I was absolutely stunned at how wonderful this restaurant was, considering that I barely noticed that it was there! There is very little signage and decore outside, so I wasn't sure they were open. The interior is elegant and spacious, and the wait staff is friendly and attentive without getting annoying. And the food! Oh my goodness, I haven't had such wonderful Chinese food in decades, and I've eaten my fair share. I will caution you, though - the portions are enormous! My husband and I were on date night alone, and each ordered our own entree...and the leftovers lasted us two more meals! It was really just an overall surprise, and we will be back several times, and we'll be bringing family and friends so that we can try many more entrees and share. I'm so excited to find this restaurant less than two miles from home. read more

Hot sour soup has too much vinegar. The Chicken Chow Mein was too oily and the chicken had an odd texture. Instead of crispy noodles under the Chow Mein there was deep fried won ton noodles on top. read more

We went to our favorite Chinese restaurant this evening. Chins on Avocado.and Chase. This place is amazing with great service and delicious food. We had the sizzling Rice soup, sizzling beef, sweat and sour Pork and the almond chicken with hot tea. They have a very Chinese ambiance and very helpful and curious staff. They have eat in and take out. Give them a try you will not be sorry. read more

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We went to Chins Gourmet to meet family. I was quite impressed with the food; it's different than what we have in Michigan. The wonton soup had all kinds of vegetables in addition to the wonton. The egg foo yung was huge and seemed meant for sharing, and its sauce also had a lot of vegetables in it. (In Michigan, the egg foo yung is usually about the size of small pancakes & just comes with a brown sauce.) I also liked the general tsao's chicken; it's usually too spicy for me, but this wasn't bad. And I loved both the beef and chicken lomein. This restaurant was definitely a nice surprise! read more

Found this Chins while I was out shopping with a friend. There was plenty of parking. The food was just okay for lunch. The egg roll was my favorite thing on the plate. The fried rice was just fried rice with nothing in it and it had no flavor. I wish the food was better because the service was amazing. The staff was very attentive and quick. read more

Chins Gourmet - Egg drop soup - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

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TLDR: My favorite Cantonese food in East County thus far. Soup: 7.1/10 I DoorDashed some soup from here when I was sick and this hit the spot. It tasted like a classic Cantonese soup with a chicken base. There wasn't too much MSG where I was thirsty for the rest of the day but enough where it added flavor. I prefer a little less MSG, but it was still very good. Soup had shrimp beef, chicken, carrots, chicken, dumplings, water, chestnuts. Steamed Dumplings: 7.5/10 Put these up against any Shanghainese pork and Napa dumplings, and it holds its own. The dumplings wrappers are handmade, with a nice chewy texture. Classic pork and Napa cabbage filling and flavor. If you are looking for the classic Shanghainese pork and Napa cabbage dumplings you have to get these. It comes with the classic garlic vinegar sweet sauce on the side. I will definitely be ordering these when I need some good dumplings. read more

OMGosh! We haven't had Chinese food this good in years. This restaurant put out sooo much flavor, quantity and quality in their food! We've tried several places since our go-to, 'House of 9 Dragons' in Bonita closed, but we haven't been too impressed with the others. Our meals came to us by Door Dash and all the dishes were extremely tasty and everything was expertly packed and delivered with polite courtesy and a smile. EGG ROLLS (no pic): There are 4 vegetable egg rolls to an order. They are wrapped in rice paper, and are filled with delicious vegetables. Deep fried and accompanied by small containers of both hot mustard (which is nasally hot with horseradish and very good), as well as plum sauce that is both tart and somewhat sweet, but not too sweet. EGG FOO YOUNG: This dish surprised me in a good way. A dish I regularly order in Chinese food, Chin's presented theirs a bit differently; in a quantity that knocked my socks off! I enjoyed very much that the egg patty and sauce were completely separate from each other so you could customize it the way you like it. Each element of the dish was so spectacular that when they were put together, the dish combined to guarantee an unforgettable combination. The elements inside the brown sauce made this dish sing: a quart container of tender white meat chicken pieces, plump mushrooms, carrots, snow peas, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots rounded out the sauce. The only thing that would've made this dish better is if more than just one patty was offered. The patty was fairly large, so I was able to make two servings of it. Then was able to finish the sauce over the fried rice. Delicious! LEMON CHICKEN (no pic): This was not my dish so I didn't take a pic, but I had a taste and it was very good. The breast meat was crispy and yummy. The lemon sauce provided was perfect! SHRIMP FRIED RICE: Your usual Chinese shrimp fried rice was perfectly accentuated with large tender, plump and tasty shrimp. The bits of egg that finished it off were good. Also accompanying our meals was a container of white rice plus four fortune cookies. Go here. Highly recommend! *****FIVE FABULOUS STARS***** read more

