Terrible food and high price, not worth it, don't go there
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
hoa nguyen
Great atmosphere and service. Food was subpar and overpriced. Would never come back here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Nan Wang
The small bowl on the right is lamb soup, which you pour into the pita bread on the left. This completes the dish of lamb stew with pita. Two of them cost 97 dollars. The worst restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Amelia Mullins
It was a delightful surprise. Everything was wonderful and we ate everything!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Richard Kan
So there seems to be a lot of varying reviews here, but I would say that as OC residents, we are lucky to have an upscale Chinese restaurant like Chang’an here in our backyard. It’s worth noting that there are also two other locations in Vancouver and in San Gabriel - two cities known for their Chinese food. I’d rather not have to drive over an hour to the SGV to go to a similar restaurant. That aside, I’ll start off by saying what is hopefully obvious - this is not your ordinary Chinese restaurant. They’re trying to elevate every item on the menu, but still staying within arm’s length of tradition. Onto the review though, we had a phenomenal experience for a large group on a Saturday night.
Reservation process: I worked with Lin to make our large group reservation and he was professional, patient, accommodating and not pushy at all while I took a few days to decide. My wife and I stopped by the restaurant a week beforehand - Lin gave us a tour and showed us all of the potential spaces where we could have our group seated - both the private rooms and the specific areas in the various dining rooms.
Ambiance: The owners spared no expense on this buildout. The restaurant is dimly lit, with traditional Chinese interior design. It feels upscale, but still relaxed. While we had our own room, I would say that the dining room was not overly loud. Sure, there might’ve been a group or two celebrating and having a good time, but nothing out of hand or out of the ordinary..
Service: Lin also served as the lead server for the evening and he had a dedicated team for our group. He elevated our experience in many ways, from his honest opinions about which items to order to sharing the background of everything from the origins of the tea to details of the multi-day preparation process for items like the roasted duck and the roasted beef short rib (both of which I’d highly recommend). And about the chrysanthemum tea, yes, it was $28, but it’s some of the best tea you’ll ever taste - no hyperbole. Lin can give you the background and the origins behind that, too. The staff must have refilled our tea 10+ times. Totally worth it.
Food: Lin guided us on what to order and also ensured that we didn’t over-order any specific dishes, which we really appreciated. We ended up ordering a lot of the popular items, and we also opted for 3 seafood specials of the night. Of course, they brought the live seafood to show us before cooking it. Here’s what we ended up ordering:
1) Chang’an Roasted Duck - the duck is prepared 2 different ways and you get a wonton soup. 2) Cold Dressed Okra with house special sauce 3) Crispy Beef Tongue 4) Roasted Beef Short Rib 5) Australian Lobster prepared in the house special fried chili style (seafood special) - you get 2 dishes from this, the 2nd one being a lobster fried rice. 6) Spot Prawns prepared steamed with the house sauce (seafood special) 7) Thornyhead Grouper (seafood special) 8) King Mushroom casserole 9) Crispy Black Tofu with house special sauce 10) Chef Selection Japanese Wagyu Fried Rice 11) Seasonal Vegetables
We didn’t order any dessert items because we brought our own cake, but wouldn’t hesitate to try some next time. Our party enjoyed EVERY single dish. OK, maybe the seasonal vegetables were ordinary, but we were just trying to get our veggies in. Everything was delicious, presented beautifully and not greasy/oily at all. I think the standouts were the Australian Lobster, Spot Prawns, Thornyhead Grouper, Beef Short Rib and Crispy Beef Tongue.
Summary: If you can appreciate fine Chinese food and are willing to pay a different price point, you’ll be rewarded with a memorable dining experience. It’s worth bringing a large group here for special occasions, but also great if you just want to treat a smaller group to a nicer meal. It deserves to be mentioned as one of the best restauran
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
佟恩池
I ate this meal today. I felt bloated an hour after eating. I felt uncomfortable when I came back in the evening. The abalone was a bit fishy. I felt it was a problem with the beef tongue😭
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Cathy Cai
Wow the best Chinese restaurant I’ve checked out recently in LA area. Worth a 50 mins drive. Amazing place to treat people. They charge $20 for the corkage fee.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ting Wu
So glad we found this place in town although we are not living in the area. Besides the roasted duck , there are a lot of good options from the menu. As a classy reservation only restaurant, all dishes are made from scratch with house recipes. Highly recommend the delicacy Sea Cucumber with Millet. Nice texture with house special stock, light seasoning, very healthy. We don’t see this very often in most Asian restaurants. The crispy beef rolls were delicious. The filling was nice and the super crunchy wrap with a lot of roasted sesame seeds was the best part. Stir fried wild Chilies and sliced beef was on the savory side with nice chili peppers kicks. Service was very good and efficient. Nice ambiance with perfect lighting and interior design. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried, Hand Made Noodles and Prawns, 素燒菌菇 King Mushrooms Casserole, Sauce
Alvin K
A good attempt to make Chinese food more upscale but way too overpriced for what they offer. Service is good and not intrusive. The Peking duck is by far the most popular choice but the tea smoked duck is pretty good as well, with nice handmade buns. Also the Shanghai smoked fish is good. And yes the ambience is very good as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smoked Fish
Duke Wong
Been here twice- once with family and once alone. This is probably one of the finest dining Chinese restaurants in Orange County. The atmosphere is fabulous and some of the food is unique and delicious. However, that doesn’t apply to all the food as others could get too salty or not unique enough to be worth the price. Service could also be inconsistent with some staff with great hospitality and others relatively cold. I would consider this to be a potential good venue for business lunch/dinner or special occasion.
