5 stars - Genuine Northern Chinese Gem in Milbrae I've been searching for years for a spot that does real Northern Chinese food without watering it down for the American palate, and New China absolutely delivers. The owners clearly know their stuff--Shandong style cooking shines through. We started with the pan-fried pork & chive dumplings (煎饺) -- thick, chewy wrappers with perfectly seasoned filling and that ideal crispy bottom. Not the thin-skinned Cantonese style; these are hearty and satisfying, just like what you'd get in the north. Their zha jiang mian (炸酱面) is outstanding--the fermented soybean sauce is rich and deeply flavored, loaded with ground pork, cucumber matchsticks, and bean sprouts. The noodles have that perfect al dente bite. It's the real deal, not the sweet Americanized version. We also got the cumin lamb skewers (孜然羊肉串) -- tender, intensely spiced with cumin, chili flakes, and sesame, grilled over real flame so they have that smoky char. And the sour cabbage stir-fried with glass noodles (酸菜粉丝) was spot-on: tangy, comforting, and full of that signature Northern balance of sour and savory. Excellent appetizers Portions are generous, prices are very reasonable for the quality, and the place has that no-frills, family-run feel that makes you feel like you're eating at someone's home kitchen. Service was friendly and quick, even when busy. If you're tired of the same old General Tso's and orange chicken everywhere, do yourself a favor and come here for authentic Northern Chinese flavors. This is now our go-to spot in Milbrae Highly recommend--will be back often! read more

Located on a busy thoroughfare in Millbrae, this restaurant has a group of loyal customers. Street parking may be difficult but usually you should find some open space across the street. Unlike your typical Chinese Restaurant, this place specializes in Northern China style cuisine, so some of the dining experience may feel reversed. For example, they have a mince noodle that is served cold, but a Tofu Skin that is served hot. The English description are a bit off and they have a variety of frozen buns and other food you can buy to-go (they don't serve the buns at the restaurant). For the less adventurous, their spicy tofu, Crispy Sweet and Sour Chicken (breaded and fried crispy) and a dry noodle are good starting point, and for vegetables, their stir fry green beans is good (but best served with some rice). Overall, this place is not bad, but wish their menu was more accurate in the description/content to meet customer's expectations. read more

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Was craving their meat hamburger and I'm here. Came with my sister so it was just the two of us therefore we cannot order too much. We ordered their two item cold dish appetizer- pig ear and shredded potato, meat hamburger and their meat and eggplant noodle. I noticed the meat hamburger was different from before. It was less flaky and juicy but it was not as oily as before which was good. The meat and eggplant noodle was good but lacking a little taste but overall it was still yummy. The place is clean and tables are not cramped together. The servers were friendly and tentative. Parking is not hard since there are plenty of street parking. Will definitely come back for more yummy dishes. read more

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Tried New China and overall had a good experience! I got the Chinese burger (the one that's usually recommended) -- super crispy and tasty, but definitely on the oily side. The cumin lamb needed a bit more salt and didn't have a strong cumin flavor, but when I reheated the leftovers and added some salt, it actually tasted a lot better. The eggplant was really good though, flavorful and well-cooked. Overall, solid spot for Chinese comfort food, but a few dishes could use a little more seasoning. I'd still come back to try other items! read more

New China Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Came to New China Restaurant after happening upon it via DoorDash. That time, we ordered the burger and the liang pi and both were seriously good so it had to be better in person right? Walking in, there is a tablet to join a waitlist system. There's also a small bench that could fit 3 but it's probably still more comfortable to stand outside to wait. Despite having a queue, we were sat in about 10 min, not bad! Looking over the menu we knew we wanted the burger again and ironically the staff also pushed us to the liang pi but we wanted to try some other things too. We ended up ordering the thin tofu sheets with green peppers which was really tasty in my opinion! Not as heavy as noodles but similar concept. The spice was also present but not overboard. For $9.99, we also added the small apps plate where you can choose from the deli. Our favorite was the marinated cucumbers and woodear, followed by the pig ears, and then the shredded potatoes. Overall, the food is top notch here and I think you certainly owe it a try if you haven't already. In fact, you've probably already driven past it many times and not noticed - so stop by next time! read more

