The food is ok, the service was ok. Not the friendliest, but not terrible either. Why does all Chinese food taste about the same and the meat is always spongy with a strange texture. It would be nice to find some Chinese food that tasted like it was made with clean ingredients for a change. read more

China Kitchen - Szechuan Near Me - Ventura, California

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Really great food!!! So happy that I found this place. The food was incredible and delicious, perfectly cooked and served very quickly. Two Thumbs Up read more

China Kitchen - Good Lunch - Szechuan Near Me - Ventura, California

No Bueno! The food was bland. I had the Kung Pao Three or something like that. It consisted of Beef, Chicken, & Shrimp. My friend thought her dish was below average. The service is good. The food is bad. We both thought that our dishes were over salty and the meat was kind of old. Even the Diet Coke was kind of flat. The prices are not as good as the former restaurant Mandarin House. So....we won't be back and we won't recommend it. I offered my friend 4 free egg-rolls, as I checked in on Yelp. I am on a low-carb diet so I never ate mine. She said NO. She tried the egg-roll & it wasn't tasty...so she declined. When you decline restaurant food for free.....you know it sucks. The only good Chinese food I know of in Ventura is Lee's Chinese. read more

My boyfriend and I ended up at China Kitchen because we were taking the scenic route from SoCal to NorCal. We arrived about an hour before closing, and the restaurant was empty. Not only was this the best meal during our trip but also this is the best Chinese place both of us have ever been to. Chinese food has been a staple in both our families, and both of us happily rave about or favorite places in NorCal, but nothing compares. We ordered three dishes: kung pao chicken, salt & pepper pork, and house chow fun. We also received 4 free egg rolls for checking into yelp. When taking our order, our waiter was a little confused. A woman, who appeared to be the owner, came by to help and explained that the server's English wasn't very good. After taking our order, they served us a plate of fried wonton strips with Chinese mustard, red pepper paste, and sweet & sour sauce. Both the owner and the server began talking to us, and both were genuinely interested in talking to us. The owner then left us to our own so we could continue our date, and like clockwork, the egg rolls came out right afterwards. It had a light crunch and was filled with veggies and noodles. It wasn't greasy like other Chinese places either. As soon as we finished our first egg roll, the rest of our food came out. The chicken had another light crunch and it was made with real chicken breast. When you bite into it, you can tell it's made out of chicken, which is quite rare for the Chinese places I've visited. The chow fun was good, too. Usually? The noodles all stick together and form thick blocks, but these noodles rarely stuck together. There wasn't much meat, but it was still really good. I was most impressed by their salt and pepper pork. I usually avoid pork altogether because restaurants tend to over cook it; however, this place did a fantastic job. The pork was well seasoned and had a bit of crunch to it while still being tender. The only downside to this entire meal was that we couldn't finish it. We took it home, but it doesn't taste the same when microwaved. We've both decided to make this place our regular stop for dinner whenever we're driving on 101. read more

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My husband and I came here on a whim and enjoyed our dinner. The War Won Ton soup was a tiny bit spicy, maybe a 1.5 on a scale of 0 to 10 but it was too much for me so I won't get it again :( I think it was white pepper or perhaps a touch of a chili-oil sauce? Anyway, I was happy to be able to order thin rice noodles without garlic. They were very tender, flavorful and the shrimp I ordered were perfectly prepared - juicy and fresh. My husband really liked his dish as well and we're likely to stop here again, unless I want soup. Service was very good and the atmosphere is nice enough, albeit a bit reminiscent of an earlier era. Conveniently located in a shopping center with easy parking. read more

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So so so good. If you are craving real Chinese cuisine, this is the place. The food is excellent! Anyone who says otherwise is a fool. The server was extremely sweet, timely and had me smiling the whole time. I will certainly be frequenting this place from now on. read more

