Dee Yi in Exeter - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

The food here is disgusting. And we wait for a lllong time like 2hours for the chicken!!! Never go there again

Abusive Staff and EXTREMELY Salty food!!! Recently visited the *self-reviewed* I mean alleged “4.2 star reviewed restaurant” and could not have expected such an appalling service. After complaining that the food had rocks of salt, the likes of which was chewing on fresh sand from Exmouth, we were hit with a barrage of insults and excuses, received from the pot-bellied woman who clearly hasn’t eaten healthy and normal traditional Chinese food since she left China as to how it was our fault for not liking how much salt was put in it. We then again tried to push through this mountain of salt and after both our table and the ONLY other customers complained again about the poor quality ingredients used - we were all forced to pay on the spot before we had finished our meals and were told to leave as ‘WE HAD BEEN THERE FOR TOO LONG’ even though it took them almost 2 hours to make 3 basic Chinese meals. This ruined the already DEAD atmosphere in the restaurant and left us shocked as to how rude and unprofessional this was. The giveaway for this restaurants cuisine should be the run-down environment , dark lighting as if they are hiding how the food looks once it arrives and empty seats/ tables everywhere with a huge number of fake positive reviews where the best experience observed was not running into the greasy and fat waitress serving everyone. To any locals or students thinking of trying this back shop by the bins restaurant, I’d highly recommend avoiding it as there are many other local Chinese restaurants will offer you great food/prices without a barking dog of a waitress at your neck or such poor quality foods being served and pushed as being your fault for not enjoying the main ingredient of Oil! Good luck to your husband cooking the food in the back - I hope you let him see the sunlight soon enough and don’t bark at him in the future whenever your customers try to talk to him.

I've recently changed to Dee Yi after terrible service elsewhere and I'm so pleased I've found it. The food is great and the service is excellent. A good clean waiting area, service with a smile and fantastic prices. It really is easy to give good service and these guys do it perfectly whether it's takeaway or eat-in.

Just had lunch with a friend what a fabulous meal we had the 2 person shared option have ended up bringing some home the duck was fantastic & the pork/beef/crispy chicken dishes were also really tasty & couldn't fault any of it would highly recommend the lady serving us was delightful friendly & nothing too much trouble this would always be my first option now for Chinese food whether eating in or takeaway.

Nice Chinese restaurant. That restaurant its very old inside but personal and food its amazing. We can recommend in 100%%%

Went here last night for food with some friends, the lady who served us was lovely, the food came quickly and was absolutely delicious. Traditional Chinese beer was also fantastic. Would highly recommend.

Tasty food, good portions, friendly service and great value for money.

Great service, had a take away there, and they were lovely, great food, much better that standard British pallet stuff.

The food is amazing and lovely staff. Couldn’t recommend enough.

The price is not too expensive,I always take away from here.

Order from here all the time, food is always spot on, very friendly staff always tastes good, always consistent and I find for the price to portion ratio This is the best around in Exeter, salt and chilli chips & chicken 5/5 ✌🏻

Amazing traditional Chinese food, the szechuan sauce and the BBQ ribs are delicious, highly recommend 👌

Cheap but good food. Staff was very friendly during our wait time for the food. Its most likely I will eat from them again. Really enjoyed the food. Portions are good as well!

Love the food here, whenever we are in Exeter we visit. Not the most ambient experience but you can’t fault the food. Will be back soon.

The food was very salty, the chif didn't admit it, quickly took away the poor food, and took away all food while we were still eating, yelling at us and threatening to call the police if we didn't pay( but we did not finished our meal. The environment is also very poor and there is a smell in the restaurant.

Absolutely disgusting All the food smelt of old oil and arrived cold. The hygien needs to be checked aswell. I’m glad I’m not ill today. Crispy duck just awful

Ordered a Chinese takeaway at 5:30 pm a special chow mien, Szechuan beef, and sweet & sour chicken balls. Chow Mein was packed with meat, and king size prawns with lots of delicious sauce, beef was tender and chicken balls perfect. Delivery was quick and on time! Great prices, cheapest by far, definitely returning!