I had a two-hour lunch there once with a 6-person group after finishing a big project. The restaurant looks amazing inside, featuring a low-profile luxury style—dark and rustic, yet clean and comfortable. The service was good, the food was fresh and tasty, with fantastic presentation. It is pricey, but it has authentic flavors and great atmosphere. I would definitely go back for another special celebration.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dustin Lim
I wish they could serve more than one duck per table.(two at least)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Chen
Wonderful atmosphere. Duck was phenomenal
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leslie L. Kossoff
An absolutely marvelous experience - and now they have lunch specials!! I’ve been a fan of Chang’an for quite a while but had only been there for dinner. Recently, when I learned about their new lunch specials, I was so excited to try their new menu. (The full dinner menu is also available.) The food was, as always, delicious with the service exquisite. My friends and I shared a few dishes between us - which made it even more affordable for us all - and, even better, there were still leftovers for us to split between us. Chang’an is such a beautiful restaurant - always quiet, no matter how many customers - and very calming. That’s particularly useful in the middle of a busy work day.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kate Z.
I've visited this restaurant multiple times, and each experience has been consistently excellent. The standout dishes for me have to be the roasted duck and the roasted beef short ribs—both are always flawlessly prepared with superb flavor. While the apple wood smoked flavor of the duck is unique, it might not be to everyone's taste. It would be better if there were an option to choose whether to have that half of duck smoked or not.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Changan Roasted Duck with Black Caviar, Peking Duck
Terrible food and high price, not worth it, don't go there
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Great atmosphere and service. Food was subpar and overpriced. Would never come back here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
The small bowl on the right is lamb soup, which you pour into the pita bread on the left. This completes the dish of lamb stew with pita.
Two of them cost 97 dollars.
The worst restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It was a delightful surprise. Everything was wonderful and we ate everything!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So there seems to be a lot of varying reviews here, but I would say that as OC residents, we are lucky to have an upscale Chinese restaurant like Chang’an here in our backyard. It’s worth noting that there are also two other locations in Vancouver and in San Gabriel - two cities known for their Chinese food. I’d rather not have to drive over an hour to the SGV to go to a similar restaurant. That aside, I’ll start off by saying what is hopefully obvious - this is not your ordinary Chinese restaurant. They’re trying to elevate every item on the menu, but still staying within arm’s length of tradition. Onto the review though, we had a phenomenal experience for a large group on a Saturday night.
Reservation process: I worked with Lin to make our large group reservation and he was professional, patient, accommodating and not pushy at all while I took a few days to decide. My wife and I stopped by the restaurant a week beforehand - Lin gave us a tour and showed us all of the potential spaces where we could have our group seated - both the private rooms and the specific areas in the various dining rooms.
Ambiance: The owners spared no expense on this buildout. The restaurant is dimly lit, with traditional Chinese interior design. It feels upscale, but still relaxed. While we had our own room, I would say that the dining room was not overly loud. Sure, there might’ve been a group or two celebrating and having a good time, but nothing out of hand or out of the ordinary..
Service: Lin also served as the lead server for the evening and he had a dedicated team for our group. He elevated our experience in many ways, from his honest opinions about which items to order to sharing the background of everything from the origins of the tea to details of the multi-day preparation process for items like the roasted duck and the roasted beef short rib (both of which I’d highly recommend). And about the chrysanthemum tea, yes, it was $28, but it’s some of the best tea you’ll ever taste - no hyperbole. Lin can give you the background and the origins behind that, too. The staff must have refilled our tea 10+ times. Totally worth it.
