Delicious food! The fried spicy fish is a must try!! Loved the stir fry (large portion that reheats well). Bok choy was tasty too. I believe it had a garlic sauce to it. We got there early on a weekday so had no issue parking or being sat in a timely manner. The restaurant is pretty small and did fill up quickly so that's something to keep in mind. The staff was attentive and everything came out quickly. Overall great experience and will be back!

The ratings are true -- Cate Zone has been the best Asian food I've had in the city so far. It's a small cafe-esque restaurant on Olive that can be easy to miss if you're just driving by. There's a decent amount of parking out front. There's a medium amount of seating, and service is very efficient. Food came out quickly, and my partner noticed that orders were perhaps brought out based on age instead of first-come-first-serve (we arrived/ordered ~10 minutes before some elders and they got their meal about 5 minutes before we did). I'm not even mad; it feels like a respectable tradition to me, if that was truly the case. Food is intended to be shared family style. You order entrees and such, and they bring out a large communal bowl of rice. We ordered the Hot crispy fish and Cumin lamb. Serving sizes of the protein dishes were very generous (we're anticipating leftovers for 3+ meals). The fish was perfectly crispy and seasoned, although reheating it has affirmed that it's more tempura than fish (would still order again). The cumin lamb felt surprisingly pretty lean and not very greasy/fatty. I love a good la spice but am sensitive about the ma; the ma-la spice combo was so mild and steady that I genuinely enjoyed the dish. They seemed to cut a lot of their skewer dishes toward the end of the menu, but it's still a pretty lengthy menu that's got all the Szechuan classics. Prices are so, so fair considering how much food there was. Cate Zone did not disappoint; I'll definitely be back!

That gentleman there, whose elbow you can see in the picture on this review here... that's my husband's friend, F. This is the friend who knows all the best restaurants. When we all traveled together to Vegas for an esports convention, he had already made reservations for between events at one of the best buffets. One thing you need to know about F is that HE DOESNOTMISS!!! F is my husband's gaming friend, but he's my foodie friend. This restaurant was one of F's picks. If you know F, you know that I could end the review here. But because this restaurant was SUCH an experience, I will provide more detail. The restaurant itself is small, unassuming, warm and cozy. I should have known then that the food was going to be "bussin'", as the young people say. We walk in and immediately sit with our friend. I took a while to pick because there was just so many colorfully presented, amazing sounding options to admire and consider. Looking through the menu in the cozy restaurant filled with fragrant smells passing left and right was pleasant in and of itself. We settled on a few plates, and I quickly received my food. Three words you will never hear uttered in this restaurant, nor mentioned in any other reviews are "small" , "common" or "bland". Every dish we got were all very generous portions, uniquely and skillfully prepared, and vibrantly flavored. I cannot express the experience that this food was. From juiciness to texture to heat and flavor balance, not one dish missed the mark. Actually it was so good that I could picture the chef scoffing at my mark and flicking it dismissively into the atmosphere. Literally, the only thing that kept me grounded was the amount of focus I had to out in to be able to use the chopsticks, because I was eating too eagerly to want to slow down and ask for a fork (also because chopsticks look cool, let's be real). I kid you not, as I ate, I studied (and admittedly, tried to mimic) the many different techniques with which I saw other diners use their chopsticks. I was being that weirdo. Now, a word of warning. Many of the dishes have spice, but oh boy was it spicy in the right, warm and flavorful way! Still, if you're spice-averse, do yourself a favor and pay attention to the little pepper icons in the menu so you don't hurt yourself. I swear, there was this cute couple sitting next to us who didn't heed this warning, I guarantee it. The man was explaining what sounded like biblical history in the most engaging, relaxing, tenured professor type of way, but every sentence or so, he interrupted himself to let out a suppressed cough or attempted to smoothly clear his throat, clearly trying to not draw concern. After some time, he was able to rid his lungs of whatever piece of chili pepper was lodged in his esophagus, incinerating the poor soul's throat. Yeah, try to avoid fighting that battle unnecessarily. For a good five minutes, I tried to remember how to do the heimlich maneuver just in case (spoiler: I've never know how to do the heimlich maneuver). Told you, I'm a little weird. Just know that when you eat here, you'll find yourself saying "thank you, F!" too! Whew, if it weren't for my stubbornness with the chopsticks, I would probably have eaten myself unconscious. And we just can't have that, because if I did that, who would do the heimlich on the professor on his next unfortunate encounter with another chili pepper? Gotta stay ready!

