I moved here after my wife passed and was lucky enough to be close to this restaurant. It's good food. My brother retired from Air Canada and I'd call him a foody. He's visited over 100 countries and has written and published 2 cookbooks. So I took him here when he visited. He loved it. So I have to write this review and place my name on the long list of fans for La China restaurant. -Robert Charlton. read more

I can't explain how happy I am to have found this place! La China brings back the original tastes and flavors of Chinese food I grew up loving! Real old school Egg Foo Young and Real Orange chicken or beef etc. Done the right way, the old school way and tasty and better by far then then the new crap! Just GO and enjoy! read more

This place has been here forever and a day! Well, there's a reason for that. Everything is super fresh and the flavors are so good. I want to redecorate their dining room, but other than that, it's one of our favorite neighborhood eateries. read more

My house noodles had lomein and chicken and beef and shrimp...very tasty! My bro had the chicken fried rice and he loved it. The service was fast and friendly. The chef came out and asked if everything was ok! This restaurant usually is not full as they do a lot of takeout. read more

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We ordered take out - could not eat it horrible, the white rice was old and not fresh, the orange chicken well let's just say we threw it away stay away from this place at all costs read more

Service is great. Very friendly staff! The food is so fresh and the beef just melts in your mouth. I will be back repeatedly.

After watching someone roll egg rolls on the front counter and touch money I've never gone back. It was the most unsanitary thing I've ever seen. It was like a normal day for them. read more

It is a small but delightful Chinese restaurant located just off the 125 freeway and Navajo in El Cajon. The price is a reasonable: We ordered a large fried rice for three dollars, the family delight, which had chicken, krab, shrimp and various vegetables in a white sauce for 13.75, and four egg rolls for $7.50. The two of us were actually able to take over enough for someone to have lunch tomorrow! The service was rapid and friendly, and the atmosphere was one of many regulars who were greeted almost by name and seated in their favorite booth or table. read more

La China Restaurant - Family delight! - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

I love their food. The provide good and quick service and are always kind The chicken and vegetables is my favorite read more

The wonton soup is out of this world. I never had one like this. It had shrimp, the wontons, a zucchini, carrot, and something to try. I also had the beef and eggplant and it was outstanding. I tried something different and it was worth it. Great service. read more

This was a very good Restaurant for the Food, Service & Ambiance!!! and Price for everything. read more

If you have family coming over or just want a quick, cost affordable and delicious meal, this is your place! I always get the family meals and they never disappoint! It comes with an egg roll, rice and entrees. The entrees depend on how many people and they are set so you can't mix and match, however, they are all crowd favorites so you are sure to find something in the family meal for everyone! read more

The ambience is well not good but the food is superb. That's how you could tell. It's a good place. They don't even have to bother with what the dining room looks like lol no really the food is excellent. read more

I placed an order online and they forgot the crab Rangoon, the only thing that tasted good was the Mongolian beef. Not to mention I paid $75 dollars for just my self for delivery! What a waste of money and time. Back to the drawing board! read more

I was craving egg drop soup and sweet and sour chicken so decided to check out La China in San Carlos/El Cajon. It's in the strip mall with a bunch of other shops and looks to be primarily focused on take-out, though I saw a few tables filled inside. The food we ordered took me back to my childhood eating fried sweet and sour chicken, egg drop soup, mongolian beef, and cream cheese wontons. Everything was hot, made with good quality meat and a decent price. The egg drop soup was okay, I enhanced it by adding soy sauce. The fried wonton pieces are always my favorite and they provided a nice side bag of them. The sweet and sour chicken was all white meat served with pineapple, onions and peppers. I asked for sauce on the side so it would still be crisp when I brought it home. The Mongolian beef was very good. Tasty, tender cuts of beef with a generous hand in thinly sliced onions and sauce. The cream cheese wontons were fried and served with the same sauce as the chicken. I was hoping it would be a sweet chili sauce but still good. It's by no means traditional Chinese food, though they do have specialties. It's a clean shop and the lady who took my order and helped me was super friendly and helpful. read more

La China Restaurant - Sweet and sour chicken (sauce on side) - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

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We were greeted immediately and we sat down in a booth. The first thing I noticed was there was some kind of air conditioning, but it wasn't normal so it was a little bit warm, and I noticed they had a portable air conditioner, and some fans blowing the air around, I ordered the Kung Pao three ingredient, and my companion had orange chicken, which really wasn't very orange, it was more of a brown sauce that tasted it slight bit of orange, but not much. I also ordered green tea, which I was happy that they had and they brought us a nice big pot. The three ingredients in my meal were beef, chicken, and shrimp and there were three shrimp in the meal, lots of chicken and beef. And it was tasty And I was happy to bring home what I didn't eat. The orange chicken was OK, but it wasn't what was expected because it wasn't really as orangey as most orange chickens are. Food was good and the service was fine, but it did take a long time for them to come and pick up, our payment so that we could get out and leave. I'd rather eat here in the winter time. It's probably warm wouldn't mind but I like air conditioning in the summer. read more

