I gave the China Village a 5 star rating because they have the best Kung Pao Chicken around. However, I noticed a few changes, adjacent to the quality of the dish. I used to get a huge serving, so I knew I was going to take some home and have at least enough for another meal/large snack, including a side order of rice. Not today. It was a good-sized serving and I felt full when I finished, but I could easily eat it all in one sitting, and I've never experienced that before. Also, we used to get a small bowl of miso soup and a small green salad with the entree and they don't do that anymore either. I will have to try the fish soup with all the chilis next time. I'm noticing rave reviews here. I also want to get lobster with pan fried noodles. It's on their online specials menu, but I didn't see it on their "specials" whiteboard in the restaurant.
Wesley Ma
Great Chinese food. A hidden gem for sure as I wish I was local to this spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leonel Sanchez
Love me some China Village. Pork fried rice, chow mein and Mongolian beef are my favorites.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pranit Panda
very authentic experience (idk tho im not chinese but it felt authentic)
J D.
The food was good but the service is awful. No greeting, no clue on greeting, smiling, jiust toss the plate! No, enjoy, no emotion!
Silvio Stecanelli
If you want bad service, just go there and still be charged 4 dollars more, I don't know why the reason!
Toni M.
Lori, Terry and I met here for lunch today. It was Lori's choice. It's been a blustery day and I appreciated the help of the young man inside who assisted me w/ the door. He turned out to be our server. It has been several years since I've been here and it looks elegant and lovely inside, a major departure from the scruffy look it had a decade or so ago. Lori was already seated when I arrived. She had a pot of tea, which was most welcome. Terry joined us later, having been delayed by traffic on the freeway. I had my heart set on a dish Lori had raved about, pan fried noodles w/ barbecued pork and was crestfallen when our server told me they didn't have the noodles. Lori had also praised their house made noodles, so I ordered those w/ the pork. Lori ordered the same dish and Terry ordered a chicken curry. My dish was delicious and just the right amount to leave me comfortably full w/o being stuffed. The chair was comfortable and the bathroom was attractive and functional, w/ a lovely vertical line of colorful narrow glass tiles accenting the wall. Service was friendly and helpful. Lori requested a separate check because she was ordering extra for takeout to bring home. Our server brought separate checks for Terry and me too. When leaving, the wind made opening the door difficult. Lori and I pushed it together and it took all our strength to get it open. Fortunately we were both parked close and the rain had stopped, so it wasn't all that bad.
Alice Hou
During my recent Lunar New Year dinner at China Village, I had mixed feelings. While the restaurant boasts a wide selection of dishes, the service fell short of expectations. We encountered an issue with a soup dish that was served without the proper utensils or bowl, despite our request for assistance from the server. This lack of attention to detail was disappointing. Some dishes were tasty, but others were too salty and oily. Plus, if you like spicy food, you might be disappointed because it's not very spicy here. Despite these drawbacks, the extensive menu offers plenty of options for diners. However, be prepared for some dishes to leave you puzzled.
Food: 3
Service: 2
Alice H.
During my recent Lunar New Year dinner at China Village, I had mixed feelings. While the restaurant boasts a wide selection of dishes, the service fell short of expectations. We encountered an issue with a soup dish that was served without the proper utensils or bowl, despite our request for assistance from the server. This lack of attention to detail was disappointing. Some dishes were tasty, but others were too salty and oily. Plus, if you like spicy food, you might be disappointed because it's not very spicy here. Despite these drawbacks, the extensive menu offers plenty of options for diners. However, be prepared for some dishes to leave you puzzled.
Rajat G.
Best Chinese food in the Bay Area. We love the garlic green beans, spicy boiled fish and showmen. .
I've dined at China Village, oh say, about 60 times and it's fair to tell that I got their fish soup with 1,000 chilis on at least 50 of those occasions. Their food is good but that soup is other worldly. Generous amounts of delicate, mild, fish fillets in a speech-stopping chicken broth redolent with ginger and garlic. The chiles impart a background hint of smoke but are mostly a show as they are removed table-side before service. You'd have to chew on an errant chile to get their flavor and minute heat. When I ride my trike along the nearby, windy, (and sometimes viciously cold), gorgeous SF Bay Trail, all I can think about throughout the 25-ish mile ride is the soup I'm going to get at China Village afterwards. No, I don't care about looking like helmet head and yes, I eat every drop of the whole tureen with no help. The service is mixed, depending on who you get. There is one young man who is curt at best and sometimes surly. As long as chef keeps making this heavenly soup, I'll keep coming back.
Jon Rochlis
Great taste. Wide menu. I keep coming back when I visit.
Kevin G.