Must go back! Came here on a whim with my boyfriend having never been here before and was pleasantly surprised! We walked in an were greeted by the owner Vivian and quite to our surprise a lovely crew of waiters and waitresses who waited on us promptly and with smiles. Our main waitress was a young lady named Penny. She was a delight and when I asked her what she recommended she asked what kind of meat that we liked, spicy or mild... And based on our answers was gracious enough to take time to make suggestions! I ordered the Hunan Beef and it was spicy and delicious! The Egg drop soup was amazing too! We also ordered the paper wrapped chicken which I really loved and the Shanghai shrimp! Yum!! Now normally I'm busy taking photos of the food... But once I started tasting it I completely forgot about photographing it because I was really enjoying eating it! I'm happy to say that my boyfriend and I finally found our go-to restaurant for our date nights! This is our new favorite spot! I'm looking forward to going back very soon and bringing friends and family too!!! There is a reason this restaurant is the #1 Chinese restaurant in Ventura... Great service! Great food! Friendly and very lovely and caring owner and staff who take pride in serving you! Must try! Also if you check in with Yelp, you will get a free appetizer!! Check it out!!! Thank you Penny and Viviane! We had a great time! We came in happy and we left even happier!!! Thank you so much! P.S. The food was amazing and had no MSG as far as we could tell... My boyfriend usually gets a migraine from MSG and he never got a headache at all. P.P.S. Drooling now because I forgot to mention their ice tea is do good as are their jumbo fried shrimps! Next to try: Shanghai Pork Juicy Bao! I am so looking forward to it!!! read more

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Food was horrible. Incredibly bland. Beef was boiled on the beef and broccoli. No condiments provided. I would never order from this establishment again. Below marginal and we were super hungry. What a shame. read more

I like this place for what it is. This place is fairly good considering the area it's located in. It definitely cannot compare to Chinese food in la, nyc, or sf, but for Ventura it's good. Chicken fried rice: this is amazing! Rarely do I order fried rice because I'd always prefer to order something I don't know how to make, but they make it superb here. Idk what they do to make it so good, but it's honestly amazing and that surprised me lol. Hunan beef: also good. I liked this and they gave a pretty good amount of beef. I asked for it to be the hottest spice and as a result, it had a nice kick. I do love spicy food, so if you can't hang, definitely ask for it milder. For me, it had a nice kick that lingered which with every bite got spicier and spicier. Orange chicken: don't get this. It was really bad. The battering reminded me of the frozen stuff you can buy, but sadly even Panda Express makes orange chicken better. Just avoid this. Salt and pepper fried spareribs: these are good. Kinda reminds me of how I had them back home. They give a pleasant portion, but they are very greasy. This dish in general is greasy, but I think there's is slightly more. Still good though and I just blot the grease out with tissues lol. Egg rolls: these are not by any means authentic or superb or anything, but they are a guilty pleasure for me. It reminds me of egg rolls sold at Costco, but as unauthentic as these may be, I still want them lol. The woman is extremely nice and very sweet. Be nice to her too! read more

This is the best authentic Chinese food I can find, and I eat Chinese food A LOT. I come all the way from Newbury park just to get these dishes, my favorite is Dan Dan noodle soup, Wu geng pot and the orange veg chicken which is so crispy and delicious! I even came in 15 minutes early and Vivian still let me come in and eat. The service is great! The chef is amazing. I love China kitchen! I wish more places were this good. Must try! read more

China Kitchen - Spicy crispy diced chicken and Dan Dan noodle soup - Szechuan Near Me - Ventura, California

Amazing cozy atmosphere and delectable Chinese food. So thrilled we found this place. Best Mongolian beef ever! read more

China Kitchen - Mongolian beef with rice or chow mien. So good! - Szechuan Near Me - Ventura, California

The lunch special used to be good then they deleted the egg roll but still raised the price.the hot tea used to be free now there is a charge for it.not value for money anymore and the service is bad...lost me as a customer sad to say...... read more

We visited for the first time since the name changed. At first we were concerned because it was nearly empty on a Friday night, but it was a bit on the late side. I quickly checked Yelp and saw they have 4 stars, so we relaxed. My parents brought us here several times when I was a child (~30 years ago). The decor hasn't changed much but it is still nice, and clean, and brighter inside than I remembered. The host was friendly as was our server. They each took time to visit with us and the other guests. I checked the menu and they still have my favorite, 89B Almond Chicken, which I ordered. My wife ordered broccoli beef and added a side of chicken chow mein. We both drank water, which was kept full throughout our meal. The order came fairly quickly. It was totally accurate. The food was delicious, just as I remembered. Very fresh, good temperature, great flavor. The broccoli was cooked perfectly. Of course we ordered triple what we could eat, so our server offered to put it in boxes. Nice touch. We both enjoyed our time and meal and will definitely return. You should give it a try. Fill their dining room up or place a take out order. I think you will be delighted. read more

