Best Taste of China

What happened? Are they closed now?

They got rid of their $ 5 late night specials. Now those samr dishes cost $ 9. That was the big appeal of this place and that was reason why I accepted its flaws. Take that away and I dont have any motivation to have a meal here.
Dont get me wrong — the food is still delicious and authentic. They have improved their service and now accept cards with no minimum. Is it worth a near 90% increase? Dont think so.
Really sad about this change. Guess im sticking to Rowland Heights for my chinese food fix.

Terrible Food, Terrible Service. Me and my boyfriend was looking for a restaurant that does delivery because we didn’t want to leave our place. We were very pleased that we found this restaurant and placed an order immediately! The eliminate delivery time was an hour and 40 mins but we thought that fine. Than its been 35 mins after the eliminate delivery, so we decided to call the restaurant to find out what’s going on with our order and lady told me that she was going to call me back with more info but she never did, not to mention the tone in her voice sounds extremely rude. 10 mins later the man came with our food and once we opened the door, he gave us an extremely dirty look than rolled his eyes than looked away. I went to go get the money and he followed me into the house which wasn’t called for. I decided not to give a tip due to the attitude I was getting from the lady on the phone and the attitude from the delivery man plus they were late but when I paid him, we walked out of the house and with his back turned towards me he said «NEXT TIME, KNOW THAT THE PRICE OF THE FOOD DOESN’T INCLUDED THE TIP! HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY THE TIP NEXT TIME» Well excuse me, first of all the tip is optional. You give a tip for good serviced and I wasn’t pleased with their service at all! Also instead of forcing a tip upon people, maybe they should just charge people for delivery!
Let’s talk about the food now. Once we opened the box the food was completely cold and the house was less than 5 mins away. We ordered «spicy» for the chicken and it wasn’t spicy at all, plus it was pretty dry. The soup taste horrible, and the noodles was hard.
I’m sorry but we won’t ever order from this restaurant again. The service was terrible and the food doesn’t make up for it.
If you’re looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Mira Mesa, I highly suggest Hong Kong BBQ & Dim Sum. They are always smiling and their very nice! The food was very food and was cheaper than this place. I didn’t think it was going to be that great due to the look of the restaurant but it ended up being great experience :)

We stopped in on a Friday night around 745p and the place was packed. There were a couple tables available but they just weren’t clean.
You pretty much stand around all awkwardly until one of the staff members you think acknowledges you, but really doesn’t, and you continue to just stand there — AWKWARDLY. So really, you have to go up to the counter and let them know you’re dining there.
We sat and waited… And waited… Then a little old lady plops down 2 sets of menus and another server brings water and tea. There’s really no explanation and the menus are pretty extensive. There are specials on the last page of the larger menu, but what I learned is that you have to ASK for clarification and DON’T assume.
The server didn’t come back to take our order for another 15 mins, and when asked the difference between the 2 menus she said «one’s New York style». Ok, what’s that supposed to mean? I suppose it meant Americanized Chinese food ?
Anyways, we opted to order from the main menu — salt and pepper pork chops and house chow mein. Rice is separate ($ 1.50 pp or each order). The orders did take a while to come out due to the craziness of the restaurant along with take-​out orders.
Both were super greasy. The pork was good, but super fatty and oily. The oil was seriously dripping down the corners of my mouth. The chow mein, as greasy as it was, I enjoyed it. Needed more soy sauce for flavoring, but easy to remedy.
Don’t expect stellar service, just good greasy and fatty Chinese food. They have super late night specials (after 9p), so next time we will order items to-​go after 9p.
Total with tip was $ 30 for 2 people. Oh and that’s with a beer also!

This review is for my visit last month.
Honesty is the best policy. Hungry for a midnight snack I decided to try this restaurant that I have had bookmarked for quite a while. The other Unilocalers are spot on! Veritable hole in the wall place that you would never think to stop by to visit.
It’s great for a late night visit there is ample parking and out lot of empty tables to choose from I’d check the menu and there are specials for different times of the day. There are lunch specials dinner specials late night specials, delivery options. You get the idea. The did was… ok.
The owner was pleasant enough. What really sets this place apart is the honesty. The owner rang me up and had charged me extra for my rice plate. I left and was none the wiser. He literally had to chase me down in the parking lot, stop me at my car, then handed the money back to me to repay me. Glad to see that there are business owners acting with integrity.

