Nice little placeNot sure about all the ingredients in the Tom yum soup but I was very very impressed. Spot on perfect flavor
Jenn L (Jenn's Teacher Corner)
This is my first time at this restaurant and overall I enjoyed it. We ordered the orange chicken and the shrimp and chicken pad Thai. The orange chicken was very spicy but it was still very flavorful and very good. The pad Thai wasn’t bad but I felt like it didn’t have quite enough sauce because it was lacking a little bit in flavor. We also ordered the crab Rangoon, and that was probably the most disappointing part of the meal. The sauce that they had for the crab Rangoon did not have a lot of taste and the rangoon was just a little dry for my taste. The service was very pleasant and I thought it was overall a pretty good place. I would definitely go there again.
Sally Truong
I have not yet tried any other food here. But Duck is bestseller here which is also my best favorite. I ate duck many places but I have to say that it not easy to find any places around Cary and Raleigh having the best duck like this. It is so fresh, yummy, and crunchy and slight skin. Eating with buns is the best choice. The food often comes out quickly and they give you a great treat!
Amanda K.
The place I wanted to go to tonight was closed on mondays and I didn't realize till I got there! So I looked up places near me and found banana leaf. My friend said he had heard good things about it so we tried it out. I got the chicken and broccoli. It was classic and nothing to complain about. My friend got the curry pork and he said it was good too! I think the only thing stopping me from giving 5 stars is the lack of clarity on the menu. Most items I wasn't sure of, and past the name, there wasn't much to go off of. I saw the Chinese birthday buns and ordered them without knowing what they were. They're so cute!! It's a steamed bun with lotus seed paste inside. I only knew because I looked it up afterwords. It was decent but definitely more on the perfume-y side. If you're into that, you'll like them!
Zarathos
Impeccable Cantonese cuisine that always offers a flavorful adventure in each dish. So many offerings that all exhibit a slightly different twist on old favorites and new to me dishes that never fail to satisfy. The staff are knowledgeable, professional, and courteously affable. I highly reccomend the duck, lobster, and the Grandma style beef! Family owned and operated. A genuine standout and personal favorite of mine amongst all Asian cuisine restaurants in Raleigh and Cary.
Teresa
Awesome place to get great tasting authentic Asian food. One of the best beef noodle soups I’ve tried and the mapo tofu was really good too. The fried dumplings were a nice and crispy.
Kris T.
Great Chinese food. Jason is our waiter and he is very nice.
Lauren McDade
Consistently amazing food!Dine-in & take-out are both great. Friendly staff. Fabulous lunch specials. Highly recommend the Sesame Chicken.
K McMurtray
Two-thirds of our order were a major let down. I'm probably going to throw out what's left over. The spicy beef curry wontons were the best part by far. And, to be fair, and they truly were good. I'm hoping that I just need to find better items off their menu. The portions are great for the price.The duck bone soup had a surprisingly flavorless broth. I bought it as a feel good food for someone with a cold, but I wouldn't recommend it. We didn't like the cuts of duck used either, and that could just be because we're American. But it just wasn't worthwhile.The tom yum soup, which I had the next day, is a house or family style with different cuts of meat and fish. I'd really been looking forward to a vegetarian tom yum, but it wasn't. Also, the vegetables were more cooked than I've been led to believe is the traditional Thai style. And, it had green bell pepper. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area that do a much better tom yum.I hope they have great dishes, just haven't really found them yet, and I probably won't try until a friend wants to take me there to show it off.
Belinda P.
It was just okay. Was looking for something similar to Canton Cafe...it wasn't close... it was just okay.
I'll admit it. I'm a NYer living in NC... There are so many of us, I know, but I really try my best to not be one of those transplants that sits around complaining about how the (Americanized) Chinese food isn't as good down here, but some times I just CRAVE it, you know? So yea, I checked out Banana Leaf on my quest for Chinese takeout in the Triangle and was pleasantly surprised by their food's great flavor and freshness. I got the dry fried green beans and chicken lo mein. Both get two big thumbs up from me. The only reason I didn't give them a 5 star review is because they used regular spaghetti noodles for the lo mein instead of traditional egg noodles. Idk if they were out of them or something, but it was kind of disappointing. Still, overall I recommend this place and will go back to taste more of their menu.
Yiwen Wu
The food was delicious. It probably is the most authentic Hong Kong style restaurant I’ve found in the area. Even my family who generally don’t eat seafood loved their lobster. On top of that, the owner was extremely nice. She gave my 4 year old so many fortunate cookies which made him super happy. We will definitely return.
Kevin C.
This place is standard fare for a Chinese restaurant (with some Asian fusion on the menu as well). There aren't a lot of sit down Chinese restaurants in the area so we decided to give this place a try. On this weekday evening, the place was quite empty but service was prompt and attentive. We ordered the sweet and sour fish which was a hit with the family. My wife was in the mood for basil duck, which is more of a Southeast Asian cuisine, but it came out with heaping large portions and I was impressed. Overall the place didnt blow me away but it was good nonetheless. I'd definitely want to come back and try more of the menu next time.
Cathy C.
Growing up eating Cantonese, finding home styled food was hard after moving to NC from NY. It was refreshing to hear cantonese at the restaurant and seeing similar foods. It satisfies the craving, though I have to honest it is def not the same as NY. This establishment has been around for a reason. Give them a try!
DeAnna Palazzolo
Absolutely fantastic. I ordered the Beef and Chinese Broccoli, my partner ordered the Curry Chicken. The portions were huge!!! We could've ordered one entree and we would've left with leftovers. Both were absolutely delicious. I hadn't had chinese broccoli before and I loved it. I can't wait to come back. I already know that I really want some spring rolls and I really want to try the duck. The amount of food you get v/s what you pay is a crazy good deal. I loved it, 10/10, will be back.