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The food was good but I didn't get the correct food. It's unfortunate because they weren't busy at all. read more

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I have had a few great meals here at China, both business meetings and with for family meals. We did take-out for Christmas and dined in on Easter as well. Chin and his team have consistently made our experiences memorable and have taken such good care of our family each time we have visited. The service is impeccable and the food is delicious. The servings are generous. We have ordered a wide array of dishes and loved them all from appetizers to lunch/dinner specials to à la carte options. Not one miss. I can't wait for our next meal with Chin! read more

If you need your Chinese food craving met, this is the place to go! Food always tastes fresh and tasty, they are fast and work really hard here. Favorites are the salt and pepper wings and house chow mein. read more

I came here and got food to go after hearing how great it was, and it did not disappoint! I got the kung pao 3 flavor and it was amazing! I would highly recommend trying it. Although I didn't eat inside, the decor looked very classy. I plan to come back. read more

First time customer and got it to go. The tangerine chicken and honey walnut shrimp were good - would order again. The Mongolian beef was okay. I'm a fan of the one from PF Changs and this didn't compare. Beef was tender though. Lo mein was pretty good. Got it with pork and maybe a personal preference but wouldn't do the pork again. Overall a solid Chinese option! read more

Classic Chinese food, timely and excellent service. Will be back again. Also recommend lunch

I enjoyed a nice meal here. Great nostalgic food. It's really pretty and classy inside too. All our food was delicious, on the sweet side of course but it had great wok hei. And for how nice it was inside, I was impressed by the price and serving size. Lunch specials are an average of 15$ and easily make two meals. The dishes aren't skimpy on meat either. The service was excellent too. I would definitely return! read more

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Hot and delicious!!! All of it! Picked up yo take home. Didn't need to reheat. We will Be back read more

Fantastic Chinese food best in El Cajon! Always friendly always fresh always delicious

Tears on my pillow here. This was to be my favorite spot but after this one encounter with dirty dishes I'm out. read more

Chins Gourmet - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

Remains consistently quality. The steamed Shanghai dumplings are wonderful Picked up wonton soup, the kung pow trio and tried the steamed ginger, scallion fish, and all were delicious! An order of white rice and crunchy Montana noodles are complementary with each order- Next time I wanna try the hot and sour soup and the Hunan fish fillet. The restaurant looks very pleasant. We really need to eat there in person someday. My order was ready when I came to pick it up . read more

Great food great service totally recommend going here. It's a very nice restaurant. All employees were super helpful. Recommended some really great dishes. I also did order the green beans for appetizer, but it's not in any of the pictures, but I totally recommend them. read more

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Not as good as it used to be. I'll forever be chasing that old china gourmet taste food has no flavor and they changed their chow mien

UPDATE: I felt compelled to update this review and downgrade to 1 star after the manager/head waitress came to confront me twice about the situation while we were eating and celebrating my mom's birthday. It was completely unprofessional and out of line. Also, the combination kung pao dish was poorly seasoned and did not taste good. The tangerine chicken (the free entre) was good. Each time we've come, one dish is tasty and the other isn't. It would benefit them to be consistent, but even if they were, with the horrible service it's hardly a remedy. The only reason this place gets two stars is because the first time we came we actually liked it. The second time I brought my mom for her birthday. They have a promotion of a free birthday feast that includes a cup of soup or egg roll with it. My mom wanted a cup of soup and we decided we would PAY for a single egg roll and fried shrimp. We asked for this for the waitress and she was adamant we could not add this in "because birthday feast is free!" We said yes we are going to pay for the extra egg roll and fried shrimp. She brought the other waitress whom we explained it again to. She said ok. You'd think the saga ends there but NO. I ordered my dinner with the $5.95 add on of soup, egg roll and fried shrimp. Then the waitress starts saying oh I take your egg roll and give to her. No, I want my own meal. "No no we take your egg roll and give her two egg roll." No, she wants ONE egg roll and one fried shrimp and I am paying for MY MEAL. We went back and forth several minutes. The soup they brought was so sour it was disgusting to eat!! We won't be returning read more

