The food here is awesome and always fresh. Classic American-style Chinese food type stuff - kung pao, orange chicken, broccoli beef, fried rice, etc. Definitely not health food, definitely not authentic regional cuisine, but to me it scratches the Chinese food itch better than any place in Pasadena. They have a lot of menu options. I like how they don't overcook their veggies and they retain that little crunch. Also, they give you a ton of food (definitely multiple meals-worth), and entrees come with a quart of rice. Get an extra quart of rice if you're looking to stretch things even further or cut down on the richness. Service is not rude, but it can certainly feel "business-like" at times. They stay busy and their English is functional, not conversational. But if you go often enough you will definitely start to see their personality. Also, heads-up their pricing isn't up to date at all, just figure on about $20 bucks an entree, depending. I doubt this is intentional, they are just a very mom-and-pop style place that hasn't updated anything in years. read more

I was fighting for my life eating their orange chicken. I ordered their Combo C via UberEats like $22.66. Pretty solid price. Got orange chicken x2, broccoli beef and chow mein. Broccoli Beef was fire would order that again. Orange chicken was hard and not in the crispy way. It was tough and overcooked. Genuine jaw pain trying to eat this. Super disappointed because the cravings were overpowering me and China Express failed to satisfy. read more

Hear me out, this hole in the wall actually has really delicious Chinese food. My friends introduced me to it as a hidden gem they frequent for over a decade and yeah.. it's totally worth it. They have a giant menu and they somehow manage to give each dish its own flavor in this tiny kitchen while the counter staff takes phone orders, packs orders, and takes payments. This place is busyyyy, highly recommend phone ordering ahead, their menu images on yelp are the best way to see what's available. Good portions for the price, great for sharing. read more

Went to this place wanting to check it out since it has many good reviews. Definitely underwhelmed by the quality of the food. Staff aren't very friendly and I really only wanted a small portion of food for myself and spent 30$ on way too much food. I also think there was a bullet hole in the glass window. Another thing to point out is there is no rating on the building either which is kind of concerning. Orange chicken was good but next time save yourself time and just go to Panda Express, much better and better service. read more

I've been here 3 days in a row the food has not missed and it's cooked fresh at the spot I recommend teriyaki chicken

We ordered Christmas Eve take-out. Pick up option was convenient and the food didn't take too long to prepare. They forgot an item from our order but it was sorted out with a quick visit to pick up said item. The house special fried rice is tasty and the Mongolian beef is very tender. The place isn't much to look at, but portions were good, taste was there and they're close to the house. Chinese take-out in our area has become quite pricey so this was a welcome option! read more

First time visiting and i was impress with the service as soon as i walked in i was greeted and wholeheartedly I assumed to be the owner , if not its cool but he was dope . Very kind , joyful and was not not holding back on the portions lol I really ate good and still had leftovers. Definitely my new Chinese Food spot read more

Very fast service, tasty shrimp in lobster sauce, came with rice and more than 1 shrimp per $! (I don't know if that's typical). Fed 2 people for ~$18. And I didn't break out in hives which happens occasionally when shrimp aren't fresh/cleaned properly. Definitely a takeout kinda spot though (there are only 4 tables, 2 in and 2 out). Do the business a favor and pay cash. read more

China Express - Shrimp W.lobster Sa - Chinese Near Me - Pasadena, California

How have I lived in Pasadena all these years and never even heard of this place is beyond me. My husband drove by it one day and thought that we should try it, so we got takeout one night. I would say best affordable, quick Chinese food in the area. Huge portions and everything was made to order, not sitting under a heat lamp. The food was so hot it still was too hot to eat once we got it home. They pack the to go containers to the brim, we had serval meals for leftovers. The people there, I would have to assume are the owners are very nice people. The place is small and I would mostly think people come for the takeout. I will definitely be going back again when I have that craving for Chinese food. read more

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Got the Mongolian beef during their lunch special. It was just ok. You get a heavy container with a lot of food. But the rice and onions are filler. Not too much meat. Very oily. Each onion piece was coated in oil. The flavor was just ok. Not terrible but not great. I want to like and support this place. It has a small business mom and pop feel to it. The food however was not worth making my way here again for. It would be like a no name chinese stand at the food court of a mall. I didnt hate it but didnt love it. Solid 3 stars read more

China Express - Menu September 2023 - Chinese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Tried the BBQ pork fried rice and asked for no carrots and green peas. Tasted pretty good and good portion for the price. It was for To Go so the transaction was pretty smooth and they even allowed me to sit and wait at an empty booth. Will definitely visit this place again! read more

