Location and vibe - Free standing building - no hassles like going to a mall or mini mall. On busy Newport Avenue but there is usually good parking, though crowded if the nail salon patrons next door hog up the spaces. Inside is dated, and outside too, some of the cushions in the booths are bumpy. Vibe is casual and friendly, with traditional Chinese props and colors. Bathrooms could be improved. Food - Selection is vast, all of the food comes out fairly quickly depending on how busy, good traditional Chinese fare, my favorites include orange peel beef, sweet and sour chicken, and Mongolian Beef. Not a fan of their Sizzling rice soup because of the thickener. My favorite time to go is lunch. Smaller entrees, but comes with small cup of soup, one egg roll, and one won ton. Be careful eating that hot mustard. Lunches start around $15 for the whole meal. Service - All of the servers are really good, Our favorite is Joaquin because he explains the food preparation questions, will put your leftovers in a container, and quick to greet you, get your bill back quickly when you're done, is friendly with quick pleasant conversation. Bryan the bus person is quick to bring beverages and refill water cups, cleaning plates and special requests (i.e. chopsticks or more napkins. Clientele is a lot of variety - seems like a popular place for business meetups and family meals because they can handle a big party, and have small two person booths and tables as well. I appreciate that this is a family run place, not a chain. Overall a solid place for Chinese food. read more

China Palace Restaurant - Lunch menu - Chinese Near Me - Tustin, California

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China Palace's chicken fried rice is... familiar. Not in a nostalgic "wow this takes me back" way, but in the sense that you already know exactly what you're getting before you open the container. It's not the best fried rice -- not even close -- but it's edible, predictable, and fills the role of quick neighborhood takeout. The flavors are mild and a bit plain, and compared to about 7-10 years ago the value just isn't what it used to be. Back then the portions felt more generous and the ingredients tasted fresher. Today it feels lighter while costing more, which you definitely notice. Where the place does stand out is the service. It's clearly family owned and they are consistently polite, patient, and welcoming. You never feel rushed or ignored, and they treat customers respectfully, which goes a long way. Overall: you go here more for convenience and friendly service than for memorable food. It's dependable, just not impressive. read more

China Palace Restaurant - Chicken Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Tustin, California

I came here randomly with family and it definitely reminded me of your typical Asian American restaurant with certain color themes and just brings back nostalgia of the early Chinese restaurant styles. The food was good as we had some type of 5 course meal with soup, appetizer of cold items with veggies, some type of stir fried beef, fried rice, and then dessert. I really liked how friendly the staff were to my family and kids as it made the experience enjoyable, as they also tolerated one of my kids trying to pry open the candy machine and just running amok the restaurant. Parking and location is good, the food selection is good, and the service is great. read more

I have no word how to describe how wonderful this restaurant is. I've been going there for the last 30 years the food it has been in the same quality and fantastic service. Thanks China Palace for the amazing food and great service. read more

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Everything we had was terrific. Lemon chicken and honey shrimp were great! Would recommend.

We have been here many times. Mostly for to go. And we typically always order the same stuff. But everything we order is 100% top notch. Wor Wonton is superb. Mushu is always tasty. Love the sweet and sour. Really anything you order is going to be filling and very appetizing. Service is always perfect. read more

When I was a child growing up in OC the only Chinese restaurants I went to were Yang Ming and if my memory serves me correctly... this restaurant! But I think Tustin was their second location after moving from Anaheim. I just remember whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival rolled around, my folks would order Moon Cake from them. Hands down the pork one is my favorite, but the red bean with egg Yolk and black Sesame are good seconds! Now back to the Yelp review... My boyfriend and I had an unofficial Chinese Heritage Day and had lunch at China Palace. We ordered: * Stir-Fried Green Beans * Kung-Pao Two Flavors (Shrimp and Chicken) I was craving Kung-Pao all thanks to the Bon Appetit Your Majesty episode that showed Ming (China) chefs cooking the dish for a competition lol. Thus the Kung-Pao Shrimp and Chicken totally satisfied! I don't recall the last time I ordered this. I forgot how delicious this dish is, especially with the slight heat. Green Beans are always my favorite vegetable to have when I order Chinese food. I ordered this one with no meat, so it was the vegetarian option. The minced garlic and green onions in this dish was so good! The parking is super easy. The restaurant has a very large parking lot. The exterior of the building looks Asian style, so you won't miss it! As for the interiors... it is like any other Chinese restaurant. Just the norm, which I hate to say it... it lacks any interior design. On a random... I watched a video on Instagram and it said true Chinese restaurants do not get 5-stars. I hate to say it, but I think they are right! The reason I gave a 4-star is due to the -1 from ambiance. Everything else like food and servers is great! read more