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Came here with some friends after a walk. Ordered the special noodle with sauce, the ja jeung mein and the eggplant and potatoes. I really liked the special noodle dish which was vegan cuz the noodles were made out of bean. Maybe mung bean? My friend did not know. But it tasted very refreshing after the long walk on the sawyer camp trail. It's a cold dish. The eggplant potato dish had good texture but it also lacked flavor and only some of the eggplant and potatoes were crisp otherwise they were a bit soggy. The ja jeung mein didn't have a black bean sauce base so it really did seem more like a dan dan mien even though they said it wasn't. The wait staff was friendly and the place didn't have a hole in the wall vibe. Just a tiny little restaurant. They also offer some buns that are frozen that you can buy to make at home but those items are not on the menu so you can't test them out to see how they taste. Overall the food was pleasant but lacked flavor. I think I'd come back for that noodle dish but if I can find it somewhere else I might not. read more

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The cold sesame noodle dish delicious Sauce right amount of sesame The sweet and sour pork. Tender meat . Nice and crunchy read more

One of the most authentic northeastern Chinese cuisines in the area! As a native of northeast china, I was excited to be able to try New China and taste some truly authentic, home-cooked meals. At their price point and with the large portions offered, it's a shock that this wasn't higher up on my must try spots! Well worth a visit! read more

Tasty food and ok ambiance. Came for a Friday lunch with friends and it was pretty quiet - maybe bc it was a holiday weekend and people were out of town. For 4 people, we ordered the sweet and sour pork, Chinese burger, mung bean noodles, and the large pork bones. We had initially ordered just the first 3 because that's what my fellow Yelpers recommended but the waitress told us we didn't have enough food and to add the pork bones. They weren't necessary and were my least favorite dish, they gave us more than we needed, and because they were by weight, they ended up being $35 for the plate. I'll be back again with friends for the sweet and sour pork and the Chinese burgers for sure! read more

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Been to this place for long time, very disappointed today on the quality. Almost all the deli items are very salty and the anise spice over powered. Smoke chicken thighs dry and salty, new chefs? I really like this place, wish the owner can pay more attention to the quality of the food. Will give them another chance in a few months. read more

Stopped in to get something to go. Very nice/clean place. Staff were very nice and very informative about the menu. They are a cash only restaurant but also take Venmo. read more

New China Restaurant - Shredded pork with garlic sauce - Chinese Near Me - Millbrae, California

My son has been raving about the Sweet & Sour Fish at the restaurant. So we went there while we were visiting him and his fiancé. The fish were nicely fried, crunchy, coated with the traditional Chinese restaurant sweet and sour source. I thought if the fish were in smaller pieces, it would be better. We also order a few other dishes and they were decent. We ordered the beef tendon and they gave us like 2 lbs of them. Came to find out that it was charged by the pound. They should have asked us how much do we want. That said, at the end of the day, every thing was good and we would go back. read more

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Excellent, authentic food, big portions, good prices - it doesn't get much better than this. Highlights: Cold mung bean noodles (大拉皮) - excellent, sesame based sauce, love all the veggies. This is a great dish, noodles made in house Pickled cabbage (酸菜冻豆腐) - excellent flavor, so warm and cozy Dry tofu w pepper (尖椒干豆腐) - huge portion, great flavor read more

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The lady there is so mean!!! The food just so-so. not impressed at all. The the service is way too bad. No need to try! 国人不骗国人，没有必要来。 read more

Ordered the Salt & Pepper Chicken here and felt completely ripped off. The menu photo shows plump, meaty chicken wings... what I actually got was a box full of broken joints, bony scraps, and odds and ends that looked like leftovers no one else wanted. For $17, this was insulting. It wasn't a real dish -- it felt like the kitchen scraped together whatever parts they couldn't use elsewhere and called it "Salt & Pepper Chicken." Absolutely nothing like the advertised picture. Flavor alone doesn't make up for being served a tray of bones disguised as a main dish. If you value honesty and quality, look elsewhere. read more

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This place is a go-to for me and my friends. Authentic Chinese food that is worth the price :) The crispy pork is a must order. It comes piping hot and so juicy with a crisp skin. We devoured it in seconds. The mung bean noodles were quite yummy as well. It comes cold and is very slippery / tough to pick up. The noodles are translucent and comes with a sesame/peanutish sauce and sliced cucumber. The soups were all so good, very different flavors but the sour soup was better than the tomato soup (that one needs nice to come with as it's a little thicker). Green beans are also a classic, as well as the meat pancakes read more

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I called to place an order for Mongolian beef over rice and confirmed it was to be served over rice (not the à la carte option). When I arrived to pay, I was given the à la carte version with a side of rice. I did not raise the issue at the time and accepted the order as provided. However, I was disappointed by the service: a staff member (the woman without glasses) abruptly snatched the cash from my hand, which I found to be very rude. As a result, I will not be returning. read more

The service is always nice and welcoming. The food is 3.8 out of 5. It is very few restaurants that I would drive that far to go for a bite. Their pork bun is so so crispy and tasty read more

