Went there on Christmas to get some chow mein, looked at menu price was 9.95. but when they rang me up the total was 14.99. I questioned the price I was told it was Christmas prices. Of course I told them that no where on the menu or in the restaurant did it say that prices were raised due to Christmas. They didn't care, since I already paid with a card, I had to wait. What a disaster I waited 40 minutes for just a side of chow mein, while waiting I heard glass being broken in the kitchen, lots of yelling. When I finally got my chow mein , went home opened it and it was a horrible sight. 4 very small pieces of chicken 2 thin slices of carrots, and 1 slice of the green from a spring onion. The noodles were sticky, cold and had no flavor. This place is the worst Chinese food in Cotati. They've had health safety issues, people have gotten sick from the food. DO NOT EAT HERE.. I posted this on Nextdoor, and have had 8000 responses from other people who have had the same or worse experience as me. China Chef, is the worst Chinese food restaurant in Cotati.​ read more

Ordered chicken and vegetables, combo fried rice, hot sour soup and pot stickers. Fried rice was dry with little flavor. Vegetables were way over cooked and soggy, very very salty sauce, and the soup just didn't taste right, maybe to much fish sauce. Pot stickers were the only thing worth eating, which is why I gave this one star. read more

I was very pleased with all of the tasty vegan gluten free dishes we had. The service was quick and considering the large group we had I commend their staff and chef for their excellent service. read more

I would give zero starts if it was possible. This place is disgusting. Never had I had an issue with Chinese food, until we tried this place. The food is overpriced for what you get. All the sauces were thick and gelatinous with no flavor and had a funny smell. Ordered chow mein, fried rice, orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken and white rice. They didn't give us the rice. We ordered takeout, and after trying one bite of everything had to throw everything away because it was so bad. A waste of $100. read more

I don't know what happened to this place but I can't go here anymore, the last couple months have been terrible, we order once a week and it's been terrible lately I'm so sad cause they were my favorite! Super bummer I'll give it some time and try again eventually I hope they recover :( read more

Ordered take out last night and I have not been so disgusted by food as I was in this case everything was stale and tasted like it had been dipped in shit the food was nasty the quality was sooo bad everything tasted gross no one could even finish a plate cause it was so terrible read more

I'm really sorry to have to leave a review like this at all--but especially at this difficult time. We love the food and have been coming here for a long time. Before I walked into the restaurant to pick up our order today, my husband and I agreed that we were not going to use the 20% coupon we brought with us because we wanted to give the full bill to them right now. When she brought out the box of food, she repeated the list and said "4 orders of egg rolls." I clarified, "4 pieces or 4 orders?" She said that she had asked me twice on the phone to clarify that, which was a lie. That absolutely did not happen! I'm an editor by trade who deals in details. If she had spent the time to clarify with me, we would not have had the issue. I don't think I would be anywhere near as upset as I am if she hadn't walked into the back room and started complaining loudly to the rest of the staff about "4 pieces vs 4 orders." At least, for the time being, we won't be coming back. read more

Very bad! Wor wonton soup had one piece of shrimp and one of chicken and was overloaded with salt. Fried rice was over cooked and gummy and after a search of the whole container, I found two cashews in the cashew chicken but dozens of string beans-awful! Pot stickers were full of pasty flour so not sure they were cooked through. $30 into the trash. read more

We ordered lemon chicken which looked nothing like the picture and had no lemon flavor at all just pure sugar. The orange chicken had no orange flavor as well and looked nothing like the picture. Both orders had only 2-3 pieces of pineapple in with the chicken. read more

China Chef in Cotati has delicious food, generous portions, great prices, pleasant service, a varied menu, and a nice heat range--that is to say, the mild dishes are very mild, but when you want hot and spicy you get good and hot and spicy! Whew! Excellent hot and sour soup. But what earned the 5th star is the way they went the extra mile to make sure the vegan and meaty dishes didn't get mixed up, in our takeout order, with separate boxes for each. So considerate! We'll be coming back often. read more

food was terrible. $92.00 spent for New Years Eve and the food was terrible. Such a bummer. we will not be back.

