China Taste

The only thing I have had worth eating here is lo mein. Their spareribs are awful as is their broccoli and beef. I dare not stray to other menu items.

The rice isn’t that great. But everything else on the menu Is AMAZING!!! The food is always so yummy. The owners are very friendly. I hope one day they will deliver but I don’t mind pick-​up it’s so worth it. I just wish their rice didn’t taste like it was drowned in soy sauce. Other than that it’s worth eating here!

I came to this restaurant with low expectations because I knew it was an Americanized-​Chinese food place. This was one of only two restaurants near my Family Medicine preceptor’s office, and since there was no lunch provided that day and I had not brought my own lunch, I wandered into the plaza with China Taste across the street.
Since I knew I was having hambone soup for dinner, I opted for more Asian-​style food for lunch instead of the sole other dining option (Italian).
China Taste is a very simple restaurant with a few highlighted items in a picture menu above the cashier as well as a printed, complete menu at the counter. There are a few tables/​booths for dine-​in patrons, but it is clearly intended as a takeout place. When I approached the counter to peruse the menu, another customer was just leaving and was asking the employee how to say «goodbye» in Chinese; it was very amusing to hear her attempt 再見 [zai4 jian4].
I spent a long time poring over the menu to find the least Americanized dish possible, without too much luck. I ended up settling on pepper beef from the lunch special menu, since it came with an eggroll or soup. After ordering, I asked whether I needed to specify my choice of soup from the three options (wonton, egg drop, hot and sour). The cashier lady said, «oh, you want soup? You can have either soup or an eggroll.»
Of course I wanted soup! I am Chinese, she is Chinese; this should have been a no-​brainer, lol. I told her wonton soup and then paid and took a seat at one of the booths. I decided to dine-​in since it was so cold outside.
It was nice of the employee to bring water and plates/​utensils to my seat, even though this was clearly more of a takeout place. She did commit faux pas #2 though when she only brought me a fork and a spoon; I had to kindly ask for a pair of chopsticks.
My restaurant ratings are primarily influenced by the quality of the food though, and even though service was pretty friendly, the food was just mediocre. The wonton soup was rather plain, and the wonton skin and filling were nothing special (granted, it was a complimentary lunch special soup); at least it was hot. My main dish ended up being beef with onions and BELL peppers (in my mind, I was expecting black pepper beef). It was a bit too salty of an entrée for me, but tolerable when eaten with rice. However, the rice came served on a plate with the beef (mistake #3)! I ended up scraping all the food into my empty soup bowl and eating the dish out of my bowl, which felt so much more satisfying.
In all honesty, this place isn’t really that bad for an Americanized-​Chinese food takeout place; I’m just not the target audience. But given the three strikes detailed above and the so-​so food, I stand by my rating of three stars.

Great food. Fried scallops were just ok. And the curry shrimp with onions needed more shrimp.

The food is not traditional Chinese food but is Chinese-​American as expected. Therefore, I rated it 3 stars for that reason in regard to the food and the service is good as well. If you like greasy Chinese-​American food? This is the best one in town and better than any in Richmond. Remember to keep it business like when visiting location as they lack interpersonal skills.

Reliably tasty shopping center Chinese. Favs are the curry beef and fried dumplings.

This is the only Chinese place I’ll go to! I would say we eat here about every other week. I have tried many things here everything is always great. I call in for take out and it’s always ready in five to ten minutes! Very friendly family owns it and the place is very clean! Do try this place.

I’ve really enjoyed China Taste since they came to Varina. The owners are very friendly and they run a tight ship, clean throughout the store. I’ve tried many of the menu items and really like the Mu Shu and rice noodle dishes. The fried rice is a little unorthodox but quite tasty. This place is a regular in my rotation.

Great food! My wife and I frequent them for take out. Just don’t eat inside, they focus more on the quality of the food than the cleanliness of the dining area.

We love this restaurant. It is rare for a teen to say… let’s get Chinese. This is the only place our son will eat ANY oriental. It is THAT good! Thanks China Taste!

This is a fairly new Chinese restaurant in the Food Lion shopping center on New Market Rd. (Rt. 5). I’ve stopped in a couple of times for takeout and I have to say they are so nice and friendly. The food is very tasty and the décor is modern and very clean. Their service is very fast too. They really do aim to please. I would highly recommend them!