I've been passing this place for years and finally tried it. The food exceeded my expectations. The portions can feed 3-4 and price affordable. The food tasted great. Preparation within 10 minutes. Will come back and try other dishes FYI. After reading several yelp reviews. The lady was extremely friendly and had a beautiful smile. Why so critical for gosh sakes. It's just a simple little local place thats family ran. Why don't you try working seven days a week and see how you would do. read more

Been going here for any years, since i was a kid and I will never stop going as long as it's open. I love there teriyaki chicken and chicken fried rice. I will say some of their plates have way too much vegetables over the meat but over all the food is delicious and the price is amazing. read more

Their prices on their menu are not accurate at all. It says the beef broccoli is $8.25 but when I went to call, they said it was $18 and change. I think there's strategy is to get you to make a phone order go there and then rip you off when you get there. I'm going to stick with YNJ gourmet Chinese food on fair Oaks and Orange Grove. You always get exactly what you want and you don't even have to speak to them on the phone. You order through the app and it's always right and tasty. read more

Living in Altadena, I've tried my fair share of Chinese takeout, but I always find myself coming back to China Express. It's my go-to spot for delicious, affordable Chinese food. I keep coming back for the tasty BBQ Pork Fried Rice. The BBQ pork is perfectly cooked (right in font of you), with a sweet and savory flavor that pairs beautifully with the fluffy rice. And the best part? They don't add any of those unwanted pea and carrot fillers! It's just pure, delicious BBQ pork fried rice perfection!!! Compared to other Chinese takeout places in Pasadena, China Express is very affordable. You can get a generous portion of food for a reasonable price, which is always a plus. It's my go-to spot for delicious, affordable Chinese takeout in Pasadena. If you're looking for a great meal that won't break the bank, I highly recommend giving them a try. read more

Good quality food for a good price. Quick and friendly service. I get the food to go, but there are tables there if you choose to eat in.

Went for a bike ride in El Prieto , was really hungry for Chinese food I googled and read a few reviews . Five minutes later I was ordering Chicken Broccolli. Not in the menu, but I heard the lady before me order it. The broccolli was perfectly cooked (not soft nor mushy nor hard) just the right soft crunch moist with egg drop soup flavor . The chicken was sliced in a way that I thought it was fish, but as my mouth encapsulated it , it was indeed a delicious soft chicken with the light sauce (like an egg drop soup flavor) from the broccoli that mixed to the chicken. The Side of fried rice had just enough light saltiness to pop out tha complemented the veggie and chicken. There was also in in a small bag a spring roll delightfully light and didn't seem greasy plus a crunchy wonton . A garlic pepper sauce was included but I would have preferred a slightly , crunchy toasted chile oil or toasted garlic sesame oil. No Diet Coke in cans only in bottle. BUT for $13 this was something I would drive from West Hollywood to Altadena! I pinned China Express in my map! read more

China Express - China Express Chicken Broccoli . - Chinese Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Fast and ready in less than 15 minutes and delicious big portions. Prices were decent and not stingy on the meat products in our choices.

China Express was a surprise. The food was made fresh in front of me with a staff that was friendly and working hard. The prices were great for lunch. Will be back. read more

China Express - Shrimp with China peas lunch speacial. (Egg roll not shown) - Chinese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I've been on a mission to find good Chinese food in LA, and I finally stumbled upon this great place . Yang Chow in Chinatown is great, but it can be a bit pricey. This place has that authentic Bay Area Chinese food taste that I've been craving. It's a small place with limited seating outside, so check their hours because they're closed a couple of days a week. The prices are reasonable, and the portions are generous. The lady who works there is super friendly and seems to recognize me now, haha. We've become regulars because it's just that good. They have a wide variety of dishes on their menu, so there's something for everyone. Parking can be a bit tricky in the back of the restaurant, but you can usually find a spot on the street nearby. read more

I've eaten there for the last 15 years house special crispy shrimp is my favorite but many other dishes especially their house fried rice and house noodles are great and their lunch special can't be beat. read more

Good food specials they have great service and the lunch specials are 7days a week, not just weekdays

not the best-looking Chinese restaurant but the food is delicious, best chow Mein and orange chicken loved their food and service good price would highly recommend to family and friends read more

I really want to support this business, however the lady answering the phone keeps hanging up on me. I want to place a phone order for pick up, but I am traveling 35 miles to pick up and would like to make sure they are open. A little common courtesy goes a long way. You can do better for your customers. read more

