Chef Chin had the best Chinese food in San Diego hands down. It was so good that I couldn’t stop over-ordering. I’m mad I can’t find another place like this as this place is temporarily closed.. I should’ve left millions of 5 star reviews as I was satisfied with this place every single time I had eaten here. I’m sorry ? please come back and bless us with your AMAZING food.
Kelsea Sauer
My sister came to visit me so we decided to try this restaurant for the first time. It looked very appetizing on the menu but once it arrived, my house was filled with a very rotten smell.My chicken wasn’t cooked all the way and tasted like it was 5 weeks old.My sisters fish was gray in color and tasted horrible as well. It was also so greasy, there were just puddles of oil all over the food and containers were leaking oil.We only took 1 bite of each dish and got really sick later that day.I do not recommend this restaurant.
Qixuan X.
We had black pepper beef and fish filet, both kind of sweet and not spicy. Not many customers at 6pm, around 2-3 tables.
Michelle N.
One of our friends had tried Chef Chin a while back and brought up the fact they had Taiwanese Breakfast items on the weekends, so we wanted to give it a try ourselves. - PARKING - Smaller lot, but it wasn't packed when we went on a Saturday near 11:30am. - SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - Definitely smaller interior than I expected from the outside. Good amount of tables, but nothing bigger to accommodate more than 6 people, from what I saw. Only one single waitress worked during that time, but she did her best to attend to all the parties. - FOOD - Sweet Bean Curd - Soy Milk ($3.95): Make sure you stir the soy milk around before drinking it! It was quite bland from the first scoop, but it was because all the sweetness settled on the bottom. Even after we mixed things around, it was just subtly sweet. Twisted Cruller Donuts ($3.95): Really nice crispy crunchy outside yet super fluffy on the inside. I do think this is pretty overpriced for just one Donut though. Glutinous Rice Roll ($6.95): Definitely have had bigger-sized Rice Rolls that have more filling on the inside. They cut up one single roll into small pieces and it doesn't look great. Green Onion Pancake ($4.45): Also overpriced, and nothing special at all really. I would've guessed it was probably frozen food if someone had served it to me at home. Egg Pancake ($5.45): Probably my favorite item from our meal. A good amount of Egg and fillings inside. Still, overall quite a small portion for the price. Roast Beef in Pancake ($6.45): My second favorite, although I've definitely had much better Beef Rolls at other restaurants. Once again, they did not give much meat, nor was the pancake itself big. Shanghai Steamed Dumpling - XLB (8pc - $9.95): Some dumplings had just a bit of soup, but most did not at all. The flavor wasn't super intense either. Wouldn't recommend getting your XLB fix here. Shanghai Pan Fried Bun (6pc - $10.95): The bun itself was too thick and there was no juice on the inside. Similar to the XLB, the flavor was pretty lacking. - OVERALL - Happy I at least tried, although I probably won't come back. They do have an extensive menu for their lunch/dinner items, so maybe those are better than their Taiwanese Breakfast.
Linda Wang
This was one of our favorite Chinese restaurants before the pandemic; good thing this place is still open and has survived COVID! The flavors and quality are still consistent, each dish from different regions have a distinct local taste, and the chef does a pretty good job at getting the basics right. The food is not overly salty or sweet, and always leaves the right after taste. We used to also come here for breakfast on weekends, they also have good dim sum options if you don’t want to go to a more crowded restaurant like Jasmin. The meats here are never dry and always juicy!
纪艺
The waiter in this restaurant lacks the most basic manners of delivery workers. As a delivery workers,I delivering food for their restaurant to make profits for them, but when I went to pick up the food, the female waiter refused me to use their washroom. Since I did this job for few months, this is first time waiter denied me. It is not difficult to see from here that the corporate culture of this restaurant is disrespectful. A good restaurant should provide convenience and services for customers, takeout workers, rather than treating delivery workers with prejudice and impoliteness like Chef Chin. There is a law in California since 9/30/2021, clearly state that restaurant should make their toilet facilities available for delivery workers’ use, as long as the delivery worker seeks to access the facilities while picking up a food or beverage order for delivery. If she doesn’t know this, please tell her. Thanks
Ross C.
YUM! I have always been on a quest for the best old school Chinese food in San Diego and have lived here for 20 years and never found it. The closest I ever found was Hong Kong in Hillcrest until the new owners took over and ruined it. I would ask friends and they would all say the same thing, Chinese food in San Diego sucks. Until now! I found Chef Chin! I can't believe it took me so long to find it given it looks like it has been there forever. The restaurant is very old school which I love. You sit down and they serve you tea in a porcelain pot...enough said. The staff is great but the food was amazing! I had the best Kung Pao Chicken of my life! I have also had their Sizzling Rice soup, soup dumplings, egg rolls, hot and sour soup and spicy honey chicken. All of these items were very tasty and I would order them again. This is definitely my new Go-To place for Chinese food in San Diego.
