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    The Noble Chef

    3.9 (580 reviews)
    ModerateChinese
    Closed • 11:00 am - 2:30 pm, 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated a few days ago
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    The Noble Chef Photos

    Business Info

    THE NOBLE CHEF ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - The Noble Chef

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    Wings
    Kenneth A.

    What a wonderful place. Pretty crowded but I feel worth the wait. Quality and freshness is never an issue. They close early IMO but its up to them. We have eaten here a few times and I'm finally giving my review. Go its legit

    Pea shoot with garlic
    Selena L.

    I moved to San Diego recently and was craving some Chinese food. I stopped by on a Monday evening and to my surprise, it was packed! I waited about 45-60 min for a table. I put my name and phone number down but they didn't call me, only yelled out my name in which I didn't hear because I was waiting in my car. I'm not sure if they were going to call me or just give up my table. This is your no frills Chinese restaurant. My family and I got garlic pea shoots, clay pot fish and tofu, and chef's spareribs. The spareribs claimed to be "paper wrapped" but really just came in foil, which is misleading. I'm not sure what the purpose of the foil was but it made it really hard to unwrap and eat the spareribs as the sauce was stuck to the foil. The pea shoots were a bit oily and many pieces were not tender. Our favorite dish was the clay pot fish and tofu which had a lot of flavor, big pieces of tender fish, and paired nicely with rice. The flavors seem to be more northern Chinese. They even gave us complimentary dessert at the end, which was some sort of taro, sweet potato, bean sago. Not too sweet, perfect way to end the meal. All in all I've had better Chinese food but I think this is the best it will get in San Diego.

    Billy P.

    Im pretty sure I've been to place at least 10x since my initial review... and its NEVER failed me. Food comes out tender, flavorful, crispy, and well-timed (plates come as you finish when its busy). This is my number 1 Chinese restaurant in San Diego.

    Justin C.

    I had never tried the Noble Chef and was excited to try it as it was highly recommended by our friends. We tried two takeout dishes, beef with peppercorn and house chicken. The beef with peppercorn was a standout. I've had this dish at many a Chinese restaurant but these were the biggest and juiciest steak pieces I've ever had in this particular dish. I was pleasantly shocked that the steak was also a nice medium which made the meat quite tender. The flavoring was really well done with sauce on every piece. The house chicken reminded me of a traditional roast duck but with soft skin. It was pretty tasty but there wasn't much meat on the pieces - a lot of bone so I would have liked more meat and more value. Overall I will need to come back for the beef with peppercorn again.

    Beef Chow Fun. Hmm it's good!
    Dennis D.

    This Chinese eatery is as authentic as it gets. A friend and I decided to check it out based on a recommendation from a local YouTuber. The service was efficient. When I was struggling to remember one of the vegetable dishes the YouTuber had recommended, the server knew exactly what it was and mentioned they've seen a real uptick in new diners since that video dropped. The eatery was simple and clean.

    honey walnut shrimps
    Anthony D.

    This authentic Cantonese spot is tucked away in a west of Balboa Ave strip mall. It's a small, no-frills place but clean, well-lit, and with fast, friendly service. Our kids actually recommended it, and we were pleasantly surprised. We started with the garlic string beans which was fresh and crunchy, a great appetizer. For mains, the sizzling beef steak with black pepper (4/5) was tender with a flavorful sauce, and the silken tofu with mushrooms (4/5) was comforting and well-prepared. Sweet and sour pork (3/5) was tasty, though the coating could've been crispier. The standout was the honey walnut shrimp (5/5); perfectly cooked shrimp with a great bite and walnuts. Everything was well-balanced, not overly salty or greasy. Some of the best Chinese food we've had in a while. Definitely a place we'll return to explore more of the menu.

    Green Beans
    Amanda J.

    I came here for dinner on a Wednesday evening, which also happened to be Christmas Eve, so it was understandably busy. The entrance was very crowded and there wasn't a hostess, so it was a bit confusing at first on how to get seated. I ended up flagging down a waiter who directed me to a notebook to add our name and party size. Since it's a smaller restaurant and they were packed, it took a little over 20 minutes for us to be seated. Once we sat down, the food made the wait worth it. We shared the BBQ Pork, Green Beans, and Beef Chow Fun. Portions were generous and everything had good flavor. Overall, a solid meal despite the initial seating confusion.

    Momo Z.