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For starters, I was impressed with the cleanliness and friendliness of this restaurant. They have a great lunch menu that's come with soup and appetizers. The food is actually delicious here. So I'm impressed with this restaurant. I will come back again. read more

China Palace Restaurant - Lunch special, sweet n sour pork, Mongolian beef, and chicken with mixed vegetables. - Chinese Near Me - Tustin, California

This is my go to Chinese food spot. Honey Walnut shrimp, Kong pow chicken, and 3 flavor low mein are my jam! The servers and ambience are great and the staff are always friendly and prompt! 5 stars. read more

I've been wanting to come here for a long time. This place has been here forever. I endedup getting the Po Po plate. It comes with Egg drop soup, ribs, egg rolls, wonton, fried shrimp, and paper wrapped chicken. They also bring you fried noodles with dipping sauces. I really enjoyed everything I ate. The ribs had a really good flavor. Egg drop soup is always good. I really liked the hot mustard that came with the fried noodles. They have a large lunch special menu that i plants on trying. I'd also like to come with a group and try the dinner combos to sample a bit of everything. read more

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Delicious. Will be back again. Must try. Good portions. Great service. All the traditional foods you crave. read more

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Ambiance ~4/5 server packed up our leftover food items Food ~ 4/5 delicious and satiated my desire to eat Chinese food Parking ~ 4/5. The spaces are vast but small. read more

China Palace Restaurant - Fried Wontons with cream cheese ~ 5/5 - Chinese Near Me - Tustin, California

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We love this place, everyone in my family comes here, but today we had a bad experience, we were eating and the restaurant just had open, they have literally 2 more tables with just 2 people each and my table with 4 people when suddenly I hear 2 ladies ate the entrance kind of fitting, I couldn't understand 1 bc she was softly speaking a different language and the other lady that understood was the sister of the owner she was answering in English with such a strong and upsetting voice, we all saw between each others at the tables and honestly I hope that doesn't happen often or they should go in the back to solve their problems with disturbing their costumers. read more

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Food felt like it was not fresh. Staff was okay. Not too happy that they could not swell a cup of wonton soup.

This is the first time we came to this restaurant. There were 8 of us from Vancouver, LA and San Diego meeting up. The restaurant is in a beautiful location with lots of parking. The food was sensational with Crispy Friend Duck, Drunker Chicken, Beef Shank, Braised Salmon Head and the best was Turnip Pastry (which special order and was made fresh). The owner and the staff there were very friendly and easy to talk to. I am super surprised to find the quality of this restaurant to be so good. And the best part was the food prices were very reasonable. I would highly recommend this if you happen to be in the neighbourhood. read more

Their food is excellent. We've been going there for 25 years. Very good customer service. I think they have a special if you get there by six during the week you get this discounted price. read more

Did a phone order Sunday Oct 5th dinner time 7pm, it didnt look overly busy--Im not sure where the order went wrong... I ordered shrimp in lobster sauce, honey walnut shrimp, broccoli beef, two large flower soups, and vegetable chow mein--for a total of $110.77 I got 3 items of my order (broccoli, soups, & walnut shrimp). I was already home with my family and we were missing our shrimp in lobster sauce & veggie chow mein--Instead we got some sort of bean sprout stir fry with no noodles, and a shrimp soup with mushrooms. Food notes--over the phone i was asked if i wanted traditional noodles or softer spaghetti noodles and i chose traditional( i guess this didnt end up being relevant since i didnt receive noodles at all. -Walnut Shrimp portion was small especially compared to one you could get from a Korean restaurant or Chai Lan. -Broccoli beef was flavored more on the soy side. -Stir fry bean sprout i ended up with was bland for my taste -i was mainly craving egg flower soup so at least i got that and it ended up tasting fine--more on the watery side texture-wise I dont recommend this place: expensive, mild flavors, im regretting spending over $100 bucks for this experience :( read more

