We have been ordering takeout from them for several years now and it never disappoints. The ladies at the counter are very nice. The service is very fast. Their prices are reasonable. The food is very tasty. It's exactly what we're looking for in terms of Chinese takeout. No frills, just good, fast food. (And now I'm hungry....) read more

We've been a fan of China Express for over 10 years. When we say 5 stars, we mean 5 stars for a take-out establishment. We do not compare take-out to white linen dining. But, for take-out, this place is tasty, nutritious, friendly, and makes very few mistakes. We love the ladies at the counter--they work hard, move fast and you have your food coordinated in 10-15 minutes while you wait. The guys who are cooking immediately behind them cook from scratch and fast--we have tried several Chinese take-out restaurants in Pasadena and we always come back to China Express. Oh, and did we mention the generous helpings? We regularly order broccoli shrimp, orange chicken, veggie eggrolls, fried rice, chicken egg foo yang. We highly recommend these dishes. And, we agree with Carol L. who wrote that the Wor Wonton or sweet & sour soups cure just about anything that is ailing your body--they feel great when you are feeling congested and down. read more

I really am impressed with this place. Very small but all I needed was catering since the place I was originally going with flooded cause of the rain and they were very accommodating and made my order within 13-18 minutes. Service by owner is poor but the girl who was helping was nice. The food was also yummy. Would've received 5 star if service was better. read more

Typical greasy Chopsticks hole in the wall however I had the shrimp chow mein the shrimp was way too salty too much soy sauce noodles was good but I would pass on this one if I was coming through Altadena again I keep moving on... I give it a 10 Stars for the Scenic Mountain View From The Patio area that was nice... read more

China Express - Nice Mountain scenic view from the dining area - Chinese Near Me - Pasadena, California

Yesterday I ordered the garlic shrimp .... I was very disappointed ... the dish was over run with sauce that tasted like pure salt. Also their was barely any shrimp and my meal was over compensated with vegetables ... I couldn't even eat it ...also the customer service is rude ... the attendees treat you horrible read more

I feel their food and customer service deserves two completely different reviews. The food is freshly cooked when you order it and is really good in comparison to other Chinese fast foods. However they only serve lunch til 3:30 but their lunch special is great! I drive here from Burbank just for the food. As reviews mention the customer service is terrible here. I've personally never had any major encounters besides rude gestures when they mess up my order but I have seen them be extremely rude to some customers numerous times. My review is majorly based on the food but if I could I would rate the service 1 star. read more

China Express - Lunch Special - Chinese Near Me - Pasadena, California

So, my last experience here was that I went in, ordered their special fried rice (with the shrimp, chicken and pork). Anyway, I watched as they started preparing my order. About (let's say) 7 minutes after I placed my order, a well-dressed, blonde came in and ordered exactly what I had ordered. Well, SLAP MY FACE. In 3 minutes they were handing her MY FOOD!!!! I could tell she had never been there or ordered there before because, prior to ordering, she ASKED for suggestions. Anyway, needless to say, I asked for a refund...to which the woman behind the counter replied "We prepare for you now!" LOL! Really? Oh, no you won't!! Not now, not EVER. I got my money back and have never...and will never set foot in this place again. read more

Usually like the food. My husband loved the pork fried rice. We went when covid19 lifted somewhat and they opened we couldn't wait to go get some pork fried rice! It tasted like they cooked the food from 3 months ago! My husband has a rock gut. After that he was as sick as a dog. Anyone who would do that to their customers is not worth our business. read more

The woman that took my order was extremely rude! If you are not happy working there work some place else! I spent money there and if I have questions, answer them! I was told Your entire order is in there! She wanted me to hurry up and leave, because I told her she was rude! I get home and discover the teriyaki lunch is missing! I call and let them know my entire order was not there! She tells me to come back. I tell the woman, you rushed me out of there saying your entire order is in there! The woman hangs up on me! When I go back to get the rest of my "entire order" another woman is in the front. The rude woman stayed in the office. I asked if the owner was available? All of a sudden nobody speaks English! I kept repeating myself, and finally she says the owner is not here! The order was on the counter waiting for me. I picked up my daughter's food and left! My daughter later read the reviews online, and says the reviews say food sits out all day, and the food isn't fresh! The food is over priced and the service is horrible! Do not eat at China Express on Lake In Pasadena! I do plan on speaking to the owner about this rude woman! This place doesn't deserve one star, unable to post without giving a star unfortunately. read more

