A great menu with lots of options, very reasonable prices. Food came out in a timely manner. Waitress was happy to answer our questions. A great small business to support! read more

Poor service. I had to go up for a menu and then later for my check. I'm beginning to understand now why a lot of Chinese food places don't serve wonton soup because of this place. Their wonton soup had no real wontons. They only had the pasta. They explained it was because people don't eat meat. read more

Pretty good food, pretty good prices. The service was pretty fast I would say, I would say like 5 minute wait for a Togo order which is pretty solid. The ambiance was super quaint and very homey (can't spell) feeling. Next time I decide to travel from Texas to Iowa or at least Des Moines I will be coming back. read more

When I was walking to my hotel after having Pho @ Pho 888 on 2nd Ave, I noticed the sign posted at China Place restaurant that says that they're the best in Des Moines. Pretty bold claim. Usually most places offer the usual suthentic or homemade recipes that drive sales. It's a bold statement to say you're the best in the city. With that said, I remembered this claim while hanging out at my hotel after check out and decided to walk to China Place and get a take out order for lunch on a Friday in October 2022 while waiting for my friend to pick me up. It was about 12:30pm when I walked in. The restaurant itself had seen better days and the lighting wasn't so good, but enough to see where things are. At the time, the restaurant was decidedly 3/4 empty and there was a group of people dining for lunch. I decided to get a take out order that day. In hindsight, I should have dined in, since my friend didn't get to the area until after 2:30pm. My bad. I decided to look at the menu and was shocked at how much prices were. At the same time, I looked at my order and you realize why they charge the way they do. The portions aren't really large, but not small either. I guess for the daily specials they probably charge accordingly versus the other dishes that they offer. I opted for the daily special, which comes with soup. I also ordered a side of plain noodles. The order didn't even reach $10, which is surprising and a lil bit shocking, to be honest. The food, however, isn't the best, but it was good and delicious. In hindsight, I should've ordered off menu and spoke in Chinese, maybe I would get something cool and exciting. That's an experience worth doing next time, if I come back. It was nice to see local people ordering take out after me. The overall experience here at China Place Chinese restaurant was good and okay. The ambiance was interesting and deathly quiet. It was one of those experiences that you wouldn't want to be in, but at the same time, trying out a local place that claims that they're the best in the city I needed to experience for myself. Needless to say that, while the experience was good, I should have ordered more stuff, especially when I was on vacation and it seems like things are wicked cheap here, especially for Chinese food. That I can't get over. Maybe that's the gimmick, lower prices is the best in town. Not necessarily pointing at the food persay, but they go hand in hand. The service here was good and friendly. I waited about 10 minutes after putting in my order and shimmy out back to my hotel to eat and wait for my friend. In hindsight, that was a mistake, as mentioned before. I now regret ordering stuff that can really test the power of "the best in the city". Ugh. Oh well, that's a bummer for real. For the most part though, it's a lesson that I'll take with me on future trips. If you are in the area and craving Chinese food, consider China Place Chinese restaurant in the heart of downtown Des Moines, IA. Test out the best and see what you think. China Place Chinese restaurant is located at 2414 University Avenue in Des Moines, IA. They accept major credit cards as well as cash. Since it was about 1/2 block away from my hotel, I just simply walked it. But still, to be honest, I think I would really need more information as to ascertain the validity of the "Best in Des Moines" category. But for now, it is what it is. Its definitely friendly on your wallet, especially when my shock turned to happy thoughts. I probably should have ordered more stuff, but I didn't want to overkill on food either. Still, it was nice. As far as parking goes, your best bet would be neighboring street parking where you can find it. If you love the DART bus system, you can come here thru public transportation. There's always lyft and uber too for your comfort and needs. If you are in the area and want to get your Chinese food fix or just a quick bite that's friendly to your wallet, come on by. They'd love to have you for lunch or dinner. 4.0 stars for the overall experience. 5.0 stars for the prices. 3.5 stars for the food and 4.0 stars for the service. Support local! B read more

over a year later, I was in the area. twice cooked pork was fantastic. still hot with a 10 minute drive home time. this is quite spicy, so if you're wimpy about your food, stay clear. staff was great. it looks like they're inside dining is back open. read more

Food served steaming hot and quickly. Generous portions as I could only eat half of my order. Took the remainder home for 2nd meal next day. I went on Sunday afternoon when it wasn't very busy. I was pleased with what I ordered. I give it an excellent rating. read more

Chinese fast food, beautifully prepared, generous portions, and good prices. Definitely would go there again.