Charlotte W.
I went to Chef Chin to take out Chinese food and it was delicious Alyssa helped me choose which things were the best for me and when I got home they were all so good and she was extra nice
Michiko L.
My dining partner (DP) and I are on a quest to find the best Szechuan Chinese restaurant in the Central San Diego area and were hopeful about Chef Chin's. I even had a coupon for $8 off of a $50 or more check. When we drove up, it looked like it was closed, and the parking lot was completely empty. However, there was an "open" sign on the side of the building facing the parking lot which had a row of parking spots marked as reserved for Chef Chin's. This is also where the main entrance is located. When we walked in at 6 pm, the restaurant was absolutely empty. Shocked, we asked the server what was going on. "Superbowl," she said. You can see that we are just not that into football. :) We were seated (we had the choice of -- anywhere) and presented with an enormous menu that included pictures. The menu was a bit confusing as there were multiples of the same sections (chicken, beef, vegetables, etc.) And several items were repeated more than once (sometimes at 2 different prices). The choices seemed pretty authentic, including the, um, "striking" chicken dish pictured below. There was sea cucumber, jellyfish, chicken feet, offal. I didn't see any frog dishes though. I asked for some guidance from the server and she rather lacklusteredly (is that a word?) endorsed the Triple Delight. It was a specialty that she said was heavily breaded and "some" people liked it. Hmm. My DP always gets the Szechuan beef. Rice came with the dishes. I added a hot and sour soup and egg roll for $5 to my entree (about $16 each). We also ordered the homemade steamed dumplings as an appetizer. Beverages were canned (Pepsi products), and they were out of lemonade. I prefer fountain drinks myself, but most Chinese places seem to have cans. Weird. The food came out without any delays. I liked the soup and eggroll. My DP liked the dumplings, but I thought the wrappers were to think and doughy. My entree was good but not great. The breading was pretty thick. The Szechuan beef was borderline inedible. It has a nice flavor, but the beef was overcooked and dry and tough. My DP didn't finish it. Our meal was $50 but discounted $8 with the coupon. You have to exit the restaurant and go around the side of the building for the restroom (ask for the key). Our server was thoughtful enough to hand me a roll of toilet paper en route. Really, she should have gone into the bathroom with it, especially because it wasn't very tidy with a pair of women's underwear on the floor by the toilet. I've never encountered that before. I usually bring my underwear back out of the bathroom with me. Since it was Superbowl Sunday, I'm not sure how busy this place or the parking lot is normally. We're sad that Chef Chin's was just an average dining experience. We probably won't be back. The search continues...
Jon G.
We ate here with the fam for the first time and tried this place. This place is awesome. The foodies are delicious. Fast service and the server is so friendly. Pin it to your favorite place to hangout and for sure you will not regret it. Bookmarked done Definitely recommend.
I've been wanting to try this resto surrounded by other Asian restaurants. I'm glad I went today. The place was cozy, dimly lit with the mandatory paper table cloth that they change after every use. Only one server but she still takes the time to chat with her guests and multi-tasking. We ordered the chicken with vegetables, pork fried rice and bok-choy and mushroom in oyster sauce. Delish! Not too salty or greasy. Packed with umami and fresh still crunchy vegetables. My favorite oddly enough is the plain steamed rice. Still aldente, sticky and freshly cooked. Reasonable price and highly recommended! I will definitely come back for the dumplings, peking duck and chinese breakfast. The only opportunity is just updating the decor, coffee maker/hot water dispenser that is ready to move on and a more inviting entrance.
Huang David
It used to be good in Shanghai style. I did not go there for a few years due to the Covid-19 thing. I was there today and so so so disappointed. All the dishes have no Shanghai style at all. Ugly color and terrible taste. It is way blow average. I would give them a no star if I could.
Jacob Boss
I regret going here. Walking in to an empty diner with a lot of to-go bags should have told me everything I needed to know. My first beer came with a nice side of lipstick on the rim of the glass, forgiving this mistake the experience only worsened. The steamed rice came right after we ordered....fifteen minutes before the rest of the food, it was cold. They forgot the fried rice dish the table ordered and after we finished all the other dishes it came, unfortunately. The fried rice was by far the worst dish of the night and honestly the overall experience of the restaurant would have improved without it. For the price you pay, you might as well go to the buffet down the street, the food tastes better and is warm.
Daniel Densel
Good not great. Super low key and quiet place to eat. Staff was friendly and the food was good.
Holly Hipp
My husband hosted a small group of staff (13 folks) last night at Chef Chin for a Holiday gathering. We couldn’t be happier with our evening! Diane and Alyssa made us all feel very special and were awesome servers! The food was great and the accommodations were perfect for our group. Can’t give enough kudos to this restaurant and the staff :). Thanks for helping us host my hubby’s staff. It was perfect!
