Asheville Finally Has a Good Chinese American Takeout Spot!
“For years, the Asheville community has been asking for a New York–style Chinese American restaurant,” is the Instagram post announcing the opening of new “Chinese American” restaurant The Majestic started off.
That ethos—that The Majestic is filling a hole in the Asheville dining scene—was parroted across social media and media coverage of it’s opening (the linked article claims that The Majestic is making old-school Chinese takeout feel “new again).
“I created this concept because I’ve heard repeated demand from people in Asheville,” the owner of The Majestic said. “There’s a real longing for this kind of restaurant: something familiar, comforting, and done with intention.”
I found the angle taken during this early summer press push to be interesting, because, well…I’ve had a to-go Chinese takeout spot since I moved to Asheville, which is coming up now seven years in January. Mine is The Great Wall, situated in the Reynolds neigborhood where I live. The Great Wall doesn’t have social media accounts nor a website. It’s a true takeout only spot that has all your Chinese takeout classics. And it’s good! Now, granted, I’m not the arbitrator of Chinese takeout. I rarely order anything but sweet and sour chicken—a classic— but I’ve gotten food for many a friend here and it always gets good reviews. And I have a friend who used to live in this neighborhood, who now, will once a month, drive 20 minutes out of his way from where he lives in South Asheville (next to…another Chinese takeout spot) in order to pickup treats from The Great Wall. Plus, it’s…reasonably priced.
A simple Google search will also show you that it’s not just my personal experience. Asheville has a handful of Chinese takeout options. In fact, a Yelp list exists displaying all of them…
I wondered if perhaps, “New York Chinese American Takeout” was it’s own subgenre…but couldn’t find any real evidence to this. It feels like a branding choice to differentiate The Majestic from…other Chinese takeout places (Google AI overview—who IS an arbitrator of taste—shared that popular New York Chinese American take out options include “non traditional” Chinese options like…bba spareribs…which you can find at Chinese takeout anywhere, including The Great Wall).
Now, I’m not going to be the one to yell cultural appropriation. I’m not an expert in that. But…I do think there’s something a little bit…icky…about a white restauranteur opening a white chef led Chinese Takeout spot and positioning it like it’s some kind of culinary savior, ya know?
I think this Reddit comment sums it up better than I could, “‘Bringing something special’… Yeah no Asheville has a bunch of well-established Chinese-American takeout restaurants owned by actual Chinese families that serve the same dishes for cheaper. This is nothing more than overpriced Asheville hipsterized food. There’s nothing unique or special about The Majestic.”
I know a few—fine! Three!—people who’ve eaten at The Majestic. All of them said it was the “best Chinese takeout they’ve ever had.” Now, I haven’t been so can’t comment. But $16.00 for sweet and sour pork? That might be intentional, but I can get a quart of sweet and sour chicken from The Great Wall for $11.99.
