Lily and Frank Chao immigrated to the United States in 1981 with the dream of opening their own business. When the two arrived in Durham, North Carolina, Frank noticed that much of the food from Asian restaurants in the greater Research Triangle Park area lacked the texture, technique and the overall sophistication of traditional Chinese cooking.

Frank, who studied fine culinary arts in Taiwan and Korea, and his wife, Lily, opened the Mandarin House restaurant in an effort to mend this culinary gap. The Mandarin House quickly became one the largest and most beloved Chinese restaurants in the area.

In 2000 and after many years of daily hard work, Lily and Frank decided to close the Mandarin House in order to downsize their workload. The two opened a smaller, more intimate restaurant known by all as Eastern Lights. Loyal patrons, who were deeply saddened by the closure of Mandarin House, were thrilled to learn that they could find the same wonderful dishes they loved at Eastern Lights Chinese Restaurant. But, not all things remained the same.

Frank and Lily wanted to expand their culinary repertoire by offering traditional Hot Pot and Grill at Eastern Lights Chinese Restaurant, the only establishment to do so in Durham and Chapel Hill. Hot Pot and Grill incorporates traditional Asian ingredients with modern equipment. We provide a large selection of meats, seafood and vegetables and our customers provide the special touch for each meal by selecting the content, flavor and texture of the dishes. If you have not tried Eastern Lights Chinese Restaurant’s Hot Pot and Grill or any of our other fine dishes, then you must come in for a true culinary delight.

Eastern Lights Chinese Restaurant is one of the best Hunan restaurants in the Durham, North Carolina area.

Call us today at (919) 403-3650.