28 Best Chinese Restaurants in Irvine

“Had a good meal at Haidilao! Food was delicious and service was exceptional. I want to give a shout out to Nancy who was our server. From beginning to end, Nancy went above and beyond in making my family’s first time experience comfortable and welcoming. Thank you Nancy! Definitely want to come back!“

“This Place is an exciting experience for fans of authentic Sichuan flavors. We chose the half-and-half hot pot base with spicy mala broth and a milder herbal soup. The spicy broth packs a punch with a complex blend of spices, while the herbal soup is a comforting balance. The ingredients, like the thinly sliced beef, shrimp, and vegetables, were fresh and flavorful.

What we ordered:

- Spicy mala broth - 5/5
- Herbal soup - 4/5
- Thinly sliced beef - 5/5
- Shrimp - 4/5
- Vegetables - 4/5
- Tofu - 4/5

Service was attentive, though it can get hectic during busy hours. The staff were friendly and helpful. The restaurant can feel crowded and noisy, but it adds to the lively atmosphere. Prices are reasonable for the quality and variety. If you love hot pot and can handle some spice, YinTang Spicy Hot Pot is worth a visit!“

“Whatever they’re paying Michelle, TRIPLE it. What an absolute gem of a woman. Most attentive and kind server I’ve ever had. She made our dining experience unforgettable. The food was just okay, but I’d come back just because of our exceptional server. Thank you for making our night easy and fun. Michelle, you rock!“

“The roujiamo in this shop is really amazing! The pancakes are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and fragrant. The meat is tender and juicy, fat but not greasy, and the seasoning is just right, making every bite full of satisfaction. After eating the whole thing, I still feel unsatisfied and want to have another one! Recommended to all friends who like authentic Shaanxi flavor, you must try it!“

“The food is really good. Just a heads up for spicy choices - they are HOT! My husband enjoyed all the dishes. We ordered the duck soup, fried rice with vegetables and beef with cilantro - all delicious! Service was courteous and friendly. Very helpful with first timers like us. The ambiance is quiet and relaxing.“

“Stopped by on a weeknight and found the restaurant relatively full but I get it!

The restaurant itself is open and clean. The service is fast and friendly. Given so many people I was happily surprised how quickly the food came and how attentive the service was.

The food, honestly, loved it! The portions are a good size. The flavors are spot on. They offer a grilled menu after 5pm, which is fun to eat!“

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

“I recently tried Show Hotpot and was blown away by the quality of their broth!
The MalaTang here is genuinely the best I’ve had, it’s so rich and flavorful that, for the first time, I finished the entire bowl.
The atmosphere and service were also great, making the whole experience enjoyable from start to finish.
Highly recommend Show Hotpot for any hotpot lover, especially if you’re a fan of MalaTang!“

“The taste is not bad, the little boy who takes the order is not bad, but the other services are really not good. I ordered a lot and didn't even have a bowl. I asked a question and a woman gave me a stiff answer and washed it away. . . No apology at all for not providing the cutlery that should have been provided. I wasn't even drunk until I finished eating. . . The restaurants in Irvine are so popular, I’m really not afraid of them, they’re pretty awesome.

Parking: There is no ground floor, you can go underground, there are many places“

“Happy to hear they have a Northern Cafe here now! I remember when this place used to be a ramen shop lol. BUt I also remember it being more expensive that I could afford as a college student. But I'm happy to hear NC is here instead! I recommend trying their spicy beef hot pot if you can handle and like spicy food. It's very flavorful and it kicks you in the mouth a bit, but not so much that you're downing cups and cups of water. Will be coming back!“

“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.“

“A beautiful spot with authentic food and delicious flavor. My favorite were the Samsa triangles, filled with delicious meat. My wife loved the “big chicken plate”, the portion was amazing and went really well with the naan. My kid loved the skewers and naan.“

“Their service is great, and you can feel that they are paying a lot of attention to customers.

We brought our dog with us so we sit the outdoor area, and they have been very attentive all the time.

Food is great, they are noodle house but their rice is out of question also great as well.

I'll come here soon again.“

“Great food, friendly staff and clean atmosphere.“

“Friends and I got to celebrate and spend time with a dearly beloved little sister. There is typically a written waitlist to put your name on. We waited for about 10 minutes to get seated. Many Asians gather about here! The service is speedy and diligent.

For a group of three adults and a high school mentee we got three individual dishes and one main to share
1) tangsuyuk - the sauce had a good amount of vegetables and the meat was a good portion that filled our stomachs!!
2) jjang pong and rice - I love the variety of seafood included in here and the vegetables as well
3) jjang pong and noodles
4) jja jjang myeon (black noodles)

The spiciness of the jjang pong wakes up the taste buds in a good way!