Wow I will never order from this place again this lady really charge me $ extra I Calculated how much my order should be and it came up to 22.15 these sneaky snakes charge me 29.50...TF I called back and but her on blast and to cancel my order this lady charge me with out signing anything and when I told her she couldn't do that she said oh we'll and hang up in my face..I called my credit card bank so fast to block that charge.. Wow I couldn't believe how rude and sneaky they are NEV read more

China Express serves contaminated food! My previous 4-star review must be corrected to reflect the most recent visit to China Express, where the fried dumplings were served with an extra ingredient ... a jagged piece of plastic, stuffed inside the dumplings! How does a foreign object find its way into food? Poor quality control? Unhygienic conditions in the kitchen? If a sizable piece of plastic is allowed to contaminate the food, what else is overlooked? Serving food contaminated with foreign objects is inexcusable. Why risk suffering a chipped tooth or lacerated gum? Is the food at China Express worth the risk? No, absolutely not. Never eating there again. read more

Disclaimer: I'm not a picky Chinese food eater. At all. I mean, I love Panda Express. Enough said. This is a little hole in the wall establishment, mom-and-pop to the max. I love run down places like this, and even if the food sucks, at least I know I'm supporting local business owners. China Express is pretty busy, especially during lunch. Hella take-out orders but they make it fresh to order, this I can vouch for. The food kinda taste the same. There's no big flavor difference between the kung pao beef and the orange chicken. Orange chicken lacked orange flavor and sweetness. Kung pao beef was overly sauced. And the lunch special needs sweet and spicy sauce for the eggrolls and fried wontons please! Very affordable, lunch special is $6 total. Don't know if I'll be back. read more

All these reviews that say the service is horrible are extremely accurate. I even saw a review that said the food and service should have two different sections or something, and yes that is true I agree! The food is absolutely amazing, honestly way better than panda however the service is awful. It's not hard to be mannerful and kind. When I came to eat here I ate in the outside tables, and they refused to give me napkins after I kindly asked. At the end, I came to return the soy sauce and they rudely told me don't leave the soy sauce on the counter put it on the plate! The food is amazing but I can't stand the service. read more

Omg there food is the worst in Altadena they served hard orange chicken they do not care about the community at all nothing never fresh I done with this China the one on Colorado is way better read more

Low cost huge portions deep fried Chinese food made to order. It is what it is and is not making any claims otherwise. I would come back and I do recommend. read more

The other (3) reviews of this place are all stating "Best Americanized Chinese FOOD".. THAT'S B.S.! You walk in, and the grease is nearly jumping over the counter at you from the food that's frying in the wok.... This place is delicious, cheap, and very authentic... I mean you walk in, the cheap paper menu is hanging on the wall, (possibly stuck from the grease that has splashed from the kitchen).. Nothing is over $10.. And whatever you order, you can see them cook right there in front of you because this place in no bigger than a master bedroom, (including the few table they have inside)... AGAIN, it's good, cheap, and really not dirty; just small.. But AMERICANIZED, IT IS NOT! Takeout, dine-in, outside benches, and just like what you'd expect from an outside vendor in China... AND that's a good thing.. (kinda Like the In-n-out of Chinese food I'd say). Lunch menu too, and even that's LESS expensive... PS, THE PANDA "DOESN'T" KNOW... read more

I went to grab lunch here on my break and since the minute we walk in they were in a hurry, the lady was VERY rude to me and my friend. We were buying 6 combos and my friend was ordering bobas when the old lady and the guy yelled at my frien to hurry up cause there were more people in line. we are never coming to this place ever again. read more

Reminds me of some beef and broccoli I use to eat when I was little from a restaurant down on Rosemead Really good food read more

The best shrimp egg roll I have ever had. Last time I was there, a guy was ordering eight of them. All of their food is grea but I especially like their sweet and sour dishes. And they make my grail Chinese dish, egg foo yung. Staff is great and you can watch the cook who are amazing. Drink selection is not good but their prices are great and portion big. A family of four can all eat for well under $30. Highly recommend. read more

I had a day off work and decided to spend it with my favorite person - me! So I traveled far away from my Weho home to Pasadena to do some shopping and movie watching. There was a scene in the movie where the main characters are eating Chinese food out of those paper boxes that no one uses anymore (blame it on the economy) and so from that moment on, I let the plot of the movie go and make it my mission that somewhere between Pasadena and West Hollywood I would find a place to get mouth watering Moo Shoo Chicken for take out in paper boxes. I recently downloaded the blackberry Yelp application, but I was going to do this the old fashion way. Some rules: No $1 Hollywood joint that would make me swear off Asian food by morning. No sit down restaurant that would make me feel awkward waiting in a corner for take out. Nowhere I've been before, and no going out of my way. I was just going to FIND this place. Thank God for my sucky sense of direction because within 10 minutes I see a sign - a G-ddamn Oasis on a street over run with hole in the wall Mexican joints (mental note: play this game again with Mexican food sometime) - CHINA EXPRESS - CHINESE FAST FOOD. Dear G-d, It's me, Lisa. Thank you... for everything. 7 minutes and $8.76 later I'm carrying a bag heavier than my internal organs filled with Moo Shoo Chicken. Granted, not a paper box, but I let it pass because the smell on the 45 minute drive home (again, sucky sense of direction) was intoxicating. This was the. best. moo. shoo. chicken. I've ever had - including Chinatown in LA, NY and Boston. My life is complete. read more