St. Louis has so many great restaurants, and so many great Chinese spots along this strip. Cate Zone stands out as the best. This is some of the finest Szechuan food you'll find, period. Everything is cooked to perfection--I even enjoy eating stuff I typically don't like at Cate Zone. Their chengdu spicy chicken is amazing, the fish in chili oil is divine, I could go on. Simply wonderful food here accompanied by great service. Orders are always on time, you're greeted by a friendly face and the cozy sit-down area is usually buzzing with smiling natives. This place is a St. Louis gem and one that I'll continue frequenting each time I'm in town.

Our favorite Chinese restaurant period.. they offer non spicy food as well so everyone can eat! Highly recommended!

I came here with my parents for lunch and I was stuffed when we left!!!. We ordered the Hot Crisp Fish, Eggplant on Sizzling Plate, Sauteed Vermicelli with Minced Pork, and the Chengdu Spicy Chicken. My favorite was the Hot Crisp Fish. It is as described, but better. It's a little spicy in that ma-la way and I was eating it up! The eggplant was also delicious, make sure you eat it all though because it is definitely not as good as a leftover. The chicken was also pretty tasty! I will definitely be back and 10/10 recommend the food. If my parents like it, you know it's pretty legit. They are both excellent chefs and used to own their own restaurant. FYI - It is a small space and gets packed quickly!

We used to live around the corner and somehow never made it here, I'm not sure why! We heard so many good things about it and how authentic is was, so I was glad to finally make it. I didn't realize that it would be more shared plates, but that's perfect. I love to try so many different things, but try to come with a big group so you can have a large spread!! There are so many things that look good on the menu, many different meat and vegetarian options. My husband got a noodle bowl and I got the fried tofu which came with rice. The tofu was phenomenal, like....the best tofu I've ever had hands down. It was breaded and crisp to perfection. And the sauce was to die for. This place is it. Most unique and delicious Chinese food restaurant in St. Louis and you have to go now. Don't make the same mistake as us and put it off!

All the food was tasty and it was fun sharing around the table. Not much in the ambiance department. Service was good except when I wanted to order the same thing as what someone else had already ordered, she didn't know how to do that? Seemed strange... This is a place I'd be willing to come back to.

Generous servings, tasty and small space! What I went with 2 other coworkers and we got a couple of dishes to share. The triple delight was really good, this had eggplant, bell peppers and potatoes. The mushroom chicken pot was also great! There are potatoes and glass noodles (sweet potato noodle) in this dish. great mushroom taste. The fried fish strips were also really good! This was a big serving! It was like fish and chips without the chips and you get rice... We opt for the not so spicy so it was not spicy at all! I also think they went a little heavy on the MSG... Overall it was great. Environment The space was really small, but they turn around the tables really quickly. Niceness of the staff The staff was quick. Def get your order and get your food in a timely manner. The staff was nice and quick to serve you Dollar For the size of the dishes, it was decently priced! Yes? I am not local to St Louis but I would return here and try some of the other dishes.

Cate Zone is hands down one of my favorite places in STL! If you're looking for an authentic experience, I'd definitely recommend going. Food here is best enjoyed in a group so that you can taste lots of yummy dishes and share the meal family style. We ordered the Chengdu Spicy Chicken, Cumin Lamb, Sizzling Eggplant, Stir Fry Noodles, Braised Pork Belly with Rice Noodles, Mala Tofu, Garlic Bok Choy, and Cumin Calamari Fried Rice. These dishes also came with a large bowl of plain white rice as well. Each dish was packed with flavor and super delicious - it's tough to choose a favorite! If you love spicy food, you'll definitely enjoy eating here. Note - This location is fairly small and can get pretty packed. They don't take reservations and instead it's first come first serve. Going to the restaurant early (ex: 11 AM or 5 PM) is a good way to guarantee a table.