Dallas’ Much Needed New Chinese Restaurant Exceeds Expectations With Authentic Food and a Killer Happy Hour

A new Chinese restaurant coming to Dallas brings reason for excitement. Up until now, there were not many great go-to authentic Chinese spots.

But the recently opened Jia Modern Chinese restaurant in Preston Center is exceeding expectations so far.

We spoke with founder Jia Huang about her new restaurant when it was first revealed in a PaperCity exclusive a few months ago. Huang grew up cooking with her family in China, who owned a small restaurant. When she moved to Dallas 11 years ago, she worked at places like Royal China and Highland Park’s Lombardi Family Concepts. But Huang always had a dream of opening her own Chinese restaurant.

That dream came true when Jia Modern Chinese & Asian Lounge officially opened at 8411 Preston Road, Suite 132. in a spot that coincidentally used to house Szechuan Pavilion.

On a recent visit to Jia, a group of us were led upstairs to the upscale lounge. We took a seat on the deep blue couches inside, but there’s also a nice open air patio that offers seating and a view of Preston Road.

Cocktails came first and I tried the Hong Kong Mule. I love a good mule and this one was particularly delightful. It’s a mixture of Tito’s handmade vodka, iichiko silhouette shochu, cucumber juice, smoked ginger ale, lime and fresh ginger. A lychee martini was also offered with Grey Goose Vodka, lychee wine, dry vermouth and house made rose water. I’d definitely come back for happy hour, which runs every day from 4 pm to 7 pm.

Next, we tried some apps including the highly anticipated chicken potstickers, crispy veggie spring rolls, edamame and wok blistered shishito peppers. I couldn’t get enough of the spring rolls, which came with an orange, sweet and sour dipping sauce.

When mains began to come around, I had to make sure to put the potstickers down. There was still a ton to try. We tried the Seafood Delight with scallops, shrimp, fish, calamari, crab stick and mixed vegetables. There was also the Mongolian Beef which was great. And Yangzhou Fried Rice with ham, shrimp, green peas and carrots.

But, it was ultimately the Kung Pao Chicken that won me over. Original and Szhechuan-style with peanuts and green onion, this dish is Jia’s signature for a reason.

Jia Modern Chinese is open Mondays through Wednesdays from 11 am to 2:30 pm, and 4 pm to 9 pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am to 2 pm, and 4 pm to 10 pm, Saturdays from 4 pm to 11 pm and Sundays from 4 to 9 pm.