I don’t have the option to choose other months so clicked on October. I’ve kind of walked past Dee Yi restaurant in Exeter for many years. What a Miss!! My son used to play water polo at the Pyramids Pool almost opposite the car park Dee Yi is near. Never paid the place much attention only reason being I was trying to get my son to his swim classes. Turns out missed out. Recently after a car crash I lost my confidence driving and didn’t replace my car for a few months so googled best Chinese restaurants in Exeter that delivers. Found Dee Yi. Honestly I’m kind of addicted. I know palettes are specific to individuals but the flavours of Dee Yi food are so my style! Love the big chunky onions, peppers, king prawns, squid… I love the simple flavours coming from chillies or garlic. Mostly natural. Authentic tasting. So little corn flour and sugar as normal in most “Chinese style” dishes. If I have one complaint it’s that the flavours are slightly salty for my taste, but still utterly delicious!!!! I cook with very little salt. Otherwise I recommend this hidden gem if you’re looking for something different in Chinese food in Exeter. The free delivery and prices of dishes an extra bonus! Recommend! M.

Delicious!! We went here twice during our 3D2N holiday to Exeter. Food was absolutely amazing. Generous portion. Tasty. Price wise is very affordable compare to other restaurant. Service was great though they can be a bit slow when they had many orders line up. We went for dinner. The place was not crowded but many online orders. The only downside is that the restaurant does not have baby highchairs and is not wheelchair accessible.

Consistently good food (one of the best Chinese in Exeter), however delivery service aweful. Food often over 30 minutes later than expected, even if we order 2+ hours in advance.

Close to car park. Great food and very good prices. Staff very nice. Good menu choice. Not rushed to leave so could sit chatting over coffee. Reccomended.

The food was disgusting! Just tasted of refried oil. Had to bin it. Had the Aromatic duck which was overcooked and smelt unpleasant. The Chicken was so pale looking and bland. Hence the Pic's! I can't believe allowed to run a restaurant with food like this

I am so disappointed in my first order. The Chicken curry was bland and pale looking 🤔also tasted of refried oil. Nothing aromatic about the duck, it was overcooked. I can not believe this is an actual restaurant. Hence to say will not be ordering again or recommend

Always like the food. Amazing taste, no msgs and really enjoyable and good value. Still my fav Chinese in Exeter. My favourite Chinese in the exeter and district area. Great home cooked food and seems a much higher quality then others I have had. Great wide menu and great specials.

牛腩雖然賣相不太好，但是味道及火侯是我在英國吃過最好，比倫敦的御寶軒(Imperial Treasure) 更好。價格合理！

I've got Chinese here for years but never taken the time to make a review. This has got to be the nicest Chinese in Exeter.... but this evening made it even better. The food is by far the nicest in Exeter (Either delivered or the restaurant, I collected mine this evening) the staff are absolutely exceptional. I've had quite a few items off the menu and it's all been good. Never had a bad dish from here! I could not recommend this Chinese enough 🤤🤤 I would leave pictures of my food but I've eaten it. So have a menu picture instead 🤣

Best food I had in long time at a good price top marks

Ignore the unprepossessing exterior, this is great food served at a reasonable price. Visit/eat out with confidence.

Food was great and the best value you'll get

Hidden away with a small entrance, it’s deceptively large inside. The food is excellent and very reasonably priced. Highly recommended!

Great food well cooked but the service unfortunately disappointing you wait to long for food to be served staff should be trained to take the cmient to table asked for order and bring order for each individual table

Best chinese in Exeter and the UK in my experience, generous servings, delicious food. We've been going here for 7 years, never had a bad meal.

A real mixed bag. Some amazing dishes. Satay chicken with home made sauce and sweet and sour chicken were delicious. The restaurant itself was in need to a real make over/ major clean. The carpet was very sticky and ladies toilet was unusable.

Recently visited venue with my sister and we both thoroughly enjoyed the food, it was amazing, true Chinese cuisine and delicious. However the restaurant decor was a bit basic and the waitress didn’t always understand our requests due to language difficulties. Additionally no napkins were provided and we had to ask for them. Water was provided in near pint size glasses which was a bit strange. Otherwise the service and dining experience were good and the staff very friendly. Recommended.

