50 Best Chinese Restaurants near Maryland Heights

“Moving my reviews over from Yelp. This was a favorite for a long time! Started going there when it was for the fact that everything on the menu could be had as a $5 lunch special. Big food too.

2017 Revision:

I've decided it's time to bump them up a notch. Why? A few reasons...

1. They are always hellaciously busy and that means the food is always fresh. Always!
2. Their food is consistently better than any other similar place I've tried in the STL area.
3. I really respect the amount of business they do. Yes, that's also my #1 reason but the fact is that if you go in for lunch and spend maybe 30-minutes in the place you'll probably see them push out 50+ meals in that time with an unknown number going out for delivery as well. That's just pretty damn impressive for a little Chinese place.

They are what they are...but I respect that a little more after trying other similar places. They really are at the top of their segment.

Original 2015:

Sometimes a three star review is an indication that a place is doing just fine but that their chosen niche just doesn't warrant a higher rating. That is exactly the case with this place. They are a high-volume, counter-service place pumping out massive quantities of Americanized Chinese food. Therein lies the rub...I cannot really stick more than three stars on such a place.

I had the General Tsao chicken. It was served hot (no shit...it was lunchtime and they were slammed) and near my upper limit for spiciness at lunch. Less than 10 minutes between ordering and receipt plus everything was obviously freshly cooked.

A good portion of crispy fried chunks of chicken in a thick sauce with exactly two pieces of broccoli tossed on top as an afterthought. Add a couple of run of the mill crab rangoons and a pile of fried rice in the styrofoam clamshell and it was a pretty good value at less than $6.

I will certainly be back but not because I will be looking for a gourmet experience. Nope, I'll be back when I want a pile of steaming hot Americanized Chinese food for way less than ten bucks...and sometimes that's just fine.“

“I just discovered the beef Lo mein here and it’s the best in town! I have ordered it a few times this week (consistency), has been GREAT every time! Not a huge fan of the pork egg roll but the spring one is good! Plus the lady upfront seemed very pleasant!“

“Outstanding noodles and Bao Bun. Everything we tried was amazing! Worth the trip!“

“This was such a cute little family owned restaurant. While it looked like most people picked up for delivery, you can eat in and they give you paper plates. We ordered the popcorn chicken which had fried basil in it and it was so unexpected and delicious! My littles loved the stir fry noodles. Also unexpected was what they called Chicken Chili stir fry! The pork belly melted in our mouths!! Absolutely delicious. We will be back“

“We hadn't been to this restaurant in a while because the last time wasn't good at all. The place seemed unkept and old. The food was not good. What a turnaround! The menu was new and the food came out hot, and was everything tasted wonderful. Will be going back more often again.“

“There’s a reason Cate Zone is a frequently celebrated restaurant in the St. Louis subreddit. It’s one of the best places in town and represents beautifully the diversity of the city. So many standout dishes: the crispy fish or shrimp, eggplant, tofu, cumin lamb, bok choy… Protip: go with a group of at least four and arrive at opening to get a table with no wait. Order n + 1 dishes and at least one order of crispy fish. Feast, everyone takes home a box of leftovers, and it’s never more than $30 a person.“

“NO vegetables in Shrimp St. Paul sandwich. Sweet & Sour Shrimp was 1 container of plain white rice, NO vegetables anywhere, the "shrimp" (2/3 plain fried breading & 1/3 shrimp) was NOT cooked in sweet & sour sauce, and packed separately. Quality is now abominable.“

“This is my favorite go to Chinese restaurant in St Louis!! All the dishes are sooo good, so good that I have to get 2-3 each time and have leftovers. My go to dishes are chicken n broccoli ( healthier), general tsos and the mei fun noodles Singapore style bc it has a little more pazazz with a light curry flavor!! The Mei fun Singapore style is a must try!!“

“Authentic yet accessible Chinese cuisine expertly prepared from fresh ingredients. Cate Zone is not like any other Chinese restaurant we've been to in St. Louis. Everything we've tried has been delicious. Try the Black Pepper Beef, the Pineapple Chicken and the Crispy Fish!“

“Ordered 7 items in the lunch menu. It was delicious. Best crab Rangoon and soup.“

“I ordered the orange chicken and beef and broccoli combos tonight, and they were delicious! Everything was nice and hot. The portions are very generous. I like that the wall has an enlarged version of the menu; it makes it easy to order. We will order again!“