Exceptional Chinese Food! Wonderful food & Great service! Pleasant atmosphere! The lunch specials are very good and reasonably priced. I had the Chicken with Green Beans and my husband had the Sweet & Sour Shrimp, both dishes were delicious! We will definitely be back and we will highly recommend this restaurant to family & friends! read more

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It was actually pretty good Chinese food. Ventura lacks good Asian restaurants, this one I was pretty happy with. The hostess, sat us and took our beverage and food orders (she was actually funny!). I will be coming back! read more

I am not a big Chinese food eater, but my hubs was in the mood so we went here. We are both vegetarian and his egg foo yung and my veg kung pao chicken were very tasty. The portionsare big as well so we have leftovers read more

China Kitchen is your typical Chinese restaurant. Located in the Target, Bed Bath & Beyond shopping center in Ventura, the restaurant isn't hard to find. We initially went there to dine in for lunch; our hostess was very nice. After 5 min of looking through the menu, we decided for take out. The owner was very rude, gave us a dirty look & told us to wait outside for our food. Despite the bad service, the food wasn't too bad. Although the pork & shrimp shumai were small, it had plenty of flavor. The shrimp with lobster sauce was also good. The shrimp was succulent & juicy. The salt & pepper pork looked better than it tasted. The pork too oily left a weird after taste in my mouth. The beef chow mein was your typical chow mein. Nothing memorable. read more

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Pretty much worst Chinese food I've had. Typically don't leave a review if it was mediocre but this was less than that. Chicken fried rice was tasteless. Beef and broccoli with tough beef and sauce was flavorless. Chicken chop suey was like they steamed it instead of wok fried. Wontons, super thick and doughy, filling was bland. Not sure how they got 4 stars. Either we went on wrist day of the year with a backup chef off craigslist or Ventura has no idea what good Chinese food should taste like. read more

Had planned to go to Mandarin House for dinner when we realized it was now China Kitchen. Since we we were already there we thought we'd give it a try. We were not disappointed! The food and service were excellent! Try the wonton soup. It was delicious. We will definitely be back. read more

China Kitchen - Szechuan Near Me - Ventura, California

I ordered to pickup at 6 p.m. and they called and asked if I could pick up 30 mins earlier. Well, it's much better to receive your order early than late! Pretty happy with the vegetarian "chicken" dish and the spicy pork with string beans. Egg rolls were pretty standard, I guess. Nothing mindblowing, but pretty good. read more

Not too bad compared to most of the Asian fare in Ventura County. S&S chicken batter was nice but the chicken was a bit chewy. Hubby said his Mu Goo was ok and the egg rolls were good but they didn't send enough dipping sauce. read more

We received great service from the staff here. From the person who greeted us at the door, to the person who served us, to the person who refilled our waters and cleared our table. Everyone was so friendly, helpful and nice to talk to, without being too intrusive. The food was really good too! I ordered the Dry Wok Beef, mostly because it was labeled as spicy on the menu. The presentation of the dish was outstanding, served in a pot with the flame still burning. Taste wise, it was so flavorful but also had a pretty good amount of spice to it. I really enjoyed it. If there was any downfall to the meal, the fried rice tasted kinda stale - or made a while ago. But I think the service and the rest of the food was so good, this place still warrant 5 stars. read more

So happy my fiancé and I stumbled upon this place!! Feel like I just found a hidden gem in Ventura! Some of the best and authentic Chinese food I've ever had! The prices and portions were beyond reasonable and the food was SO GOOD! The pork dumplings were my favorite and my fiancé loved the chicken fried rice! We missed the lunch hour's special but they were such a great deal! Definitely going to return again and again and again! read more

It has been years and years since I have been here (back when it was called Mandarin house) so I can't really remember how the other times were, so I am treating it as my first visit. Not a huge fan of Chinese food, but sometimes get the hankering. Came here on a Saturday night, and was a little wary because it was totally empty except for one couple, but it was later in the evening so we stayed and I'm glad we did! Ordered the family dinner A option - bf got Hunan beef and I got vege chow mein (they were able to sub out the chicken option which was great). We also ordered two cocktails - a whiskey sour and scorpion, both were actually very, very good for being $6 well drinks! Would come back just for the drinks alone. Starters included 2 egg rolls and fried shrimp pieces, crispy wontons, and soups (I got hot and sour and bf got egg drop). Everything was hot, fresh and crispy - and for being fried food, no issue with being overly greasy either. Chow mein was good, not the best I've ever had but it hit all the marks - dense, slippery noodles, huge fresh veggies and mild flavor. I didn't try my bf's dish but he ate the whole thing and said it was great. It also comes with a big bowl of fried rice you can tell is cooked fresh from the fluffy eggs. All in all, pretty darn good experience. I literally have no complaints hence the 5 stars - yummy food and drinks reasonably priced, friendly and fast service, easy parking and nice restaurant. Will definitely be visiting again if we want Chinese and skip the places closer to us (Lee's and Golden China). read more