This review will be brief, and to the point. Ordered for the first time since COVID. We ordered the broccoli beef, shrimp fried rice, egg rolls, and the fire cracker shrimp. The rice was okay, could have been better as it didn't really taste all that fresh. It was kind of mushy. Should have been fresh though as I waited a fairly long time after ordering over the phone and arriving there. The broccoli beef barely had any beef, and the egg rolls were hollow; barely anything inside. The quality of the food has gone down and the portion size is smaller. I am on the fence on if I will revisit this place. Not really sure about any other Chinese restaurants in Pasadena that are really good. read more

Best Chinese food in Pasadena still today, yes the prices have increased but the lunches from 11:00-3:30 are a very good deal. I've been buying food from them for the last 30 years and I only actually had one problem and that is they stopped offering soup with the lunch but they showed the soup in the lunch picture on the wall, so when I realized I didn't have my soup one day, I inquired and found out about the change and told them the pictures need to match the menu. They grumbled about it and the city talked to them about it, but that is why there is brown packing tape hastily put up over the misleading pictures as of today. They still have the best Chinese food in town to be so small. We're cool. I can give them 5 stars. Good news, it looks like they are open every day, whereas before they were closed two awkward days a week that I could never ever remember. read more

The food is good but BEWARE the prices listed on the YELP menu are WAY out of date and triple the price. I brought it to the girl at the front and she said, they don't use YELP and shrugged it off when I said it was deceptive. read more

Best Chinese food I've ever tasted. I will drive from San Fernando Valley to Pasadena just get me my favorite dish (spicy crispy shrimp). There is no comparison to any other Chinese restaurant. The food is cooked fresh and the service is good. read more

The restaurant has great food, ambiance, people, and an ideal location. They offer a good lunch special if you can make it. We often get takeout, and I appreciate how fast and convenient they are, especially the quality of the food. read more

I truly do not appreciate that they have not updated their prices online to reflect true/current costs. The costs are just too much now (in my opinion, of course). I know that the pandemic had quite an impact on services, costs, etc. but part of price increases are simply due to company greed. I used to pay about $6.00 for an item which is now 3X's that amount! Sorry, but I'm not paying $18.00 for a non-restaurant/dine-in but take-out, small carton of sweet &sour pork....just me though, I guess. They used to deliver and do not anymore. The customer service has rarely been good/acceptable but is now atrocious. Wonder what happened. I'd pass this place up, for sure. read more

Everything here is so good! I would recommend the friend rice and orange chicken but everything here is fresh regardless of what you get. The service was fast for the food to be as hot and fresh as it was. As well as the great location, everything was clean and wiped down where customers ate inside the premises. read more

Great food. Bad Customer Service. The lady taking orders gives you attitude when you ask for extra hot sauce!

Best Hole in the wall Chinese take out around! I've been going there for over 10 years. I pick up food every time I'm in Pasadena and even drive from Rosemead to pick up their barbeque pork fried rice! read more

This is one of the few Chinese food places around that makes your order while you wait (except the rice, of course). Their Wor Wonton soup is the only one of its kind and I really missed it when they were closed. It's the cure for just about anything, including the side effects of the second shot of the Moderna vaccine (ask my husband). We've lived in the neighborhood almost 30 years and have always enjoyed the food at China Express. read more

China Express - Medium Wor Wonton soup. The best! - Chinese Near Me - Pasadena, California

I have been coming here for 40 years now. Sometimes it's a little better than others, sometimes a little worse. It's always decent to good Chinese style food. My favorites are the Chicken Curry, Tomato Beef (not available when tomatoes are expensive :)), and Kung Pao and Egg Fu pretty much anything. I wouldn't dive a long distance to get here - It's pretty much a neighborhood place. I still go here once every week or two, and have for the last way too many years. Nothing fancy. read more

Szechuan Beef lunch combo was excellent! Very quick. But they make everything other than the fried rice fresh. No heat lamps or anything like that read more

The food is really good and reasonably priced. Their customer service, on the other hand, is NOT GOOD. They're always pissy and rude! I keep going because of the convenience and good food. I wish they'd make an effort to be a little nicer though. read more

I love love love this place! Pre warning their service is very cut and dry. Not a place to chit chat with. Their service like their name is express. Get in, get out, goodbye. They have a few seatings inside and outside but it's like max 4 to a table, 2 if your on the taller and larger end. Their house fried rice is divine, their lemon chicken has the sauce on the side and I love it. I love their broccoli and beef too because they're pretty hardy with the portion sizes. For what your paying for and what you get it's pretty affordable and still so delicious. read more

I had a pincher bug in my food :( I was really looking forward to it too so I hope they do better :( read more

Love it here, I will definitely come here again and again. The food is nice and the service is quick.