Essential Guide to Your First Chinese Takeaway Order

We know it can feel exciting – even a little daunting – to place your first Chinese takeaway order. Growing up in Guangzhou, our family learned that food was never “just food” – it was how you welcome guests and celebrate family. When we brought our kitchen to Barry, we brought that experience and tradition with us. So whether you’re curious about classic Cantonese dishes or our spicier Sichuan favourites, we’re here to guide you step by step through your first order. By the end of this guide, ordering will feel as familiar as a home-cooked meal.

Chinese takeaway is a beloved part of British cuisine – over 80% of Londoners have enjoyed a Chinese takeaway at some point. You’re in very good company! In Barry, people of all backgrounds pop in or call us, eager to try something new or stick with a tried-and-true favourite. We’re a small family-run takeaway on Broad Street, and our goal is to make every order – even the very first one – feel welcoming and tasty. We take great pride in cooking each dish from scratch, with honest ingredients and care so your first Chinese food experience will be one to remember.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to plan that first order, suggest popular dishes and flavours, and explain a bit about what makes our Cantonese-style cooking special. We’ll use “we” and “our” because we’re speaking from our own kitchen – but rest assured, the tips here apply no matter which takeaway you order from! Let’s get started by thinking about what to order and why Chinese food is such a comforting choice.

Why Try Chinese Takeaway?

Chinese food in Britain has a long history. Most traditional Chinese takeaways started with Cantonese dishes adapted to local tastes. Over the years, a wide range of regional recipes have also become popular. Today Chinese food is as much a part of British comfort food culture as fish and chips or curry. In fact, surveys show that Chinese cuisine is considered a major part of British eating out. From crispy aromatic duck pancakes and spring rolls to heartier dishes, Chinese takeaways offer something familiar for everyone.

That means your first order is part of a shared tradition. If you like mild, savoury flavours, we have dishes that feel like the Cantonese cooking you might be used to. If you’re adventurous, we also have spicier Szechuan or Hunan-style dishes waiting for you. And because many Britons love classics like sweet and sour pork or chicken chow mein, we make those very well too. On top of that, our menu includes items you might not have tried before – like salt & chilli chicken or tofu dishes – all cooked with the same care. No matter what you choose, we cook everything fresh to order and hold every dish to a high standard.

Planning Your First Order

A good rule of thumb for a first Chinese takeaway meal is to start simple. Think of ordering as building a balanced meal: one starter to share, one main dish, and a side (usually rice or noodles) for everyone. This way you’ll get a taste of different textures and flavours without overwhelming yourself. For example, you might begin with a crispy starter (see next section) and then pick one main dish such as a chicken stir-fry, a curry or a noodle dish. We usually recommend planning for one main per person, plus shared rice or noodles – our portions are generous.

Don’t forget that many Chinese takeaways, including us, offer set meals or family dinners on the menu. These meals combine several dishes for a set price, which can be a great way to try a variety of flavours without overthinking. You might see options like “Meal A” or “Set Dinner” that include a mix of meats, vegetables, and rice. Feel free to ask us if any set menu suits the number of people you’re feeding.

When you’re ready, you can place your order by phone, online, or in person. We’ll happily explain any dish if you’re unsure. Many people order online nowadays, but a quick phone call lets you customise easily (for example, how spicy a dish should be or any allergies). Keep in mind that Chinese food travels well but is best eaten hot and fresh – so if you order delivery, it will arrive piping hot and delicious. In Barry and nearby areas (Dinas Powys, Rhoose, Sully, Wenvoe), our delivery drivers will bring it right to your door. If you pop in to collect, you can often watch your meal being cooked and grab some napkins and sauces.

Course	Dish Example	Key Benefits
Starter	Spring rolls	Crispy wrapper, mild vegetable filling
Main	Sweet and sour chicken	Balances sharp and sweet flavours
Side	Egg fried rice	Neutral base to complement main

The starter should be light enough to whet your appetite without filling you up. The main dish will showcase a key Chinese cooking method - be it stir-frying or deep-frying - and provide a balance of sauce, protein and vegetables. A rice or noodle side acts as a neutral base, helping you appreciate the main dish’s flavours without overwhelming your palate.

By structuring your order this way, you can gradually build confidence. If a particular element feels too rich or unfamiliar, you still have other components to enjoy. We find that customers who follow this structure often return to add a second main or try a new starter on their next visit.

Starters and Sides to Share

Chinese starters give a preview of what's to come – they’re fun, shareable and let you try something crunchy or light. Some popular favourites are crispy spring rolls and prawn crackers. For example, we offer Mini Vegetable Spring Rolls(8 small rolls) and crunchy Prawn Crackers on our menu. These are very familiar to British Chinese customers: the spring rolls are crispy wrapped vegetables, and prawn crackers are light and salty. Another classic is Crispy Seaweed, a salty green snack that you can munch on.