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Loved this restaurant!!! Chicken Teriyaki was excellent. The Cashew Chicken was even better! But the star of the show was the Salt and Pepper Wings! They are hands down the best Salt and Pepper Wings in San Diego. Make the drive there just for the wings! VERY friendly staff and quick service. They do a LOT of takeout business here or dine in the dining room too. 5 stars! Go! read more

Located around other stores. Good parking. Placed looked cleaned, but would look better if they organized some of the stuff better. It looks a tad bit like storage in the front. They were friendly and took care of me quick. Kung Po Chicken is ok...not great or good but just ok. Egg rolls are good. Nice booths to sit in. Good lighting. I think their fried stuff might be better than the stir fried. The fried rice was well cooked and soft. Overall an ok spot to stop by when you are shopping and hungry. Good lunch special prices too. Portions are ok also. read more

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I have been coming here for about the last year for their GREAT tasting House Chow Mein. Every time that I order it is always hot, fresh, and very tasteful. I have absolutely no complaints!! read more

I want to like this place since it's near my house but I sorely disappoint because I order chow mein and I get fried fat noodles instead of the thin crispy noodles usually sold at Cantonese restaurants . Please learn from Jasmine and make better food so I can visit you often. read more

Food is always amazing! This is my go to for Chinese when I'm on my way home or we want a meal out. It's not a fancy spot but that's why we love it. Excellent service and great food! Can't beat that! read more

The service is excellent. The Hong Kong noodles are great. The wet pork chop was gross.

Food is always fresh, hot and delicious. The service is amazing. Makes you feel good supporting a small family run business.

First of all, what's with the name? La China sounds like an inappropriate conglomerate of Americanized Spanish tacked onto China as an afterthought. Then again, this is an east county hole-in-the-wall next to a CVS so I'm not surprised. How did I find myself here? I went on a very lackluster date and sad to say, this restaurant was a mirror image of how this date went. So, what baffles me is that the east county locals dig it. I guess I'm not too shocked... But before I open that can of worms, I just want to be kind and nuanced with a few positives about La China: - cheap, decent portions - friendly service (although the server quickly threw fortune cookies and the bill at us when HIS plate was sucked down despite MY plate being 3/4 full) - quiet and I guess intimate for those who have been hitched for a long time Now, for the lame details: - lukewarm food with a watery, canned taste - terribly bright garage-style lighting - lackluster decor - entrees don't automatically come with rice (this I could somewhat forgive but considering the blahness... you can at least make white rice free) So, there's my two cents. I would never go on another date with Mr. Lame La China guy and I would never come back here. read more

Great, family owned business. We've been going here for 24 years! Great service and great food.

The service was very good and the employees were friendly. The prices are below the average Chinese restaurant these days, averaging about $13 per entree rather than $20. We ordered cashew chicken, crispy pan fried noodles, egg foo young and pecan chicken. We enjoyed the fluffy egg foo young and sauce, although hot bean sprouts are not appetizing and should be put on top at the finish. The cashew chicken had plenty of cashews, but the sauce was pure hoisin and completely overpowered anything else. We asked for the pan fried noodles to be crispy, but they placed them in a pool of sauce so the noodles were soggy when we got them. They have been around a long time and I realize they aren't trying to get Michelin stars, but we probably won't go back. The dining room is surprisingly large if you want to eat there. read more

La China is great! (While not the best food I've had they are very good and I'm always going back) My go to dishes are: - beef broccoli - orange chicken - crab Rangoon - chow mein I have only ever done take out. read more

Straight up solid Chinese American food. My order of Singapore noodles and spring roles arrived in 5 minutes and was served with a smile. Food was great. Another reviewer knocked them down for the strip mall ambience. Well, many of us have had some great food from "holes in the wall". Or strip malls. Love that they had Singapore noodles. I will be back. read more

Meh. 4 stars for the eggrolls, they were crispy. The salt and pepper wings were overly covered in batter. The soups were very bland (corn chowder and wonton - although the wontons themselves were great!). The main entree we got was over sauced. Upside is that it's pretty cheap! read more