Friendly, fast and excellent food here! The food is fresh and very tasty and the people who own the place are very friendly highly recommend eating at the China Place! read more

They got good food for a good price. A must try would have to be the Crabmeat Ragoons

Mostly a typical college campus food joint but with some fun, old school Chinese restaurant charm. Red arches, gold dragons, and Chinese zodiac placemats... Food here is served hot, flavorful, and slightly on the sweet side, but table service is consistently slow to collect your order. And while carry out orders are completed in a timely manner, parking is scarce during prime dining hours. China Place's sizzling rice soup is excellent, the crabmeat ragoons are nice and plump, and the potstickers are deep fried. Entrees are plentiful, and, as previously mentioned, a little too sweet for my tastes. If you're in the mood for a hot meal, China Place is well worth considering. read more

As far as classic Chinese takeout goes, this place couldn't get much better. I called for takeout, and my food was hot & ready in 10 minutes. The menu is pretty Americanized, but it has a great mix of interesting dishes and takeout staples. I got the Hunan Beef, which came with a choice of soup, side, and rice. It's labeled as spicy on the menu, but I wouldn't say it had all that much spice. The crab rangoon was delicious, and the fried rice was definitely better than a lot of other takeout rice I've had. My boyfriend got the Empress Chicken meal and really enjoyed it. Slight spice, very flavorful. The red color was intimidating at first but easy to get past once you dive in! Portions for both meals were huge, and super affordable especially when you take all the sides into account. I think it's tough to find a good Chinese takeout place sometimes, but this will be my new go to. read more

China Place - Hunan Beef, Crab Rangoon, and Hot & Sour Soup - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I really liked my entree here (lemon chicken) the sauce was on point and the portion size nice and large. Everything packaged well with the sauce on the side. Delicious extra sauces. My only complaint is that like other yelpers have said, their fried rice is a bit off. It's dark color and tastes sort of old or burnt. I would personally come back by myself for the entrees, but seeing as my boyfriend is a huge fried rice lover this is sort of a deal breaker for us as a takeout option. read more

I ordered via Postmates, as ya do. When I opened the bag, at no fault to the restaurant I assume, there was some sort of liquid everywhere in the bottom of the bag. I figured it was fine and we'd just clean it up & enjoy our food. However when I opened my chicken and broccoli, I was shocked to see that the chicken appeared to be pink... like as though it was dyed somehow. The chicken fried rice was okay but had a small amount of chicken and a huge amount of just plain fried rice with egg. The egg rolls were yummy, and the "crab rangoons" were not the worst. Oh also, the fortune cookie hit me with an ad about the national debt instead of a real fortune. I'd say my fortune is that I'm not coming back to China Place... read more

China Place - Broccoli chicken 4 Crab Rangoon chicken fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I really, really enjoy getting take-out from this place. The staff is always friendly and the food is always piping hot and made fresh to order! It's very satisfying to hear the loud clanking sound of my food being prepared in the kitchen wok right after I place my order with the cashier. Portions are generous and the lunch specials are an amazing deal - they're all around $6 for an entree, rice, soup, eggroll/rangoon, and a generous portion of sweet and sour dipping sauce. What I really appreciate about this place is the fact that they aren't afraid to REALLY season and flavor their food. A coworker who almost always gets his Chinese from Panda Express (the corporate chain) has completely stopped going to Panda Express after we visited China Place. He was surprised to find out that the chain food he was eating was so extremely bland compared to the food at China Place. Bonus: your money's going to a great local family owned restaurant instead of a huge corporation :-) read more

I'm a loyal customer. This place gets a bad rap, probably due to the unappealing exterior and unpredictable menu. The $6 lunch specials (soup, egg roll, rice, and entree) are a great deal. Nice staff, family-run. Best hot and sour soup in DM. But don't bother experimenting with different entrees - go with Kung Pao chicken or something without heavy breading. read more

This is my go to for Chinese take out especially on a budget. I'm not a meat eater and if you are vegan or vegetarian make sure to tell them you don't want your crab Rangoon or egg roll that comes with or the soup. We always say no soup or apps. They throw some extra rice in but it's really unnecessary. I continue to go back because they are consistently good. The girl that takes my order from me or my best friend (I'm pretty sure) is so used to our order and it's really never been disappointing. We get the Kung Bao Tofu and the vegetable tofu dish with extra water chestnuts and baby corn plus no bell pepper. The only thing I would change is that they offer a veggie friendly appetizer! Fried veg spring rolls or veg dumplings would be so amazing... but I'm not going to dock the rating for that because they are seriously hardworking and wonderful people. read more

