Try the Mongolian Beef, it is one of their specialities. The egg foo young and chop sue are also exceptional. Long-standing family run business that knows how to do it right.
Torie V.
ALWAYS consistent. This is our go to for Chinese. Usually order the same items. Chicken w Pea pods or broccoli, and a couple of spicy beef and chicken dishes.- OF course egg rolls. Today I tried shrimp & scallops and a Spring roll. OMG!!!!! the sauce for the shrimp and scallops is amazing and the fish was PERFECT. The spring roll was very fresh and tasty as well. We have always found the food to be fresh and hot. Don't mind paying cash, many restaurants are just like that. Usually Italian ones ( I'm Italian not knocking it) just the way it is. Cant wait to have my left overs tonight.
Kaya P.
TLDR: Slimy, congealed mush in a bowl. Only redeeming dish was rangoons. Cash only, not worth a trip to the ATM. Moved to the area recently. Was hoping to find "that" go-to restaurant but unfortunately the search continues. I was hoping that a classic dish like beef lo mein was going to be easy enough, however the congealed, jello-y, slimy, mushy mess that was served to me in the plastic take-away bowl was a nightmare. The beef felt like it was just a piece of ripped tire taken off of the highway and covered in the aforementioned goo. Never in my life have I had a piece of beef that could have been mistaken for a savory chewing gum. The noodles were taken from a packet of plain ramen and together all of these items painted an atrocious, incorrigible mess. Cashew chicken was unfortunately the equally unfortunate sibling of the beef lo mein. The fried rice was just okay, nothing to go out of your way for. The crab rangoons, however, were a shining star in this dark tale - a savory pillow of goodness. Come here for the rangoons, go to literally any other restaurant for your main course. A shame that $40 went down the garbage and I haven't been able to eat beef since without feeling faint.
Florentin Sandi Negrau
Mongolian Beef rocks here....
K Morales
This spot clearly knows how to serve their customers. Regularly with a super friendly mindset. The food is reasonably priced, constantly tasty and clean.
Baxter stockman
I do not recommend
Todd H.
It has been 52 years since I first ate here. As a child, I remember that my favorite thing to eat were the egg rolls. Last week we were passing by, and on a lark I told my wife to pull over. I thought it was time to check back in with them to see if the quality of the food held up by ordering a few more. 5 decades later, they are still the best around. Frankly, I thought it was amazing that not much (if anything) has changed. This has now become my de-facto Chinese restaurant. Same owners I am told. Gotta love it!
Elizabeth Olson
Well...I gave them a 1 star, only because I had to. Let me start by saying South China was the best Chinese takeout in three counties! I was always the one being requested to bring it for dinner, since I was the closest.We moved away from the area three years ago unfortunately. So when we were able to get some yesterday afternoon, we were very excited. Let me tell you about the food. The egg rolls were very dense, had no vegetables in with the meat, nor did the have any flavor. The fried rice was just weird, the beef was in big chunks and tough, and it tasted like perfume. My favorite dish the egg foo young, was burnt, had huge chunks of pork, and just did not taste good. Even the gravy was off. I always order extra for leftovers the next morning. Well the whole lot just went into the garbage can.I can’t believe the good reviews I’m seeing online. So, sorry Arlington Heights, hopefully someone new and better moves into the neighborhood!Beth
Agnieszka S.
Place needs updating and cleaning. Staff has attitude, especially cashier. They do not accept cards, cash only. I've ordered Mongolian beef (too salty), beef lo-mein (no taste with ramen noodles), and orange chicken (dry as paper). Overall not the best experience.