Nice little placeNot sure about all the ingredients in the Tom yum soup but I was very very impressed. Spot on perfect flavor
This is my first time at this restaurant and overall I enjoyed it. We ordered the orange chicken and the shrimp and chicken pad Thai. The orange chicken was very spicy but it was still very flavorful and very good. The pad Thai wasn’t bad but I felt like it didn’t have quite enough sauce because it was lacking a little bit in flavor. We also ordered the crab Rangoon, and that was probably the most disappointing part of the meal. The sauce that they had for the crab Rangoon did not have a lot of taste and the rangoon was just a little dry for my taste. The service was very pleasant and I thought it was overall a pretty good place. I would definitely go there again.
I have not yet tried any other food here. But Duck is bestseller here which is also my best favorite. I ate duck many places but I have to say that it not easy to find any places around Cary and Raleigh having the best duck like this. It is so fresh, yummy, and crunchy and slight skin. Eating with buns is the best choice. The food often comes out quickly and they give you a great treat!
The place I wanted to go to tonight was closed on mondays and I didn't realize till I got there! So I looked up places near me and found banana leaf. My friend said he had heard good things about it so we tried it out. I got the chicken and broccoli. It was classic and nothing to complain about. My friend got the curry pork and he said it was good too! I think the only thing stopping me from giving 5 stars is the lack of clarity on the menu. Most items I wasn't sure of, and past the name, there wasn't much to go off of. I saw the Chinese birthday buns and ordered them without knowing what they were. They're so cute!! It's a steamed bun with lotus seed paste inside. I only knew because I looked it up afterwords. It was decent but definitely more on the perfume-y side. If you're into that, you'll like them!
Impeccable Cantonese cuisine that always offers a flavorful adventure in each dish. So many offerings that all exhibit a slightly different twist on old favorites and new to me dishes that never fail to satisfy. The staff are knowledgeable, professional, and courteously affable. I highly reccomend the duck, lobster, and the Grandma style beef! Family owned and operated. A genuine standout and personal favorite of mine amongst all Asian cuisine restaurants in Raleigh and Cary.
Awesome place to get great tasting authentic Asian food. One of the best beef noodle soups I’ve tried and the mapo tofu was really good too. The fried dumplings were a nice and crispy.
Great Chinese food. Jason is our waiter and he is very nice.
Consistently amazing food!Dine-in & take-out are both great. Friendly staff. Fabulous lunch specials. Highly recommend the Sesame Chicken.
Two-thirds of our order were a major let down. I'm probably going to throw out what's left over. The spicy beef curry wontons were the best part by far. And, to be fair, and they truly were good. I'm hoping that I just need to find better items off their menu. The portions are great for the price.The duck bone soup had a surprisingly flavorless broth. I bought it as a feel good food for someone with a cold, but I wouldn't recommend it. We didn't like the cuts of duck used either, and that could just be because we're American. But it just wasn't worthwhile.The tom yum soup, which I had the next day, is a house or family style with different cuts of meat and fish. I'd really been looking forward to a vegetarian tom yum, but it wasn't. Also, the vegetables were more cooked than I've been led to believe is the traditional Thai style. And, it had green bell pepper. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area that do a much better tom yum.I hope they have great dishes, just haven't really found them yet, and I probably won't try until a friend wants to take me there to show it off.
It was just okay. Was looking for something similar to Canton Cafe...it wasn't close... it was just okay.
Restaurantji Recommends
I'll admit it. I'm a NYer living in NC... There are so many of us, I know, but I really try my best to not be one of those transplants that sits around complaining about how the (Americanized) Chinese food isn't as good down here, but some times I just CRAVE it, you know? So yea, I checked out Banana Leaf on my quest for Chinese takeout in the Triangle and was pleasantly surprised by their food's great flavor and freshness. I got the dry fried green beans and chicken lo mein. Both get two big thumbs up from me. The only reason I didn't give them a 5 star review is because they used regular spaghetti noodles for the lo mein instead of traditional egg noodles. Idk if they were out of them or something, but it was kind of disappointing. Still, overall I recommend this place and will go back to taste more of their menu.
The food was delicious. It probably is the most authentic Hong Kong style restaurant I’ve found in the area. Even my family who generally don’t eat seafood loved their lobster. On top of that, the owner was extremely nice. She gave my 4 year old so many fortunate cookies which made him super happy. We will definitely return.
This place is standard fare for a Chinese restaurant (with some Asian fusion on the menu as well). There aren't a lot of sit down Chinese restaurants in the area so we decided to give this place a try. On this weekday evening, the place was quite empty but service was prompt and attentive. We ordered the sweet and sour fish which was a hit with the family. My wife was in the mood for basil duck, which is more of a Southeast Asian cuisine, but it came out with heaping large portions and I was impressed. Overall the place didnt blow me away but it was good nonetheless. I'd definitely want to come back and try more of the menu next time.
Growing up eating Cantonese, finding home styled food was hard after moving to NC from NY. It was refreshing to hear cantonese at the restaurant and seeing similar foods. It satisfies the craving, though I have to honest it is def not the same as NY. This establishment has been around for a reason. Give them a try!
Absolutely fantastic. I ordered the Beef and Chinese Broccoli, my partner ordered the Curry Chicken. The portions were huge!!! We could've ordered one entree and we would've left with leftovers. Both were absolutely delicious. I hadn't had chinese broccoli before and I loved it. I can't wait to come back. I already know that I really want some spring rolls and I really want to try the duck. The amount of food you get v/s what you pay is a crazy good deal. I loved it, 10/10, will be back.