Ding How

This is a favorite spot of two of my coworkers, so I have been here many times for lunch. Their lunch specials are a fantastic deal, with most — if not all — of the dishes being under $ 10. It also includes a soup and a spring roll.
The interior is old and desperately in need of a remodel, or a cleaning, or both. But service has always been fast and friendly, so I tolerate it. Following an eventful morning, we decided to hit up Ding How for lunch. I ordered a Triple Delight with wonton soup and a spring roll. I finished off my soup and spring roll, and ate half of my Triple Delight. This was probably my saving grace.
Hours later, what started out as a headache turned into food poisoning, as I proceeded to vomit out my lunch. A quick text later confirmed that it wasn’t the wonton soup or spring roll since none of my coworkers got sick from it. It HAD to be the Triple Delight. My friends’ suspect that the seafood in the dish wasn’t fresh.
Nevertheless, if I’m craving Chinese food in the area, I’ll be going to Manchurian Rice Company in Harbor East.

Its been several years since I’ve had dine-​in food here, but I’ve gotten takeout from Ding How a couple of times in the past year and it was decent. You can get better Chinese food if you’re willing to drive some but for an affordable lazy meal this restaurant does the trick.

Pros:
+ Tasty food
+ Really low prices (for lunch at least)
+ Large and clean space with ample seating
+ Fast service
+ Good location
Cons:
— Lunch selection is not as wide
Came here for lunch around 12:40 on Monday afternoon. There weren’t many people here, so I was seated immediately. I was immediately brought a glass of water and hot tea, which was greatly appreciated. I ordered a wonton soup ($ 1.75) and kung pao chicken ($ 6.75). They also gave me an egg roll for free.
The wonton soup was good, but could have been a bit saltier, but the wontons (there were 2) were tasty. It also came with deep fried strips of wonton wrappers for dipping into the soup, which were crunchy and yummy.
The kung pao chicken was surprisingly good. It contains chicken, peanuts, Chinese water chestnut, red peppers, and choice of white rice or brown rice (I got white). The chicken was tender and juicy, the peanuts and water chestnut added a nice crunchy and crispy contrast to the soft chicken, and the sauce was savory and flavorful, without being overly salty. The dish is supposed to be spicy, but I actually couldn’t tell that it was spicy at all, though I didn’t really mind.
I like the ambiance of the place as well. It’s never really crowded, and has a very relaxed, casual atmosphere. They play classical music, and it’s just really relaxing to eat here. The servers are all really nice and adorable, and they are very efficient and attentive.
The location is also nice because it’s right next to a Charm City Circulator green route stop (Broadway).
The only reason I’m giving 4 stars and not 5 is that their lunch selection is somewhat limited (they serve Peking duck but not for lunch!) and also while the food is tasty, it’s not the best I’ve had either. Though, since the prices are so low, it’s great value!
Also, I’m not sure how this happened, but my final bill (post-​tax, pre-​tip) was only $ 7.69, even though the pre-​tax amount should have been $ 8.50 = $ 1.75 + $ 6.75. I didn’t notice this until now. Oh well!

Not a huge fan of Chinese food. But this place does the trick when fast and hot food is needed. I never have an issue Parking mid-​week. The service is fair but consistent. They give piping hot pots of Chineae tea with all meals. So good. Good food = consistently served and delicious. I usually get the same order for lunch but it’s ALWAYS consistently HOT and good. I always get what I come for because it tastes identical each time. I appreciate that as a diner. I don’t recommend their dumplings. Very greasy and not much filling. Mostly dough. I like their crunchy little spring rolls. Yum. I also LOVE their soups. Their shrimp with lobster sauce is … Okay. But I have certainly had better. Fried rice here is great. Seems family owned. Always plays classical music and has tons of dining space and tablecloths for dinner service. Not bad for a diners touch! I will continue being a loyal customer.

Food was good. Sweet and sour sauce was tasty. I ordered delivery, which was fast. I liked how they packaged each food item individually. Sauces were in separate containers and not mixed in so the food was crunchy and not soggy at all. They sent extra rice. Portions were also a good size. I want to give them more stars but only comfortable with three right now. May be more stars in an updated review when I buy from them again.

Been waiting over an hour and a half. No food yet. Called over half hour ago & got told it would be at least an hour & rudely cut off without her checking if they had the order though she said they did. If it’s THIS LONG YOU CALL THE CUSTOMER. this. Is ridiculous. I’m HOPING we even GET any food!!! I called again at 1.75 hours: they do have the order, but are waiting for delivery driver to pick it up. I should have canceled it. And: noodle dish without any noodles. Sweet and sour dish without any sweet and sour sauce. And not seasoned anywhere similar. Driver was nice. 2^nd call answerer ok. Cannot recommend. Not sure I’d ever give another try.