Mac and I LOVE Chinese food. We're always looking for good new places to try. So we stopped into China Chef for a quick (and hopefully healthy) lunch. What we got was pretty damn inedible. If you check my Yelp reviews, you'll see that I RARELY EVER write a negative review. But I'm sorry...this place needs one. Just to warn other people, so they too don't waste their money. But before we get to the "food"...let's talk front-of-house. This place was dead at lunch time. Which should have been my first clue. We called out to the person we could see in the kitchen, and after ignoring us for a while, she finally came out with a "Whatchu want" attitude. (I think this was the owner.) I swear she must have picked up on the vibe that we were about to bounce...because she kept us waiting and only came out after being called to a few times, and my partner saying "Do you want to go someplace else?" -I should have said YES! Instead, we took a seat. I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken lunch special, with Fried Rice, and Sweet & Sour soup. My boyfriend ordered some sort of beef dish with "oyster sauce" (sure it was...NOT!), steamed rice, and won ton soup. This is what we got: * Won ton soup = a naked bowl of watery broth with two sad little won tons floating around like they just died in the bowl. * Hot & Sour Soup = REALLY GROSS thick [read: mucousy] "soup". I've had Hot & Sour Soup many times before, at many other restaurants. This was just a no. * Beef with Oyster Sauce = So bad Mac just wouldn't eat it. Let me explain the significance of this...Mac will eat anything. He doesn't complain. He's a plain Joe with minimal needs. He told me he felt like puking. And I'm pretty sure the Oyster Sauce was the same disgusting gravy that my food was smothered in. * Kung Pao Chicken = SMOTHERED...DRIPPING...GOOPED ON...AND DROWNING IN NASTY GRAVY. IMHO Chinese food should never have "gravy". Kung Pao Chicken should be lean, and light with chili peppers. This was pretty much just whatever the hell they felt like serving us. Panda Express is fine dining compared to this place. * Steamed Rice was fine. But that's kind of hard to mess up since it was probably made in a rice cooker. * Fried Rice was pretty gross and had nothing whatsoever in it. It was literally just rice that they then fried in oil. * Fortune Cookies: STALE! Bad enough for us to not eat them. We have LOW STANDARDS when it comes to fortune cookies. These still didn't make the grade. Upon glancing up at the red promotional lanterns courtesy of Tsingtao Beer, and noticing that they're from 2015 "Year of the Goat"...some part of me wondered if these fortune cookies were also from 2015. Seems possible. Seriously. Did I mention that at some point in our meal, the owner strolled through the dining area, with a bag of raw meat (looked like ox tails) and stored them IN THE DINING AREA!?! WTF??? I'm pretty sure this is a health code violation. I kid you not, I heard what sounded like a chest freezer or refrigerator that was on the other side of the little partition that separated two areas of the dining area, but was still CLEARLY PART OF THE AREA WHERE CUSTOMERS ARE SEATED AND EAT! When it was time to pay the bill, we whipped out our phone with the 20% off discount advertised on Yelp for checking in. The owner didn't want to honor it at first, but then did when we explained that it was the reason we came in the first place. She then complained to us about the bills and expense of keeping her restaurant open and running. So seriously...I get it. Life is tough. Bills are hard. But part of having a great dining experience is the service and front-of-house experience. This was oppressively hot, and stuffy. We had to ask her to turn the fan on, and to her credit, she also offered to turn the A/C on...and since it was in the middle of a heatwave...that seemed like a good idea. DUH. We took pretty much everything we ordered back home for the dogs. On the ride home, the STINK of the food was actually getting to us. After enduring all of this...guess what...THE DOGS WOULDN'T EAT IT. Let me say that again...my DOGS wouldn't eat this. Mac suspected that this was really all just out of a can and reheated. I think he might be right. Ugh! We came STARVING. And found the food to be so bad that it killed our appetites. We didn't touch the food. And weren't hungry for HOURS afterward. Not because we ate anything...just because that food was so NAUSEATING. Never going there again. EVER. read more

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Nice people, but the Mongolian Beef smelt and tasted like it was rotten. I drove two blocks down and bought another order from a different chinese restaraunt. Pot stickers were descent, but bland. Nicely cooked. I bought based on the online website menu, but when I picked it up it was $7 higher. read more

Used to love this place because they offered gluten free options. However, the last few times have been terrible! Not only is half the food cold, most of it is different versions of meat with different sauces slapped on it- not even cooked! Ordered walnut prawns- the prawns were almost frozen and had a clump of sauce on them that looked like cake frosting, gross! Pretty sure my food wasn't gluten free since I got sick - I was pretty disappointed seeing as it used to be our go to place. Definitely won't be eating here again unless something changes. read more

Food was terrible and service was also! We couldn't eat the food!! Orange chicken and fried prawns.