I was having my hair done in the area today (YAY!!! Three months since my last appointment, so I was on a high from being able to FINALLY get my hair cut and colored again. Woohoo!!!) and decided I was in the mood for some beef with broccoli. I've passed by this restaurant several times in the last couple of days due to different appointments in the area, and decided since it was just down the road from my salon, I'd give it a try. As someone else said, it's kind of hit or miss. I ordered egg rolls, wonton soup, small beef with broccoli, and a small chicken kow but in garlic sauce (I wanted the chicken in garlic sauce but it doesn't come with any veggies, so the guy suggested the chicken kow for the veggies, but cooked in the garlic sauce, so I agreed). As someone else said, the guy taking orders isn't all that friendly. He's got a kind of "Meh" attitude. I was friendly, smiling, trying to engage him in minor conversation (Hi, thank you, etc.) but he just doesn't seem to really care about engaging with customers. It's a bit off putting. Oh well. He was nice enough to bring my food out to the car when it was ready earlier than the fifteen minutes he'd quoted me. Normally I'd wait inside a place, but it was really effing hot today and this place doesn't seem to have any air conditioning, so I sat in my car where there is air conditioning. I thanked him, and he didn't really say anything, just turned around and walked back to the restaurant. Again, oh well. I can't MAKE someone smile (OK, we're all wearing masks, but body language and general attitude still comes through loud and clear!). I got everything home and was feeling very lucky nothing spilled because the lid for the beef and broccoli was not secured and not in a plastic bag. Funny because the lid for the chicken kow in garlic sauce was not only in a plastic bag, but the lid was secured. Hmm... So I tried the egg rolls. BIG disappointment. Flavor was weird, despite the crispiness. I won't order that again. I was shocked that the wonton soup was so large. I wish this place offered small soups. So again, disappointed. It has a slight spiciness to it. I'm not big on spicy foods, so this was a downer for me, and I was starting to doubt whether the entrees were any good. I opened the lid to the container of the beef with broccoli, and took a bite of the broccoli with sauce. I was hugely surprised because it tasted very good. Nice amount of sauce the way I like, the rice was good, and mixed nicely with the sauce. The beef was tender. I got full quickly so put the rest of the beef with broccoli away along with the remainder of the soup, and the chicken kow in garlic sauce. Nothing was too salty for me as it was for someone else in another review, but I also told the guy taking my order, "No MSG." I've been finding that more and more over the past ten years, for some reason, Chinese places are going back to using it. Back in the 90s, almost all Chinese places stopped using it and made it a point of advertisement and pride that they stopped using it, so I'm surprised so many places in the past ten years or so have been using it again. I wish they'd stop. Anyway, I'm hoping the chicken kow in garlic sauce is just as good as the beef with broccoli, but at the very least, every six weeks, I plan to go here after my hair appointments for at least the beef and broccoli. No appetizers though, as that seems to be this restaurant's weak spot.
Katie Brod
Food was good, service not so much. The guy at the counter was VERY rude! Don't be open if you're going to be nasty to people who order.
Alex R.
Been ordering here for as long as I can remember. Best Chinese food around. Doesn't have that fast food taste and it is always made to order. Try the Hawaiian chicken next, it's very tasty. Also, the crab rangoons are amazing and fully stuffed. South China is a place we will order from on a regular basis forever.
B B.
Seemed to be mostly to all low quality frozen food from the boxes I saw, I ate here in winter 2019-2020, taste was similar to Panda Express. Update ...I gave 3 stars instead of two only bc it seems the owner contacted me.
Matt Schwendinger
I got the lunch special beef chop suey with fried rice. It came with an egg roll and it was only $7.50. The flavor was great and the portion size was huge!. I'll definitely be coming back here for good chinese food.
Try the Mongolian Beef, it is one of their specialities. The egg foo young and chop sue are also exceptional. Long-standing family run business that knows how to do it right.
ALWAYS consistent. This is our go to for Chinese. Usually order the same items. Chicken w Pea pods or broccoli, and a couple of spicy beef and chicken dishes.- OF course egg rolls. Today I tried shrimp & scallops and a Spring roll. OMG!!!!! the sauce for the shrimp and scallops is amazing and the fish was PERFECT. The spring roll was very fresh and tasty as well. We have always found the food to be fresh and hot. Don't mind paying cash, many restaurants are just like that. Usually Italian ones ( I'm Italian not knocking it) just the way it is. Cant wait to have my left overs tonight.
TLDR: Slimy, congealed mush in a bowl. Only redeeming dish was rangoons. Cash only, not worth a trip to the ATM. Moved to the area recently. Was hoping to find "that" go-to restaurant but unfortunately the search continues. I was hoping that a classic dish like beef lo mein was going to be easy enough, however the congealed, jello-y, slimy, mushy mess that was served to me in the plastic take-away bowl was a nightmare. The beef felt like it was just a piece of ripped tire taken off of the highway and covered in the aforementioned goo. Never in my life have I had a piece of beef that could have been mistaken for a savory chewing gum. The noodles were taken from a packet of plain ramen and together all of these items painted an atrocious, incorrigible mess. Cashew chicken was unfortunately the equally unfortunate sibling of the beef lo mein. The fried rice was just okay, nothing to go out of your way for. The crab rangoons, however, were a shining star in this dark tale - a savory pillow of goodness. Come here for the rangoons, go to literally any other restaurant for your main course. A shame that $40 went down the garbage and I haven't been able to eat beef since without feeling faint.
Mongolian Beef rocks here....
This spot clearly knows how to serve their customers. Regularly with a super friendly mindset. The food is reasonably priced, constantly tasty and clean.
I do not recommend
It has been 52 years since I first ate here. As a child, I remember that my favorite thing to eat were the egg rolls. Last week we were passing by, and on a lark I told my wife to pull over. I thought it was time to check back in with them to see if the quality of the food held up by ordering a few more. 5 decades later, they are still the best around. Frankly, I thought it was amazing that not much (if anything) has changed. This has now become my de-facto Chinese restaurant. Same owners I am told. Gotta love it!
