This Tuesday, Veterans Day, we went for lunch at Chef K in Temecula. The food was delicious and plentiful; I'd say both the flavor and the quantity were more than satisfactory. But the service was terrible, absolutely awful. Before we even sat down, without having seen the menu or knowing what we were going to order, they kept asking us what we wanted to drink. Then, they brought our food to the table before we'd even finished our appetizers. There wasn't enough space to put the plates, so we had to eat the appetizers in a rush. We didn't understand why they were in such a hurry when the restaurant was almost empty; there were only a couple of tables occupied, and it was around 3:00 pm. And of course, before leaving a cash tip, check the charge, because they don't ask if you want to add it to your card or how much you want to leave, they add it anyway. To conclude, I'll say that we'll be back, but to pick up our order and eat at home with a glass of wine. Unfortunately, they don't have beer or wine, but the food is delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Boom USA
Latest Update: Nov 8, 2025 After my 3rd attempt to order food to go, the restaurant has fixed packaging problem. I don’t have to eat melting foam with food anymore.
I am surprised that the restaurant listen to customers and improved quickly. I changed from 3 stars to 5.
I will continue to order food here, much appreciated.
Original previous review—— Most of the food here is good. The 3 stars is mean to be on the staff knowledge of food preparation.
Showing in the photo - hot food on foam box, the foam box melt and stick into the food.
We don’t want to eat foam plastic!!!! We will not order the onion cake or fried food here ever again until the packaging is changed for hot food compatible.
Their website to place an to go order also showing an 18% auto tip. First time ordered we didn’t know and didn’t understand why the food ended up being so much more expensive so be aware of that also.
The good side is food is delicious with decent portion of food and variety of meats at the same price. But we don’t want to eat plastic. Other place use different packaging, or put another paper underneath to absorb the heat.
Update after reply from chef K——
We appreciated the response and try ordering food again, however the foam box is still being used. The noodle is still in a foam box. We eat a little bit but hesitate to continue. We just don’t feel safe, especially last time the bottom of the box also melt and mixed with the noodles. We had to throw it away again. Other dishes are in different packaging so we feel safer to eat.
Not sure if we will continue to order to go. We don’t have the time to sit down and eat at the restaurant.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Denny C
Absolutely love Chef K! The food is always fresh and flavorful, and every dish tastes authentic. The service is friendly and welcoming. Definitely one of the best Chinese restaurants in town
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
pan aiken
Absolutely love this restaurant! Every dish is delicious, and the service is outstanding. The servers are always smiling and helpful, making every visit a pleasant experience. Can’t wait to come back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Robin Taylor
Delicious my new go to!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adam Sarrar
Probably the best Chinese food in this area.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Oberrick
chef K has been our “goto” for chinese for several years. something has dramatically changed. the authentic meals that we have enjoyed for years were nothing close to that tonight. our 2 chicken meals (general tsu) were nothing more than heavily battered chicken nuggets covered with generic sweet and sour sauce with very few tiny bits of vegetables. very different from what we used to get. wondering if it has changed hands….
Food: 2
Service: 4
Victor Chang
We went here for lunch for the first time. We were pleasantly surprised at how flavorful the food is. The spicy pepper beef was very tender as well. The staff were friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Coco B
“I tried their new Panang Curry and it was absolutely delicious! The coconut flavor really stands out and makes the dish so rich and flavorful. If you enjoy Thai curry, this is definitely a must-try!”
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fei Xing
Worst service. I have never been in a restaurant getting bothered by a male waiter all the time to remind me to take care of my baby while my baby is not doing anything that causes an issue to the other guests. Actually me and my friend were both here and the male waiter always has the worst attitude to us. Never going back and other people be careful. If you have kids, the male waiter is going to attack you and you kids.
A friend from Texas said she hadn't found any Chinese food in California that can measure up to her favorite restaurant in Austin. That was until I brought her numerous menu items from Chef K.
Now, all she does is rave about how good the Chinese food is in Temecula.