Chef Chin had the best Chinese food in San Diego hands down. It was so good that I couldn’t stop over-ordering. I’m mad I can’t find another place like this as this place is temporarily closed.. I should’ve left millions of 5 star reviews as I was satisfied with this place every single time I had eaten here. I’m sorry ? please come back and bless us with your AMAZING food.
My sister came to visit me so we decided to try this restaurant for the first time. It looked very appetizing on the menu but once it arrived, my house was filled with a very rotten smell.My chicken wasn’t cooked all the way and tasted like it was 5 weeks old.My sisters fish was gray in color and tasted horrible as well. It was also so greasy, there were just puddles of oil all over the food and containers were leaking oil.We only took 1 bite of each dish and got really sick later that day.I do not recommend this restaurant.
We had black pepper beef and fish filet, both kind of sweet and not spicy. Not many customers at 6pm, around 2-3 tables.
One of our friends had tried Chef Chin a while back and brought up the fact they had Taiwanese Breakfast items on the weekends, so we wanted to give it a try ourselves. - PARKING - Smaller lot, but it wasn't packed when we went on a Saturday near 11:30am. - SERVICE/ENVIRONMENT - Definitely smaller interior than I expected from the outside. Good amount of tables, but nothing bigger to accommodate more than 6 people, from what I saw. Only one single waitress worked during that time, but she did her best to attend to all the parties. - FOOD - Sweet Bean Curd - Soy Milk ($3.95): Make sure you stir the soy milk around before drinking it! It was quite bland from the first scoop, but it was because all the sweetness settled on the bottom. Even after we mixed things around, it was just subtly sweet. Twisted Cruller Donuts ($3.95): Really nice crispy crunchy outside yet super fluffy on the inside. I do think this is pretty overpriced for just one Donut though. Glutinous Rice Roll ($6.95): Definitely have had bigger-sized Rice Rolls that have more filling on the inside. They cut up one single roll into small pieces and it doesn't look great. Green Onion Pancake ($4.45): Also overpriced, and nothing special at all really. I would've guessed it was probably frozen food if someone had served it to me at home. Egg Pancake ($5.45): Probably my favorite item from our meal. A good amount of Egg and fillings inside. Still, overall quite a small portion for the price. Roast Beef in Pancake ($6.45): My second favorite, although I've definitely had much better Beef Rolls at other restaurants. Once again, they did not give much meat, nor was the pancake itself big. Shanghai Steamed Dumpling - XLB (8pc - $9.95): Some dumplings had just a bit of soup, but most did not at all. The flavor wasn't super intense either. Wouldn't recommend getting your XLB fix here. Shanghai Pan Fried Bun (6pc - $10.95): The bun itself was too thick and there was no juice on the inside. Similar to the XLB, the flavor was pretty lacking. - OVERALL - Happy I at least tried, although I probably won't come back. They do have an extensive menu for their lunch/dinner items, so maybe those are better than their Taiwanese Breakfast.
This was one of our favorite Chinese restaurants before the pandemic; good thing this place is still open and has survived COVID! The flavors and quality are still consistent, each dish from different regions have a distinct local taste, and the chef does a pretty good job at getting the basics right. The food is not overly salty or sweet, and always leaves the right after taste. We used to also come here for breakfast on weekends, they also have good dim sum options if you don’t want to go to a more crowded restaurant like Jasmin. The meats here are never dry and always juicy!
The waiter in this restaurant lacks the most basic manners of delivery workers. As a delivery workers,I delivering food for their restaurant to make profits for them, but when I went to pick up the food, the female waiter refused me to use their washroom. Since I did this job for few months, this is first time waiter denied me. It is not difficult to see from here that the corporate culture of this restaurant is disrespectful. A good restaurant should provide convenience and services for customers, takeout workers, rather than treating delivery workers with prejudice and impoliteness like Chef Chin. There is a law in California since 9/30/2021, clearly state that restaurant should make their toilet facilities available for delivery workers’ use, as long as the delivery worker seeks to access the facilities while picking up a food or beverage order for delivery. If she doesn’t know this, please tell her. Thanks
YUM! I have always been on a quest for the best old school Chinese food in San Diego and have lived here for 20 years and never found it. The closest I ever found was Hong Kong in Hillcrest until the new owners took over and ruined it. I would ask friends and they would all say the same thing, Chinese food in San Diego sucks. Until now! I found Chef Chin! I can't believe it took me so long to find it given it looks like it has been there forever. The restaurant is very old school which I love. You sit down and they serve you tea in a porcelain pot...enough said. The staff is great but the food was amazing! I had the best Kung Pao Chicken of my life! I have also had their Sizzling Rice soup, soup dumplings, egg rolls, hot and sour soup and spicy honey chicken. All of these items were very tasty and I would order them again. This is definitely my new Go-To place for Chinese food in San Diego.