    豪记The Noble Chef Cantonese Restaurant used to be one I'd highly recommend, but I went there with friends recently and tried their new Pipa Duck. It was mostly just fat and bones with barely any meat on it. On top of that, it was overly salty and tasted terrible. I'd advise everyone not to order it. The other dishes we had were pretty good though, so it's safer to stick to their classic menu for reliable quality. We brought up the issue with the Pipa Duck to the staff and even showed them the actual dish--they admitted it was indeed full of fat, yet gave no real explanation or proper response. Their service quality really needs improvement. As long-time regular customers, we're pretty disappointed.

    The Noble Chef never fails. Their steamed sea bass, roast meats, and freshly made-to-order claypot rice are absolute must-trys.

    Hands down the best and most authentic Cantonese food in San Diego! As a native Cantonese who's dined here nearly a hundred times over the past seven years, The Noble Chef never fails. Their steamed sea bass, roast meats, and freshly made-to-order claypot rice are absolute must-trys. Top-tier service and incredible flavor every single time. If it disappoints you, come find me!

    Emily Z.

    Got seated immediately when we came here for lunch on a weekend. The restaurant is smaller than I expected. Roast duck and chicken - very flavorful and decently juicy, the sauces that came with it were both very flavorful. The yellow sauce is a savory garlic and the other one is sweet. I do wish they had a soy sauce or vinegar based sauce. Water spinach - yummy vegetable, was a little too oily for my taste towards the end of the meal. I wish they didn't put so much oil. We actually wanted the pea shoots but they didn't get their shipment yet that day. House special chow mein - bigg portions for this one. We could've done without the meat as it never really adds much value to chow mein in my opinion. It was good but could've used more a bit more seasoning for the amount of noodles. Eggplant with XO sauce - not entirely sure what the XO sauce is but I've never had eggplant this way! Usually I get them in the braised style and they're cut diagonally and the sauce is tangy and savory, but these are cut in a way that reminds me of plantains. Also they are deep fried, with a savory sauce over them. I did like it but I'd prefer more acidity in the sauce. Overall I would come back here again, but after eating I felt quite greasy and oily. I think cantonese food in general doesn't have the acidity to balance out the flavors, which is no fault of its own.

    Outside of restaurant
    Sanford P.

    We waited 30 minutes and it was worth it. The hot and sour soup was very good. Fish with black rosacea was tasty, the pork and duck was wonderful. Once we sat down the service was rapid. Spot on. Delicious meal will return can't miss. Highly recommend

    The pepper steak was sooo gooooood
    Robert W.

    One of the best places in all of convoy and San Diego! We got the stir fried noodles, soup, the pepper steak, fish and some other things. Everything was cooked great! The service was good and there's a lot of hustle and bustle in the small dining area! Very good restaurant and definitely worth a visit!

    Roast Duck
    Jiselle T.

    We ordered the roast duck and it was juicy and a little crispy on the outside, the dipping sauce that they provided was good. It's a small restaurant, but they moved fast and are very efficient. The service was good too. The beef chow fun, lacked flavor in my opinion and were very oily, not sure if that is how Cantonese style noodles are, but I wouldn't order them again.

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    4 months ago

    Always great food. I recommend the chicken wings and the 3 flavors lo mein. I order ahead and it's always ready when I walk in.

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    The Noble Chef Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Noble Chef

    Do they serve salt and pepper fish fillet?

    When will they re-open during the covid-19?

    Just called tonight. Finally reopened - at least for takeout.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Shan Xi Magic Kitchen - 10. Biang-Biang Spicy Hand Ripped Noodles

    Shan Xi Magic Kitchen

    4.2(2.4k reviews)
    1.1 mi•Kearny Mesa
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    Came on a Saturday afternoon and added myself to the waitlist. It was busy but I didn't have to…read morewait long for a table. They do QR code and in person ordering (whatever you prefer). I opted to order by QR code to get my order in faster. My boyfriend and I both got biang biang mian but he got the version with cumin lamb. The portions are large and super filling. I honestly think one bowl is two meals worth of food at least. The noodles were chewy and bouncy. I love the flavor just make sure to properly mix the noodles - all of the good stuff sits at the bottom of the bowl! The chili oil is fantastic as well and I loved the spice level of these dishes. Service was pretty quick which was nice. I am excited to come again to try the other dishes! Highly recommend and was authentic - it can be hard to find authentic and delicious Chinese food in SD County.

