50 Best Chinese Restaurants near Aliso Viejo

“I just ordered my panda express here at this location. The gentleman Who took my order had such a great attitude he treated me with respect and was able to accommodate to all my needs five star service best service I’ve ever had at a Panda Express I was scared was gonna feel like a burden, but instead, I felt the opposite I felt welcomed and appreciated. I wish I got his name.“

“Had an amazing experience at Haidilao! The food was fresh, high quality, and there was a great variety of meats, seafood, and vegetables to choose from. The broth was flavorful, and everything came out quickly.

What really stood out was the exceptional customer service. The staff were attentive, friendly, and constantly checked to make sure we had everything we needed. They went above and beyond to make the dining experience enjoyable.

The restaurant was clean, well organized, and had a welcoming atmosphere. If you're looking for delicious hot pot and outstanding service, I highly recommend Haidilao. I'll definitely be coming back!“

“Awesome restaurant!

Service, food, and atmosphere was excellent. We ordered 2 fried noodles, cucumber salad, and beef noodle soup. The beef noodle soup was very aromatic with very well cooked noodles, and flavorful beef. The fried noodles were good but could’ve been boiled a bit longer but the flavor was nice. Cucumber noodles had an amazing taste, with a bomb of flavor. They were savory, spicy, and sweet. Serve was great and always checked up on us. The atmosphere was filled with kind people, with calm music, comfortable seats, and overall very clean. Dishes were also at a reasonable price. Great place for everyone!“

“Nice atmosphere. Friendly staff. Very close to the beach, close to center of everything. I personally thinks it’s more for American palate. Not for Chinese palate. But given it’s in a touristy place, I think it’s very very good Chinese food, speaking as a Chinese eater. lol.“

“Super good westernized Chinese restaurant with lots options and good value. The Changs lettuce wraps are their most popular dish and definitely a must try. All of their dishes are packed with flavor and very delicious. The sushi rolls are on the smaller side so I would recommend skipping those and getting their main dishes. Beautiful interior with plenty of outdoor seating as well and friendly staff.“

“It was my first time there. Lovely staff and wonderful food“

“01SEP2024 | Nice to Meet You Skewer Hot Pot is a chic hotpot restaurant. My first impression was that it was clean, with delicious food and attentive service. The prices are just right for the quality of the food and ingredients. I would give it a 10 out of 10, and we will definitely be coming back.“

“Really enjoyed the malatang here. The broth has great flavor with a good balance of spice and numbness, and the ingredients taste fresh and clean. Portions are generous and pricing feels fair. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to come back and try different combinations. Overall a solid spot for malatang.“

“Amazing food! My friend and I have been meaning to try Dolan’s Uyghur cuisine for sooo long and we finally got the chance! The place is beautifully decorated and the staff is so kind. We ordered the Manta, special laghman, and the tofu with chives. All 10/10!!“

“What an awesome little restaurant that popped up here. Was looking to try something new and found this amazing little bao spot. The most amazing thing is how they fry these bao. The bottom is hard and crunchy and the top is soft, making a soup filled bao in either seafood, curry or the standard pork. They sell them in quantities of 6 and 2 to 3 is enough to fill me! Highly recommend a quick lunch or dinner here, you won’t be disappointed in the authentic flavors.“

“Food here tastes really authentic, like proper home-style flavors, not watered down at all. Portions are solid and the price, for the US, feels very fair, tbh kind of rare around here. Seasoning is on point, you can actually taste the spices, not just salt. Staff moves fast but still friendly, casual vibe, nothing fancy, just comfortable. Strongly recommending this place to anyone who cares more about flavor than decor, works for me.“

“By chance, my wife and I had stopped for lunch at Hai Master Restaurant and discovered that this restaurant is definitely a cuisine that we HIGHLY RECOMMEND. The prepared food distinguishes their dishes from the regular Chinese restaurant and is a taste that is incredibly delicious. The owner and chef is definitely one of a kind that incorporated the taste of her original province in China with her own spin. Tammy is the owner and chef and she just hired another chef with skills preparing Sichuan dishes if you want spicy food. This restaurant is becoming more popular each day because the restaurant is more packed every time we come there. Introduce yourself to Leo who can welcome you and lead you to the different delicious dishes they prepare and the service you can enjoy. 5 STARS“

“Clean, bright, new-ish restaurant in a shopping center with lots of parking. Staff are incredibly friendly and helpful. Probably the best scallion pancakes that we've eaten. Chicken in the noodles were perfectly done. Not a lot of chicken options, but they use higher quality Kurobuta pork. They use soy oil and those pancakes were a bit oily.“

“I’m really glad we found this place, and it’s highly recommended if you are slightly adventurous and trying out some ethnic Chinese flavors.