“The BEST Chinese restaurant in Saint Louis. I cannot stress how clean the restaurant is and how great the food and service are. It is so hard to find a great Chinese sit down restaurant and this is the place. Fresh, delicious and always hot. I recommend this restaurant to everyone that I know. I especially enjoy Linda the server and how nice and intuitive she is to all her customers' needs. I give this place 5 stars. I absolutely love King Doh. The Best in the Midwest. Thank You!“

“One of the best in town. My favorite is Tomato soup base (imo, it's better than Haidilao) . If you want stir fry then go with no.7 . I have been here countless time and the quality is always the same. Highly recommended it to anyone who loves hot pot and authentic Chinese food.“

“Thank you Xièxiè nǐ! for one of the best customer service experiences since being back in the area! Your smiles and words shone during ordering, and when you came out to bring me our food! The egg dishes, such as St. Paul's and Egg Food Young, seem to contain double the eggs compared to other restaurants. I will be back to try the Teriyaki Chicken as you requested! Also, I love your presentation with the egg foo young! It keeps the egg warmer!“

“This review is for the bakery ONLY. Everytime we go to St. Louis, we stop here (We live at the Lake of the Ozarks). The mini custard pies are amazing, try the fried, sesame seed balls which are filled with two different kinds of bean custard, both are delicious.
The yeast buns are stuffed with a variety of sweets and cheeses and are killer. On the right side of the shop as you enter, there are usually a few versions of the Dim Sum they serve next door in the restaurant and they are all DELICIOUS!

I've purchased the Duck & the deep fried pork hanging in the window, several times & it's been legit. We buy half a duck because there's only 3 of us, but plenty. I always order a small order of their rice so we can eat our duck at the hotel.
It can be VERY crowded on the weekends, so come as soon as they open. There's usually only the one lady working the register and dude chopping up the duck & pork, but they're fast. A++++ It's not cheap but it's soooo worth it.“

“This is my go to spot for rice, Saint Pauls, potstickers, and crab Rangoon. Service is always fast and food is ALWAYS delicious and fresh! I even took my friend who visited from Mississippi here and said it was the best Chinese food he’s had ever! When you call, the guy is pleasant. No rude run-ins. No throwing your change onto the counter. Consistency is everything. Location is perfect. Whenever you are in the mood for some good Chinamen, don’t hesitate!

Bridgeton MO location“

“I love it, 10/10 recommend . Just remeber to bring cash.“

“🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🍴🍴🍴🍴🍴“

“Sometimes you just have bad luck when you go out and sometimes it has nothing to do with the restaurant. This was one of those times. I say that to open as any further comments might be influenced by that more than I intend. The food was generally as good as expected, but there was a cilantro miss with my wife's food. To their great credit they remade it, but she still couldn't eat it, her guess was it was probably just still getting in there during the cooking with repeatedly used utensils, etc. My wife can hear a mouse sneeze a mile away and tell if I had cilantro 2 days ago when I come home, so most folks probably wouldn't have noticed. Again, to the restaurants credit, they simply took it off and we hadn't asked nor complained. The very attentive service staff just noticed and took care of it. It was a bit noisier than I prefer, but here especially I might be colored by the aggravation with the table behind us. The birthday boy who kept bouncing and banging into the seat was easier to overlook than the grandmother whose cackle was on repeat was harder to omit. It was one of those fake over done ones that was ear piercing after 45 minutes. These things happen at peak times. I hope you have better luck as the food really is enjoyable and the staff was impeccable, just watch out for that cilantro.“

“The food was OK. I kind of felt that I got ripped when I ordered a whole order of pork fried rice. It came to a little bitty small plastic container. I was very upset with that because a couple weeks prior I ordered a half order of fried rice and it pretty much came in the same plastic container. I like my rice to come in boxes like old-fashioned way. But the food was very good though I still come back“

“We ordered takeout last night, for the first time since the new owners had their grand opening. We ordered several dishes for sharing, cashew chicken, chicken lo mein, beef pepper steak, chicken pad Thai, chicken fried rice, Rangoon, egg rolls, and hot/sour soup. Everything was delicious!“

“Nice service and the food was great. Not a big menu....we had it all. Nothing dissapointed.“

“The restaurant was extremely quiet as I was the only one there. The food and service were wonderful, pleasant and fast! The atmosphere was a good vibe but, they had fans running which is fine but, on a warm day like today air would've been better. I will be back with my family!!“