    I had heard a lot of good things about this place. My group was seated not too long after we…read morearrived. You place your order online through a QR code at the table. The service was really poor, and I had to keep hunting down the servers and asking for things like refills on water, utensils, sauce bowls. I got to try quite a bit since I was in a group of five. The lamb biangbiang was extremely spicy for me, although I know I have a low heat tolerance. You aren't able to specify how much spice you want on your dishes and when you're ordering on the QR code and the menu doesn't tell you how spicy dishes are. I can't remember the name of the dumplings we got but honestly they were my favorite dish. My friends really enjoyed the tomato and egg noodles, I just felt that they didn't have much flavor.

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    Fortunate Son - ORANGE CHICKEN

    Fortunate Son

    3.8(1.5k reviews)
    4.7 mi•University Heights, North Park
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    Starting off ambiance is perfect, good overall feeling, they do what they can with the small space…read more Service is awesome, workers are friendly, welcoming, and considerate. Food is also really good, their chicken wings are nicely seasoned and flavorful. To future customers. ((Parking is limited & hard to find)) ((And please if waiting in line leave the sidewalk open for pedestrians))

    I came here with a good friend to celebrate our birthdays. We sat on the patio & it was the first…read morecool night in weeks! Lovely! We ordered garlic string beans, lo mein, honey walnut shrimp & general tso's chicken. Food comes out in the order it is done which can be a little off kilter. In our case, the chicken and shrimp came out first, then the lo mein, and much later, the green beans. All of the food was just okay. Nothing was truly a show stopper. I did not taste any honey or walnuts in the shrimp, just a lot of mayonnaise. The lo mein was the best dish of the night. We took some leftovers home in the cute packaging. The branding here is definitely a strong suit. As we were sitting on the patio, there was a steady stream of customers ordering & picking up takeout. Service was fine. We sat for quite awhile once we were done, and we had to ask for to-go boxes. Then about ten minutes later, our server came by to run our cards. Verdict: FS is cute and bustling. The food is adequate but honestly pretty basic. The prices are quite reasonable. One restroom for the whole place. Paid street parking on Adams Avenue until 8pm & free parking on some side streets. Just check for the parking signs. Peace.

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    Eastern Dynasty - French Style steak

    Eastern Dynasty

    4.3(576 reviews)
    1.2 mi•Kearny Mesa
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    As a big fan of Chinese food, I wasn't expecting too much from this restaurant, but I was…read morecompletely wrong... You can tell by the huge crowd outside that this was a good restaurant. Despite the crowd, the staff were absolutely amazing. They handled our order patiently and although there were so many people, it only took around 20 minutes for the dishes to arrive. It was very noisy in here, but that was my only complaint. House special chicken, duck, house special soy duck: (9/10) so gooooooood! The skin+meat were really good and it was so saucy and flavorful. Each meat had their own unique taste. Green beans: (11/10) absolute perfection. The green beans had the perfect crunch and were sautéed very well. PLEASE GET THIS!!!!!! House special beef: (10/10) This has got to be the best beef dish I've ever had. So tender and juicy. It's also very succulent and the sugar snap peas were a great addition! Almost melted in my mouth! Clam: (8/10) my mom's favorite dish there! Not too salty or pungent, savory, basily taste, light, and delicious! Fried tofu: (9/10) I really liked the tofu. The batter was really good and the sauce made the dish even better! Snow pea leaves sautéed in garlic: (10/10) VERY GOOD! Great vegetable choice! Fresh and saucy. Shrimp and scrambled eggs: (8/10) eggs were light and fluffy. I thought the shrimp was pretty decent but the eggs made it even better! Overall, I thought this Chinese restaurant stood out from the rest. It was a game changer and I will for sure be coming back whenever I'm in the area!

    Food was impressive. We ordered the Peking Duck, Pepper Beef and Pea pod greens. Enjoyed them all…read more Service was a little slow but if you ask for something they are quick to respond. One negative is that they only allow 2 credit cards per check. Small, intimate atmosphere. Parking is a challenge as it always is with businesses on Convoy. Overall a good dining experience. A neighborhood gem.

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    Minh Ky Restaurant - Chinese donut $4.26 with tax

    Minh Ky Restaurant

    4.2(1.4k reviews)
    6.4 mi•City Heights
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    This place was recommended to me by an Instagram post on the best and most authentic Chinese…read morerestaurants in San Diego. It did not disappoint!!!! Wow, it's been so long since I've had you tiao (Chinese fried donuts) with soy milk! Their duck noodle soup and congee were also delicious. Protip: if you order a noodle soup, they will ask if you want your soup on the side. Don't do it because they barely have me enough soup to cover my noodles and I'm pretty sure if I hadn't gotten it on the side they would have given me more. But I haven't found a Chinese place this homey and authentic in San Diego in a long time. You know it's legit when you show up on a Sunday morning and the place is full of Chinese people. Planning to take my family here some day as I am sure they would love it. Very no-frills, fast service. The neighborhood is a bit sketchy so I don't think I would come here in the dark. They do have a small parking lot up front, but it can get messy so I recommend street parking in the neighborhood right next door where there seems to always be ample street parking.

