NoCo’s Best is all about finding the best of the best local food. Each of the top three spots below has been voted as the best by you, the people of Northern Colorado. Because who knows NoCo better than the people who actually live here?

OK, OK, maybe next year we should divide the NoCo’s Best Asian food category into a couple of best of awards to represent the amazing variety of cuisine of the continent that can be found here in NoCo.

But alas, this year, the top-voted Asian restaurants remain the same as it ever was, with three longtime standouts in Fort Collins.

What is NoCo’s Best?

Each year, Townsquare Media Northern Colorado and its family of local radio stations (Retro 102.5, K99, 99.9 The Point, 94.3 The X and Power 102.9) seek the best eats in Northern Colorado. We turn to the region’s residents to make a master list. Then we put that ballot to a vote of the people. From there, our team indulges, eating out and filling up what you said is the best so we can share the inside info with you. Then, we announce the final winners at Townsquare Media’s Taste of Fort Collins. And while the event is in FoCo, NoCo’s Best is about our great region—the best restaurants in Northern Colorado.

Where to find the best Asian food in Northern Colorado

From hibachi grills to longtime grills, cafes and bistros to specialty Thai, Korean and Nepalese, Northern Colorado residents called out a variety of tasty Asian restaurants from Fort Collins to Loveland and around the region.

Residents say these are the three best Asian restaurants in Fort Collins and all of Northern Colorado:

  • Hunan Chinese Cuisine, 731 E. Harmony Road.
  • Sally’s Kitchen, 4727 S. Timberline Road.
  • Young’s Café, 3307 S. College Ave.

 NoCo’s Best Asian Food Finalist Hunan Chinese Cuisine

This unassuming, simply appointed restaurant in south Fort Collins has been serving up scratch-made Chinese dishes since 1997. The keywords there: scratch-made.

hunan to go
TSM Christine Kapperman
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From delicate wonton soup to sauces that aren’t too heavy, eaters get a decisively different Chinese food experience at this family-owned restaurant.

No doubt Hunan knows what it’s doing as the family started in the restaurant business in 1981 and grew to three Nebraska locations. In Colorado, they also have Hunan Chinese Restaurant in Westlake Village Shopping Center at 2028 35th Ave.

For gluten-free eaters, this restaurant makes Chinese food a possibility most restaurants can’t.

NoCo’s Best Asian Food Finalist Sally’s Kitchen

The Google description for Sally’s Kitchen sums up this hole-in-a-wall eatery perfectly: No-frills counter-serve at a gas station serving familiar Chinese dishes for eat-in or takeout.

It’s not the eat-in experience that stands out here. The affordable, tasty variety makes it.

sally's kitchen fort collins
TSM Christine Kapperman
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Sally’s was the secret of delivery drivers and locals in the then-small neighborhood a couple of decades ago. After all, this restaurant is inside the Loaf’ N Jug gas station at Harmony and Timberline.

Well, the secret is out, and even travelers make a special stop at this Asian food spot that covers a variety of cuisines with homemade flair.

Consistent quality, portion sizes and affordability win accolades. But unique items such as avocado fried rice are worth the trip.

Just don’t expect a sit-down experience. Grab it to go and enjoy in an area park.

NoCo’s Best Asian Food Finalist Young’s Cafe

Since 1987, Young’s Café has served up Vietnamese food to die for. For the unfamiliar, the owners describe their dishes as influenced by Chinese and French cooking.

Fresh items fill well-appointed white plates that seem made for sharing. Rice comes separately in a large bowl of its own. It’s family-style (if everyone orders similar items) without being promoted as such.

Bowls and pho are also available, as is so much more with an extensive menu that should satisfy any flavor desire.

Young's Cafe Fort Collins, Colorado, steak
TSM Christine Kapperman
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We chose a veggie-focused dish – bok choy and mushroom sauce – and a steak dish. Dinner did not disappoint with crisp veggies and perfectly cooked steak, all with just the right amount of scratch sauce. Food doesn’t drown here.

Takeout, of course, is an option, but take the time to sit down in the large dining room.

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