China Express Don't Deliver Anymore?? Why because they have No Drivers Bummer so I will start using Egg Roll Express now which is a somewhat better menu and food and service. And they delivered 7 days a week read more

If I could leave NEGATIVE stars, I WOULD!!! I ordered shrimp fried rice and the shrimp was not cooked thoroughly (I instantly get sick when shrimp isn't cooked all the way). I called to inform them about it and I was advised to come back. Upon my arrival, I was ignored for a while until I went to the counter. The older woman tried to argue with me as if I was lying, when I brought her the food. She then, sarcastically asked me how I wanted her to cook it & I told her I just wanted them cooked all the way through. As she's trying to argue more, the slightly younger woman comes over with cash, places it on the counter and walks away. I told the older woman I didn't want a refund, I still wanted the food and she shoo-ed me off, with the hand motion and said she did not want my service and demanded me to leave with the worst attitude. I took the refund and left without incident and I will never return. I ENCOURAGE ANYONE THAT LIKES THEIR FOOD COOKED PROPERLY AND APPRECIATES CUSTOMER SERVICE.... DO NOT COME HERE!!!!!!!! They are disrespectful as hell!!! read more

If you see this place from the outside your probably not going to want to go inside but this place is clean and yummy. Also just take your order to go so u can enjoy your food with peace. I mainly come here just for their wonton soup I think its very good I usually get it when its cold or when I'm sick this really helps me because I feel so much better after eating this soup. I've tried other entrees as well but there nothing special from your other Chinese restaurants. SO don't judge a book by its cover ;) read more

i've been here three times, and while each time the food has been 'fresh' (and by fresh i mean made-to-order, not sitting around under heat lamps), it has NEVER had any significant amount of flavor! i've had three different cooks there, so it must be some kind of policy for them to omit the basics like SALT and other asian spices when cooking. the first time i went there the food lacked flavor, but was fresh enough and included all of the standard veggies you expect. but now that this has happened three times, i'm over it. trust me, the people who are ranting and raving over this place are either flat-out lying for some reason, or they have just never had actually decent-to-excellent chinese food. the place lures you in with the smell of food cooking (and it's sort of an open air establishment), but when you get your order, nothing. no amazing smell, zero seasoning, nothing. it does stay hot though. anyway, the third strike was it for me. won't be back. read more

Best Kung pao I have had to date. Loaded with good chicken (not the nasty jibbly bits), a nice pungeant garlic-y and spicy Kung pao flavor, and fresh, tasty veggies but they don't overdo it and skimp on the meat. I got the lunch special which came with a TON of chicken, tasty fried rice (which was very simple with only egg, but wasn't dry or greasy), egg roll, a won ton, and egg drop soup. The soup left a lot to be desired, but I've never met an egg drop soup that did anything for me. The place looks like a tiny shack, but the food is amazing. Going back for my second day in a row. I just wish had dinner specials, so I gave it a 4. UPDATE: Ordered the orange beef and orange chicken.. oddly enough, they were good when I got them but not great.. but the next day, they tasted damn amazing. I don't get it.. read more

Worst place to eat Chinese food. The food is not that great and the service is horrible.

Well if you want HUGE portions, then this is the spot! I ate and ate and barely made a dent in the squeaky styrofoam plate! It was MUSHU VEGETABLES, it wasn't very tasteful, and yes I know... They were veggies. But I've actually had better elsewhere. It is FAST service, I will give them that. But $23.00 for two dinners was a bit steep in my book. read more

Feeling a little under the weather so I thought I would get the wonton soup, extra shrimp.... Not bad at all...definitely worth it if you are in the area and not feeling like cooking.. read more

Food is always hot and delicious, I order food here every week. I like to get the lemon chicken, fried rice, shrimp egg rolls. Also, the paper wrapped chicken is really good, get it well done. read more