Coming in, you are greeted by the host. There were 4 in my party. We got seated right away, but it got filled soon as we had arrived. The server asked what we would like to drink and then came about 8 min later to take our orders. In between that time, they gave us these fried crispy wonton strips served with this horseradish dish, and another dip was sweet and sour sauce. When I tell you both those dips were sooo appetizing, we couldn't resist ourselves eating almost the entire plate. We also were greeted at our table by a gentleman named Devin (sorry if I had misspelled that), possibly one of the supervisors or managers. He was there to let us know that we were in for a good treat when they had their bar opened and were serving up a nice selection of wines and alcoholic beverages of that nature. None in my party, myself included, did not get an alcoholic beverage this time, but I might just try it out for the next time. Everything on their menu sounded good, but I had set my heart on the Lo Mein Noodles with Beef. It was so delicious; it hit my craving of some good noodles. It was like a plate to share with others, however I shared a little and took leftovers home. Others in my party had ordered beef and broccoli (2) & another friend ordered the Chicken Chop Suey. Each dish came with a cup of rice. The entire dining was a great first experience and satisfying. Also, GMO is found in none of their dishes. My friends are sensitive to that. We did call ahead and ask if any of their items had msg, and to our surprise they don't have it in any of their dishes. Only maybe found in the soy sauce packets and hoisin sauce. Other that that, our tummies were full but didn't feel sluggish. Definitely coming back. Also, just to add, the server didn't come back to refill our water, but it was understandable as the entire establishment was full of customers. Still a great experience. read more

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We went to this Chinese restaurant for the first time. The person in the front desk was so nice and welcoming. The food was delicious. I had fish with black beans sauce and my husband had pork in hot garlic sauce. Both were from their lunch menu. The waiter was kind of grumpy older gentleman but the young American guy who was helping him was so nice and made up for him.We will be back to this place and hope we get a different server. I recommend this place. No photos because I was too hungry! Trust me it was delicious and looked great. read more

Anyone giving less than 4 stars here hasn't ever actually had the food. It's fantastic. Been ordering take out since the early 2000's. Kung Pao 2 flavor is awesome. I work nearby and swing in for lunch on occasion. The staff has always been great. read more

The food was awful! The hors d'oeuvres ribs were dry and tough, our main meat dish was not edible, and the walnut shrimp was the worst I've ever had. And it's usually my favorite dish! read more

We have been driving past this place for years always talked about trying it so we finally did and let me tell you we were not disappointed. The atmosphere was nice and cozy. The customer service was great and the authentic Chinese food was delicious. We cannot wait to come back and try more items on the menu. Thank you guys for the hospitality. read more

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I rolled into China Palace without big expectations. It was the food that surprised me. The Mongolian beef had real flavor and wasn't drowning in sauce, and the honey walnut shrimp hit that perfect balance of sweet and crunchy. It wasn't your usual watered-down stuff--you can tell they take care with what they're cooking. Drinks are simple, mostly beer and straightforward cocktails, but honestly, that's all you need here. The focus is on the food, and it shows. The staff made the difference. They were friendly and seemed to really know the regulars, which gave the whole place a comfortable, neighborhood feel. It felt less like a restaurant and more like a spot people come back to because it just works. If you want classic, flavorful Chinese food without fuss, this place is worth the visit. I'll be back for sure. --Rick read more

Service is poor and customer hospitality was disgraceful. The male gentleman who was a host and greeted me was very disrespectful and coughed attitude. Would never recommend this place to anybody. read more

China Palace Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Tustin, California

Food - 5 Service- 5 Ambiance- 5 Get the orange chicken extra crispy! Also the orange beef extra crispy and spicy! And the jasmine tea. read more

The food was not to my liking. It was well prepared but there was no flavor. The restaurants has also suffered some water damage that was not appropriately remediated so the whole facility smells off. This is very suburban non sgv type of Chinese restaurant. read more

Been coming here for 30 plus years. Not like it used to be. I usually do take out, have dined-in a few times. They have become a bunch of cheapskates, while raising the prices. You used to get free wonton crisps if you order a soup -- not anymore, you pay for those! You used to get a couple packets of soy sauce -- not anymore, you get one. You used to get a couple fortune cookies -- no more, you get one. Hot and sour soup has become bland and flavorless. Most other dishes I take out, I have to add some Sriracha chili garlic sauce for flavor and heat. Going to start exploring other places locally. Quite a shame, it was always one of my faves, like Green China in Orange! read more