Our favorites so far are... ▪︎House Special Pan-Fried Noodle ▪︎Shrimp Fried Rice ▪︎Crispy Cream Cheese Wontons ▪︎Kung Pao Chicken ▪︎Chicken Chop Suey ▪︎Beef Broccoli ▪︎Egg Rolls
Trying on next visit ▪︎Chicken Wings with Golden Garlic ▪︎Chonquing Spicy Crispy Chicken ▪︎Hong Kong Pan-Fried Crispy Noodles ▪︎Yang Zhou Fried Rice
Since I have read in other reviews how amazing these dishes are, I'm positive they will be added to our favorites list, too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Karah Clover
If you haven't tried Chef K, put it on your list. The food is amazing, their tangerine chicken is so delicious. And their service is above and beyond! I had some confusion when I ordered on my end and made a mistake, and they went above and beyond to help me sort it out and were lovely! Highly recommend this place! We will be dining again😃
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Pham
We visited this restaurant with a group that included an elderly person over 80 years old, a person with a disability, and two children. Although we arrived before other groups, the staff prioritized serving those who came later, which made us feel ignored and unwelcome. The service throughout our visit was poor and disrespectful.
After we left, two staff members came to our table and bluntly told us, “Don’t come here anymore,” simply because we left a small tip. A member of our group who stayed behind also overheard hurtful remarks from the staff.
We felt that the elderly, the disabled, and the children in our group were treated unfairly and without respect. This experience left us very disappointed and feeling mistreated.
We want to warn the community to think twice before visiting this place. We hope the management seriously considers this feedback and improves their service to welcome all customers with respect and friendliness.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Utkrisht Shah
The food is so good. Was amazing to find a a good Chinese restaurant nearby . The chongquing chicken and the yang chao was out of the world. Please do come here. Definitely will be back for more
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nicte'Ha Dyste
I LOVE this place! The food is genuine and absolutely delicious. My family visit once a month or so. Everything on their menu is so good, and we’ve had a large variety of their menu items. The BEST Chinese food we’ve had in a long time. And they do offer a large variety of gluten free options, you just tell them that you need GF!! This is coming from someone who is allergic to Wheat, barley, oat!!
This Tuesday, Veterans Day, we went for lunch at Chef K in Temecula. The food was delicious and plentiful; I'd say both the flavor and the quantity were more than satisfactory. But the service was terrible, absolutely awful. Before we even sat down, without having seen the menu or knowing what we were going to order, they kept asking us what we wanted to drink. Then, they brought our food to the table before we'd even finished our appetizers. There wasn't enough space to put the plates, so we had to eat the appetizers in a rush. We didn't understand why they were in such a hurry when the restaurant was almost empty; there were only a couple of tables occupied, and it was around 3:00 pm. And of course, before leaving a cash tip, check the charge, because they don't ask if you want to add it to your card or how much you want to leave, they add it anyway. To conclude, I'll say that we'll be back, but to pick up our order and eat at home with a glass of wine. Unfortunately, they don't have beer or wine, but the food is delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Latest Update: Nov 8, 2025
After my 3rd attempt to order food to go, the restaurant has fixed packaging problem. I don’t have to eat melting foam with food anymore.
I am surprised that the restaurant listen to customers and improved quickly. I changed from 3 stars to 5.
I will continue to order food here, much appreciated.
Original previous review——
Most of the food here is good. The 3 stars is mean to be on the staff knowledge of food preparation.
Showing in the photo - hot food on foam box, the foam box melt and stick into the food.
We don’t want to eat foam plastic!!!!
We will not order the onion cake or fried food here ever again until the packaging is changed for hot food compatible.
Their website to place an to go order also showing an 18% auto tip. First time ordered we didn’t know and didn’t understand why the food ended up being so much more expensive so be aware of that also.
The good side is food is delicious with decent portion of food and variety of meats at the same price. But we don’t want to eat plastic. Other place use different packaging, or put another paper underneath to absorb the heat.