The food was terrible, took forever for delivery and was boiling hot. There was no flavor in the general tso’s chicken. They charged extra for white rice. I will never be ordering food again from here. **Please beware**

I don’t ever write reviews but this food was so horrible I felt the need to. The sweet and sour chicken and the general tso’s chicken that I ordered was all dark meat and I almost choked on a chicken bone. The food is also extremely greasy. More than the typical greasy Chinese food. The entrees also did not come with rice and certainly were not worth the 10 dollars each I paid for them.
I ordered using the eat24 app and I selected cash as payment thinking that it would not be an issue to use a credit card once I got there. Well, it was. Charging my credit card for my 47 dollar order would require a call to the manager and since the woman at the counter saw that I had cash in my wallet she insisted that I use it.

todays order was great and full of flavor. spicy Mongolian beef with tons of onions.
Salt & pepper chicken wings with bell peppers and onions, not like the national city kind but definitely full of msg.
spicy beef chow fun was slippery and oily just the way it should be.
overall great meal, price is just like all other dine in places and portions are perfect.
we ordered togo and even though our delivery was over an hour late food was still steaming hot!
late delivery was apparently not the restaurant fault, but ill forget that since the food was great. (maybe thats the MSG talking?)
i will return, maybe for lunch specials, cant wait to try H&S soup!

I should have read the other reviews before we ordered from here.
Cons:
I waited at the counter for 5 minutes waiting to pay for my take-​out that was sitting at the register getting cold. Apparently the conversation the workers were having was more important than working.
Either they forgot to give us rice, or our entrees didn’t come with any.
The food is disgusting.
Pros:
None.

Sis and I tried their late night AYCE hot pot few months ago and we REALLY loved it.
It’s priced normally $ 16.99/pp but after 10p, it’s only $ 13.99/pp (I thought we went at 9p but I just called them to confirm and the lady said 10p).
The offering is similar to what you get at Little Sheep but alot more simplistic and not as much stuff.
«Late Hour Hot Pot Buffet Special: $ 13.99 each person. No extra charge for any of four soup bases. Lamb, beef, pork, fish, shrimp, fish balls, and fresh vegetables.»
We chose the original and spicy soup base. It’s probably not as authentic as Little Sheep but who cares at this late hour when you’re eating it and it’s AYCE.
The original broth didn’t taste as herbal and medicinal as we had hoped (but at least they added goji berries!). And the spicy half was just ‘ok’ — a decent amount of heat but that was about it.
We ordered:
— fish filet, fish balls, mushrooms, shrimp, pork, beef, and enoki mushrooms
— bean thread noodles, tong hao vegetables and cabbage
The fish filet was incredible. Not fishy and it cooked beautifully. We really enjoyed how the beef and pork were more chunks/​strips vs the thinly sliced version at Little Sheep.
Shrimp was ok but didn’t taste as awesome as we had anticipated.
But the fish ball was incredible — it was stuffed w/​a wonderful pork mixture that I fell in love with.
The veggies were fresh and plentiful.
They gave us a CRAZY amount of food — you don’t leave hungry.
Would we come back — heck ya. It’s completely worth the $ 13.99/pp after whatever hour. But I’d also pay the full $ 16.99 for this AYCE and I’m cheap.

This is the old «China Chef II» with new owners. I ordered my favorite dish from China Chef II which is the spicy boiled fish and it was just absolute horrible with the new chef. The soup had no taste and was VERY bland. The spices they used were very different as well and did not have that numbing kick as well. I just ate it to fill up my empty stomach. It must have been pretty bad because almost everything tastes good when I’m hungry, but not this time… a big disappointment. I will not be returning here for my favorite dish at least…

This is not your typical restaurant experience. If you are here looking for service and interesting interior design, turn around.
but if you’re willing, come on in and let this small modest group of humble and friendly people share their collective years of chinese culture through food and flavors.
The food here reminds me of the best times of my childhood. From spicy pan fried chicken to mapo tofu, every flavor reminds me of the range and variety that chinese cuisine offers. Lip numbing spice is the best, playfully poisoning your mouth and enhancing every taste bud. My favorite’s the spicy diced chicken.
After 9PM, everything’s at $ 5. Unbeatable.

Been here 3 times now. The first time for late night, so it was only $ 5 a dish and I was pretty impressed and happy. Second time for dinner, not as impressed. So had to come a third time (last night) before making the final call.
My overall opinion: food is way to freaking salty and service sucks. Prices are reasonable, especially during the late night menu. Flavors are ok, as long as they use half as much salt. And wish their service was more responsive.
Not much else to say. It’s not blacklisted or anything, but I wouldn’t suggest it.

My parents and I used to frequent this place in the past, the food was really good back then when they just focused on Szechuan style. They recently changed management and also chefs. The food is completely lackluster now.
It’s an odd mix of Szechuan, Cantonese, and Shanghainese food. They can’t do any of it correctly.
The cold appetizer bar used to offer delicious selections, both veggies and meats. But when I went last week, only the marinated cucumbers and cold sea weed dishes were good. The meats tasted stale and just plain odd. We also had the spicy boiled beef which lacked spice and any flavor. We tried the stir fry pumpkin, taro, and lily… the lily was missing and replaced with bell peppers: P.
Anyways, bottom line. Food is below average. Service was pretty nice, the waitresses were friendly towards the Chinese and non-​Chinese speakers alike. Prices are decent. Everyday there is a different «special priced» item, buy one regular priced item and the special item will be from 3.99 to 5.99. I saw on the menu there was salt and pepper fish, sweet and sour ribs, and some other things I can’t remember now. After 9:00 there’s a lot of half price items, which I’m sure the college students would appreciate.

