I've been coming to China Bistro for more than 10 years. Back in the day, when there were not so…read moremany Asian food options in Baltimore, I used to drive a long way for a homemade meal of dumplings. Indeed, recently, when I came by the store, I actually ran into one of my friends from my Baltimore days. I guess we all still come here. In the years that have passed, the restaurant has gone through significant interior upgrades and the food remains of good quality, with a reasonable prices, inflation and all.
The dumplings (including the wrapper) are clearly handmade, but flavor profile wise, I do find tends to be overpowered by vinegar. If we are strict critiques of dumplings, the dumpling wrappers also lack the typical bounce that good dumplings should have. These were all factors I typically overlook, because of course, we live in America, and expecting high-quality Chinese food is not always possible.
This is all good, however, the reason for my one star is from a recent experience I had, where I brought some guests from out of town and asked our server for some recommendations. She very brashly brush me off, saying the menu is large, and she cannot give recommendations in general. Incredibly rudely. At the end, I ended up tipping 15% for a lunch meal, and she very angrily came back and told me people tip 20% always. I told her 15% is customary for lunch, her service was not particularly good, not to mention tipping is voluntary. She proceeded to push me on 20%, glaring at me angrily, which made me very uncomfortable, although I held my ground and left. In sum, this was just a horrible experience, and I don't think I will be returning. I am appreciative of places that keep reasonable prices, and I understand inflation and economics have created significant stress on restaurants. In my opinion, it would be reasonable to raise prices, or even add a very clearly marked 20% service charge to the prices as a default. However, providing poor service and then guilting customers into a " mandatory" 20% tip is wrong. My guests were also aghast at this. In the end, it was only a few dollars, but it is a matter of principle and how customers are treated. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this establishment for this reason.