New China Restaurant - Pork blood stew, beef bones - Chinese Near Me - Millbrae, California

We came here the day after Thanksgiving for dinner. There's a few tables available to sit down to order and eat like a regular restaurant, and you can order takeout from the deli looking area further inside. They also sell frozen dumplings that I didn't try but it looked promising. It is a very casual spot with really amazing food, especially if you like it spicy! As a party of 8, we ordered a lot of food, maybe too much. Setchuan peanuts 10/10, spicy pig ears 10/10 could eat the whole plate, salt & pepper pork (7/10 lots of breading but good flavor), green beans (10/10 classic dish), beef tendon (10/10 if you like tendon would recommend), Chinese burger (10/10 unique, would recommend- also very filling), stir fry beef (10/10), pickled cabbage soup with pork (kind of sourish like sour kraut but surprisingly very tasty even though I'm not that into sour kraut). Tea isnt anything special, they just throw a tea bag into a pot with hot water. It's not loose leaf but it does match the vibe of this casual restaurant. The service is pretty good for a casual Chinese spot and the food comes quickly. I will definitely be recommending to my friends and family to come back here read more

New China Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Millbrae, California

Finally got to try this place out. Highly recommend it. Tried several dishes today: Chinese burger - 5/5 crispy and light pancake with tasty and not too greasy juicy meat inside. Perfect combination! 锅包肉 - 4.5/5 not the best one I have eaten in my life. Can't beat those that I had back years ago in China, but it's the best one that I had tried in the states so far. Will try out other restaurants later... Pickled veggie and Pork belly and blood sausage - 3.8/5. It comes with pepper flavor which I don't really like, just personal preference. But the blood sausage is really soft and fresh and pickle veggie and pork belly are really good. If it doesn't have pepper flavor, I will give it 4.3/5. Service and ambiance is really good and pristine. Will be my favorite place from now on! read more

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This restaurant was recommended by my friend who was originally from northeastern China. So we thought it was worth a try! We ordered mungbean cold noodles, Hua Juan (steamed bun), sweet and sour pork, and pork ribs and pickled cabbage soup. The mungbean cold noodles were topped with a lot of sesame sauce, making it very creamy and slightly sweet. The noodle texture was very chewy! The bun was soft and slightly sweetened with a buttery taste. The sweet and sour pork was what we came for, and it didn't disappoint us! The pork was crispy outside and tender inside, and it was lightly sweetened with a sour twist. The pork rip and pickled cabbage soup (not in picture) was very good too. The ribs were tender and the pickled cabbage balanced well with the oil of the ribs. The food portion was HUGE. We had 3 people and barely finished half of the 4 dishes. Overall I think they had really authentic northeastern Chinese food. I'd definitely like to come back for other dishes. :) read more

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Came here with a few girl friends because we heard so much about it from other people. Our favorites would be the cold appetizers (pick three for $10) and the 凉皮 cold thick noodle. This restaurant makes 东北饭，and our friend is from there, so she ordered the deep fries sweet and sour pork because it is representative of food in that region. It was good but not the best she's had. We also ordered a pork intestine and sour cabbage pork casserole, which were decent as well. read more

New China Restaurant - Deep fried pork - Chinese Near Me - Millbrae, California

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We came here for the seafood tofu clay pot, but ended ordering a bunch of stuff. I really wanted this place to work but I couldn't over look the false advertisement with the clay pot. It obviously didn't have the clay pot taste, but I was hoping that they can at least put it in a clay pot like container. FOOL ME ONCE SHAME ON YOU. They will not be fooling me twice. read more

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I live an hour away, but whenever we make it out to this side of the bay, this is the place we head to for an awesome meal. My lips pucker at just the anticipation for their Special Sweet and Sour Pork (#3 on the menu) . My guy loves their eggplant with garlic sauce (#24, I think). And since we're going all out, we have to round out the meal with not just regular rice but Yangchow fried rice. The Special Sweet and Sour pork is not your typical ruby red dyed sweet and sour pork with pineapple at other Chinese restaurants. This is a Special one from the northern region of China. It's more sour with thin shavings of green onion and ginger that heightens the flavor. And the pork is pounded thin like a schnitzel, but is coated with a mochi batter. So, it's chewy, crunchy, sour and a bit sweet. It's my favorite dish here. And while we waited for ours to come out (be patient, deliciousness does take time), almost every table had it on their table as well. So, the numbers represent! When she finally brought out ours, she held 3 exact dishes in her arms! Popular is an understatement. Ordering it to go would lose some of the crisp and crunch, so come here and eat it. The Eggplant with garlic is nicely deep fried with crisp edges and soft middle. I love the addition of the crunchy wood ear mushroom and carrots. Got all the textures covered. There's a chili plant next to it on the menu, but it's really not spicy. Don't be scared. The fried rice always hits, and they don't skimp on the large shrimp. It's my favorite restaurant on this side of the bay. I was gatekeeping because sometimes it's hard to get a seat, but this is too yummy to not share how much I look forward to eating here. read more

