21 Best Chinese Restaurants in Pasadena

“Surprised by the best kung pao shrimp I’ve had in my life. Fresh julienned ginger, scallion, garlic; a brown sauce that showed care and layered attention - not some slapped together mass processed food. The young lady serving was kind, precise, and sat to clean green beans in any down time. Reminded me of my family in India, the women’s hands busy all day with preparation,
with the food from the earth.“

“This is one of the best place I love to eat panda express. The fried rice. The teriyaki. Honey walnut shrimp it’s good. An orange chicken. I’m guarantee you is the best place to hang out and chill. As a YouTube contractor. I’m guarantee you you love this place to eat 100%.“

“I had the all white meat Hainan Chicken plate. Everything was absolutely delicious. I’m definitely coming back. I highly recommend this place.“

“Very good food, and great cocktails. Wait staff was friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed our experience.“

“I keep coming back for the veggies. The green beans and the seaweed with tofu is the best. Their knife-cut noodles with mushrooms have this fantastic smoky flavor—though the portion is a little small. Thankfully, you can swap in brown rice if you prefer.
The Salt & Pepper Tofu is a standout—crispy on the outside without being overly breaded—and the Spicy Pork Dumplings are just the right level of heat.

Pro tip: Parking is easier across the street if you’re cool with a short walk.

Downside: They can be a little understaffed at times“

“Amazing food. I miss it so much every day. I used to get delivery to my house off Orange Grove and the owner would deliver himself and remember me.“

“Great food and service! Very rare to find an authentic Chinese restaurant with great service! Fast, efficient, attentive, and nice! I'm used to the typical not-so great service, so this place was like a breath of fresh air. Atmosphere was pleasant upon arrival at 8pm Saturday, but still able to get a seat right away. It wasn't overly crowded, unlike other popular Chinese restaurants. Food was excellent. Couldnt finish everything, so we had plenty of leftovers which makes the overall price even more worth it. We will definitely go back when in the area again.“

“Chinese Café serves amazing, delicious, healthy Chinese food! This food is so good! We had the food delivered. They were on time, the food was hot and fresh, and each item was boxed in plastic containers. Egg rolls and rice were in traditional take out paper containers. If an item has pan-fried noodles, then the noodles and the sauce is packaged separately so the dish itself will be fresh. Also, each box for a part of an item was labeled so we'd know what goes with which food item. Soup came in soup containers and also in plastic bags so the soup wouldn't spill accidentally. The food is traditional Cantonese Chinese food. We ordered BBQ Pork, Won Ton Soup, Green Pepper Beef, Chicken Egg Foo Young, Beef Pan Fried Noodles, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Vegetable Egg Rolls. The flavors of the meat and vegetables are fresh! The egg rolls are crispy and delicious! The food is low in sodium! Fortune cookies were free with great fortunes! I highly recommend Chinese Café. 5 Stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“

“Try The Indo Fried Rice… You will love it😀“

“If you’re craving legit Sichuan hotpot, Qing YaoMei is the place to go. The broth is rich, spicy, and packed with flavor – just like in Chengdu! The beef tripe, duck blood, and handmade shrimp paste were all super fresh. Bonus points for the amazing dipping sauce bar and cozy atmosphere. 10/10!“

“Honestly, love this place! It’s not quite a creperie in the French sense—rather, this restaurant serves up savory Chinese-style crepes called “jianbing” 煎饼, a popular Chinese breakfast food filled with whatever your heart desires (in my case, usually Peking duck or BBQ pork). If you want to feast, I recommend getting a jianbing with one of the combos (either the tea egg, soybean milk, fried Chinese donuts (油条）and/or tofu soups）. So good ✨

There are also some non-jianbing food option such as bento boxes and other side dishes. I haven’t had these but they look good and could supplement your meal.

Pros: food is delicious, comes out fast, good for a quick casual bite, clean bright interior
Cons: there is no restroom in the restaurant for customers, sometimes the AC can be kind of cold (why I docked a point for atmosphere)

Parking is metered street parking in the area or one of the parking garages in Old Town.

Vegetarian options: You can get an egg only crepe or a garden crepe with a salad filling. Also the tofu soups and tea eggs are vegetarian“

“My go to for Chinese food. The Kung pao string beans are amazing and always delicious. Green beans cooked perfect. Always friendly service. Have only used take out so cannot comment on indoor dining. Love Grandview Palace

Vegetarian options: Kung pao string beans among the options“

“Best Chinese food in town! A hidden gem! Tasty and authentic! Their homemade chili is ahh-mazing! I ordered orange chicken (the best), beef tomato (1st time trying ever- very flavorful), bbq pork fried rice (my favorite) and chicken chow mein (a must). My husband and I couldn't stop eating and went for seconds. Totally worth it!!“

“We came here for dinner after a huge multi-day event at the Pasadena convention center so it was packed and there was about a half hour wait. Despite how busy it was, the staff was still super friendly, on top of orders and very attentive, which was impressive.

My favorite thing on the menu was the Beef Roll Pancake. It definitely left me wanting more and was so good, I ordered one for takeaway! The flavors of the noodle dishes we had were just okay. Spicy chicken wontons were tasty. I would come back for the beef roll pancake for sure. Overall good spot in Pasadena.“

“Come here for the dumplings. Especially the pork and crab dumplings. They are just as good as the best ones I’ve had. However their green beans and green onion pancakes weren’t as good. The orange chicken is different. I liked it and it’s different than at other places but the flavor is maybe too subtle but these have more meat than at Panda. They have a gender neutral restroom. Free parking available as well as meter parking.“

“If you’re ever looking for a filling delicious dinner this is the place to be. The Kung Pao and Black pepper chicken my absolute favorite. A cut above Panda Express but more options and less expensive!

Parking: Lots of parking in the lot but you may have to walk during busy times (4-8pm)“

“my husband and i love ordering delivery from y&j gourmet! we’ve never had a dish we didn’t like, and the service has always been friendly and prompt. ordering y&j on nye has become a tradition and we always order a tonne of food so we have leftovers for days. highly recommend the spicy eggplant and spicy chicken wontons! they also have monthly specials if you subscribe to their emails. thanks for another delicious nye meal, y&j!

Vegetarian options: there are lots of vegetable dishes as well as noodle and rice dishes that can be made to be vegetarian. can’t confirm if all sauces used are veg, so you should double check!“

“Egg Roll Express has the best food. They have been in the same location for at least 25 years. I order there often and have never been disappointed. GREAT FOOD EGG ROLL EXPRESS !“

“Incredible food, savory broth.“

“This places serves fresher ingredients and cares more about presentation than any other Panda restaurant I've been to.
I ordered the quinoa rice. It was cooked perfectly. I had the eggplant tofu. Most places over cook it and leave it dripping in oil. This location mastered it!
The watermelon Mango Refresher was a great pairing.
Yum!“

“Panda Express is great for cheap, fast, macro-friendly meals. They list the calories as well as amount of protein for each item, which I have never seen before. For fast food it is decently healthy if you pick the right items, you can get over 100g of protein which is insane value. The staff are very friendly, but I asked for a student discount and they said they gave it, but on the receipt it was regular price. Kinda suspicious, usually they give 10% off for students.“