I get why people like the place. If you want large portions of Americanized Chinese food (Orange Chicken, Beef and Brocolli etc.) for a cheap price, it's a solid place. I've lived by Drake for two years, and there really isn't another Chinese place anywhere close (except a buffet by 42nd), so I've eaten here a few times. The people running China Place are super friendly, the building is run down though, so it's not a good place to take a date/family on a nice night out. The food is okay, the hot and sour soup is pretty good. I like the taste of the crab rangoons, the entrees are okay, you can get better at many other places. I've gotten the Kung Bao Chicken and Beef with Broccoli. You can't really taste the meat, or veggies to a degree because there's a syrupy sauce, and a syrupy sauce with heat. What makes this a 2 star versus a 3 star place is just whenever I eat here it doesn't sit well in my stomach. I don't think it's a food safety issue, like I haven't had food poisoning. But I wonder if the oil they use doesn't sit well in my stomach, it's a problem a friend of mine who lives around here has an issue with as well. read more

This restaurant was recommended by my hotel as being pretty good chow and convenient location. The location turned out to be the only thing going for it. Tonight's meal just didn't do it for me. No hot tea...and they wouldn't make chop Suey because they might not have enough veggies for their take out orders... Hot & Sour soup was "sweet", and the pork egg foo young had many concerns...no sprouts to be found, and the brown gravy was loaded with chopped up watercrest...weird. Sorry, you didn't earn my repeat business. Jimmy Johns is next door...I'll grab dinner there and take it back to my hotel. read more

They're options are either take out or delivery. they always get they're orders correct. They offer lot's of choices. Nothing bland, all their food is very fragrant and flavorful. So if you crave Chinese food during this time, I definitely recommend this place if you live in the drake neighborhood. read more

This is my go-to for Chinese take-out. No, it's not authentic, but as far as Americanized Chinese food goes, it's great. Large portions, reasonable prices, and a diverse menu. I've tried many items on the menu and have never been disappointed! read more

For delivery Chinese, it's pretty good. The service what's great; from the time they answered the phone to the time they got to our door. They quoted 45m, took about 30. Plus, it's snowing so I appreciate their service. 2 entrees that came with rice & egg rolls = $20 before tip. The fried rice is a little off for my taste, I generally like it lighter and less fried. I ordered Moo Goo Gai Pan (one of the few traditionally gluten free choices) and it lacked salt. However, the sauce was a good consistency and it tasted alright. The veggies were fresh and the chicken was good, not much complaint there. My husband ordered Sesame Chicken and he liked it; judging by the rest of their reviews, seems they do pretty well with their fried dishes. He said it could stand to be crispier, but the taste was on point. We definitely have another contender for Egg Drop. Absolutely delicious. My husband ate the egg rolls, gave a pretty good review. "How is it?", I asked. "It's an egg roll", he says. Jokes aside, they are well done and have a lot of filling. Good deal. What could make this a 5 star? Fix the rice, more seasoning. Don't mess with the egg drop, though. read more

China Place - Moo Goo Gai Pan. - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I was going to take a picture of my dinner but I ate it too fast! This place was clean, organized, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The orange chicken was amazing! Loved the egg drop soup. I picked my order up and it came with all of the things people usually ask for: napkins, utensils, hot mustard, soy sauce, and a fortune cookie. They had the food ready quickly and the price was right! This will be my new Chinese spot in Des Moines. read more

Great spot to get a inexpensive quick lunch. Food always comes out piping hot, you also get soup. Usually in and out in 15-20min and under $10. The eggrolls are delicious. read more

China Place - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Ordered delivery on Saturday night. They said 45 minutes but I feel like it was 10. I tried the garlic beef with egg drop soup in addition to extra crab Rangoon and egg rolls. I was stuffed. My total was about $20 which was totally worth it. read more

China Place - Garlic beef - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Really good fresh Chinese food! I placed my order 30 minutes before they closed and the food was still very fresh and very delicious! read more

China Place - Sesame chicken dinner. Comes with egg roll, soup and rice.. - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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I love China Place! Don't come here looking for authentic cuisine, but if you want cheap, tasty American-Chinese food this place is perfect. The lunch deals are phenomenal-your choice of soup plus crab Rangoon or egg roll plus fried or white rice plus an entree for $7 or so. The sesame beef and chicken are some of the better options; stuff tends to be pretty drenched in sauce. Great spot for a cheap lunch with friends. Staff is friendly, too. read more

