China Inn

I used to get takeout here often when i worked in Port Arthur. Haven’t eaten here in years and really glad we stopped in! It was a Saturday, so no lunch specials available. We had egg rolls, crab Rangoon, and we split an order of General Tsos chicken. WOW one meal is enough for two and we didn’t eat it all! Everything was delicious, fresh, and seasoned just right.
Nice to see they remodeled. It is very pretty and relaxing.
We will definitely be back

I used to LOVE this place and when I traveled back to SETX from Austin my mom and I would always go to China Inn. Unfortunately since Sam took over again they took our favorite dish off of the menu. Imperial Chicken was AMAZING and now it’s gone. I really hope they bring it back. Fried rice isn’t as good lately either. But the egg rolls are still the best you can get anywhere. Please bring back the Imperial Chicken!

I’ve been coming to China Inn for at least 20 years (since I was a small child). I remember the old building and the main owner who is now passed away. It is now owned by his son, but still the same service and food. Can’t go wrong with China Inn, just plain great chinese food. Excellent for groups.

It’s a nice place to eat but at times it needs a little more umph in the kitchen. I have never really had a bad meal here but I have had some that needed a little more seasoning. Having said that I have no problem recommending the place. Some of the food is very good. Last night I had Pan Fried noodles and the meat and veggies were good but the noodles needed help. Some noodles were in a big clump and crispy an some were a bit soggy, mushy. My wife had the Tofu with veggies which was good but it was served with a rather salty tasteless dark sauce. The Tofu and veggies were great but were held back by a rather bland sauce. I think this place could be one of the better places to eat Chinese in the area but it’s the little things that are killing it. Will I return? Oh you bet I will. Like I said, some things are great. My wife is Chinese and an excellent cook. This is where she likes to come when she wants a night off. That’s a pretty good recommendation in itself.

Came here on Saturday because «Sam is back!»
For a party of 6, we ordered 2 orders of the fried chicken wings, the special wonton soup, spicy scallops, pan fried noodles, and the salt toasted porkchops.
The porkchops and the wonton soup were just how we remembered it to be. The fried chicken was bland and our spicy scallop dish literally had only 5 pieces of scallops.

We’ve been back to Sam’s a few times since he opened, the service has been excellent and the food every bit as good as the old days.
Fly on Sam.

I guess the BIG local news is that «Sam is back» in the kitchen and the crowds have flourished into the place.
My family informed me of all the soap opera and changes since I no longer live in the area… and being it was a birthday event, we decided to drop in on a Saturday just as lunch time began. so we beat the crowds.
Overall, the food quality was good and as my parents exclaimed. back to the original quality if not better. The Port Arthur area has many culinary experts, but only a few can translate it into a consistent restaurant quality that people enjoy. Many come and many fall, but according to my family China Inn has regained the SETx food swagger with everyone.
Our orders were:
— chicken fried rice
— Kids noodles
— Happy Family
— Beef w/​Broccoli
— Mo-​Shu Pork
— Crab Rangoons
— Firecracker shrimp
— Garlic Chicken
— Pineapple Shrimp
— tea, water, soda, etc.
Overall, everyone was pleased with the meal and their portions. The Firecracker shrimp were something new and they were okay, but not sure if I would order them again.
I tasted many of the orders… we are a sharing family and the portions are large. Personally, my «spicy» Garlic Chicken was not spicy at any level and it seems that the large pieces of chicken were slightly over cooked. The centers were not really moist and the flavor was missing mostly. Were they previously frozen or just too thick for the cooking, so they played it safe and over cooked them? I am not being a «Debbie Downer» on China Inn… I just would not order it again.
Some great takeaways was our waitress Alexa. She was prompt on the drink refills and courteous to everyone (all 9 of us) at our table. We kept her busy and she stayed on pace. Alexa was honest with her opinions of the menu choices and personally knew how most of them tasted… that’s a big deal and big positive for Sam and his place.
I am not a fan of always eating Chinese Food, but I give it a fair assessment and if the locals like my family really appreciate and can tell the difference in the vast improvements… then I know they have had some concerns for a long time.
Let’s hope Sam stays and Sam keeps SETx a «Happy Family» [pun intended]. Maybe if I eat here more often, they’ll get 4 stars overall from my review, but right now, China Inn is on the right track.
Welcome back Sam.

Really happy that Sam You has taken over ownership of the restaurant. We’ve really missed him over the last several years.
It’s great to see that most of the original recipes are back. A few are new and updated, as well. The quality of the food is great again, thanks to Sam’s attention to detail. The prices are reasonable, with lunch costing about $ 10 with a drink.
The restaurant looks great! Everything is repainted, the inside was professionally redecorated, the flooring was replaced and the parking lot entrance has been repaired.
Service is a little rough at the moment, but that’s because they’ve got a number of new servers. So be patient. I didn’t deduct any stars, since getting the restaurant working smoothly doesn’t happen over night.

I’ve eaten at China Inn since I was a kid. Always loved the Mo Shu Pork. Last night we ordered to go. For almost ten bucks, there was only about a half serving in the container and tasted like they had cooked it in syrup. Um… I think not. Greasy egg rolls and bland shrimp fried rice. Well, China Inn, for the past few years your food quality has been lacking. This did it for us. We won’t waste our money there again.

Had dinner here. Not impressed. Mongolian beef smelled funny. Prices are higher 9.79 for small dish of meat… Will not be returning

We enjoyed a nice lunch here and the best part is the very reasonable price. $ 6.50 each for the lunch special which has several choices. I enjoyed the «Happy Family» choice very much, while another member of our party had the Kung Pao chicken (a little spicy) which was very tasty and done perfectly. The server was very friendly and did a good job. Parking is adequate, and there is additional space at the business next door. We will definitely go there for lunch many times in the future.