Beautiful food and lovely service

The worst Chinese you could ever go to. These reviews must of been the wrong place or fake. The food tasted off. There was no taste. The woman was rude. Once I said I would pay for the starters and not the mains as we didn’t eat the chef came out with a kitchen knife in to the street!!!!!! DO NOT GO. The place looks awful to I should have known better but went off reviews.

Amazing food, lovely staff and atmosphere definitely be returning lovely place to eat in and I’m sure the takeaway is just amazing.

Tried for the first time last weekend amazing food will be coming back!

Great food with helpful friendly staff.

7 of us had a meal here on 7th April & what a meal !! Amazing food ... very tasty & served piping hot. Very comprehensive menu to cater for all tastes. Service was very efficient & there was no long wait between courses. Would highly recommend & we will be visiting again soon.

Absolutely awful after reading the reviews me and my partner tried it and worst Chinese I've ever tasted was no worth £32 Absolutely taste less and when there was taste it was awful like it was burnt

Amazing food, great service - 10/10

Great food, helpful staff and convenient location. Best Chinese food I’ve eaten in years. Many of the Chinese students in Exeter go to this restaurant. Highly recommend.

Excellent food probably one of the best Chinese meals we’ve had in Exeter , service good and overall very reasonably priced with prices going up everywhere, will return again.

Great food but long waits and check that they give you that right meal before eat

Ordered a takeaway to collect which wouldn’t be ready for one hour after ordering. We arrived on time and the restaurant was in chaos. Both in house diners and take away customers had been waiting ages for their orders. No explanation or apologies given. We waited over an hour for our food, with no offer of a refund, explanation or apology. Will not be returning

Many people think that Chineese food is the stuff you pick up from your local Chineese take away. With a name that is so cheesy. However this is the real deal, a lot of Chineese people come here. You hardly see an English soal there. They are always friendly. Hands down a great place. Just has a take away after driving down from Barnsley and it was great. The crispy beef is great.

Great Chinese food. Great service. Leisurely meal. Great value for the quality of genuine Chinese food.

Am still waiting to collect my order having phoned it through nearly 90 minutes ago and being told it would be ready in 40 minutes. Whether it dates good or not, the moment has passed. The restaurant is also a flea pit.

Best Chinese food in Exeter. Have used for many years — whenever guests visit from out of town they are always impressed too :-)

Went for dinner, crispy duck for starter was fine. 2 different Mains of chow mein were awful. Strange after taste no veg, tasteless meat & weird gravy sauce - didn't resemble any chow mein I'd ever had before.

The food was delicious, almost every dish we ordered was 10/10. The more traditional items definitely outshone the English Chinese food. We will be returning to try more traditional food, tumour has it there is a Chinese menu.

Price cheap, food well cooked and flavorful, portion generous.

Quite basic decor. Was not busy so no real atmosphere. Food was very good so would go again. Friendly waitress and good service.

It was my first experience eating Chinese food, so I can't comment on the quality of the food, but they were tasteful. The place is average nothing special about it, however, the price is so cheap.

Lovely food in this local restaurant popular with Chinese students.

This is a little Dimond hidden near my home, I walked past it for 3 years, and can’t believe I never tried it before. Food is good, the place is quiet and relaxing. Every time I have been there eat in or take away it’s always good.

Lovely food, friendly helpful staff. Would recommend.

Excellent service, a very varied menu and COVID awareness . An enjoyable meal - nice ambiance.

The food here is proper restaurant quality, with takeaway price. Overhead that the owner is the chef so you can really taste the difference. It does get busy but well worth the wait. Not a problem at all though since we enjoyed the ambiance & excellent service. Would rather keep it a secret so we can still get seats the next time we’re there, but that wouldn’t do it justice! What an amazing hidden gem.

Our first visit after a gap of about 10 years. Good menu, excellent quality food, and very reasonable prices. Staff helpful and certainly not at all pushy. We could have stayed all evening. Highly recommended.

Good food! Just it could be more than 2 pineapple slices for the price in my opinion :) Everything else is fine!

Go in and sit down, beautiful food,lovely staff,good price.love this place.

best fried tofu we've ever tried 💖

Very authentic Chinese cuisine, I, an international student, deeply feel the taste of hometown cuisine. In addition, many dishes are also combined with the tastes of the British, which are authentic Chinese dishes that are worth tasting in the local area.

