Cate Zone Chinese Cafe

This place has been busy no matter what time we have gone. This is some of the best sweet and sour pork I have ever enjoyed - crispy and saucy. It is absolutely delicious. The staff are so helpful. The only problem here is how addicting the food is. Staff are helpful and make recommendations. Pictures are with almost no food because we ate so fast I forgot to grab some!

Hidden gem! Extremely busy, inside and out. There were lots of call-in orders waiting to be picked up. I finally got a chance to try the Hot Crispy Fish after hearing so much about it. Now, if you don't like spicy, then this dish may not be for you. Fish crispy, yet tender inside. It's definitely an explosion on the tastebuds!💥💥💦 Delicious! Satisfying.

Great little Cafe serving Chinese cuisine. The Best sweet and sour pork I can ever recall having. Servings are large, family portions so be warned before you end up ordering more than your stomach can handle. I will definitely return when I find myself in the St Louis area.

The service was kind of rude, but the food was so amazing that they get 5 stars.

Walked in at 2:20 and was told we didn’t have time to look at the menu because their kitchen closes soon, which was weird because their hours said they close at 3. We just ordered the first things we opened the menu to, which was the spicy boiled fish and the chengdu chicken. Waitress was pretty absent and frosty for the rest of the meal. Had to go up to ask for drinks, was annoyed when we asked for a spoon, etc.

HOWEVER, their authentic Chinese food is the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The spicy pepper chicken was the perfect balance of sweet and melt-your-face-off spicy. The spicy boiled fish was fresh, plump and flavorful. You could see that they used fresh spices and whole chunks of real ginger. It was simply amazing. Portions were generous, and the spice levels were awesome for a chili head like myself.

Just get through the service and you won’t be disappointed.

Hands down best Chinese food in Saint Louis. The boiled fish is a MUST have.

I heard from one of my ABC friend that this is the best Chinese restaurant in town, so I decided to give it a try. Overall the quality was fine. But to be fair, we did not order many Northeastern Chinese dishes. The braised ribs was ok, not the best northeastern style I’ve had in Midwest. The maoxiewang was also just ok, I don’t like to have spam in it. I’ll probably come next time to try some more authentic dishes.

Amazing food and super friendly service! The Chengdu Spicy Chicken and Beef Skewers were off the chain! I will definitely be back for them, but also want to try all the other tasty options!

I ordered beef noodles soup and park bones. They were good. The service was good. The sour and sweet pork was good but can't taste meat ( too thin). Mix veg was good! Stew pork with noodles is ok, pork was not much taste. Recommend mix veg, sweet and sour pork.

The portions are very large for the price, they are a very great deal! The food is real Chinese food and not American Chinese style. We had the soft tofu, boiled fish, orange sweet and sour pork, 3 vegetables with brown sauce, fried calamari, fried rice with shrimp, the fried pumpkin with salted egg batter, white rice, and a couple other dishes. They are all excellent!
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It is a wonderful experience in Cate Zone. The food is very affordable and tastes authentic (for both northern Chinese dishes & Szechuan dishes). Loved the pork bones, it's only $10. The waiters are also very friendly. The only suggestion would be the sweet and sour pork (guobaorou) is a little bit too sour, and the pork slice is a little bit too thin. Still, i would give 5 star. Highly recommend!

cute aesthetic chinese cafe
quick service
nice, helpful staff
big portions and decent pricing (worth it for the amt of food you get)
UNBELIEVABLY GOOD FOOD
I couldn’t get over how delicious everything was, can’t wait to go again.
We got:
Boiled beef
Cumin lamb
Pork shoulder noodles
Spicy crispy fish
Eggplant
Pig feet

Table favorites were cumin lamb and eggplant followed closely by crispy fish and boiled beef. “Last place” were pork shoulder noodles and pig feet - although they were still delicious lol.

Place is fairly small, so be prepared to wait if it's full. They ask for your phone number for the "waitlist". But just stay near the door coz they won't text you, they'll come out and ask who owns the phone number listed. We waited 25 minutes to get seated, but service was pretty quick.

All dishes were great. The beef jerky was a little spicy, and the sweet and sour pork can use a little more pork under the breading. Beef skewers were okay. Salted calamari was the best.