Oh Ding How.
Recently went here with 18 people for a birthday party. Here are the pros:
1. FREE HOT TEA! Now this is one authentic goodness they get right. Hot tea and refills.
2. Friendly and enthusiastic service
3. They split cards. For a gigantic party!
The no buenos:
1. Everything tasted the same. We ordered 15 different dishes from vegetarian to meats to noodles, and they all had the same brown sticky sauce on it.
2. Double flavor eggplant… had shrimp and pork in it. Like the mixed bag kind. Still good and thank god I’m not vegetarian and eat like a kitchen sink
3. We ordered the Ding How Duck and only when it came out and we realized it was just a lump of shrimp and pork with maybe sliver of duck in it, our friendly server told us that if we wanted duck we shouldn’t have gotten that since it doesn’t have much duck. Ohhhh really.
Gracias fer ze honesty, but when the folks who run the place tell you not to get a dish, you know something’s not gonna be awesome with the food.
Overall, a fun time with a giant group with friends. But not for the food.

We drove down to fells point on New years day while staying overnight and waiting for our room to be ready the scenery of the water was great and upon walking around there was a lot to see as far as stores and restaurants in the area. We came upon this restaurant and i was in the mood for Chinese. We read the reviews on the door and i looked them up on Unilocal to see if they had any negative reviews. So we decided to give them a try. We ordered carryout because we was not hungry at that particular time but wanted to have Chinese for dinner later that evening. .The food was yummy! My only complaint is i ordered Two shrimp rolls which was extremely on the salty side. We also ordered a crab and cheese appetizer thst was crunchy and very good. .We both ordered the spicy duck with vegetables and jasmine rice.Excellent. .Very good indeed. when you see the outside of the place its not that appealing but dont let that stop you from giving them a try. inside seemed to be busy as well. :)

Ding How is definitely one of the best Chinese food places in the city and it comes at a great price! For under $ 10 at lunch time (and very close to $ 10 any other time of day) you get a decent sized portion of delicious Chinese food.
I’ve especially enjoyed the kung pao chicken and my one friend loves the chicken and broccoli. Nothing is particularly spicy, which can be disappointing especially for an item like kung pao… but the ingredients used are obviously of good quality and that and the price make it well worth a stop.
It’s never been crowded and the service is always super fast when I go. I’d recommend lunch there.

Mediocre/​poor; I live right upstairs at the same building and have tried a bunch of vegetarian items. Wonton soup was okay, hot and sour soup I guess is my favourite so far yet it just doesn’t smell right, but tastes not bad. The noodles are STINKY, I don’t know how to explain it but it smells like they are made in a super old frying oil and toilet water or something. They probably don’t change their pots since they have opened, nor their frying oil (the woman once told me they have been there for 15 years, great success that they have survived with that food and staff). In my last order, I had a HAIR in my noodles so l guess this is the end for me, no more. The staff is not really friendly either.

For an under $ 10 take out lunch ready in about 15 minutes — its impossible to beat Ding How in the area. The food is Americanized Chinese food but not overly greasy. The staff is always friendly, and willing to split the checks by combo item, even for take out. The ambience there is almost stereotypical Chinese restaurant, it’s kept very clean and there appears to be a ton of seating.
I usually get take out, and go with a lunch combo. They have 14 items split into three categories. Category A costs $ 5.25, B costs $ 5.75, and C costs $ 6.25. You get a Styrofoam container with a fried eggroll (small and okay) a serving of fried rice (tasty, not greasy) and whatever dish your ordered. My favorite is the Vegetables and Shrimp, but my coworkers swear by the Kung Pao chicken. You also get the standard packets of sauces (mustard, soy, and sweet and sour) as well as a fortune cookie. They will give you spicy oil too if you ask.
Usually, when I order, the items will be ready in 15 minutes. I think they said 20 once, and I showed up early and it was ready. We’ve also done delivery ($ 15 minimum) and it came within a half hour — but I honestly enjoy the walk, so it was just the once.
To sum things up — Ding How, despite the funny name, offers some serious value options for a lunch spot in the Fells. Lunches are a solid deal and dinner is a bargain too — but this isn’t a case of «getting what you paid for» — the food is solid, though Americanized, Chinese food without the pitfall of being over greased.

