Chang Jiang

Reviews

• Stephen V.

  star star star star star 8 June 2026

  Seven years. That's as long as I've been living on the west side of Madison. That was the year I needed to track down a convenient Chinese go to place. The name Chang Jiang was the name of the very first Chinese take out I found when I  arrived in Madison in 2000, that was the very far east side of Madison.
  Later when I moved a few miles westward I found another place (I'll be writing later about each of these places because I still visit them when I'm passing by.)
  General Tsos chicken is often the item I like to try when I'm wanting to feel a place out. I'm pretty easy going as regards this dish. It's always pretty good, occasionally it's fantastic, but rarely is it cooked poorly to the point of being trash can worthy. Whereas I'm really finicky about fried rice as well as the most rudimentary of Chinese dishes: Chow Mein. To this day I have yet to find a single chef that cooks it the way either of the two Chinese restaurants I ate at both as a child as well as the place that was my first job. Washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant is a great learning experience. I also prepped all the veggies, resulting in being able to prepare onions (in countless ways, and quickly) without shedding a single tear! I'm actually surprised that even when I'm talking to a chef and it comes out that so often they actually are affected by cutting onions still.
  The Gammon Road location of Chang Jiang is owned and seemingly fully staffed by a very nice lady who has been there EVERY SINGLE time I've been there with ONE exception. I think it was either the day before or after this last thanksgiving. Usually there are one or two men doing the chef thing, while she does phone orders, fryer items (such as the awesomely crispy Gen. Tsos Chicken) soups and packing for delivery and pickups. Her kids are often there plugging away at their homework. That tells me something very significant, Asian parents bust their ass to keep their kids from doing stuff that kids with too much spare time find time to do! I'm speaking of my idle and youth and shit I certainly shouldn't have been doing. But at least I survived my misspent youth and didn't get too deep in the deep.
  I've had around half the menu items and I'd not hesitate to suggest trying anything to broaden ones palate as applies to Asian foods! The stuff they serve to the generic American walking thru the doors pales when you discover what they cook for their families, relatives, and friends!
  I was too timid as a teenager to try many of the foods the chefs cooked for their families who would visit after closing time, but at least I was exposed to it. Years later at a different job I became friendly with some workers who were also chefs by night, and they would bring fantastic leftovers from restaurants they plied their true skills! That period of my life I discovered Laotian and Thai cooking!
  And it wasn't the timid downplayed items on the menus, nor was it completely outrageous strangeness that cant be found!
  But I've strayed a bit far. Chinese is the most accessible to white bread folks, and this Chang Jiang is the best of the three in Madison. The second best is the one on the furthest reaches of Madison's east side. The third, doesn't rate, it was not even Chinese I kinda think. Since it appeared to share a rear hallway with a Mexican chain (a place I may have written about before, because I remember writing something about them when I decided to never eat there again) eatery, I suspected that the Hispanic cook at one was cooking at both. Simple deduction will inform the reader of the place I allude to.

• Chazz B.

  star star star star_border star_border 6 June 2026

  Let's be honest, this is a Chinese takeout joint in a Wisconsin strip mall. If you're expecting greatness then you've lost the plot, kid. Is that beef or rat meat? At these prices I think it's worth rolling the dice
  
  I don't think you will be surprised by any of the dishes on the menu but I would avoid the seafood on principle. The dumpling dough is really thick for some reason so if that's your jam then stay away. I can recommend the lo mein. In general the portions are huge and lunch is a great deal

• Stephanie W.

  star star star star star_border 29 May 2026

  I've been here many times, as it is convenient for me. I am a Chinese food fan and I can definitely say, this is one of my favorite's.
  I really like their $5 lunch special and their portions are huge. I always have days worth of leftovers.
  Their staff is really friendly and always have a smile on their face.
  I really like coming here because I know their products are fresh and their cooking is great.
  I like that you can always find parking outside and the little seating area allows for you to wait on your order.

• Krystin F.

  star star star star star_border 29 May 2026

  I grabbed a quick lunch here and I was very pleasantly surprised. I ordered the hot and spicy beef with hot and sour soup. The portion was absolutely huge! The soup was not a full, standard size cup, but still more than enough with the rest of the meal.
  
  The meat had was cooked well and the vegetables were plentiful - although the big pieces of green pepper threw me a bit - but this seems to be a common element of most styles of this dish. There also was a note of ginger that was really awesome!
  
  The spice level of both dishes (soup and beef) could have been better - it was very mild for being listed as "spicy."
  
  The real standout was the fried rice that came with. This dish was not a mere afterthought and actually had flavor, peas, and carrots - it was good!
  
  I would definitely be willing to try more of the menu once I finish my leftovers of course.

• Christina C.

  star star star star star 24 May 2026

  For a Chinese take-out place, Chang Jiang is awesome. I prefaced with "Chinese take-out" because that is very different from authentic Chinese restaurant. So, put your expectations in place before ordering is my suggestion!
  
  They give huge portions. I swear my take-out bag is always many many pounds heavy. I've had the House Mei Fun twice now. Its flavor is pretty yummy. It's not overwhelmingly oily like most take-out places. I've also had the Eggplant with Eggplant Sauce (Yo, I heard you like eggplant amirite?). I'm guessing the eggplant sauce means the sauce in which eggplant is cooked, which is like a garlic sauce. Otherwise, I'll be impressed if the sauce were made from eggplants. The eggplants themselves lacked a bit of flavor, but I enjoyed it anyway. I highly recommend the Kung Pao Chicken. The chicken is breaded and it actually tastes like chicken, unlike chicken from other take-out places.
  
  Side story... I ordered on Eat Street last week, and it was my first time ordering at Chang Jiang. I totally skipped over the tip portion and felt awful about it. So, fortunately the food was good, because before we picked up the food, we had already decided to go a second time the next day to tip extra since we forgot!