We all ate quite happily. I wish service wasn’t too hasty however. For the remaining food, we got to take to-go. I love the side dishes offered - spicy radishes 깍두기 and pickled yellow radishes (takuan) 단무지. It pairs nicely with the dishes we got.

The ambiance reminds me of a fast food restaurant to some extent. The place is great to grab a hearty Chinese-Korean fusion food. God bless you all.“

“👍👍👍👍, very clean and nice. Good service too.“

“Chicken pot thing was weird. Noodles were bomb!!!!!!“

“The Hainan Chicken rice dish is best I have ever tasted in OC. The chicken is tender and moist and all three sauces were provided were amazingly good - the sweet chilli with a bit of tang, sweet soy sauce, and the ginger scalion sauce. The rice is also very tasty if a bit hard but easily soften with the piping hot chicken broth included. If you love Hainan Chicken rice, this place is definitely a must!

Parking: Lots of parking on weekdays.“

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

“Paik's Noodle, owned by Chef Jong Won Paik (one of the judges from Culinary Class Wars), provides korean-chinese comfort food in the H-Mart located in North Irvine. And does it deliver!!

Paik's is known for its Jajangmyeon (fermented black bean noodle stir-fry) and Jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). Their noodles in all of their dishes are perfectly chewy, and satisfying for hearty noodle lovers. If you're new to these dishes, the noodles are like a mix between an udon and ramen noodle, typically using thick, wheat flour.

The Jajangmyeon hits that spot when you want a comforting meal with an umami punch. This dish has a perfect balance of sweet and savory (more on the savory side), with flavors oozing from caramelized onions, the salty, smoky, and decadent fermented black bean, and a generous portion of elongated ground pork adding a nice meaty touch. For meat lovers, you can order this with extra meat, and for vegetarians, they offer the dish without meat at all. They even have a seafood version of this dish!

The Jjampong uses the same noodles, swimming in a spicy broth infused with seafood umami. With muscles and chunks of tender squid and the occasional baby shrimp, the soup is so rich in flavor and satisfying.

While there are other strong dishes here, the noodles are the star. And each dish is accompanied by Korean pickled radishes to provide fresh, crisp respite between indulgent bites.

Sitting within the food court, there is no traditional service, but the staff are friendly and very quick - even during peak hours. It's easy enough to find seating, but during busy times, it's best to secure seating earlier if you can unless you plan to take the food to go.

If you're looking for comforting, filling, and delightful noodles to switch up your Asian noodle-ventures between ramens, phos, pad thai, and more, you should explore the menu at Paik's. You might just find yourself hooked by the flavors - after all, that's Chef Paik's most important criteria when judging good food.“

“If you’re a content creator this place is for you. They get treated better than the average person staff are attentive to them . If you are a regular person like me . Welp let just say it takes a while to be seen only attentive person was Issac he was nice actually genuinely seems interesting in giving good service.“

“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 :)“

“We’ve been going to Capital Seafood for MANY MANY YEARS now and just realized I haven’t made any reviews yet! Well, here it goes… we so love this place! We always go during dimsum hours and we love their dimsum choices! The foods are all amazing and first class!!! The service is even better! Our drinks are constantly filled and they always check if there’s anything else we need. Their manager will also go around and help serve! Eventhough we live an hr away from Irvine now, we still make sure we go to this place at least once a month! Excellent food and VIP service!“

“It was surprisingly good over the top service delicious good good atmosphere hip cozy friendly . I’m definitely coming back w/ friends!!!“

“Chinese food not bad. Orange chicken was ok, fried rice good, and chow mein not good. I think at certain times of the day the food is good, and sometimes meh. Over all give it a try. Good place for chips, gum, and energy drinks, and doughnuts..“

“Amazing and delicious! I have been a fan of Sichuan food for many years and Chef Chuan is now my favorite Chinese restaurant in Orange County. If you do not speak Mandarin, use Google translate with the super friendly staff that does not speak English. I had the Fresh Cucumber, Chongqing style spicy chicken, Hand Shredded Cabbage. All three dishes were so delicious and authentic. If you don't like spicy food, just ask them to make the food mild.“

“Being saturday, the restaurant was packed when we arrived but the wait was very short. Dim Sum was excellent and traditional, with tea carts going by with all kinds of dim sum small dishes: dumplings, buns, spring rolls, congee, all kinds of desserts, etc. It was a very satisfying meal and the jasmine tea was just perfect. Service could not have been better. Don't know the cost because I was a guest. Will definitely return!“