Ordered lunch over the phone for pick up and the person who answered was very rude. As I went to pick up my order noticed I was charged $8 more than what I expected. I went based on prices on their website menu. I asked the person who charged me and showed him the menu online and he said, those are prices from 3 years ago. He should have honored that price but he was again being rude. Never will I go there again.
Elizabeth R.
Good option for Chinese food takeout! The food wasn't amazing but it was above your average Chinese take out. The chow mein was our favorite and the homemade noodles definitely made a difference. They had a great chewy texture. However, they were pretty bland. Nothing some chili oil couldn't solve. The fried rice was solid and we enjoyed the sesame chicken too. We also got wonton soup which was very bland. The wontons were a great texture but the broth had no flavor. I did find everything to be slightly Overpriced for what it was too. Overall, the food was good and the homemade noodles elevated the chow mein. I would get this again.
William L.
I am a Berkeley resident since 1999, and an ABC well acquainted with the Chinese cuisine of many provinces (spent 10+ years teaching throughout China), China Village restaurant has been one of my regular Chinese go-to places. So I'm disappointed at the reception, and service over the last three visits. in each case, the waiter/receptionist has always been chilly and brusque in seating us. Our actual waiter in each case lacked in service etiquette. The first visit, our waiter placed our first and main dish way in the corner, where it was impossible for us to easily serve ourselves. I tried to get his attention to move it to the center of the table, which was empty, but he just literally ran away. So I moved it myself. On the other two occasions, it was also quite difficult to get the waiter's attention for more tea, water or napkins. In these three instances, I went during lunch, so it was not the crowded, bustling dinner, crowd that fills both rooms. Thus, there is no excuse for this low quality of service. We always order China Village's delicious pork shoulder. I am going to agree with another YELP critic who found the interior meat portion not to be as melt-in-your mouth as before. It took a lot of chewing. Still overall it was delicious and we took some home because it's quite a large dish. After microwave warming, the meat softened to what I had expected. Clearly, China village's chefs can easily cook it longer and evenly. We ordered the pea sprouts with whole garlic as our vegetable dish. The sprouts were delicious but the whole garlic tasted like they've been sitting over-night or possibly worse, from one of those store bought jars. Disappointingly, serving size was quite small and then they charged a whopping $18 for it. You can see in the photo how small the serving of the pea sprouts when contrasted with normal size size garlic clove. I felt this was over-charge as in other local quality Chinese restaurants, they serve up twice the amount. Try Saigon near Ranch 99 for example. China Village, are still offering brown rice option, and that remains fine. Undoubtedly, I will return for the pork shoulder. Hopefully both service and chef quality will have improved.
I gave the China Village a 5 star rating because they have the best Kung Pao Chicken around. However, I noticed a few changes, adjacent to the quality of the dish. I used to get a huge serving, so I knew I was going to take some home and have at least enough for another meal/large snack, including a side order of rice. Not today. It was a good-sized serving and I felt full when I finished, but I could easily eat it all in one sitting, and I've never experienced that before. Also, we used to get a small bowl of miso soup and a small green salad with the entree and they don't do that anymore either. I will have to try the fish soup with all the chilis next time. I'm noticing rave reviews here. I also want to get lobster with pan fried noodles. It's on their online specials menu, but I didn't see it on their "specials" whiteboard in the restaurant.
Great Chinese food. A hidden gem for sure as I wish I was local to this spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love me some China Village. Pork fried rice, chow mein and Mongolian beef are my favorites.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
very authentic experience (idk tho im not chinese but it felt authentic)
The food was good but the service is awful. No greeting, no clue on greeting, smiling, jiust toss the plate! No, enjoy, no emotion!
If you want bad service, just go there and still be charged 4 dollars more, I don't know why the reason!
Lori, Terry and I met here for lunch today. It was Lori's choice. It's been a blustery day and I appreciated the help of the young man inside who assisted me w/ the door. He turned out to be our server. It has been several years since I've been here and it looks elegant and lovely inside, a major departure from the scruffy look it had a decade or so ago. Lori was already seated when I arrived. She had a pot of tea, which was most welcome. Terry joined us later, having been delayed by traffic on the freeway. I had my heart set on a dish Lori had raved about, pan fried noodles w/ barbecued pork and was crestfallen when our server told me they didn't have the noodles. Lori had also praised their house made noodles, so I ordered those w/ the pork. Lori ordered the same dish and Terry ordered a chicken curry. My dish was delicious and just the right amount to leave me comfortably full w/o being stuffed. The chair was comfortable and the bathroom was attractive and functional, w/ a lovely vertical line of colorful narrow glass tiles accenting the wall. Service was friendly and helpful. Lori requested a separate check because she was ordering extra for takeout to bring home. Our server brought separate checks for Terry and me too. When leaving, the wind made opening the door difficult. Lori and I pushed it together and it took all our strength to get it open. Fortunately we were both parked close and the rain had stopped, so it wasn't all that bad.