I am with great pleasure giving this place 5 stars and a great review. They have a bar inside and reasonable but great orange chicken with fried rice which i am a sucker for. Food was cooked perfect to my liking… I will be back. …

Pleasantly surprised! The meat dumplings, hot and sour soup, and chicken schezuan were great. Shrimp spring rolls and won ton soup were too greasy/​oily. pass. Wouldn’t order the green beans again but they weren’t bad. Delivery guy was super nice, too.

I typically avoid Chinese food as it tends to make me feel ill but I decided to give this place a try after noticing it was votes best Chinese in Baltimore by Baltimore Magazine this year. And I am glad I did! I didn’t get sick and the food was great! Score!
Wonton soup — awesome! Plenty of wontons, nice and salty. Crackers provided. Win!
Scallops and shrimp in ginger sauce — great! Lots of fresh crisp veggies, tender seafood. Flavorful sauce. The scallop/​shrimp with garlic sauce is also very tasty
Chicken Lo mein — so yummy!
Beef and broccoli — I’m really impressed with all the meats and seafood honestly. The beef was so incredibly tender and again, crisp veggies.
Very happy with everything we’ve gotten from here.

I really wanted to give them more stars, but three is all I feel comfortable with– and that’s rounding up.
Walking in, it’s not much. It’s a little before two in the afternoon, and it’s pretty empty. No matter. Good food will always speak for itself. The lunch is decidedly inexpensive. It comes as a special: hot tea, spring roll, soup, and the entrée all for the price of your entrée. Everything is priced between $ 5– $ 8, which is super affordable.
I ordered the wonton soup (an extra fifty cents) and the garlic shrimp and scallops with fried rice. It had the spicy pepper next to it, so I was a bit excited. The spring roll was a spring roll. The wonton soup was piping hot and tasted ok. The entrée was not spicy in the slightest, but portioned well and the veggies were cooked nicely al dente. Rice was just rice. Overall, it was typical fast Chinese food and satisfying enough. It doesn’t blow you out of the water with flavor, though.
Service was nice. I’d consider ordering delivery from here if anyone wanted Chinese, but I don’t see myself craving it.

Stopped in for lunch. Had the sweet-​and-​sour it was ok. The soup noodles were little overcooked the spring roll was uneventful. lunch includes soup, spring roll and hot tea all for under $ 6.55 the interior of the restaurant is very old the seat cushions are very worn. The restaurant has a moldy feeling. Very surprised how clean the restroom was. If you want a cheap mediocre lunch this is your spot. By the way service was very good. But there was only one other table

Oh my gosh yum! My boyfriend and I had had a LONG day. We showed up for dinner around 10, I believe, and were the only people in the place on a Friday night. We ordered tea and steamed dumplings to share. Everything was great. The service was attentive but not disturbing. The tea was nice and hot. And the place was quiet which was fantastically relaxing after the day. I ordered their Ding How Chicken and my boyfriend «wasn’t hungry». This chicken was fantastic, with big fresh slices of peppers, zucchini and carrots in a nice light sauce. I had to fend him off so I had enough to eat! We will absolutely be back.

The Ding How has been around for long time, I’m not sure how it stays in business though — It’s almost always empty. The good news is the food is dirt cheap — especially the lunch specials. Service is fast and friendly.
However while the food always comes out piping hot temperature-​wise the spicy dishes are lacking/​pretty bland by my standards and they didn’t have any sriracha rooster sauce which should be punishable by death at this point.
I recommend Manchurian Rice in Harbor East over this place, it’s more expensive but you get twice as much food and they know to spice it up.

I used to frequent Ding How when I lived in Canton years ago and really enjoyed the food. I am wonderfully surprised to find that there food is STILL delicious. I had the occasion to revisit the restaurant with a large group and despite our size, our group was managed efficiently, swiftly and totally competently by 1 waiter (menus, drinks, food running, order taking, everything).
Service awesome, menu not overly overwhelming with options (a good thing). Standard fare Chinese food menu options but cooked WAY better than the carry outs. The sugary fried concoctions aren’t the gloppy, greasy stuff of your carry out, Chinese buffet, or generic mall steam pan… it more flavorful, crispy, sweet goodness.
I had an appetizer portion of Szechuan green beans (one of my favorites) and Mu shu pork both delicious. Other tasty things tried at the table was wontons and peanut sauce (a winner), fried calamari, steamed dumplings. Winning dinner entrée was the honey fish. Juicy, savory, slightly sweet, piles of orange roughy… no fishiness just perfection
Ding how is far from «authentic» but the food is better than the typical Chinese joints in Baltimore.

Got delivery this time and they were prompt.
The pad thai was quite awful actually but it was our fault ordering Thai at a Chinese place. The rest of the food was mediocre as before.