China 88

China 88 is the perfect place for you if you want quick New York Style Chinese Food. The family is super nice, the food is delicious and consistent, and I am NEVER disappointed. I love this small restaurant with all my heart and encourage everyone to enjoy it on a weekly basis.

Food has always been excellent and the restaurant is spotless.

Not my favorite Chinese take-​out in Gainesville, but it’s ok. I ordered Moo Goo Gai Pan twice recently. The first time it was fine. The second time the vegetables were partly raw and the chunks of chicken were so thick and tough that I couldn’t chew them.

China 88 is close to my house and always pleases my rumbling stomach. I always order the sesame chicken which is cooked perfectly with white rice, a side of shrimp lo mein, and sometimes crab rangoon. I am a huge crab rangoon fan! They always have hot tea and sugar available at the counter where you order.

I’ve been to China 88 a number of times and at first I felt pretty indifferent to them: they are more or less like every other fast Chinese place in town that you find often in a Publix shopping center. More on the reason all these places seem more or less the same in a minute. However, recent experiences with China 88 have convinced me they’re a couple steps below the typical cheap Chinese place.
Firstly, I went in today planning to order Mongolian Beef which they did have on their menu, but I asked the girl at the counter whether it came with the white fried rice noodles that it is most often served with elsewhere. No, it doesn’t, she replied. And furthermore she told me that «you must be mistaken: Mongolian Beef doesn’t come with noodles». .. no, I am not mistaken, most places it does in fact come with the little white fried noodles. Unless maybe if you get it at one of these fast places. I ordered the Beef with Black Bean Sauce instead. It wasn’t very good at all, overly saltly and gooey. Also, I’d asked for it spicy and it clearly wasn’t.
Also, a Black teenager came in and wanted to order something and the staff seemed very curt, nearly rude, to him. Certainly, it seemed like he was treated differently than white, middle-​aged customers who were also coming in at the same time while I was there. For his part, this kid was very, very polite. I mean, this was like having a seventeen year-​old President Obama in the Chinese restaurant, ok? I can’t say in literal terms the staff was racist, but they seemed at best indifferent and even too busy for him. That really put me off.
Now about these quick Chinese joints: a good friend who has lived in China and speaks Chinese and is dating someone Chinese told me the following: Chinese who desire to move to America are by certain companies provided a business oppurtunity to open one of these quick Chinese take-​out joints at a price and thereby secure not only a business for themselves when they come to the USA but also a visa to do so. My friend said this package is sold more or less as a bundle with all instructions and such included, which would explain why all these place, though under different names, seem to have the very same menus. It would also help explain why they don’t, and probably can’t, do Mongolian Beef the way I requested it. Just try going into one of these places and ask to tweak a recipe beyond removing a certain item or such: they’ll just look at you with this haunted look. It confounds them apparently because they are not prepared to depart at all from their standard bag of tricks. I’ve tried this at other Gainesville quick Chinese places and only one (the one at the Hunters’ Crossing Shopping Center) has been happy to be innovative with a dish. Others will act like they don’t understand or argue with you.
I can understand the noble desire to get ahead and to move to a nation where dreams can come true, but for someone to just open a restaurant because they want a business and not invest much time in learning about food is wrong. Just because I am white and grew up in the South doesn’t mean I can just open up a BBQ joint and it will be great and just because you’re Chinese doesn’t mean you know how to cook Chinese food. Gainesville lacks good Chinese restaurants which is a real shame but I won’t be back to this one and I probably will avoid the rest of its ilk too. If its owner or any other wishes to dispute what I said, that my friend told, about how these businesses come into being, please educate me if something else is the truth. .. I kinda doubt it though.

The young female who takes my order knows what I always get. I once went months, it had to be about 4 months or so since I last visited, and she even remembered I didn’t care for the egg roll, and gave me a drink cup instead. That’s quality service, in my opinion. I like that they’re open later than other stores in the area that close early. Consistently tasty food. Good pricing. I wouldn’t call it the best Chinese food in town (I won’t name who I think is best in this review), but they’re plenty good and very close to where I live, so I always come here. 4-​stars for very good take-​out Chinese food.

I would describe China 88 with the term «cheap Chinese». It is your typical take out Chinese restaurant that does have a few tables if you want to eat there, but I would really not recommend eating there. This type of food is enjoyed much better sitting on the floor in front of your TV. They have a wide variety of your typical New York style Chinese dishes which are not bad, but nothing great, but just right for the price. One of the things I really like is their Hot and Sour soup which you can get for $ 2.95 for a quart and it is almost enough for two meals.