I love this place, mostly for their super cheap late night menu! From Mon-​Fri after 9pm they have certain items on their menu that you can get for just $ 5! I went a few days ago with my new roomies and it was so crowded. I guess I wasn’t the only one looking for cheap late night munchies. The portions are appropriate for how much you pay. I especially liked Chef Gao’s special tofu. I believe they lightly fried the tofu and slathered it in this really yummy dark sauce that made the regular fried tofu into an awesome mix of yummy goodness. I was really disappointed with their dan dan noodles though. I wouldn’t order it again. I was also really looking forward to trying their black bean fish fillet but the waitress told us they ran out of fish. I’ll definitely order that next time.
Speaking of which, our waitress gave us the worst service ever imaginable. And no, having a Mandarin speaking friend come along DOES NOT help. My poor Chinese friend tried to be the hero and translate for us but our waitress completely ignored pretty much everything my friend said throughout the meal. She seemed frustrated and annoyed and I honestly still do not know why. But hey, it’s expected from a Chinese eatery. we all see it all time. Don’t deny it. Plus, the food is really good! I’m already planning on coming back sometime this week since it’s just right down the street. I’ll just order take-​out and accompany the food with a good movie at home. Problem solved!

Mmmm I love their salt & pepper spare ribs! It’s partly because they’re delicious, partly because the ribs remind me of home. Either way, it’s $ 10.50 during dinner time and only $ 5.50 (!!!) when I went today after 10 PM. The portions USED to be big (big enough for a meal + 4 – 5 meals of leftovers), but they’re now suddenly NOT (small enough for a meal + 2 meals of leftovers). They are small for $ 10.50, but generous for $ 5.50, if that makes sense.
Good for late night, inexpensive, satisfying food. Heat up the salt & pepper spare ribs in the toaster oven for deliciously crispy leftovers!

Looking from the outside you wouldn’t expect this place to be great. People may pass by and think that it is a downplayed version of Panda Express.
However, to my surprise this place isn’t bad at all.
First time I came here with my parents and they really enjoyed the place. My parents are pretty picky about their chinese food and for them to like the place means that it is authentic.
3 cup chicken: Delicious! It’s not overly salty and the pieces of chicken don’t just contain bone but have good amounts of meat on them. The 3 cup sauce is spot on and taste homemade. One of my favorite things here on the menu.
They usually have $ 3.99 specials where if you purchase a regular menu item you get to choose one of their specials. We had the steamed chicken with green onion sauce. You get about half a chicken for only $ 3.99! What a steal.
They have late night specials that start at 9pm Monday-​Friday. Good amount of menu items ranging from beef and chicken, soup, and even steamed xiao long bao. I have tried many dishes and all of them are flavorful and come with good portions. Some are more oily than others but hey that’s what makes good chinese food. Cash only if you do the late night specials.
Come back again? For sure when I am hankering for some good chinese food late night.

I have not eaten here personally but my boyfriend has and he was very adament about me writing a review. He said this is the WORST Chinese food he’s ever eaten.
Him and his buddies ordered take out and the food was disgusting.
In his words « Unilocal them babe, so nobody EVER eats there again»

After they’ve changed from China Chef II, I’m not all that excited about this place. Everything is less spicy than before. The boiled spicy fish isn’t as flavorful and the cold spicy chicken is pretty flavorless.
The garlic eggplant is better than before though. I think I’ll come back and try the hot pot since there’s no other hot pot places in the area.
I think I’d rather go to Spicy City for the other sichuan dishes though.

I guess this place changed management and it’s now called Best Taste of China instead of China Chef II.
I first heard about this place from a classmate. He brought some spicy chicken in for our potluck and I was super curious as to where he got them. He told me he made the batch he brought in and you can’t really find it anywhere because it requires special spices from China which he hardly ever makes. The only reason why he made it is because he recently got back from China and brought some of the spices to the states.
Anyway, sorry for that side story but he told me where I can get some and he told me to come here.
When I first walked into the place, it was kinda small and there was only one guest eating. I guess nobody really knows about this place since it’s hidden. It’s basically a hole in the wall. I’m glad I came and checked the place out because the food is pretty damn good. The spicy chicken with the red hot chili peppers was 10x better than my classmates and I couldn’t stop telling myself how good it is. Freaking hot as hell. Haha. I like spicy food so I didn’t mind the level of spiciness. Mmm. Reminds me of the chicken from Spices II in SF.
So glad this place serves it. I’m pretty sure I’ll become a regular here just ordering this stuff. Beware though, it’s almost $ 8 just to get it.