I went to Chef Chin to take out Chinese food and it was delicious Alyssa helped me choose which things were the best for me and when I got home they were all so good and she was extra nice
My dining partner (DP) and I are on a quest to find the best Szechuan Chinese restaurant in the Central San Diego area and were hopeful about Chef Chin's. I even had a coupon for $8 off of a $50 or more check. When we drove up, it looked like it was closed, and the parking lot was completely empty. However, there was an "open" sign on the side of the building facing the parking lot which had a row of parking spots marked as reserved for Chef Chin's. This is also where the main entrance is located. When we walked in at 6 pm, the restaurant was absolutely empty. Shocked, we asked the server what was going on. "Superbowl," she said. You can see that we are just not that into football. :) We were seated (we had the choice of -- anywhere) and presented with an enormous menu that included pictures. The menu was a bit confusing as there were multiples of the same sections (chicken, beef, vegetables, etc.) And several items were repeated more than once (sometimes at 2 different prices). The choices seemed pretty authentic, including the, um, "striking" chicken dish pictured below. There was sea cucumber, jellyfish, chicken feet, offal. I didn't see any frog dishes though. I asked for some guidance from the server and she rather lacklusteredly (is that a word?) endorsed the Triple Delight. It was a specialty that she said was heavily breaded and "some" people liked it. Hmm. My DP always gets the Szechuan beef. Rice came with the dishes. I added a hot and sour soup and egg roll for $5 to my entree (about $16 each). We also ordered the homemade steamed dumplings as an appetizer. Beverages were canned (Pepsi products), and they were out of lemonade. I prefer fountain drinks myself, but most Chinese places seem to have cans. Weird. The food came out without any delays. I liked the soup and eggroll. My DP liked the dumplings, but I thought the wrappers were to think and doughy. My entree was good but not great. The breading was pretty thick. The Szechuan beef was borderline inedible. It has a nice flavor, but the beef was overcooked and dry and tough. My DP didn't finish it. Our meal was $50 but discounted $8 with the coupon. You have to exit the restaurant and go around the side of the building for the restroom (ask for the key). Our server was thoughtful enough to hand me a roll of toilet paper en route. Really, she should have gone into the bathroom with it, especially because it wasn't very tidy with a pair of women's underwear on the floor by the toilet. I've never encountered that before. I usually bring my underwear back out of the bathroom with me. Since it was Superbowl Sunday, I'm not sure how busy this place or the parking lot is normally. We're sad that Chef Chin's was just an average dining experience. We probably won't be back. The search continues...
We ate here with the fam for the first time and tried this place. This place is awesome. The foodies are delicious. Fast service and the server is so friendly. Pin it to your favorite place to hangout and for sure you will not regret it. Bookmarked done Definitely recommend.
Restaurantji Recommends
I've been wanting to try this resto surrounded by other Asian restaurants. I'm glad I went today. The place was cozy, dimly lit with the mandatory paper table cloth that they change after every use. Only one server but she still takes the time to chat with her guests and multi-tasking. We ordered the chicken with vegetables, pork fried rice and bok-choy and mushroom in oyster sauce. Delish! Not too salty or greasy. Packed with umami and fresh still crunchy vegetables. My favorite oddly enough is the plain steamed rice. Still aldente, sticky and freshly cooked. Reasonable price and highly recommended! I will definitely come back for the dumplings, peking duck and chinese breakfast. The only opportunity is just updating the decor, coffee maker/hot water dispenser that is ready to move on and a more inviting entrance.
It used to be good in Shanghai style. I did not go there for a few years due to the Covid-19 thing. I was there today and so so so disappointed. All the dishes have no Shanghai style at all. Ugly color and terrible taste. It is way blow average. I would give them a no star if I could.
I regret going here. Walking in to an empty diner with a lot of to-go bags should have told me everything I needed to know. My first beer came with a nice side of lipstick on the rim of the glass, forgiving this mistake the experience only worsened. The steamed rice came right after we ordered....fifteen minutes before the rest of the food, it was cold. They forgot the fried rice dish the table ordered and after we finished all the other dishes it came, unfortunately. The fried rice was by far the worst dish of the night and honestly the overall experience of the restaurant would have improved without it. For the price you pay, you might as well go to the buffet down the street, the food tastes better and is warm.
Good not great. Super low key and quiet place to eat. Staff was friendly and the food was good.
My husband hosted a small group of staff (13 folks) last night at Chef Chin for a Holiday gathering. We couldn’t be happier with our evening! Diane and Alyssa made us all feel very special and were awesome servers! The food was great and the accommodations were perfect for our group. Can’t give enough kudos to this restaurant and the staff :). Thanks for helping us host my hubby’s staff. It was perfect!