Ordered delivery. Mongolian beef and Cashew Chicken. $17.00 for the Mingoluan beef. Very small entree .BRW no rice grossly over priced. Now if this was the best Mingolian beef ever...I could over look that but it wasn't. I cooked my iown rice and made the best of it. Entree 2 Cashew Chicken Fried rice. The Cashew Chicken was ok not the best but edible. Again a small entree for the price. Fried rice don't bother, essentially steamed rice with sosome Soy sauce. Paid extra for this...I have to ask myself why. Needless to say we will not be going back. What is the saying...Fool me once shame in you. Fool me twice; shame on me. read more

Tried it last night and we loved it. Mushi Pork, egg foo yung chicken, sweet&sour chicken, and potstickers were all great. Got delivery through GrubHub and order was complete too. Our fave now! read more

We are celebrating Christmas by ordering our favorite asian dishes...This place is the best...Panda Express cannot compare to La China's dishes that are plentiful and simply yummy.....So glad this place is still going strong...we love and support this family business....on behalf of my self and my partner who ordered today to be delivered you still rock....Sammy Gross and Trent Smith....Golfcrest Drive....SD CA 92119 read more

La China Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

We enjoyed the hot and spicy soup which had savory and spicy flavor. My husband also enjoyed his lunch entree, Kung Pao 3 ingredients which had shrimp, chicken & beef tjat was spicy and savory. read more

This place was definitely surprising to me. It's a small hole in the wall and not very busy. The food is very good. My dad ordered a vegetarian dish with rice and said it was the best he had ever had. I ordered a chicken fried rice for my daughter and garlic chicken for myself. I ended up eating my daughters fried rice with her and skipping my chicken as it was not quite my taste buds. But the fried rice was actually better. I would review this place a little bit higher, but there were a couple interesting things about it. First of all, in the kitchen we could hear them yelling at each other. That went on throughout the night. We weren't sure if someone was going to hit each other or there was going to be a fight that burst out of the kitchen door because it was very loud and consistent. But looking around at the waiters nobody even seemed to notice. That was so unsettling that everybody was a little bit nervous and on edge for the whole meal. I am assuming that that was a one time occurrence. But I am not sure. Also, the ambience was not what I prefer when sitting down inside of a restaurant. The lights were very bright and there were many things still being stored in the dining area. But, if this place is going to be for takeout, I would most likely order from here again as the service was good. One final note, I could not find a glass of wine that I enjoyed. The selection was very limited to very inexpensive (cheap) wine. My dad did order a Cabernet and could not even drink a few sips. I would love to see this place maybe get a couple good bottles on their list to match their food quality. With these tweaks, I would give it a five star. read more

This is officially my favorite Chinese food restaurant in east county for take out . The food is delicious , the staff works hard to cook up some very good meals . Their prices are fair .I'm impressed with the precautions that they are taking during this Covid-19 world crisis. I think you will be too . You must try their pecan shrimp , crispy orange beef and their fried rice is above average . read more

general chicken with fried rice, egg-roll add on for 1.50 -Excellent Service -Good Prices -Tasty Food read more

La China Restaurant - general chicken with rice, eggroll add-on - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

Have been eating here for years! Live in the area so it's easy to call and pick up if you want! Eating in is pleasant also- great service and June always greets with a smile! As others have said- straight up American Chinese food- fair priced and great taste- fresh vegetables and never overcooked. People comment on being in a strip mall- I've been in China and believe me- there are a lot of small shops that serve great food...big deal, you are going for the food! Also have GREAT lunch deals with nice size portions!! Highly recommend!!! read more

On one of the 10 days it rains San Diego I wanted some hot and sour soup and some crab ragoons. Lots of mixed reviews of la China but I'd say it is definitely at parity with surrounding Chinese restaurants in the region, namely panda country and mr. spicy. I was expecting Albertsons quality but got Kiel's quality if you know what I mean. Soup was hot and spicier than I expected which was nice but not blow you out of the water spicy. The grab ragoons were way better than other places for some reason. It wasn't over cooked and the inside was the perfect temp. Haven't tried anything else on the menu but I'll probably give it a shot since la China is a 5 min drive from my house. read more

La China Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - El Cajon, California

This place came well recommended on Yelp, so my wife and I decided to try it. We were greeted promptly and the service was very good. That's where the great experience ended. The place looks very dated and under construction. There are storage boxes everywhere, and even an old payphone on the wall next to the restroom. I don't know if it was still in working order. There was an old Non Smoking section sign in the front area... just how old IS this place? My wife got a shrimp with lobster sauce, I got Mu Shu Chicken, and we shared brown rice. The rice was good, but the other dishes tasted off. It was a disappointment for sure. We need a better choice in Chinese Restaurants in East County. The classic ones are dying off or shutting down. read more

I love their salt and pepper wings. They are very crispy and delicious. They might be a tiny bit on the sweet side.