Chins Gourmet - Disgusting soup of the day. Inedible. - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

We just went here for the first time. We really enjoyed the food. This is the best Chinese restaurant we have had in a while. Thank you

El Cajon has itself a great Chinese restaurant. Pretty upscale vibe and I enjoyed the food and service. The sweet and sour pork, house fried rice, garlic chicken, and even the hot tea were all great. Staff checked up in frequently. I am definitely coming back for more. Place seemed like it had its regulars coming through. read more

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I took my family out to dinner. I thought there food and the flavors where awesome Best Chinese food I've had in a while. There service was great. And it was nice and clean inside. Great ambiance!!!! read more

The service was attentive but the food has room for improvement. This is not like East coast Chinese food at all if that's what you're looking for. The Chinese crispy noodle they give were very oily. Wonton soup was loaded with shrimp, chicken, beef, wontons. The wonton noodle part was great, but the inside filling was lacking in flavor and quantity. The broth was a rich beef broth which we have never had at a Chinese restaurant . Not bad, just different. Pork egg foo yung was a little oily, lots of scallions in the egg pancake. All of the pork is in a sauce on top, not diced into the pancake part. My husband said the meat had a gamey flavor. It was not the Chinese diced pork we are expecting with the char su flavors. Hot tea is Jasmine. We thought it would be oolong. Egg rolls are more thin like spring rolls. Overall not bad, but not great. Will not return. read more

Old bad meat at this location. I would not recommend seems like they're in a hurry and filling orders possibly reusing Old mistake orders read more

Chins Gourmet - Tangerine beef - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

This is a hands down a 5 star restaurant and definitely the nicest Chinese restaurant dining room in East County. This restaurant is really lovely. The service is also outstanding. The staff make you feel welcomed and you're taken cate of . Now lets talk about the food . It is delicious! Their menu is unique . They have dishes you probably haven't seen at other local Chinese restaurants. Its really fun to try new dishes . They also have the typical Chinese classic dishes to choose from. Im so excited about Chins . read more

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Heck yeah! Chin's is finally open in El Cajon! Outside it looks like any other spot in a mini mall. But the inside has that cozy family owned Chinese vibe to it. Service was fast and friendly! Got our appetizers pretty fast. Chrispy Cheese Wontons and Pot Stickers, came w a garlic sauce, chili sauce and a sweet & sour/ mustard plate. That mustard will def clear your sinuses. The Three ingredient dish was a yummy mix of beef, chicken and shrimp w veggies in a brown sauce. The big hit was the tangerine chicken which tastes better than orange chicken. It came with steamed white rice, fried rice is an up charge so we stuck with the white rice! Def will be back! read more

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EXCELLENT! Finally a Chinese restaurant worthy of 5 stars. The dishes are separate and all to their own. It was so good we went 3 days in one week. The wait staff is very professional and accommodating. We are looking forward to returning to El Cajon. Chin's Gourmet will be one of our first stops. read more

The moo shu pork was very good. If you like a lot of meat, you'll like this dish. The staff is very attentive and you are served very quickly. read more

This is my go to for Szechwan chicken! Super fresh ingredients and full of flavor. The service is top notch as well.

For what they are charging you would be better off going to a buffet or learn to cook Chinese food yourself. Food was so salted couldn't taster the food. I paid the bill with no tip. I wrote out a tip. ( learn to cook ) read more

Went on Christmas Eve, delicious food and fast attentive service. They didn't have a license to serve alcohol at the time.