Everything we ordered was excellent. We knew the crispy lamb buns (aka Chinese Burger) was going to be good, but not sure about the $20 fried pork which was #1 chef recommendations, it turned out to be delightful.

The lamb soup came out first, it was tasty and refreshing, Liang pi was cool, you don’t get it in many places. String beans were nicely done, a delicious necessity to balance out the meal.

The first bite of crispy lamb buns was a delightful surprise: crunchy layered thin bread and lamb with slightly cumin, it was an amazing feast.

Fried pork is an even more interesting surprise that I would not spoil. Ha ha. Try it to find out!

Service was fine, we were seats and water was provided quickly. Orders are done by scanning QR code, browsing the online menu, and order directly. I find this efficient but lacking some personal interactions.

We did purposely ordered a lot for the two of us, we obviously didn’t finish. I was surprised the bill wasn’t as much as I expected. We got a lot of leftovers to go and enjoyed rest at home.“

“One of the most authentic and yummy XLB places. The waitlist can be a bit long during peak hours, but their system takes care of it. Services are fine too, just sometimes a bit monotone as they are very focused on their tasks. Simple and clean environment while we can also buy togo frozen XLB to steam at home. All their greens and veggies dishes are wonderful!“

“Taste was good here, exactly the kind of spicy comfort food I wanted. I liked that it’s self-selected ingredients and broth, so I picked a bunch of veggies and some tofu and went with the bone broth mala soup, nice heat but not too much, lips tingling a bit. Place looked clean and hygienic, tables wiped, no weird smell. Staff was friendly in a low-key way, helped explain the sauces and smiled when I kept adding more chili oil, lol. Overall felt like an easy, no-fuss meal that hits the spot.Taste was good here, exactly the kind of spicy comfort food I wanted. I liked that it’s self-selected ingredients and broth, so I picked a bunch of veggies and some tofu and went with the bone broth mala soup, nice heat but not too much, lips tingling a bit. Place looked clean and hygienic, tables wiped, no weird smell. Staff was friendly in a low-key way, helped explain the sauces and smiled when I kept adding more chili oil, lol. Overall felt like an easy, no-fuss meal that hits the spot.“

“Food is very appetising but I find it not spicy enough.
The Lemon Iced Tea used Jasmine based tea which I didn’t quite like. It was not stated on the menu as I would not have ordered that.
Ordering is by scanning the menu which can be switched between Chinese or English. In English mode, choice of Less Salt, Less Oil, Less Spicy was still in Chinese. Staff helped to translate for me.
Pork Belly skewer was a bit too thin. I preferred the Lamb ones which was listed as ‘Beef’.
Eggplant and Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetable were good. I got more hungry as I ate them.
Sichuan style Chive n Pork Dumplings were juicy.
Will come back again.“

“The best service ever. Delicious food. 💯 recommend“

“Oh my gosh! This is actually such a hidden gem, came in expecting the usual chewy meat or cold rice and came out with some BOMB orange chicken, steaming hot rice and some actually good Thai tea with boba, the cashier was SUPER sweet, letting me try samples and overall just being super kind and patient with me. Love this place and will DEFINITELY come back.“

“Clean, fresh vegetables in their meals. Excellent dishes, wide choice.“

“(October 2025 visit): Helen, the hostess and owner, is such a sweetheart! She welcomes you with a smiling face and explains anything on the Chinese-American menu, which is quickly served and abundant. Her plates are beautifully displayed with included side dishes, and full to the top (you'll probably need a take home box).
My only recommendation is she provide Chinese music to set the mood instead of her nice quiet classical music. BTW, the restaurant is in a quiet section of the shopping mall with no loud vehicles racing by. You can have a nice quiet conversation while enjoying your food. The restaurant provides booths or tables for your pleasure, which is a nice change from normal cafeteria-style Asian restaurants.“

“Really fun atmosphere, especially since they have live music on Saturdays.
My favorite dishes were the grilled chicken gizzard, perilla frog, and grilled garlic chives. The green tea beer was also very refreshing and paired well with the food.