Well...I gave them a 1 star, only because I had to. Let me start by saying South China was the best Chinese takeout in three counties! I was always the one being requested to bring it for dinner, since I was the closest.We moved away from the area three years ago unfortunately. So when we were able to get some yesterday afternoon, we were very excited. Let me tell you about the food. The egg rolls were very dense, had no vegetables in with the meat, nor did the have any flavor. The fried rice was just weird, the beef was in big chunks and tough, and it tasted like perfume. My favorite dish the egg foo young, was burnt, had huge chunks of pork, and just did not taste good. Even the gravy was off. I always order extra for leftovers the next morning. Well the whole lot just went into the garbage can.I can’t believe the good reviews I’m seeing online. So, sorry Arlington Heights, hopefully someone new and better moves into the neighborhood!Beth
Place needs updating and cleaning. Staff has attitude, especially cashier. They do not accept cards, cash only. I've ordered Mongolian beef (too salty), beef lo-mein (no taste with ramen noodles), and orange chicken (dry as paper). Overall not the best experience.
Excellent food and service Highly recommend!
Restaurantji Recommends
I was having my hair done in the area today (YAY!!! Three months since my last appointment, so I was on a high from being able to FINALLY get my hair cut and colored again. Woohoo!!!) and decided I was in the mood for some beef with broccoli. I've passed by this restaurant several times in the last couple of days due to different appointments in the area, and decided since it was just down the road from my salon, I'd give it a try. As someone else said, it's kind of hit or miss. I ordered egg rolls, wonton soup, small beef with broccoli, and a small chicken kow but in garlic sauce (I wanted the chicken in garlic sauce but it doesn't come with any veggies, so the guy suggested the chicken kow for the veggies, but cooked in the garlic sauce, so I agreed). As someone else said, the guy taking orders isn't all that friendly. He's got a kind of "Meh" attitude. I was friendly, smiling, trying to engage him in minor conversation (Hi, thank you, etc.) but he just doesn't seem to really care about engaging with customers. It's a bit off putting. Oh well. He was nice enough to bring my food out to the car when it was ready earlier than the fifteen minutes he'd quoted me. Normally I'd wait inside a place, but it was really effing hot today and this place doesn't seem to have any air conditioning, so I sat in my car where there is air conditioning. I thanked him, and he didn't really say anything, just turned around and walked back to the restaurant. Again, oh well. I can't MAKE someone smile (OK, we're all wearing masks, but body language and general attitude still comes through loud and clear!). I got everything home and was feeling very lucky nothing spilled because the lid for the beef and broccoli was not secured and not in a plastic bag. Funny because the lid for the chicken kow in garlic sauce was not only in a plastic bag, but the lid was secured. Hmm... So I tried the egg rolls. BIG disappointment. Flavor was weird, despite the crispiness. I won't order that again. I was shocked that the wonton soup was so large. I wish this place offered small soups. So again, disappointed. It has a slight spiciness to it. I'm not big on spicy foods, so this was a downer for me, and I was starting to doubt whether the entrees were any good. I opened the lid to the container of the beef with broccoli, and took a bite of the broccoli with sauce. I was hugely surprised because it tasted very good. Nice amount of sauce the way I like, the rice was good, and mixed nicely with the sauce. The beef was tender. I got full quickly so put the rest of the beef with broccoli away along with the remainder of the soup, and the chicken kow in garlic sauce. Nothing was too salty for me as it was for someone else in another review, but I also told the guy taking my order, "No MSG." I've been finding that more and more over the past ten years, for some reason, Chinese places are going back to using it. Back in the 90s, almost all Chinese places stopped using it and made it a point of advertisement and pride that they stopped using it, so I'm surprised so many places in the past ten years or so have been using it again. I wish they'd stop. Anyway, I'm hoping the chicken kow in garlic sauce is just as good as the beef with broccoli, but at the very least, every six weeks, I plan to go here after my hair appointments for at least the beef and broccoli. No appetizers though, as that seems to be this restaurant's weak spot.
Food was good, service not so much. The guy at the counter was VERY rude! Don't be open if you're going to be nasty to people who order.
Been ordering here for as long as I can remember. Best Chinese food around. Doesn't have that fast food taste and it is always made to order. Try the Hawaiian chicken next, it's very tasty. Also, the crab rangoons are amazing and fully stuffed. South China is a place we will order from on a regular basis forever.
Seemed to be mostly to all low quality frozen food from the boxes I saw, I ate here in winter 2019-2020, taste was similar to Panda Express. Update ...I gave 3 stars instead of two only bc it seems the owner contacted me.
I got the lunch special beef chop suey with fried rice. It came with an egg roll and it was only $7.50. The flavor was great and the portion size was huge!. I'll definitely be coming back here for good chinese food.