After living in East County, Lakeside, for 38 years, I finally found my way to Chin's. So glad I did. I had the most delicious Spicy Eggplant I've ever eaten. And it was ALL eggplant! No fillers, just a lovely sumptuous garlic sauce. So good! Also loved the moo shu pork, fresh crispy veggies, and real Chinese pancakes! Hate the places that use flour tortillas! As a former New Yorker, I can say Chin's Chinese food is the real deal. I'll be back! read more

We were really looking forward to trying this spot after seeing all the positive reviews. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the dinner experience we had hoped for. There were some things we did want to praise & highlight as not all were negative. First of all, it was our first time visiting so we weren't familiar with their menu, but had been asked 3 times in a span of what felt like 4 minutes whether we were ready to order. We didn't feel the need to be rushed as their dining room was only 40-50% occupied at the time we were seated. We ordered the following dishes to share "family style" amongst the four of us (I've rated them on a scale of 1-5 stars): Egg Flower Soup w/ Vegetables (3) Crispy Cream Cheese Wontons (3) Shanghai Steamed Dumplings (5) Tangerine Chicken (5) Filet Mignon w/ Chef Sauce (2) Pan Fried Crispy Noodles (2) Taiwanese Sausage Fried Rice (2) Hot Tea (5) We tried ordering their Mushrooms in a Spicy Honey Sauce vegetable dish, but they were out of it. We obviously liked their Shanghai Steamed Dumplings appetizer and Tangerine Chicken entree the most. The soup & wontons were neither great nor bad. The Filet Mignon was tender but cooked well-done, and may have been much more tender if cooked medium. The Pan Fried Crispy Noodles didn't have much beef & chicken compared to the vegetables. Their Taiwanese Sausage Fried Rice lacked any flavor at all and looked like regular non-fried rice with eggs & bits of Chinese sausage mixed in. One thing that was a little bit of a let down was we were not given any crispy noodles with our soup. We thought the restaurant didn't have any, but saw the crispy noodles on an adjacent table when we were almost done with the meal. Also, we weren't offered house fried rice to accompany our entrees ordered and were just given steamed white rice. Again, I guess we should have inquired but since they didn't offer it, assumed they didn't have any. If their menu had indicated they had fried rice, i probably overlooked that being asked if we're ready to order 3 times in 4 minutes after being seated. On a positive note, their dining room area was very nice, clean, and tables were spaced well apart. Their restrooms were not the cleanest we've seen, but they also weren't the dirtiest. Service was good, other than appearing somewhat rushed at the beginning. Thankfully, this restaurant accepts AMEX for payment. We live over 20 minutes away, so I doubt we'll return since there are other Chinese restaurants as good as Chin's Gourmet or better. read more

Chins Gourmet - Crispy Cream Cheese Wontons appetizer - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

This place is excellent! Service is always top notch. Food is fresh. With such an extensive menu, it would be helpful to have descriptions on the menu. I would have never ordered what I ordered if someone didn't post a pic on Yelp. Highly recommend #12. Three ingredient. Soooo good! read more

This little hidden gem in a family friendly strip mall in Santee is our new favorite Chinese joint! It's tiny with only a few tables (heavy takeout) but the food is Yummy! The flavors are robust, cooked and served by folks born and raised on authentic Chinese cooking. Very friendly. Happy to assist to get your order just right. We did take out. I noted the nice crisp on the house special beef but after a 20 minute drive home I wish we had eaten there. Try their unique take on Singapore street noodles. If you love it like I do you will enjoy it. This place is a must try!! read more

The woman at the counter when picking up an order is extremely rude. I placed my order and when I got there I had asked for hot mustard she told me it was in the bag however, while I was there checking the bag it wasn't in there and she seemed to be very bothered when I told her it wasn't. She reluctantly went to the back all the while shaking her head as if I was a problem. She came back with sweet and sour sauce. I had recently started patronizing this establishment and each time she has always been there and acted similar as today however today was the worse. I will no longer patronize this business. There are other establishment such as this one with even better quality of food and customer service. read more

Great customer service and great food for celebrating an event. The ambiance was cool and calm for a dinner night.

Our food was delicious! It came out quickly, it was hot and very flavorful! The staff is attentive and helpful! I love how clean and inviting the restaurant is as well! Don't miss out on this yummy food! read more