The whole experience reminded me of the summers when I used to work on projects in northern China and go out for skewers and beer with coworkers. Definitely a memorable spot.“

“Lots of reviews mention Panda Express as comparison.
I see why, as it’s very close to Panda, but with much more generous serving sizes.
The shop certainly doesn’t have the ambiance of Panda nor the number of item selections.
But my Orange Chicken was tasty, noodles very good, fried rice was OK, spring roll yeh. For $9, it’s a bargain.
Recommended.“

“I was first introduced to Mimi Garden getting take out. We ordered Boa Buns on a whim. Boy were we pleasantly surprised!
We have also had a seated dinner here. The interior is beautifully styled, elegant and inviting. The service was excellent and our food was delicious. We will definitely be back.“

“I have been coming here since they first opened and every time it is consistently made fresh and well as well they have fair pricing on lunch specials. Their broccoli beef is actually packed with beef not just broccoli unlike other Chinese restaurants.“

“Very good food. Many choices on menu. Downside is they are very hard to get on phone. Also the hours they have posted online, even on this page, show “OPEN” Sunday, when we found out the hard way they are indeed NOT open. Please change your online presence to state correct days/hours. Including Yelp. This would be very helpful. Other than that, I give it “2 Thumbs up”.“

“Such a great location and amazing experience! The food was amazing and the customer service was out of this world. Something you don’t see every single day and I really appreciate that. I came here on my lunch break and Ed took care of me. I placed an online to go order and he remembered my name and made sure I had all my utensils and sauces. He also offered me a cup of ice for my water which I really appreciated. He goes above and beyond in his work and I really appreciate that. Thank you, Ed. I will be back for sure.“

“Great food, great service. We liked their cocktails, I had a blackberry whiskey drink and it was amazing. Can't go wrong w the lettuce wraps or the wonton soup. Hubby joined the Chang's reward thing and we get good little incentives. Definitely will be back.“

“Excellent and delicious food. Flavorful. Portions are generous. Great variety for different dietary needs. Some of best food I’ve had in this cuisine in a long time.“

“Wowwwww… tried this place for the first time tonight for dinner and I was blown away!! I ordered the Chongqing chicken and spicy pork wontons with white rice and loved everything. Service was fast for dinner time and the cashier was so kind and helpful and even gave me some recommendations too. The chicken was just the right amount of spicy and the wontons were some of my favorite I’ve had. Portions are also big enough to share. I wish I lived closer so I could come here more often. Easy parking too. I will be back…“

“I ordered the chicken leg meat with dipping sauces and broth. Honestly, the chicken was great on its own. I didn't care for any of the sauces. The rice was a bit salty but still good.

The setup felt a little odd. There was a loud speaker on loop reminding Uber and DoorDash drivers to pick up orders in the back. It was super annoying. I really think they would benefit from having a host instead of relying on that speaker.

That said, the place itself was cool, and I liked that you can order from several different shops all through the same kiosk.“

“Amazing Food. We ordered quite a few dishes and everything was delicious! The Peking Duck and green beans were my favorite!“

“Watching TV and saw Pad Thai and had to have some. Wanted chix/shrimp and couldn't get any of the platforms to give me that option. Pad thai near me got me to Thai Dara 2 and my order had lots of both perfectly cooked shrimp and big white meat chicken pieces. The order left me with enough for dinner. I will definitely be back.“

“Best Chinese food ever! My family and I have been coming here for over 20 plus years and we would never go anywhere else to get Chinese food! Amazing food and amazing people who work here!! Anne and family are the most amazing people we have ever met! You must try!! Best Chinese food there is!! Thank you for everything you all do we love you guys!! 💕🥰🥳😁😋“

“Pretty good soup/noodles. Noodles were bouncy and good amount of chew. The broth was good and very comfy. Portion sizes were on the smaller side, but I left very satisfied. The liangpi was also really good. The chili sauce was the weakest part of the liangpi but still good overall.“

“Amazing authentic Chinese duck spiced perfectly. For me it was a quiet hometown environment with attractive employees. A great place to getaway for a while. I’m not sure if they were open because google said they were closed but they took care of me anyway.“

“This place is super convenient for work trips. It's right next to my office!“

“Stopped in here for a quick lunch and had orange chicken, black pepper beef and some various dim sum items. Everything was good, the chive dumplings were HUGE and so flavorful we went back two days later to order more. Staff were very friendly, service was quick and the outdoor patio was nice.“

“These are the types of food joints I look for! Authentic owners and flavor. I enjoyed the Chicken Tom Yum with some Sticky Rice and Prik Nam Pla.... But they actually serve you up with a full spice rack anyhow as they should!