Dee Yi was always a really good Chinese and we both enjoyed their food, unfortunately today was the last time we will be eating there. The food was awful the takeaway dishes were half full the rice was like pudding rice and it was all totally tasteless. Very very disappointed.

Super tasty food, don’t let the exterior of the Restaurant put you off, looks great inside, but most importantly, the food, bloody lovely. A Takeaway for 7 of us, so lots of different dishes for us all to have a try of. Friendly staff too. Will definitely be going back again

Amazing service, fast delivery, hot food, good portion and good price, very tasty! It was raining so hard but he was so patient waiting for me to collect! Will definitely recommend and go back for more 💜

Generous portions. Food is hot. Be prepared to wait, it seems to be a popular takeaway

We've always enjoyed coming here. We enjoy the lemon chicken or sweet and sour and when we returned three days ago, all these things were still true. We were served speedily and the food was very tasty. These are the important things! The service has...

Delicious food but the interior needs upgrading.

What a hidden gem. Side door into a very small quiet restaurant and very busy takeout on a Monday evening. Food was superb as was the service. Would highly recommend.

Outstanding Chinese food, authentic and delicious! Good value for money and attentive service. Highly recommended, bit of a hidden gem!

As usual wonderful Chinese food. Very quiet so service very fast.

what a shambles of a place. looks terrible outside, run down and exposed interior lights not fitted properly, hanging off exterior wall in all weather. theyve had a leak inside the door for around 2 years with a bucket on the floor. if you look around the back into the kitchen it looks discusting! the air vent is clogged with black grease that runs down the wall onto the pavement. I WOULD NEVER EAT FOOD FROM HERE!!!

Great food, excellent service. Our new go to place

Just popped in for a lunch which was £5.50 for a main course with a soft drink included. We also had a couple of banana fritters at £1.50 each. All fresh and nicely cooked. The lady serving us was very friendly and able to advise...

An absolute hidden gem. The crispy beef, kung po pork and duck in plum sauce are sensational and great value - get them with plain rice to soak up all the delicious flavours. Granted this place doesn't look like much from the outside but the inside is fancy. I've recently moved away from Exeter and this is what I miss most. I'm going to stop writing now because I'm getting weirdly emotional about Chinese food and it's probably not healthy

First time in Exeter and found this on trip advisor looks nothing from the outside but was amazed - Best chinese we’ve eaten fresh and full of flavour

We moved to Exeter just over a year ago and after trying most Chinese takeaways and finding them really bad we found Dee Yi. We wouldn’t go anywhere else now. It’s always hot, plenty of it and normally very quick to arrive. Can’t fault them.

I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. The food is always absolutely delicious, arrives hot and the portions are incredibly generous. It's so good that whilst we have our 'usual' favourites, we are always happy to try something new and are never disappointed. The service is great, the staff are incredibly friendly and the meals arrive in excellent time. Honestly, this is our number one choice for takeaways and we are so excited to be able to book a table here when lockdown finally lifts. Particular shout out to the duck fried rice! Five stars is not enough

Decided to find a Chinese that wasn’t on JustEat after a disappointing meal a few weeks ago at a different restaurant and we are so glad we did! Dee Yi’s food was delicious and everything we ordered was perfect. Lady who took our order was...

Worst takeaway ever. I think all the good reviews we read must be for a different place because what we received was horrid. Food was obviously frozen and grim. Don't get takeaway from here

Horrid, tasteless frozen food. Literally the worst Chinese takeaway I've ever had (and I used to live in Okehampton).

The worst chinese takeaway I've ever had. Buffet city is better than this! It was all frozen stuff. Chicken satay- tough and tasteless. Spare ribs- tasteless clearly been frozen. Spring rolls flavourless. Didnt eat it. Will be taking it back for a refund.so upset- we...

I agree that the outside of Dee Yi is not the smartest and the decor is not posh but the food more than makes up for this. Portion sizes are generous and the food is authentic and very homemade. We went for Set Menu C...

Visited Dee Yi on my lunch break. Lovely, friendly and helpful staff that serve you with a smile. The atmosphere was relaxing and the food was sensational. I would highly recommend this hidden gem to anyone!