China Place is my absolute favorite Chinese restaurant. I started ordering from them several years ago while I was a broke college student, and they immediately became my go-to. The menu they serve is extensive, and there is always something new to try. Every dish I've tried has been absolutely delicious and filling. Their dinner specials include not only the regular entree and rice, but also a soup and either a crab Rangoon or egg roll. It's enough for dinner, and for a solid leftover lunch for the next day! In addition to the amazing food, China Place has the nicest employees. It seems to be a family run establishment, and you can usually find the young family members doing homework behind the counter or helping to carry out food. The employees seem to be masters of multitasking, as it isn't unusual to see someone taking a phone order while also cashing someone out and also checking over an order. And they have always gotten my order right! The employees at China Place are also dedicated to customer service. Several months ago I ordered from them for dinner, and waited for my order to arrive. When half an hour passed and I still hadn't received my food, I called them and they explained that they had delivered it already. I explained that I hadn't gotten my food, and it turned out I had accidentally given them the wrong street number! They immediately remade my order and delivered it, without charging me again (which would have been totally understandable, as the error was on my end.) I would have left a five star review for that occasion alone! If you are in the Des Moines area and you're looking for delicious Chinese food, I highly recommend China Place. You won't be disappointed! read more

Yummy. Fast delivery good food Best Chinese in the area. Have eaten in, delivery , pick up. This is the go-to for Chinese food seriously !!!! We have it weekly and the staff are friendly and polite . read more

Honestly wish I could give no stars. Don't get me wrong the service was amazing! But I am extremely disappointed in this place though. My friends and I were craving some Chinese food and this one happened to be close to our school. I ordered chow mein, beef broccoli, fried rice and sweet and sour chicken. They do an entree type thing we're you order the entire and it comes with an appetizer and fried rice or something else. (Don't let this grasp you in). When we got back to eat our food and watch a movie I opened the boxes and tasted the food and was disgusted! Like said I ordered chow mein there was absolutely no chow mein just some mixed veggies with beef and cabbage mixed in a sauce I don't even know what it was. The fried rice tasted like literally nothing at all. The sweet and sour chicken was okay not terrible. And the beef broccoli had hardly any broccoli at all. On top of this we did not receive all of our egg rolls which are your appetizers for your meal. We spent too much money ($40) on this all to be this disappointed. I would definitely not recommend this place, I am so sorry. read more

From all of the other reviews by Yelpers I decided to try this 4 plus star rated place out.. First I could smell burnt rice when I walked in. I thought about leaving, but there were 4 or 5 to go orders on the counter and a couple waiting on their meals at a table. I ordered the Hot Braised Pork and Hot and Sour soup. As always the soup comes first and this soup was thick. So thick it was stringy like snot and not appealing. My meal came next and very quickly. I knew instantly where the smell of burnt rice went, straight to my plate and even tasted burnt. Come on guys rice is inexpensive make new. What was worse was it was only white rice with soy sauce on it. No egg, peas, carrot, or onion that is in most fried rice. My guess is they were trying to hide the burnt rice, since I wasn't given an option on white or fried rice. The pork was cooked to the point of chewy. It's braised then battered and fried how can it be chewy? The peas, carrots, and onions seemed to be of the frozen variety, but the water chestnuts were plentiful. The brown gravy was even more thick then the soup and so salty I had a headache after eating. The portion size would have been great if the soup and rice were eatable, but sadly they weren't. So I left half hungry. Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing, went on the wrong day, or my beard was to long, but I didn't get the same experience other reviews got. Not going back, well unless one of you Yelpers would like to buy me dinner and tell me what to order. Oh yeah and it all came with a really cold crab Rangoon. read more

China Place - Neat doorway - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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Well last night was crazy! I helped a friend move his two old juke boxes (not easy) and then it started raining like I had never seen before! Flash flood style. All while this was happening my wife ordered some take out from China Place! I get home and she says I ordered us Chinese and I was like sweet, I hope the delivery guy makes it, it's crazy out there! A couple minutes later the deliver driver appears through the rain and says his car almost got swept away, we gave him a good tip and sat down to have dinner! The food was great, we both got veggie tofu, it was very saucy (soaked in sauce) but had a good flavor and was perfect combo with the rice! Lots of veggies, and a good amount of tofu! The dinners came with a BEEF egg roll, and sweet and sour soup.. Both not vegan so my wife took care of those and gave me a little of her Veggie Tofu. All in all it was fast deliver, very cheap, a lot of food, and the driver risked his life to get it to us! We will definitely order from them again. Next time we will make sure it sunny out though! read more