Lisa and Fong are the sweetest people ever! My friends and I came for a short lunch break on our trip and had such an amazing time. All the food we ordered and given was absolutely the best, from the fried rice to fried fish and of course the dumplings, which I highly recommend! This was honestly the best Chinese food I've had too so I will most definitely be coming back soon. If you're in the area and need a little break or some food definitely give Lisa and Fong a visit!!! read more

We've been going here for years as this place was introduced to us by a dear friend who recently passed away. But the past several take-outs have been way overpriced and now I will have to ask for a detailed receipt before I leave. I'm usually pretty casual when ordering from a place that I know and trust but the owner is quick to just take your credit card and be done with it. No more of that, if I ever go back there again. read more

Everything is fresh and very tasty. Many vegetarian options and organic produce used when possible. Fantastic place to eat!

This place is horrible lady is a con artist when you pay with a card she over charge you by at least 2-3 dollars food is bad portions are not worth the price at all when you order soup is never filled to the top read more

Late delivery. Soggy orange chicken. Potstickers, shrimp etc are all small, low quality and falling apart. Not thrilled.

Raised all prices up a dollar so menu prices are not current and food was just ok besides noodles not cooked all the way still vary firm and soup was like water no flavor read more

Lisa, the owner, and her staff are very kind hearted and it shows through the food. I highly recommend the salt and pepper prawns, they always come out hot and crispy. Not to mention the affordable prices!! Such an amazing business overall. read more

Hands down one of the best Chinese food I have had in the area. I especially love their salt and pepper shrimp & fish. The owner Lisa and Chef Fong are some of the friendliest and warmest people you'll ever meet. Me and my friends went in as a group and they greeted us warmly with recommended dishes and a dish was on the house because she took a liking on us and realized we were all college students in town for camping for the weekend. The food was not only good but also reasonably priced. I highly recommend this place for those who want an introduction to Chinese food. I would drive the 40 mins again to eat at hers!! read more

THIS DISH IS AMAZING. TRY IT. I love this place!!! super suitable for vegans and the owners are so sweet:) read more

China Chef - Mongolian Tofu - Chinese Near Me - Cotati, California

I recently moved to Cotati and was excited to try a new place. Sadly, my order was completely off. I got the single dinner combo #2, and my veggie fried rice had no veggies, only egg (which is the one item I asked not to be included in it). There was no lumpia. I'm not sure if this was because I ordered a separate thing of lumpia, but that only came with 4, so they gypped me of the one included in the dinner. My walnut pineapple prawns...had no walnuts. My sweet and sour soup was also extremely syrupy. So disappointed. read more

DO NOT EAT HERE! THEY CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. Just had the most dissapointing meal. Ordered walnut prawns, fried rice and steamed veggies to go. Came and picked it up. When we got home it was not our order. It was chow mein, mongolian beef and white rice. We called back and they acknowledged their mistake. We came back to get our food but left the beef order at home. As I got to China Chef a woman was bringing back the wrong order. They took her food to the back and told us both they'd have our food right out. They asked where the beef order was, I told them I didn't bring it. I know its a health violation to give or sell food that has left your building. She brought out a new beef order for the other lady and gave her spring rolls to make up for the error. Made me wait longer and then gave us our rightful bag of food. No spring rolls for us.Super starving/ hangry at this point so left and went home. Turns out she just gave me the returned food in a second bag. THIS IS A HEALTH VIOLATION!!!!! I tasted one shrimp to be sure, it was cold and tasted like last week's shrimp. My friend tasted the pineapple and it was cold in the middle. We just ate the original beef order for dinner. Terrible service, terrible food and terrible ethics. DO NOT EAT HERE!!! Looks like we'll be trying Amy's. read more