Update after reply from chef K——
We appreciated the response and try ordering food again, however the foam box is still being used. The noodle is still in a foam box. We eat a little bit but hesitate to continue. We just don’t feel safe, especially last time the bottom of the box also melt and mixed with the noodles. We had to throw it away again. Other dishes are in different packaging so we feel safer to eat.
Not sure if we will continue to order to go. We don’t have the time to sit down and eat at the restaurant.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely love Chef K! The food is always fresh and flavorful, and every dish tastes authentic. The service is friendly and welcoming. Definitely one of the best Chinese restaurants in town
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely love this restaurant! Every dish is delicious, and the service is outstanding. The servers are always smiling and helpful, making every visit a pleasant experience. Can’t wait to come back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious my new go to!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Probably the best Chinese food in this area.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
chef K has been our “goto” for chinese for several years. something has dramatically changed. the authentic meals that we have enjoyed for years were nothing close to that tonight. our 2 chicken meals (general tsu) were nothing more than heavily battered chicken nuggets covered with generic sweet and sour sauce with very few tiny bits of vegetables. very different from what we used to get. wondering if it has changed hands….
Food: 2
Service: 4
We went here for lunch for the first time. We were pleasantly surprised at how flavorful the food is. The spicy pepper beef was very tender as well.
The staff were friendly and helpful.
I highly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
“I tried their new Panang Curry and it was absolutely delicious! The coconut flavor really stands out and makes the dish so rich and flavorful. If you enjoy Thai curry, this is definitely a must-try!”
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Worst service. I have never been in a restaurant getting bothered by a male waiter all the time to remind me to take care of my baby while my baby is not doing anything that causes an issue to the other guests. Actually me and my friend were both here and the male waiter always has the worst attitude to us. Never going back and other people be careful. If you have kids, the male waiter is going to attack you and you kids.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
A friend from Texas said she hadn't found any Chinese food in California that can measure up to her favorite restaurant in Austin.
That was until I brought her numerous menu items from Chef K.
Now, all she does is rave about how good the Chinese food is in Temecula.
Our favorites so far are...
▪︎House Special Pan-Fried Noodle
▪︎Shrimp Fried Rice
▪︎Crispy Cream Cheese Wontons
▪︎Kung Pao Chicken
▪︎Chicken Chop Suey
▪︎Beef Broccoli
▪︎Egg Rolls
Trying on next visit
▪︎Chicken Wings with Golden Garlic
▪︎Chonquing Spicy Crispy Chicken
▪︎Hong Kong Pan-Fried Crispy Noodles
▪︎Yang Zhou Fried Rice
Since I have read in other reviews how amazing these dishes are, I'm positive they will be added to our favorites list, too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you haven't tried Chef K, put it on your list. The food is amazing, their tangerine chicken is so delicious. And their service is above and beyond! I had some confusion when I ordered on my end and made a mistake, and they went above and beyond to help me sort it out and were lovely! Highly recommend this place! We will be dining again😃
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We visited this restaurant with a group that included an elderly person over 80 years old, a person with a disability, and two children. Although we arrived before other groups, the staff prioritized serving those who came later, which made us feel ignored and unwelcome. The service throughout our visit was poor and disrespectful.
After we left, two staff members came to our table and bluntly told us, “Don’t come here anymore,” simply because we left a small tip. A member of our group who stayed behind also overheard hurtful remarks from the staff.
We felt that the elderly, the disabled, and the children in our group were treated unfairly and without respect. This experience left us very disappointed and feeling mistreated.
We want to warn the community to think twice before visiting this place. We hope the management seriously considers this feedback and improves their service to welcome all customers with respect and friendliness.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food is so good. Was amazing to find a a good Chinese restaurant nearby . The chongquing chicken and the yang chao was out of the world. Please do come here. Definitely will be back for more
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I LOVE this place! The food is genuine and absolutely delicious. My family visit once a month or so. Everything on their menu is so good, and we’ve had a large variety of their menu items. The BEST Chinese food we’ve had in a long time. And they do offer a large variety of gluten free options, you just tell them that you need GF!! This is coming from someone who is allergic to Wheat, barley, oat!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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