New China Restaurant - Eggplant with garlic sauce #24 (I think) and yangchow fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Millbrae, California

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You may not believe it, but the box of bones in the picture I posted is untouched. Yep, that's exactly how it arrived. They call it their "Signature Big Sauce Bone" (listed at $15.99/lb), but honestly, it's more like the "Signature Big Rip-Off." I asked for one pound, but the staff insisted the bones are big, so the minimum was 1.5 pounds. What did I get? Two extra meatless sticks thrown in to make it 1.75 pounds--and, of course, they charged me for the extra, nearly $30. I guess bones get heavier when they're covered in greed. To top it off, I also ordered their Chinese hamburger, which was just okay--too oily and salty, but the tender fatty bits helped. The kicker? It was the same meat as the so-called "signature" bone dish! Basically, they're charging premium prices for scraps. I've been coming here since they opened years ago. The owner or manager has always been sort of rude, and they're known to overcharge, but in consideration of helping local businesses, I continue buying take out (usually just their sweet & sour pork, northern style). This time, I really felt the need to expose the poor business ethics. *the disappointment continues: the owner saw my review and PM'd me to make personal attacks and curses. He thinks I wrote this negative review because he had declined to put the spicy cold dish in a separate box from the other side dishes, even though I told him my young daughter doesn't eat spicy. I didn't even complain about that or put it in my original review, paid for 2 separate sides instead (nearly double the charge). I get that it's hard being a business owner and they may feel the need to vent, but a basic level of professionalism and care for your customers go a long way. This is harassment level. read more

New China Restaurant - No this is NOT our leftover, but how it looks when we opened the box. This is their Signature Big Sauce Bone that costs $30. - Chinese Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Since I found out the owner came from the same province in China as I do, this restaurant held a special place in my heart. It's my hometown cuisine even though with some limited options. I have stopped by a few times as well as ordering takeouts for their menu or deli windows. The food reminds me of home. I took off one star because the dishes can be improved a little bit, specifically, a bit more cucumber and cilantro in the mung bean salad, a bit more sauce to their sweet sour pork and eggplant potato peppers would be better. The service and ambiance are all spot on! Update 04/19/2024 they have homemade blood sausage now lovely surprise just made my Friday. The sweet sour pork is improved as well! Bean curd with peppers could use a bit more sauce. I also wish that they have used a bit more sour picked cabbages as well in the hotpot. read more

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Was craving for some Chinese American food. Found this place for takeouts from and food wasn't bad. Was surprised by their automated text messages which keeps you informed when the orders are ready. Servers were attentive when you walk in. Place is usually lively, Feels like your neighborhood friendly Panda. read more

We ordered their liang pi, shanxi noodle soup, noodle with eggplant and pork, chinese burger, and salt and pepper fish filet. We also got a 3 item appetizer plate from their hot bar area ($9.99 for 3 items). Their liang pi was the star of the show: super delicious, great texture and flavor, big portion size. Heads up, it doesn't keep well overnight. Their shanxi noodle soup was a bit of a letdown. It didn't have much flavor, the noodles were a bit soggy, and the meat was overcooked. The noodle with eggplant and pork was good: lots of flavor and bouncy noodles. It was super oily though, the type of dish where excess oil pools at the bottom of the bowl. The chinese burger was okay. It was super crispy, but the meat could've been more flavorful, and it was also very oily. At one point, I took a bite and oil literally squirted out onto my hands and plate. The salt and pepper fish fillets were good. Great flavor, crispy, and generously portioned. The only downside was they got soggy quickly. Service was very prompt and friendly. Our waiter also helped us box up our leftovers. Will come back to try more of their menu! read more

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Checking out someplace different. They have a small steam table, probably for two, three item take-outs plus a truncated menu. We were surprised that the Salt & Pepper Fish resembles the Special Sweet and Sour Pork in appearance, but certainly not in taste. The Sweet and Sour Sauce was very thin and understated. The flavor was reminiscent to me, of Peking Style Pork Chops, one that I really enjoy. I much prefer this to a cloyingly sticky sauce that tears napkins. Overall, what we had was good but the menu left me wanting more. read more