I have ordered a few time with different things and am always disappointed. The bao is somewhat edible but what we received in our most recent order was laden with bitter tasting oil and the flavors are all absolutely muddy. The sauces are all over thickened and nothing particularly tastes like anything. The vegetable chow mein , bbq pork bao, and steamed white rice are the only things I would consider eating and only if for some reason I had to eat here. Even if the food is bland that would be serviceable but it is also poorly cooked. Tough pork in the sweet and sour pork, oil soaked sesame balls that literally left a pool in the bottom of the container, and bitter tasting egg rolls that were primarily cabbage. Won't be ordering again. read more

Visited China Chef for first time. I get up to Sonoma County several times a year staying in Rhonert Park this week. I walked in and asked if they made Salt Fish fried rice and she looked surprised why this "White on Rice Guy" would order such a dish. She had it made fresh on the spot! The SF Bay Area is known for Chinese food but this gem in Cotati is right on with authentic flavor. Also met owner Lisa ( No not Mona Lisa!!) with great personality ( after enduring such challenging times of late in the restaurant business) and now ramping up her recipes again. Salt Fish fried rice, Mongolian Beef, and vegetable dish were all delicious. read more

Was very disappointed. When I arrived I heard a microwave running. Really??? Ordered chow fun, shumai, pork buns and won ton soup. The soup was the only edible food. Shumai had a strange odor and was stale. Chow fun noodles were stale and soggy. Pork buns were dry. We paid $100 for left over stale food. Will never go here again. Every Chinese restaurant I have eaten at cooks the food to order. Not this one! read more

Okay, here we go. New owner. No MSG. Free Range Rocky Chicken. Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce. Organic Veggies. Sea Salt. Vegetable Oil 100%. And no food coloring. And now they Deliver! Well, the owner isn't exactly new. She's one of the older owners, but bought this place out and struck out on her own. She cares about her customer's happiness. The first time we came here two weeks after change in ownership my friend and I felt sick after eating. We brought it to her attention that it felt like MSG was still in the food. I get massive migraines from it. She informed us she would speak with her staff (all of whom she kept on), so basically they were using old canned and packaged ingredients they shouldn't have been. It was really sweet of her to take it up so quickly. And though we couldn't understand Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese, yeah whichever), she sounded angry and very clear to her staff in the kitchen. She assured us ALL of the old stuff would be thrown out promptly. She would use nothing canned or packaged. I've been back twice since. The food is solid, though not highly gourmet. The owner is still the one whom greets you. I asked her for something special last time I was there, to give my boyfriend whom was suffering the hot day - she suggested spicy peanut sauced won tons. Okay, it wasn't really spicy, but it was decent. We doctored it up a bit and it was decently tasty. Though the best things to note ... ask her to not close the box if you order the bean curd wrapped shrimp to go (or anything crispy), it will keep them moderately crispy till you get home. Not as crispy as freshly made but good enough. The other thing to note, she gave me free rice to accompany my Mongolian beef. Awesome! My boyfriend mentioned the bean curd wraps were a little bland. Funny enough, that is what I like about them. Where you can actually taste the mild flavor of the freshly ground shrimp. He mentioned he would like a dipping sauce with them, with which I made something for him at home. But you should also note, no beans. The wrap is the crispy nummy thing made of once beans, but alas, no more. This thing is straight filled with meat with a crispy outer wrapper. I crave it at least once a month. The Mongolian beef is pretty standard, and even though my boyfriend works at a fancy Chinese restaurant ... this he will still eat. Picky mo'fo ... but just know it's solid. Otherwise, I love the hot and sour soup. It's vegetarian style. And sometimes they over pepper it which makes it awesome. So if you want that real spice, add it yourself if they don't do it. I'm not a huge pepper lover, but here it works like magic. Overall, solid Chinese food in Cotati ... at last. And the owner rocks. You can order a drink while you wait for food to go and she'll always give you a goodie like a cup of soup or some cashews to munch on. I love that they now deliver ... for "a few bucks". And it's solid food. I'll be back. My only real complaint? The fortune cookies have the ingredient list and that includes bleached flour. Ah, sigh. Can't win everything. At least she serves high quality chicken! read more

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food was amazing! service was good and Lisa, who is the owner, was really friendly! will definitely come back here again next time!