We are here many times the food ambience service always great . Everything so delicious, if anyone visit the Tustin please try the flavors of china palace it highly recommended read more

Last Sunday afternoon/evening, I came with my friend. The host and hostesses are friendly and smiling. I have been coming here for years but I noticed they hired more staff which is good. Mila or Mina (young lady) and Kennedy, the older male server, were very nice and accomodating to me and my friend. To start off, they brought free fried noodles with dipping sauce. I ordered fish with black bean sauce (substituted the sauce for the orange peel sauce instead) and my friend ordered the sweet and sour chicken (coating is cornstarch) so that relieved her since she has gluten issues. We got to sit upstairs and also by a window. The menu does have dinner specials on weekends and lunch specials during the week. read more

China Palace Restaurant - Sweet and Sour Chicken (coated with cornstarch) - Chinese Near Me - Tustin, California

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Food taste and quality is quite good for the price. Place is a bit dated inside and could use an update. Service was good once the order was taken. We went on a busy New Year's Eve evening. I would recommend the restaurant. read more

Food was super good! Broccoli beef, orange chicken and pineapple chicken. Portions are huge. The service was really great too. I think if they updated the decor it would do wonders! read more

Great food and excellent serving staff! Have returned many times! The menu is quite expansive. We especially like the fish in the black bean sauce! read more

Waste of food, ineditable. Try to find a chef next time. Where is the flavor? Is the meat attacking my mouth? How do you feel good about yourself serving beef jerky for 20 dollars, adding some orange slices and calling it a day. read more

Solid restaurant for a quick casual meal with Americanized Chinese food. Service was friendly and fast. Our waitress was great. We started with the sizzling rice soup. My favorite dishes were the Mu Shu Pork, Broccoli Beef, and the Green Beans with garlic and chicken. read more

China Palace Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Tustin, California

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Food Meh, tasteless and rubbery Ambiance uggh, 1980's called wants furniture Service good! Won't be back - many better options available read more

I visited here the night before Chinese New Year. The menu is very big and has a lot of choices. It has a lot of poultry,seafood,and veggie dishes. The restaurant also has a lot of seating. Our server was extremely friendly, which was the highlight of our visit. The food, however, was very subpar. The pork in Peking sauce had a very weird taste to it. The meat did not taste fresh at all. The Kung Pao Beef was better but still didn't taste fresh or flavorful read more

It was Chinese New Year and we were pressed for time and decided to give China Palace a try. It's a huge restaurant with a grand outdoor appearance. The big red doors open to a empty hostess station. We were sat down in a booth. There were parts of the restaurant closed and were about half filled on a holiday. We were a bit concerned. We waited another ten minutes and had to walk over to the kitchen to find someone to help us place our order. The best part of our evening was our very kind waiter. I think he was working alone for such a huge restaurant. He was very friendly and attentive. We ordered Peking Pork Loins, Kung Pao Beef and sizzling rice soup. They gave us some twisty crisps to eat while we waited for our meal. The food finally came. The soup was a large bowl with chicken, some veggies, and broth. A separated plate with hot crispy rice. The rice was brown or over cooked, just a few seconds before it would burn. No shrimp, no other meats, just broth. Disappointing to us. The pork loins were pork chops, cut in strips, and smothered in a very salty soy sauce mixture. The meat did not seem fresh at all. There were no greens or vegetables. The plate presentation was nonexistence. One of the worst Chinese dishes I have ever seen in my life. The Kung pao was a bit better. The meat tasted fresh. There were a few vegetables in it. The peanuts were thrown on top, not stir fried with the red peppers into the dish. I'm sure there are people in Tustin who have been coming to this place for many years and love the food. The problem is the world is changing and people today like fresh, vibrant food with color, texture and taste. People will search out chefs with passion and love of the craft of cooking great Chinese Food. New customers will demand a new chef at China Palace. Two stars. read more

Great, classic American Chinese food at a great price. Environment was very nice, service was fantastic. It is literally cheaper to eat here with great sit down service than it is to eat at Shake Shack or most pho restaurants nowadays. read more

The food was not very good My chicken was all fatty . I did not even finish it. Gross. read more

Unfortunately it wasn't anything special, not bad at all but also wasn't tasty. We were seated right away which was great but the staff were a bit serious and the food was bland. read more