Never judge a book by its cover. The Dee Yi doesn’t exactly look appealing from the outside but is able to compete with some of the nicest Chinese restaurants in London. We all really enjoyed a wonderful dinner

Great takeaway, yummy Chinese food. We tried to order for delivery but they said they were so busy (Monday night “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme in the restaurant) they suggested we should collect our food to be able get it sooner. Absolutely no problem...

The worst sit down Chinese I’ve ever had the food was terrible avoid like COVID 19 I had a table booked for half 7 got seated at 8:30 then had 2 wait another half hour for my food even tho the took my order at...

I understand that the restaurant has been closed during lockdown however it has been open for a while. I wanted to order some soft drinks however, they didn't have many soft drinks available. The food was adequate as was the service. The restaurant was empty and looked basic not just the inside but from the outside as well and could have done with a refurbishment really or be modernised. Maybe ok for a take away but as for eating out with your partner, family or friend? There are better places.

Dee Yi is a hidden gem! Highly recommend! I have been to Dee Yi for over 7 years now since I first came to Exeter for my masters degree. You can always expect delicious food from chef Nick. He never lets you down! My husband who’s British absolutely love his food. A few very delicious Chinese dishes I would recommend to everyone - Yu Xiang aubergine (all of my British friends love this fish btw), sweet and sour chicken, Pi Pa tofu, prawn toast to name a few. Don’t be put off by the shop’s front. Their Chinese food are the best among all Chinese restaurants in Exeter!

I'd give a -5 star review if I could, worst place I've ever ordered from. I thought this place would be good because of all the amazing google reviews, turns out they might be fake. I was asked to wait over an hour for my order, despite living a 2-minute driving distance away (I would have gone out if it wasn't for the virus), but I thought that's fine, they might be busy. After that time has passed, I called for an update, and according to what has been said to me, it seemed like my order was supposed to have been delivered already, and they said they will call their delivery guy. Not happy, but it's not entirely their fault I suppose. 10 minutes later, I called again, turns out they have done absolutely nothing and has planned to do absolutely nothing about it, WOW. And then they asked me to wait another 40minutes. If they happen to be on time, that would be a total of 2 hours of waiting. This is not acceptable, not just because of the waiting time, but also their horrific service and zero sense of responsibility. DO NOT try this restaurant, it's not worth it! There are so many other local businesses as better options!

Great place, with amazing fresh flavors and at a good price too - something that’s rare for Exeter! I would definitely recommend they have more online presence and update their Facebook with more appetizing photos and better decor inside - the chef’s photos and poor translations sell the food a bit short! They have an amazing product but don’t market it as they should! I would recommend maybe having some photos taken of the food :) Main takeaways for people looking to eat here: - the food is tasty, unpretentious and at a good price. - the people are also lovely and respond better if you go up to them to address queries, they don’t linger around you like in some restaurants. - don’t let the decor put you off; think of it like your grandma’s house. It needs a lick of paint and some updating but it’s still a lovely cosy environment to be in! Main takeaways for the restaurant: - update decor - maybe some fresh white walls, minimal decor so the environment feels more fresh and inviting - maybe have brighter lights to have a nice atmosphere inside during the day - have someone come in and update your social media and photos; I would be happy to do this free of charge as this place is a real gem and I don’t want it to be overlooked :)

Went here a few times good place ok.prices tasted pretty good.

We visited as a group of ten for a birthday celebration. Once you get past the tired exterior, the restaurant is dated in decor but it is warm and roomy as long as it’s not full which it wasn’t when we arrived. The staff are...

The place needs decorating. I had salt and chilli ribs to begin with, they were ok. I then had a Singapore chow mein for my main course this was bland and had little taste and no heat / spice. Disappointed as it has some good write ups on trip advisor.

We have used this restaurant on many occasions and have never been disappointed. The food is outstanding, highly recommended!

Yo y cuatro amigos fuimos y disfrutamos de una comida juntos para celebrar el cumpleaños de uno de nuestros amigos. La comida era excelente, el personal era muy amable, atento y servicial, y no tuvimos que esperar mucho tiempo para comer. El menú era extenso, muchas opciones. Aquí comen muchos chinos y la mesa está puesta con palitos chinos, ¿por qué no probar sus habilidades?

Great authentic chinese food (if ordered from the chinese menu).