3 1/2 Stars There are quite a few Chinese restaurants in Sonoma County and all over the SF Bay Area. I am glad that we have another decent one here in Cotati near my home in Rohnert Park. My rating for China Chef is 3 1/2 stars. They get an extra half-star because they are one of the only Chinese restaurants anywhere that still have genuine white, steamed barbecue pork buns, just like in San Francisco Chinatown in the 1960's. Not those little dim-sum ones, the real ones. I've tried a number of China Chef's dishes and I am satisfied with the quality and environment. The owner is very friendly and I always appreciate when someone makes an earnest effort to provide their service well. I like China Chef Restaurant! Review 0023 read more

China Chef - Garlic Eggplant with Snowpeas and Zucchini, very spicy! A "small" order of Hot and Sour soup . . . YUM! My usual brown rice too. - Chinese Near Me - Cotati, California

This food was terrible that I got today. I got house chow mein and the noodles were not even well cooked. I am very disappointed. I won't be ordering again. read more

I've been going here since I moved to sonoma county. They are the friendliest, most considerate and personable Chinese restaurant in cotati. The food is usually on point, and you really can't beat the prices. The woman who runs the front desk always remembers exactly who we are, even if we all come separately at different times. Love this place! read more

Had lunch here yesterday; pretty blah! Not even good American Chinese food! Everything is a big, greasy gloppy coagulated mess ! This morning, passing by their side door on the way to another restaurant, they were getting supplies delivered. Low and behold, among other food stuffs, there was a HUGE bag of Ajimoto brand monosodium glutamate! Like 10 pounds! read more

Hands down the best Chinese food I've had in town! I had only tried it because I saw them on DoorDash but I was so happy with the food I've ordered many more times and even gone in to get some take out. The green bean chicken and the Mongolian chicken are to die for! As is the chicken fried rice. I even got my parents hooked on this place. Definitely give it a try and if you're lazy like me, doordash will save your life! read more

My boyfriend and I have been coming here for 8 years! We love the food and hospitality!

The absolute worst Chinese takeout I have ever had in my life. No lie. The Mongolian tofu was nothing but these finger long strips of tofu that were certainly cooked the day before and then sprayed with a mist of tasteless sauce and shoved into a to-go box. Completely flavorless. No sauce whatsoever. No vegetables. Just inedible cold tofu sticks. They looked nothing whatsoever like the picture and tasted nothing like what any human on this planet would want to eat. I'm in shock that they had the audacity to prepare such a meal and call it food and then charge for it. The hot and sour soup was cold and bitter and slimy and something one might expect from a can of post-apocalyptic Chef-Boy-ardee. I will never ever go to this place again. It is hands-down the worst Chinese food on the planet earth. read more

I've never left a bad review in my life for any restaurant as I do realize the impact that this could have but in this case I really felt that it needs to be out there. This food was just plain bad! I ordered two dishes... shrimp egg foo yong which is one of my absolute favorites and chicken chow mein. I'm classically trained chef and I have worked all over the country. I eat it everywhere I go and it would be safe to say that in 60 years I've ordered it 700 to 1000 times. What I usually get is a light fluffy omelette stuffed with minced onion, garlic, minced cabbage, sometimes peas, sometimes carrots with lightly cooked shrimp and a rich flavorful brown gravy. What I got here was nothing even remotely close. I opened the styro box to find a very over cooked flat scrambled egg with no veggies and no seasoning of any type that I could detect. On top of it were 4 or 5 smelly, dry over cooked shrimp also with no seasoning and the same nasty, salty terriyaki sauce they put on everything else. It was beyond disgusting. I could not eat it. Based on the reviews I saw, I didn't bother calling. And yes, next time I'll check yelp first. As soon as I opened the chow mein I knew I'd be disappointed. How does a Chinese restaurant fuck up chow mein?? What I saw was grossly over cooked puffy noodles without any veggies, clearly no seasoning, no sauce of any kind. When I stuck my fork into the container the entire contents of the container came out with fork. In one big clump!! Bland, over cooked plain starchy noodles with no veggies. Disgusting. I was charged more for both items than prices marked on printed menu. Holiday pricing?? read more

Ordering delivery during the shelter in place felt a little scary. The option of leaving it on my doorstep gave me some comfort that they were making an effort in the name of safety. Order was delivered as advertised and was hot and fresh. The driver was polite by saying thank you as he saw me on the other side of the fence. I wanted not only to support local small businesses but also was just tired of cooking! I will order again! read more