During my recent Lunar New Year dinner at China Village, I had mixed feelings. While the restaurant boasts a wide selection of dishes, the service fell short of expectations. We encountered an issue with a soup dish that was served without the proper utensils or bowl, despite our request for assistance from the server. This lack of attention to detail was disappointing. Some dishes were tasty, but others were too salty and oily. Plus, if you like spicy food, you might be disappointed because it's not very spicy here. Despite these drawbacks, the extensive menu offers plenty of options for diners. However, be prepared for some dishes to leave you puzzled.
Food: 3
Service: 2
During my recent Lunar New Year dinner at China Village, I had mixed feelings. While the restaurant boasts a wide selection of dishes, the service fell short of expectations. We encountered an issue with a soup dish that was served without the proper utensils or bowl, despite our request for assistance from the server. This lack of attention to detail was disappointing. Some dishes were tasty, but others were too salty and oily. Plus, if you like spicy food, you might be disappointed because it's not very spicy here. Despite these drawbacks, the extensive menu offers plenty of options for diners. However, be prepared for some dishes to leave you puzzled.
Best Chinese food in the Bay Area. We love the garlic green beans, spicy boiled fish and showmen. .
Restaurantji Recommends
I've dined at China Village, oh say, about 60 times and it's fair to tell that I got their fish soup with 1,000 chilis on at least 50 of those occasions. Their food is good but that soup is other worldly. Generous amounts of delicate, mild, fish fillets in a speech-stopping chicken broth redolent with ginger and garlic. The chiles impart a background hint of smoke but are mostly a show as they are removed table-side before service. You'd have to chew on an errant chile to get their flavor and minute heat. When I ride my trike along the nearby, windy, (and sometimes viciously cold), gorgeous SF Bay Trail, all I can think about throughout the 25-ish mile ride is the soup I'm going to get at China Village afterwards. No, I don't care about looking like helmet head and yes, I eat every drop of the whole tureen with no help. The service is mixed, depending on who you get. There is one young man who is curt at best and sometimes surly. As long as chef keeps making this heavenly soup, I'll keep coming back.
Great taste. Wide menu. I keep coming back when I visit.
Ordered lunch over the phone for pick up and the person who answered was very rude. As I went to pick up my order noticed I was charged $8 more than what I expected. I went based on prices on their website menu. I asked the person who charged me and showed him the menu online and he said, those are prices from 3 years ago. He should have honored that price but he was again being rude. Never will I go there again.
Good option for Chinese food takeout! The food wasn't amazing but it was above your average Chinese take out. The chow mein was our favorite and the homemade noodles definitely made a difference. They had a great chewy texture. However, they were pretty bland. Nothing some chili oil couldn't solve. The fried rice was solid and we enjoyed the sesame chicken too. We also got wonton soup which was very bland. The wontons were a great texture but the broth had no flavor. I did find everything to be slightly Overpriced for what it was too. Overall, the food was good and the homemade noodles elevated the chow mein. I would get this again.
I am a Berkeley resident since 1999, and an ABC well acquainted with the Chinese cuisine of many provinces (spent 10+ years teaching throughout China), China Village restaurant has been one of my regular Chinese go-to places. So I'm disappointed at the reception, and service over the last three visits. in each case, the waiter/receptionist has always been chilly and brusque in seating us. Our actual waiter in each case lacked in service etiquette. The first visit, our waiter placed our first and main dish way in the corner, where it was impossible for us to easily serve ourselves. I tried to get his attention to move it to the center of the table, which was empty, but he just literally ran away. So I moved it myself. On the other two occasions, it was also quite difficult to get the waiter's attention for more tea, water or napkins. In these three instances, I went during lunch, so it was not the crowded, bustling dinner, crowd that fills both rooms. Thus, there is no excuse for this low quality of service. We always order China Village's delicious pork shoulder. I am going to agree with another YELP critic who found the interior meat portion not to be as melt-in-your mouth as before. It took a lot of chewing. Still overall it was delicious and we took some home because it's quite a large dish. After microwave warming, the meat softened to what I had expected. Clearly, China village's chefs can easily cook it longer and evenly. We ordered the pea sprouts with whole garlic as our vegetable dish. The sprouts were delicious but the whole garlic tasted like they've been sitting over-night or possibly worse, from one of those store bought jars. Disappointingly, serving size was quite small and then they charged a whopping $18 for it. You can see in the photo how small the serving of the pea sprouts when contrasted with normal size size garlic clove. I felt this was over-charge as in other local quality Chinese restaurants, they serve up twice the amount. Try Saigon near Ranch 99 for example. China Village, are still offering brown rice option, and that remains fine. Undoubtedly, I will return for the pork shoulder. Hopefully both service and chef quality will have improved.