Short Stop: Peter's Chinese Makes Denver's Best Sesame Chicken

Denver's dining scene is better than ever — and we're hungering to go out. So we're serving up Short Stop, with recommendations for places that should definitely be on your culinary short list, from old favorites to newer additions. This week, order the sesame chicken from Peter's Chinese.

What: Peter's Chinese

Where: 2609 East 12th Avenue

When: Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

For more info: Visit peterschinese.com

About the place: There's a wide range of restaurants serving Chinese fare in Denver, from dim sum favorite Star Kitchen to dry hot pot at Yum Yum Spice to the Sichuan specialties at Noodle Express. And one Chinese eatery was recently among the state's nine Michelin Bib Gourmand picks: Tommy Lee's Hop Alley.

Long before he opened that RiNo hot spot or his first eatery, ramen joint Uncle, Lee's very first restaurant job was working the counter at Peter's Chinese, which has been open in Congress Park since 1985.

Owner Peter Chan is one of many "uncles" in Lee's life, he told Westword in 2013: "It's a term-of-endearment title that the Chinese use to bestow respect upon their elders, even if they're not blood relatives."

Chan is basically an "uncle" to the whole neighborhood. "He’s been a staple for almost forty years, and comes with all the disgruntled charm of a classic Hong Kong neighbor," says Lee, who remains close with Chan. "Peter is charismatic, explosive, funny, offensive, intelligent and loyal, all in the ninety seconds it takes to fire off an order of sesame chicken."

The restaurant is small, with just a handful of tables, all of which are set with those paper menus that list the signs of the Chinese zodiac that are found at countless American-Chinese restaurants across the country.

You can nearly always find a place to sit inside Peter's, though, because most of its business is takeout. In an age where online ordering is the norm, you still have to call and talk to a person to place an order here — and if you don't get an answer, it likely means the place is slammed and trying to catch up.

A dizzying number of people rotate in and out on any given night, grabbing bags packed with food to take home, and deliveries are made by employees instead of a third-party app.
What you're eating: While we love more traditional Chinese fare, as well as the modern takes being served at spots like Hop Alley and Meta Asian Kitchen, there's something about Peter's crispy, sweet-sauced sesame chicken, an American-Chinese staple that has a lasting appeal.

At some restaurants, there's more batter than chicken in every bite, or the chicken is tough and dry. Some slack on the sauce, adding too little or making it cloyingly sweet. Sometimes the dish is just straight- up bland; other times, the texture is more mushy than crisp.

But Peter's does it 100 percent right. "That's what we're known for," said a young employee the last time we visited. And for good reason: Here, the sesame chicken maintains its crunch — even when you save half for later and end up eating it cold from the fridge at 1 a.m. The sauce is sweet, but balanced by a subtle, underlying heat.

"The 'secret' is the double fry on the chicken and the sauce basically becoming a caramel in the wok, which keeps the chicken crispy and not gloppy," Lee says.

Admittedly, not everything at Peter's is a hit. Lunch specials ordered between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. come with an egg roll that leaves a lot to be desired, and there are much better iterations of hot and sour soup in town (opt for the egg drop if you're in the mood for something warm and brothy). But Peter's does right by more than sesame chicken.

The scallion pancake is a customer favorite. The egg foo young (only available on the dinner menu) is another nostalgic go-to. If you want to balance out your fried entree with something a little lighter, opt for the stir-fried green beans or the super-saucy and flavorful garlic broccoli.

Another thing we love about Peter's: the prices. Lunch specials range from $8.25 to $10.25, and the portions are large enough for two meals. In the evenings, you'll pay a few dollars more per entree, but even then, this place is a damn good value.

And when you visit, there's no extra fee for a bit of banter with Peter himself.