Causal Chinese sit down restaurant with the best authentic Chinese food in STL! Price has gone up with Covid so make sure to go with a group of friends to get the best bang for your buck! Usually get crispy hot fish, sweet and sour pork, and cumin lamb and they never disappoint!

this place is amazing. we didn't even get to take pictures of everything because we were so hungry and by the time I realized I didn't take a pic, we had finished half of the plate... but I've included the ones that I did remember to take pics of. everything was delicious. the spicy fish was excellent as well as the cumin lamb. the prices are super reasonable and I would definitely want to come back again. the decor was pretty hip. the only sad part is the place isn't super big so the wait times may be a bit long sometimes especially if you come in a group. overall this place is awesome!!

Delicious food. Went there with a friend during a busy time.
We split the mixed vegetables appetizer dish and each ordered the beef with onions and brown sauce (I believe that was it?).
High quality food.
Busy atmosphere.
Fast and courteous service.
Not the kind of place you will be able to linger after your meal and catch up because it’s a smaller dining area and is popular! Which is a good thing for them.

One of the best Szechuan spots in the city, and St. Louis punches well above its weight when it comes to Chinese restaurants. We got the chengdu spicy chicken, bok choi, pork and bean curd, and crispy sizzling tofu.
All food came out fast and hot. The bok choi here is the best I’ve ever had. Chicken was hot and crispy. The other dishes were excellent too. The portions were substantial, and the rice was fluffy, fresh, and not overcooked. My only criticism is that the chicken could have been seasoned more heavily — spicier, saltier, more ma la. Overall, superb.

We arrived at 6 and waited about 45 minutes for a table. Totally worth it!! We had 3 dishes as well as some lamb skewers and each had its own unique flavor. I'd highly recommend the "Eggplant on sizzling plate." I do not like eggplant but I would never of know that's what was in the dish had it not been named so. It was lightly battered and fried so it was crunchy and had this amazing sweet sauce. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

got a recommendation to try this place out and I'm so happy I did. I think it's probably my favorite Chinese restaurant in saint Louis. every item we ordered was delicious. I recommend the intestines & tripe, twice cooked pork, and jalapeno Bean curd. parking available but can get crowded. place did not have bubble tea unfortunately.

TLDR: Small place, slightly expensive, but on-point flavors. Must get "Cumin Lamb" and "Hot Crisp Fish". Come early, or the line gets crazy.

Table of 4, got 6 dishes (1 cold dish, 1 "dessert") and had leftovers. Great service, food came quickly, and nice small-restaurant ambiance.

Dishes:
Clear Noodle with Special Sesame Sauce (东北大拉皮): Sesame sauce isn't quite rich enough, and the noodles are a bit too firm. Otherwise great. 6/10

Cumin Lamb w/ Cilantro (孜然羊肉): Must get. Probably one of the best dishes the restaurant has to offer. Rich in flavor and well-balances out the mutton flavor. 9/10

Braised Beef Brisket w/ Tomatoes (西红柿炖牛腩): Good beef and vegetables, comes with tomatoes, Bok Choi, and Mu'er. Good flavors and nice beef, but, personally, should be a stew, not a soup. 7/10

Hot Crisp Fish (蜀香风暴雨): Imagine Fish & Chips but with a lighter, crispier batter & flavored with Chinese chili oil. Absolute dime, not as spicy as it seems, 8/10.

Dry Fried Pork Intestine (干煸肥肠): First time I've had intestine served thoroughly fried to a crisp, and that really brings the classic dish down: Deep frying the intestine only makes it greasier & heavier, harder for the right flavors to enter the meat, and loses the texture sought after. 4/10.

Crisp Pumpkin with Egg Sauce (蛋黄焗南瓜): Nice sweet dish. Abundant. 7/10.

Definitely will come again. A must-go spot for any authentic Chinese food enthusiasts

Cate Zone is clearly one of St. Louis hidden gems. I'm not surprised that it garners such raving reviews. Every dish has is bursting with flavor and personality. For first timers, menu prices may seem a bit steep but portion sizes quickly throws that notion out of the window. There is great care taken to ensure that every dish is cooked to perfection. Easily 5 stars.