The soup was flavorful plenty of protein and encapsulated all of the ingredients, sticky rice done to perfection!“

“Cannot skip the big plate chicken and scallion beef at Northern Cafe Irvine! Portions are incredibly generous with spot-on traditional tastes. The servings are so substantial that a full spread will fill you up completely. It’s such a no-nonsense local eatery serving hearty, flavorful northern Chinese comfort food that always hits after a busy day.“

“Some of the best Chinese takeout in OC! Fast, friendly service and inexpensive to boot! The staff are very kind and will make dishes to order if the food you want isn't laid out when you order. Delicious, huge portions, always a great meal with leftovers after. Definitely recommend the Kung Pao Chicken! (They'll make it for you if you ask! ?)“

“The hotpot I eat most often with friends is Lao Pier. The first time I ate flying pancakes was at Lao Pier. Now that I think about it, it still tastes delicious.“

“I just wanted to take the time to really thank Pick Up Stix at the Lake Forest location. I always have had a great experience here - whether it be for the food or the customer service.

Recently, I decided to venture off my usual choice - Chow Mein - which I think is the best ever. Unfortunately, the new dish I ordered was subpar, I called the restaurant and spoke to a nice lady (I forgot her name unfortunately), she went above and beyond just replacing the meal. And I really appreciated it. Customer service like this is now rare - but she was so nice about it. A) didn't make me feel low or stuck-up (I hate that feeling esp when the vendor makes the mistake) - this was not the case here B) replaced the meal with another of my choice C) And added a generous extra item on the house

Thank you so much! My family loved the dinner - per usual :)“

“Good authentic Chinese foods. We had sizzling seafood combo, house specials veggies (very fresh), sizzling beef very good, shrimps in lobster sauce. For 5 people is plenty. Services is fine. There's no wait time for seating at 4:20pm on Saturday.“

“This place is amazing!!! Authentic food with such a wide variety of options!! Everything is cooked to order and tastes so fresh and amazing! Portions are well worth the price too! Also, the lady who runs the place is insanely nice and has amazing customer service!!“

“The cauliflower rice is a great option. Great menu....“

“Great food, friendly staff and clean atmosphere.“

“This place is honestly the most DELICIOUS place I’ve gone too! Me and my partner go here so much cause it’s amazing!! The price is great for the quality and just a yummy meal🤭🙏🏻 THANK YOU LOC!!“

“I’m really pleased with Le Shrimp Irvine. Their Hainanese chicken rice is the best I’ve had locally so far—the rice was flavorful, the ginger sauce was excellent, and the broth was rich, though slightly on the salty side.
My only disappointment was the chicken. I’m not really a fan of plain breast meat; I prefer the bone-in breast and drumstick pieces with skin, which I was told was an option. I was also informed they were out of the skinless breast meat, so I expected to receive the bone-in option I had ordered, but I still ended up with breast meat.
Overall, I’d rate the Hainanese chicken rice a 4.0. It tastes very authentic, with that Malaysian/Singaporean style I really enjoy.

I also tried the Shrimp Broth Trio Noodles with veggies, prawns, prawn balls, and wontons, and I loved the shrimp flavor. The broth reminded me of the Har Mee soup base I’ve had before, but with a richer, creamier, ramen-style twist. The fusion works well, and the flavor was delicious, but with a bowl packed with noodles, shrimp, wontons, and toppings, it became a bit too rich by the end. I would personally prefer it a little lighter and more brothy, but overall it was still very satisfying.

I’m excited to try more dishes. I also heard the owner is Singaporean and the chef is from Malaysia—fabulous!“

“Great service and the best food. One of our favorite places to go for many years.“