China Place - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

It took me about a year but I've really come to appreciate China Place as my go-to place for serviceable Chinese fast-food. I live just across the street and I hit this place frequently for lunch during the school year and get takeout at night a few times per month. The interior is a little sketchy and is not necessarily someplace you want to dine in at (I do it anyway), although if you do the wait staff is very attentive. I was beholden to the Sesame Chicken for quite awhile and it was very good. Recently I got brave and ordered the Mongolian Beef and that's my new default order. It comes loaded with surprisingly tender chunks of beef and a huge amount of onions that are cooked so well you don't mind eating them all like a salad. The sauce is also very tasty - nothing fancy but a very good dish for the price. And the prices are fantastic. Lunch is around $6 and the portions are very large. Dinner is around $8 and portions are even larger. I really like that I can come here and get full without needing to purchase any extras. I've never done delivery because I'm so close, but based on the number of times I see their delivery vehicle around the neighborhood it's clear to see it's the bulk of their business. China Place is exactly what it should be - quick, tasty, and cheap. read more

I got take out for my friend, her daughter, and myself, we got chicken cashew, chicken lo mein, egg drop soup, and crab rangoon. It was all good. Id have to say the hot and sour soup is better then most places as well as the chicken cashew, the rest was good, also. Dinners come w. Choice of fried or steamed rice, choice of egg roll or crab rangoon, choice of hot and soup soup or egg drop, i got the hot and soup, my friend got egg drop the egg drop was average. read more

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Was craving some Chinese food tonight. Ordered from them for the first time was will order again. The best crab Rangoon I've had here in Des Moines! Crispy outside and creamy flavorful filing! The beef lomain was delicious and very filling. The fried rice even had flavor and still moist. Was so full from that I didn't get a chance to eat the soup or egg roll. read more

I hadn't ordered from China Place for years. I remember growning up their food was so good. Thought I'd give them another try so I ordered two orders of Shrimp Fried Rice and one of Beef Egg Foo Young. I got home made plates and noticed when doing so the rice did not look fresh. The meat in the Beef Egg Foo Young was not beef and it had very little gravy. After tasting the food it left a strong aftertaste and not a good one. I called them back and the lady repeatedly stated the meat was beef and there was gravy in the Beef Foo Young. It wasn't Beef it looked and tasted like pork and I even sent her pictures for proof. $55 bucks wasted on food that wasn't worth $20. She wanted to replace my order but I said no, their food just ain't like it used to be when I was growning up. On top of that the place has a smell that a restaurant shouldn't have. China place has been around for years and it's definitely time for them to hire better cooks that cook with love and also refresh and update the place, something there smells bad!!!! Never again. read more

Ordered for lunch today for delivery to office. There was a LIVE cockroach inside the bag with our food. Called to tell them and they offered to bring us more food. Respectively declined, asked for full refund to credit card. Hopefully that is issued without further issues. read more

China Place - This was in our bag from lunch delivery at China Palace. It was a lion. - Chinese Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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My go to delivery Chinese in Des Moines! Always comes nice and hot and very flavor-able. Hot and Sour soup is amazing and highly recommended. Delivery is always fast and customer service is great. read more

This is one of my favorite places to get take out after a long day. The food is always ready super fast and is never cold. I love how it doesn't break the bank either. The dinner special comes with an entree, rice, a rangoon/eggroll, and soup all for around $10. Like I said, perfect for a good meal after a long day. Best of all I can easily get two meals out of it, and there are few things that save as well as Chinese food. Overall, I've only had great experiences here and will continue to count on China Place when I'm in need of some great food. read more

We will never order here again. We've ordered food numerous times and almost every other time they go to the wrong address even tho we say specifically wdm and give our area code. We even emphasize the wdm part specifically for this reason. Not only did they insult our intelligence by saying we said the wrong address they were not willing to handle the problem in a respectful business like manner. They also asked if we live in an apartment or house. We said house and they ended up going to a hotel downtown. They do not write anything down and would not take blame for their mistake. If I could give 0 stars I would. read more

literally amazing. sooooo much food for so cheap. the food is the best chinese food i have found in des moines. the service is impeccable and they are always friendly. it is a lovely establishment. read more