I'm only rating this on the service which sucks. The lady had a terrible attitude. There was zero people in there at the time and she was sighing because I didn't know what I wanted to order. Then she says what you want. Give me a chance to look at the menu. I don't know if it's a racist thing but I'm Asian. While w were waiting for our order 2 groups of white people chime in and she's smiling and her attitude changed. I can't support crap like this. I Wish I could give negative stars!! read more

China Kitchen - Szechuan Near Me - Ventura, California

I must have deleted all my bookmarks from my last road trip because I definitely meant to review this place which was brand new to Mom and me since we'd last spent any time in Ventura, my hometown. I still remember the old Peking restaurant over in the strip mall on Telegraph and Victoria used to be one of the only Chinese restaurants in town (I see they're still around, too). It's very clean, well decorated and spacious inside. Service is unenthusiastic but kind which probably also describes this review. Unfortunately, the reviews misled me and we were underwhelmed by the food we ordered: steamed chicken dumplings, moo goo gai pan and vegetable lo mein. While it wasn't greasy or salty, it lacked much of any flavor. Stakes are high once you've been to the Golden Chopsticks in SD. The noodles would have been the only choice that might have brought us back but more than likely, we'll keep our eye out for something else the next time, right Peking? read more

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I may have a different perspective on things so forgive me if I come off sounding snooty... But growing up one of my best friends was Chinese. Her parents immigrated here from Vietnam in late 70's and one of her mom's first jobs here was as a cook in a local Chinese restaurant. Fast forward to my 20's...I lived in the San Francisco area for 10 years where I was absolutely spoiled for choice for amazing Chinese and had some amazing Chinese friends who could give me the down low on where to find authentic, "non-pedestrian" Chinese food. This place is so far off the mark I don't even know that I would still call this Chinese Food...I think it's American with Chinese Influence Food. Let's start with the ambiance...the decor is pretty stereotypical Chinese restaurant. It was clean and service was good and the staff was friendly enough. But they were playing some kind of saxophone-smooth-jazz-oldies-cover-music...which felt very out of place. There was not a chopstick to be seen anywhere...as if they knew their clientele has no idea how to use them...so forks and spoons for everyone! We ordered Wor Wonton Soup, Shrimp and Pork Shumai, House Chow Mein and Sweet and Sour Pork, hoping to get a feel for the menu by trying out some "basics". It didn't go well. I will say that as far as technique, things were prepared well. Not too oily, nice textures, not over-cooked. But unless you really love Soy Sauce I just can't recommend this place on anything having to do with flavor. Apparently they want you to pour Soy Sauce all over the food bc it had zero flavor or "off" flavor. The Wor Wonton soup had a cloudy "consommé" that tasted like they had rinsed chicken bones in it. The wontons tasted like cilantro. Not yummy. The Shumai was utterly bland, but comes with some kind of dipping sauce. So maybe? Yeah no...the dipping sauce tasted like nothing more than Soy Sauce and Rice Vinegar. Not yummy. The House Chow Mein tasted like oily noodles+oily vegetables+oily meat varieties-all seasonings=Definitely Not Yummy. The sweet and sour pork was Good-ish...which was a surprise given that everything else was utterly bland. So if you're looking for tasty, authentic Chinese food...do not go here!!! But if you are content with Americanized Chinese...you found the right spot! You just won't see me there... read more

Dim sum was very good. Kung Paso chicken and my shu pork were also good. Would not recommend the egg foo young. It was not what we expected. The vegetables and shrimp were not in the egg foo young. Everything was separate with an egg omelet on top. read more

A pretty good Chinese joint with lots of vegetarian options. The food is good and has been consistent in our one visit to dine in and two experiences with takeout. I am far from having tried every Chinese restaurant in town, but based on my experiences so far this ranks in the upper tier. I enjoy having vegetarian friendly versions of popular dishes, such as the Orange Veggie Chicken. It does a great job of substituting for the real thing without the whole dead animal thing. We will certainly be back! read more

It was good. Not a lot of spices in certain areas. Just right. Ate from here working from out of town. I'd order from here again.

