour sauce wasn’t too overpowering, making it enjoyable to eat with the pork meat. I also enjoyed this one.

🥬 Wok-Torn Cabbage 千锅手撕包菜 ¥25 | 8/10

Simple and straightforward dish. Nice and clean taste, seasonings were also just right.

Since their portion is a bit big, we did have some leftovers at the end of our meal and had them to go. I think with what we ordered (1 appetizer, 4 main dishes and white rice that came in a rice cooker pot), it’s probably good for 6 or even 7 people, depending on how big your appetite is (our group is probably on the normal to smaller appetite spectrum).

Greysuitcase Shenzhen Restaurant Series: Fei Da Chu Coco Park Shenzhen (费大厨辣椒炒肉福田星河COCO Park) Menu, 中心城 Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.

If you are in China and happened to pass by this chain, I definitely recommend you to try this place. The restaurant is good for family style meal so come with a bigger group (or a big appetite) if you want to try different dishes. Waiting time is not bad either since the line moves pretty fast (at least when I was there) and they usually provide waiting area with chairs so you can wait comfortably. Also, my parents liked the food so if you’re bringing older people, this place is probably a pretty safe bet.