Food: Lin guided us on what to order and also ensured that we didn’t over-order any specific dishes, which we really appreciated. We ended up ordering a lot of the popular items, and we also opted for 3 seafood specials of the night. Of course, they brought the live seafood to show us before cooking it. Here’s what we ended up ordering:
1) Chang’an Roasted Duck - the duck is prepared 2 different ways and you get a wonton soup.
2) Cold Dressed Okra with house special sauce
3) Crispy Beef Tongue
4) Roasted Beef Short Rib
5) Australian Lobster prepared in the house special fried chili style (seafood special) - you get 2 dishes from this, the 2nd one being a lobster fried rice.
6) Spot Prawns prepared steamed with the house sauce (seafood special)
7) Thornyhead Grouper (seafood special)
8) King Mushroom casserole
9) Crispy Black Tofu with house special sauce
10) Chef Selection Japanese Wagyu Fried Rice
11) Seasonal Vegetables
We didn’t order any dessert items because we brought our own cake, but wouldn’t hesitate to try some next time. Our party enjoyed EVERY single dish. OK, maybe the seasonal vegetables were ordinary, but we were just trying to get our veggies in. Everything was delicious, presented beautifully and not greasy/oily at all. I think the standouts were the Australian Lobster, Spot Prawns, Thornyhead Grouper, Beef Short Rib and Crispy Beef Tongue.
Summary: If you can appreciate fine Chinese food and are willing to pay a different price point, you’ll be rewarded with a memorable dining experience. It’s worth bringing a large group here for special occasions, but also great if you just want to treat a smaller group to a nicer meal. It deserves to be mentioned as one of the best restauran
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I ate this meal today. I felt bloated an hour after eating. I felt uncomfortable when I came back in the evening. The abalone was a bit fishy. I felt it was a problem with the beef tongue😭
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Wow the best Chinese restaurant I’ve checked out recently in LA area. Worth a 50 mins drive. Amazing place to treat people. They charge $20 for the corkage fee.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
So glad we found this place in town although we are not living in the area. Besides the roasted duck , there are a lot of good options from the menu. As a classy reservation only restaurant, all dishes are made from scratch with house recipes. Highly recommend the delicacy Sea Cucumber with Millet. Nice texture with house special stock, light seasoning, very healthy. We don’t see this very often in most Asian restaurants.
The crispy beef rolls were delicious. The filling was nice and the super crunchy wrap with a lot of roasted sesame seeds was the best part.
Stir fried wild Chilies and sliced beef was on the savory side with nice chili peppers kicks.
Service was very good and efficient.
Nice ambiance with perfect lighting and interior design.
Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried, Hand Made Noodles and Prawns, 素燒菌菇 King Mushrooms Casserole, Sauce
A good attempt to make Chinese food more upscale but way too overpriced for what they offer. Service is good and not intrusive. The Peking duck is by far the most popular choice but the tea smoked duck is pretty good as well, with nice handmade buns. Also the Shanghai smoked fish is good. And yes the ambience is very good as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Smoked Fish
Been here twice- once with family and once alone. This is probably one of the finest dining Chinese restaurants in Orange County. The atmosphere is fabulous and some of the food is unique and delicious. However, that doesn’t apply to all the food as others could get too salty or not unique enough to be worth the price. Service could also be inconsistent with some staff with great hospitality and others relatively cold. I would consider this to be a potential good venue for business lunch/dinner or special occasion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
I had a two-hour lunch there once with a 6-person group after finishing a big project. The restaurant looks amazing inside, featuring a low-profile luxury style—dark and rustic, yet clean and comfortable. The service was good, the food was fresh and tasty, with fantastic presentation. It is pricey, but it has authentic flavors and great atmosphere. I would definitely go back for another special celebration.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I wish they could serve more than one duck per table.(two at least)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful atmosphere. Duck was phenomenal
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
An absolutely marvelous experience - and now they have lunch specials!!
I’ve been a fan of Chang’an for quite a while but had only been there for dinner. Recently, when I learned about their new lunch specials, I was so excited to try their new menu. (The full dinner menu is also available.)
The food was, as always, delicious with the service exquisite. My friends and I shared a few dishes between us - which made it even more affordable for us all - and, even better, there were still leftovers for us to split between us.
Chang’an is such a beautiful restaurant - always quiet, no matter how many customers - and very calming. That’s particularly useful in the middle of a busy work day.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've visited this restaurant multiple times, and each experience has been consistently excellent. The standout dishes for me have to be the roasted duck and the roasted beef short ribs—both are always flawlessly prepared with superb flavor. While the apple wood smoked flavor of the duck is unique, it might not be to everyone's taste. It would be better if there were an option to choose whether to have that half of duck smoked or not.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Changan Roasted Duck with Black Caviar, Peking Duck
Loading...