    Minh Ky is a longtime Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant in the City Heights neighborhood. It occupies…read morean end suite in a very small strip mall with limited parking spaces out front. There was some additional parking behind the building that people may not know about. I have seen this business listed in numerous "best of" lists for this enclave of SD. The inside had around ten tables so we're talking about a maximum seating capacity of no more than fifty customers. The noodles were the featured items on the menu, specifically the Rice Noodle Soups and the Crispy Noodle Plates. Those two categories occupied an entire page of the menu. My eyes wandered to the Chow Fun section that had over a dozen varieties which was more than I have seen anywhere else in town. Instead of the prototypical Beef Chow Fun, I selected the Sate version for my order. An oval plate was brought to my table within ten minutes. I noticed there were a lot of onions in the mix, both white and green. Some tomato slices were also included which I found unusual and did nothing to enhance the dish. The pieces of beef were tender and covered with satay sauce. For $15.50, the price was on the lower side, however more rice noodles were needed. I would have preferred using half the number of onions too. The overall execution of the Sate Beef Chow Fun was between three and four stars.

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    3.8(382 reviews)
    1.1 mi•Kearny Mesa
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    The $19.99 AYCE on social media is deceiving…read more I took my mom here so we could try this new AYCE option this place was offering based on social media influencers. It was empty coming in around 5:30pm on a Friday, but it soon filled to capacity in the next hour. So coming into it, we thought we would choose between Menu A and Menu B. Afterwards, we thought it was AYCE on the menu of your choice + the side buffet where there are limited selections of sides and refrigerated drinks. We ordered orange chicken, Chinese style fish and something else. Again, this was on the thought that we could order more than one item on our selected menu. So imagine our surprise when the bill was nearly $100 for two people? It was a misunderstanding. However, the initial staff gentlemen was completely rude about it and ignored us as we sought to understand. Finally, a second female server came and heard our concerns regarding the false advertisement and unclear messaging. She was able to provide us the price we thought this was for based on Menu selection. All in all - I don't recommend the AYCE option. I think it would be important to make a distinction that AYCE clearly on the menu and at the front - AYCE means each individual selects ONE entree (which is a one small portion) and the AYCE component of the deal is ONLY for the side buffet.

    for only $19.99 AYCE, they have sooo many hong kong style dishes to choose from -- dim sum,…read morenoodles, roasted meats, seafood, desserts, and more everything came out hot, flavorful, and perfect for sharing with family & friends definitely one of the best budget eats in convoy if you're craving authentic cantonese comfort food!!

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    Meet Dumpling - Wonton Soup

    Meet Dumpling

    4.7(324 reviews)
    7.5 mi•Point Loma, Fleetridge
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    ***CLOSED FOR SUMMER***…read more Normally though, I LOVE this restaurant! The dumplings are amazing, and so is everything else I've tasted. Check it out when they open back up.

    No nonsense Chinese place. A little questionable that a child is doing a full server job, grabbing…read moredrinks, bringing out food, seating people; she does a great job, don't get me wrong, but she's just so young to be working a full service job. Not considering it in my rating, but not really sure how I feel about it. As for the food, the dumplings--amazing. We got the scallop shrimp pork ones. The skin is on the thicker side but the texture is so bouncy and the filling is incredibly umami and juicy. One of the best dumplings in San Diego. Each plate comes with 14 of them so it's pretty hefty. They don't really do modifications especially given that all the dumplings are pre-filled, so keep that in mind. As for the other items, they're passable but not as excellent as their dumplings. The beef noodle soup is good, but a little light on beef and veggies. The scallion pancake is super crispy, a little more like croissant and pretty mild green onion flavor. The noodles in the zha jiang mian were a little too al dente. The zha jiang mian comes with bean sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, celery, and ground pork in the black bean sauce. Overall great food for a reasonable price. If in doubt get more dumplings rather than their other dishes; that's what they specialize it and are best at.

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    The Noble Chef - chinese - Updated October 2026

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