45 Best Chinese Restaurants near Laguna Beach

“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.“

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

“Yazzie is a straight beast!!!! She was so on point and even remembered our order with out even writing it down. She was checking in on us at the right moments but not too much and made sure we were all ok. Thank you Yazzie you made us wanna come back!!!“

“I celebrated my birthday here, and I'm so glad I did. P.F. Chang's makes it easy to make a reservation, even with a large party. You can split the bill multiple ways, and staff was accommodating when my guests arrived at different times. There is a variety of delicious food everyone can enjoy. I received a special, sparkling birthday treat at the end. Would come here again!“

“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.“

“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“

“Our go-to restaurant when we are starving at night. Authentic Chinese street food with right-on-the-spot seasoning. Location is in a shared kitchen facility together with many other small businesses. Clear window showing their kitchen so you know all the food are made fresh for you. A must try place overall!“

“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!“

“Good food and staff. They always do a good job and fast.“

“I tried Yangguofu Mala Tang and honestly it’s such a fun, customizable dining experience.

You grab a huge bowl and walk along the ingredient bar filling it with whatever you’re craving. There are tons of veggies, noodles, tofu options, seafood, and meats, so it’s easy to mix and match. Once you’re done, they weigh your bowl and you pay by the pound, which makes it feel fair and totally in your control.

After that, you choose your broth. You can go classic, mild, or full spicy mala depending on your heat tolerance. They cook everything fresh and bring it out steaming hot, and the flavors really soak into all the ingredients.

I also loved the drink selection. They have so many options to pair with the spice, which makes the whole experience even better.

Overall, it’s a great spot if you like interactive meals and want something different from traditional hot pot. Perfect for groups since everyone can build exactly what they want. 🌶️“

“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“

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

“The freshly boiled bone broth here is legit, like super rich and full of depth. You can tell they don’t cut corners—just feels real. Flavor? Totally authentic, reminds me of Yunnan-style dishes I’ve had before. Prices are solid too, which is great for students like me trying to eat well without spending too much. Portions felt generous, and it’s just overall good value.“

“(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.“

“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.“

“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.“

“Loved the Golden Soup Beef Noodle here ！the soup was flavorful and the noodles were perfectly chewy. The Juicy Lamb Dumplings were a highlight too, really juicy and packed with flavor.

The sautéed bok choy with garlic was simple but super fresh and slightly sweet. Great balance with the richer dishes. Definitely a solid spot for noodles and dumplings in Irvine.“

“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.“

“When I visited, the place was buzzing with Chinese grandmas and grandpas enjoying the dim sum deals, which I took as a very good sign! I ordered the fish congee: generous portion, rich flavour, and super filling. I have to say it’s a steep price for what’s traditionally a humble, comfort-food breakfast. However, a good experience overall.“

“During this sweltering winter heat wave in Southern California, it was nice to enter this chic and cool restaurant. The AC was definitely a sigh of relief. This small restaurant had about 12 tables and largest table seated up to 6, so I don’t recommend large groups. The paper menu is just like DTF with similar, popular menu options plus common Chinese restaurant dishes like Kung Pao Chicken. The food was very good and portions were bigger than DTF. I will definitely come back to try their other dishes. If they offer chicken xiao long bao, it would widen their customer base.“

“I had a wonderful experience dining here on Saturday 4/11 and wanted to take a moment to recognize the outstanding customer service From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed and well taken care of.

Thank you to our server, Gabby, who was attentive, friendly, and made sure everything was perfect, she had a positive attitude and attention to detail truly stood out.

I’d also like to acknowledge the manager James, who took the time to ensure everything was going smoothly. That extra level of care and professionalism does not go unnoticed.

Overall, the service was great, the food was amazing, the restaurant was clean, and we will be coming back!“

“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…“

“So good. I know of no other place near here with Cantonese BBQ, especially duck. I primarily only get the duck but I have had the honey walnut shrimp and the green beans and have never been disappointed.
I use to have to drive to Irvine to get some duck but now that Sam Woo has closed this I the only place. I would argue it is better than Sam Woo was when they were still in business.
So happy this place opened so close to me.“

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

“We love this place! I'll never go to Panda Express again. its healthy if you get steamed veggies instead of rice or noodles. I can get 3 meals out of it!😋❤“

“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.“

“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 :)“

“Nothing fishy about this place. It's a small family run business. Blame covid for the price increases and there are sign posted to make you aware of the increase. it's the best food and most reasonable prices in town. if you cant afford a 11 dish then don't buy or complain about it. These reviews are for the food not whiners.“

“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!!“

“Great food, friendly staff and clean atmosphere.“

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

“One of the BEST Chinese food restaurants i have had the pleasure of eating at. The staff friendly. The vibe chill. The food OUT of this world! I loved every minute of eating here. I usually order my regular friend rice that I always get at Chinese restaurants but this place really made me feel like I tasting authentic Chinese food. We had the house special friend rice and chairman Mao pork belly and to say it was superb is an understatement. Please if you have a chance give this restaurant a try either dine in which has a nice cozy space with light music playing in the background or order for delivery. You will not be disappointed. 20/10 must visit! P.s sorry for half eaten food pics but thats what happens when you really enjoy the food and forget to take a pic.“

“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.“

“Unexpected great food, very unassuming place. They don’t serve alcohol, but we got a beer at Ambers to go and enjoyed it with our meal. They didn’t have music playing but since we were the only ones there at the time, we played our own. Hot and sour soup and Szechuan Beef were 👌👌👌“

“Great Food!!! Can’t wait for remodel“

“kindness. Moved to Irvine from the San Gabriel area. In comparison, the food here is delicious and the price is very reasonable. It feels cheap and the food tastes delicious. Of course, it may be that I am too hungry. Overall, I am very satisfied with this meal. Good reviews. Will come again.“

“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..“

“The food here is amazing and they give you your money's worth. I am used to going to panda express and getting a 3 item plate and still feeling hungry afterwards. I ordered a 2 item plate from here and was unable to finish the whole thing. Now I have some tastey leftovers. The quality of the food is also very good!“

“One of my favorite places when I’m craving noodles or soup. Good food with big portions at a great price. I ate here last year and the service wasn’t very good and the place felt smaller, but when I visited this week, they’ve improved a lot. The two ladies serving were very friendly and attentive. The customer service was so much better this time, and I’ll definitely be back. I recommend ordering the wontons in chili sauce, braised pork with sticky brown sauce, and braised beef noodles everything was delicious. Totally worth it!“

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

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

“This specific Panda has excellent portion sizes, and that needs to be shouted out. Nowadays, I've noticed many Panda Express locations counting pieces of chicken, and even removing some of an item if too much was scooped. Not here in Lake Forest, portions are full providing a fair value for the price. It's refreshing and reminds me of the old Panda Express days, thank you!“