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I just went there for a party. The cold dishes were the best. The ambiance was great, clean and inviting. The service staff was friendly. I really enjoyed my dinner there. I would go back if I am in the area again :-) read more

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Overall very tasty authentic Chinese food We tried: - Chinese burger was very good; flavorful meat and great textures of the flaky dough and filling. Liked that there were scallions in the filling as well but it is definitely a bit heavy / oily - House spicy noodles were also really tasty. Loved that they served it with blanched vegetables and the sauce was really flavorful and pleasantly 'spicy'. The sauce is mala spicy, which I don't typically go for but the numbing was good and not overpowering. Sauce was rich and nutty, and noodles were chewy - Sweet and sour fish was probably our favorite; very classic sweet and sour sauce paired surprisingly well with the white fish. Fish was well fried with crunchy bits but still delicate and soft flesh. Would certainly recommend this place if you're in the area! read more

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A cute and clean space serving up classic Northern Chinese cuisine. I took two people along with me and this place's portions are perfect to share between 3-4 if you want to try a taste of everything. I heard you get free appetizers but they don't seem to be doing that anymore (?) They are however, available for purchase separately at the counter, along with frozen dumplings and baos in their commercial fridges. Rundown of food: Cold Skin Noodle 5/5: Excellent sauce to noodle ratio. Sesame and peanut notes with crunchy veg. The textures are so interesting. Make sure to finish it at the restaurant, it's not good at home or reheated. Peking style noodle w/ brown sauce. 1/5: this is basically Zhajangmian. I wanted to like this one but the sauce was literally all clear oil and flavorless. None of that brown sauce goodness even though it's in the name. Meat was ok, but just too oily overall. Noodle texture was the only positive. Shanxi Pork Noodle Soup 4.5/5: Same noodle used as Black bean noodle. Broth is rich and hearty, pork was tender. I would've liked it spicier but it's perfect for those who can only take mild! Braised Beef Tendon: 3/5 I didn't order this for me but it was alright. It's quite chewy but fun. Yay collagen. Chinese Hamburger 5/5: The highlight!! Absolutely get this. It's a flaky pita, and tastes homemade. Eat it hot! If I come back again, I would try the fried intestine and house special sweet and sour pork! If you come here not knowing what to order, just get the items and that are on the wall (aside from Zhajangmian...) Those are probably the chefs highlights. Service was attentive, but they do run fast as customers do pile up for lunch. Good thing you can add your name to their online waiting list. read more

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Huge portion. Great taste. Authentic cooking. Try the duck. The Chinese burger the traditional sweet and sour chicken.

Delish! First time trying AUTHENTIC Chinese food! First time trying smoke duck - yumm! The only thing I'd fix is the walnut prawns just a little more sauce pls! read more

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Food was delicious and service was efficient. I will come back several time to try the entire menu!

This was delicious, traditional American style Chinese food. I ordered to-go for a party of five. Ordering was easy and ready in about 20 minutes. They have freezers full of frozen dumplings & pork buns, too. read more

Amazing northern Chinese food. The chef and waitress are from the region as well. Very authentic. read more

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My team had lunch here and my first time to try other cuisine of China. Food servings are huge and what we ordered are all new to me but was all goodService is fast and great . It's nice little restaurant and it's clean too. read more

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One of the best Dong Bei restaurants in the Bay Area. If you like Guo Bao Rou, you gotta try this place. It's very authentic. Every time I'm near the airport, I always stop by and have dinner here. The owner is very friendly, we became friends shortly after. You can't go wrong with this place. 10/10 read more

The more I come here, the more I question my life choices. I've been to this restaurant over 10 times because it's close to work and, well, the food is AMAZING. Those appetizers in the glass cabinet are so good, they should come with a warning: 'May cause addiction.' Since the main dishes take their sweet time arriving, I usually order the appetizers first to keep my stomach from staging a revolt. When they first opened, everything was perfect--great service, nice atmosphere, zero complaints. But I guess word got out about the food, and now the service has taken a nosedive. On my last visit, we ordered two dishes and three appetizers to share. We were there for less than 40 minutes, and the server was on us like a hawk, asking every minute if we were done. I felt like I was in an eating contest. Finally, after giving in to the pressure, the server swooped in, packed our food, and handed me the check with the urgency of someone defusing a bomb. As I reached for my wallet, he just stood there, hand outstretched, like he was about to get a tip for speed. So, while I'll never dine in again (for the sake of my sanity), the food is innocent in all this. I'll stick to ordering takeout--because nothing should come between me and those appetizers! read more