We ordered our usual favorites from China Kitchen last night. We just finished unpacking from a camping trip and didn't feel like driving to get our food and used Grub Hub. I was pleasantly surprised that our food arrived in a timely matter (we are somewhat close to the restaurant) and it was piping hot! Nice coordination of efforts by our food delivery person and the restaurant. Also, usually i order the Moo Shu Chicken, but I am trying a veggie challenge this month and ordered it Vege style and it is really good. One might even say, "it tastes like chicken"! read more

Got take out during COVID and I appreciate all the precautions they took. I especially appreciate the ability to swap out chicken in any dish for their tofu "chikin". Food was delicious and on our list of restaurants to frequent. read more

I personally love this place. Great customer service even during the pandemic. They have caller ID, and recognize my past orders when I call to order. I don't need to go into a big explanation of what I want if it's an order I've previously made. I'm a big Kung Pao Chicken fan, but I skip the peanuts and ask for white meat only. They add water chest nuts and celery (which seems weird, but it works, even reheated). Perfect every time, fried rice is excellent paired with it. Big fan of China Kitchen. read more

The only reason I'm even giving them a 3 is because the dumplings and egg rolls were decent and really is like to leave a 2.5 but since that ain't possible, rounding up to a 3. We ordered takeout tonight from China Kitchen and the whole experience was incredibly disappointing. We ordered chicken potstickers, and two entrees- hot braised beef and General Tso chicken both as complete meals (+$6 and includes a fried shrimp, egg roll, soup of your choice out of egg drop, wonton or hot and sour, and fried or white rice). We called in our order and was told it would be ready in 15 mins. After my boyfriend arrived promptly 15 mins later, he was told it would be ready in just a minute. No biggy and he patiently waited. 15 minutes after that it was actually ready. No apology or anything for it taking double the time to be ready. Wouldn't have been an issue at all if she had merely been friendly and said anything about being sorry for the wait. He looked in the box and saw two entrees, soup, rice, and the potstickers so assumed all was good. Upon getting home we realized they gave us not the wonton and hot and sour soup we had ordered with our meals, but one large egg drop soup so not even one of the soups was right. The chicken seems to be their orange honey chicken not the General Tso we ordered. It's very sweet and the chicken is mushy, not crispy fried chicken as it should be even with this dish. The hot braised beef is ok but not very spicy and not exciting. The fried rice is very plain and not flavorful. The egg drop soup is very blasé. Yes, I know it's not an exciting soup to begin with, which is why we did NOT order it and chose the other two soups instead, but even compared to other egg drop soups I've had, this was below par. We've ordered here a few times before and have had ok experiences, but after tonight, I don't think we'll be coming back anytime soon. Very disappointing. read more

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Excellent Hunan Beef. Just the right level of heat combined with tasty beef, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. I added water chestnuts because I have been craving them lately. SO GOOD! I also sampled the Sweet and Sour Chicken, which was quite yummy too! Hot and Sour Soup and Fried Shrimp were satisfying and delicious accompaniments. Definitely plan on returning! read more

House fried rice and beef broccoli was tasty. Beef was chewy and "clean" silverware had food on it. Service was friendly and prices are reasonable. read more

Excellent menu and superb service. I loved the Kung Pao Chicken, spicy but not overwhelming. Portions are good size and satisfying. My daughter had the orange chicken and she loved it. Service is friendly and efficient. Great atmosphere. Lots of to-go orders so you know they have a loyal following. I will definitely be back bc the menu is HUGE. read more

Don't let the storefront or the decor fool you. Behind it all, in the entree, is some very delicious food. I came here for the lunch specials. Hot and sour soup was ok. Green tea was a bag not pot. I didn't need the fried wonton strips and spring roll or the bland cookie. The best thing was the green bean and minced pork with steamed rice. You could tell the ingredients were very fresh. read more

Big order delivered hot to the hotel!! Fast and very delicious!!general tso chicken was

Okay, I'm fairly lenient about writing, but this is about the "worst" Chinese food I've ever had. Save yourself and find something better. Every dish was bad tasting that we ordered. The taste was off and even the fried rice was like nothing I've ever had before. Fried rice should be delicious, but this was almost wet, soaked in soy sauce OMg. We couldn't even eat it. Our waitress was even strange, to top things off. All I can say now is, money wasted and "never again." These people need a decent chef and maybe better, higher grade food. read more