If you want something meatier, you might try our Hot Mixed Starter. It’s a platter that includes a little bit of everything: hand-made vegetarian pancake rolls, prawn toast, crispy seaweed, BBQ spare ribs and chicken satay skewers. (Don’t worry, you can order the components a la carte too.) Other popular choices include Satay Chicken Skewers or Salt & Chilli Chicken Wings if you like a bit of spice, or Sesame Prawn Toast for a garlicky taste. If any of your guests are vegetarian, there’s plenty for them too: our tofu dishes, mixed vegetables, and Salt & Chilli Tofu are all tasty veggie options.

Sides are usually simple but essential. In Chinese takeaways, the most common side is fried rice or plain boiled rice. We recommend Egg Fried Rice (regular or large) if you want something very familiar, or Yang Chow Fried Rice (a classic mix of chicken, pork and prawns) if you want a richer side. Noodles are another option: our Chicken Chow Mein (stir-fried egg noodles with vegetables and chicken) is a customer favourite. You might also see “plain soft noodles” which you can get with chicken or vegetables. In Barry many people also enjoy potato chips with Chinese curry – yes, really! We always include curry sauce by default for chips. It’s not traditional in China, but it’s a British Chinese comfort-food custom. So if you prefer chips, that’s fine too.

Main Dishes to Try

Now for the heart of the meal. If you like mild flavours, a great go-to is Chicken Chow Mein, which is stir-fried noodles with vegetables and chicken. It’s filling but light. Many of our customers also love Sweet & Sour Chicken or Sweet & Sour Pork. We serve our Sweet & Sour Chicken Hong Kong style (called “咕噜鸡”) on the menu. It has tender battered chicken in a tangy orange-red sauce with pineapple and peppers – a real British Chinese staple. The flavours are familiar to most customers.

If you fancy spice, try Salt & Chilli Chicken (which is hot and tangy with dried chillies) or Kung Po Chicken (chicken with peanuts and peppers). We also do Beef with Green Peppers and Black Bean Sauce, or Roast Duck dishes for something different. Our menu is a mix of Cantonese classics and some wider Chinese flavours. For example, Salt & Chilli Spare Ribs are very popular with customers who like a kick, and we have vegetarian mains like Tofu with Black Bean Sauce that even meat-eaters enjoy.

Curries are another highlight. Chinese-style curry is milder than Indian curry and usually includes potatoes and pineapple in a creamy sauce. We offer a range of curries – Chicken Curry, Beef Curry, King Prawn Curry and even Mixed Vegetable Curry – and they are “rich, warming, and full of flavour” Curries come with rice (or chips) and are great comfort food if you want something like a stew. Many find that the curry sauce poured over our egg fried rice is extremely satisfying.

Don’t forget to pick the right level of spiciness. We label dishes that are hot; if you prefer mild, let us know and we’ll go easy on the chillies. For your first order, it’s usually safest to stick to medium or mild, unless you love hot food.

What to Expect (and What Makes Us Special)

When your order arrives (or when you collect it), you can expect generous portions served in takeaway cartons or plates to keep everything hot. Chopsticks and sauces come on the side. Each dish will have a distinct flavour and temperature, so eat them separately or mix as you like. It’s common in the UK to see our meals as one big sharing experience at home: we often line up all the boxes on the table and open them together.

As a family-run takeaway, we cook each dish just as we would at home – no shortcuts. That means our vegetables are hand-chopped, meats marinated by ourselves, and sauces made from scratch. We want you to taste that honesty in every bite. In fact, we’ve earned a 5-star hygiene rating because we keep our kitchen clean and orderly (you should always check ratings if you can). We also never rush cooking; if something doesn’t meet our standards, we start again. This way, we ensure consistency – your favourite dish will taste just as good every time.

We love it when a customer tries something new and says they enjoy it – it’s a reminder that we’re doing our job right. Many people in the UK consider Chinese takeaway a comfort food, and we agree – there’s a reason it’s so popular. The mix of savoury sauces, tender meats, and fresh vegetables hits the spot. Even if you remember Chinese food from vacations or from dishes at home, the versions here are made with the local palate in mind. That means flavours are balanced to be enjoyable for British tastes (as many Chinese restaurants adapted over time).

Next Steps: Place Your Order!

Now that you know what to expect, you’re ready to make your first order with confidence. Start by choosing a starter (like spring rolls or our mixed platter) and a main (perhaps our chow mein or sweet & sour dish) with either fried rice or rice noodles. Give us a call or use our online ordering system, and we’ll confirm everything for you. We encourage you to try something even if it’s unfamiliar – many of our regulars started with one new dish and now love it. And of course, if you have any questions about gluten-free options, allergens or spice levels, just ask us!

Enjoy this first experience of our family’s cooking. We promise it will leave you eager to explore even more dishes next time. After all, as our menu says, every order is made fresh to order with authentic flavours.