Great food (and plenty of it) for the price! I always get the house special chop suey and my fiance loves their Orange Chicken. We usually get a random third item and it works out to less than $30 for what feels like 10lbs of food! I love leftovers, so that's never a problem... All in all, pretty darn good for a hole in the wall place and kicks the crap out of the Panda Express chain places. Lost a star because even though they say they deliver within 3 miles, the lady on the phone said they wont deliver south of California, which is only 2 miles away. read more

Best Chinese-American food in this area. Small kitchen with food made to order right before your eyes, so it always comes out fresh and hot. Reasonably priced to feed a family as well. Now if you're looking for hardcore authentic homestyle Chinese food....you're tripping. Take a short drive down to Alhambra, Monterey Park or San Gabriel and go get the really real. This is the go to place for the safe, reliable Americanized variants. And I love them for it. read more

I wish I liked this place more. It is really close to my house but unfortunately it's super salty and over priced. I do really like their wonton soup, but that's about it. It's great in a bind, in a rush or when you're sick and can't cook and need something close and fast. For the quality and the price, I'd rather go somewhere else even though I'll have to go way out of the way (the price you pay for living in the boone docks) Call ahead if you do get something, it can take a bit. read more

I don't know what happened I used to buy food from this place all the time but I don't know what happened tonight. I would have some orange chicken and some house fried rice and some shrimp. Nothing complicated but the orange chicken was not orange chicken I don't know what it was the house fried rice was okay shrimp was absolutely wonderful. The house fried rice was just okay. I'm kind of disappointed because I was looking forward to this read more

We were looking for a place to get some quick food, and found this place on Yelp. We ordered Kung Pao Chicken and Shrimp Fried Rice. The prices were pretty reasonable and we went to pick up 10 minutes later - they cook their food fast. And I think they do free delivery, but we just went and picked up our food. Once we got home with our food and opened it up - we were surprised to see food bursting out of the boxes. It was amazing how much food we got, and we literally ate it for 3 meals. The food was also pretty good, and considering it's takeout, it's an amazing deal. The only drawback with this place is its cash only, but since the prices are so low, it's not a big deal at all. read more

Arguably the best Chinese takeout around, this small shop has the best Egg Foo Yang!!! It's so difficult to find a place that won over my tastebuds when I was a kid. The old and now gone Chow to Go in Arcadia served the best Chinese on the area. After closing over 15 years ago, I searched for that same old family style Chinese food. In 1996, I found China Express. The food is at a great price and even though they only accept cash, it keeps the cost down. Highly recommend! read more

Tyler express cooks their food fresh right in front of you. It is tasty and appropriately cook. I don't question whether their chicken is chicken and their beef is beef. Their broccoli chicken is absolutely scrumptious read more

I go here from time to time. I have noticed two of the ladies are fairly nice and cordial. There's another one that could use some serious customer service training. I have seen her get an attitude with someone asking for napkins and forks. And don't ask her to clarify something. She forgot part of my order, and I wasn't rude or anything about it. Next thing I know, she's handing me a greasy little bag with the missing item, and didn't even have the good sense to put it in the large bag with the rest of the order. When I asked her to put it with the other items she gave this nasty look. I really like this place for the convenience, fast servIce and the annual calendars they hand out for Chinese New Year, but they really need to do something about her rudeness. read more

I ordered food for four of us the other night, just a bunch of friends hanging out, and you know, while this may not be a foodie paradise, they do deserve honorable mention for the meal we received. The orange beef was delicious, the moo shu BBQ pork with plum sauce was perfectly seasoned (huge serving of filling, but not enough of the shells, so ask for extra), and the vegetable egg foo yung wasn't bad. On the latter, it's quite different to the Chinese restaurant norm as it's served slathered in vegetables instead of gravy and you have to dig down to the bottom for the egg foo yung. There were no vegetarians in our dining crowd, but I'd think one would be quite happy ordering food from here. read more

Everyone and anyone who grew up in Pasadena/Altadena knows this place. It looks a little sketchy on the outside but DO NOT let that fool you! The food is made when you order it. NO food sitting under heat lamps for hours on end. They are not cheap with their ingredients and not cheap on the amount of food you get and imo, it is well priced. Pick your poison. I like everything my family has ever ordered from here. My favorites are the cashew chicken, and their kung pao chicken. Oh, and fyi if your order something with shrimp, you don't get like 3. You actually get enough shrimp for everyone. No one will be calling out dibs on the shrimp lol. Excellent flavors and just plain out YUMMY!! read more

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place. We have been going there for over a year and they do not disappoint. I took my friend there who is half Chinese and half American for her opinion and she too liked the food. For under $30 the two of us have enough food for two days. read more