“The best beef fried rice around. Fair prices and great service.“

“Best Chinese in North County.“

“The sautéed broccoli is perfection. Tastes just the same as it did when I ate it in China. 🤤 My kids love the sesame chicken and chicken lo mein. It’s our go to everytime for delivery. The owner is also a very sweet woman.“

“Owners are super friendly. Probably the best Chinese food I’ve had!“

“Amazing food, clean, and great service.“

“Love the food, love the friendly service. if this is your first time ordering take your time. there’s a lot to choose from. he will help you with whatever you need. if it is your second time he will more than likely remember your order, and always remembers his customers will always go back“

“The ‘Hot Eggplant’ is great! Perfectly lightly crispy and seasoned just right. Fabulous!“

“Oh my gosh this is my favorite pho spot it is very inexpensive especially for how much food you get. They definitely don’t scam you on the meat and broth is so so so good I feel like just get big hug when I eat this also I feel like the broth gets better every time.I personally recommend the steak pho but if you getting to go or just particular about texture of the meat get the flang on the side so when you plate it you then put the meat it so It’s not over cooked. 10/10 recommend“

“My first stop when I come in town from Florida. The food is the best Chinese food in the country. Not exaggerating. The chicken broccoli with garlic sauce is my favorite. The hot and sour soup is also the best I have ever had. The shrimp dishes are also delicious. The food is always very fresh tasting and cooked perfectly -- crisp vegetables & tender meat. The owner is so nice. I highly recommend Hunan Empress if you want a great meal with large portions and very reasonable prices. Simply put -- THE BEST!“

“I got the steak bowl with rice, chicken spring rolls, and banana Boba. all of it was so good. the bowl was so flavorful. I will definitely have to come back soon!!“

“They have great service it's best to call in ahead of time and go pick it up they have the best special fried rice they actually put stuff in it not like a lot of the other places that charge you a lot of money and give you nothing they're very generous great “

“It was my first visit and the produce was the best!“

“Always delightful service snd good food.“

“First time going to this Chinese food restaurant. Someone told me it existed in st. Charles, so I thought I would give it a try. I ordered the pork fried rice and Saint Paul sandwich. So far the best fried rice and st. Paul I've tasted this side of the river. Normally you would have to go to north county to get rice as good as this.“

“Great service and the food is amazing“

“Holy cow the price was good. My family of 4 paid $33 and had enough food for 2 meals each. The rangoons, egg rolls, and fried rice are as good as I've ever had. I'd never had a St. Paul's sandwich before, so Chong Wah's was my first. It was delicious, huge, and only $5! The General Tso's was slightly less flavorful than I was expecting (my wife loved it though), but nothing a complementary little soy sauce and chili seasoning couldn't fix. The texture of the chicken was amazing too, super crispy.

Plan on carrying out whatever you order. The lobby is really small and full of stuff, so there's not much room to sit and eat. But if you're looking for carryout, this place is top notch.“

“I live in Atlanta now & the Chinese food pales in comparison to my hometown of St Louis. That said, when I come home I have to have some immediately. This time I happened to get in on Sunday. I was lucky to find one open. I called it in and was there in less than 15 minutes. The wings were great & piping hot! The vegetable egg foo young and shrimp fried rice had me moaning with pleasure. Whenever I come back home this St Louis Kitchen will be my first stop. The staff was friendly even though it was closing time for them.“

“What all Chinese take out should aspire to be. Absolutely blown away with my first experience eating Chop Suey. GF and I got the Dinner for 2, sweet&sour chicken and beef and broccoli. Possibly the best egg roll I’ve ever had. Super affordable, large portions and full of flavor. Writing this review in the middle of chowing down. Delicious. 10/10 would recommend to my grandmother.“

“Amazing food and great service!“

“This is the best Chinese place I've ever eaten at there not hesitant with portions and they are extremely respectful. It's clearly shown in their cooking how much care and love there is in this food. Please come here if you have a chance!“

“The service that I received was A1. The food was hot, fresh, and tasty. The St. Paul was probably the best I've ever had. The ingredients seemed very fresh and they sprinkled a little salt on top of the St. Paul patty which was a pleasant surprise for my taste buds. The hot braised chicken is good. The crab rangoon is really good. The fried rice isn't anything to brag about in my opinion though it's not bad by any means. It's a mix between the cities dark fried rice and the county's typical light colored rice. I'd probably opt for steamed white rice next time. My only complaint is that there was a man sitting inside asking everyone for money. He wasn't rude by any means but it made me uncomfortable. With all that said, I'd still go back because the food was really good overall.“

“Best servers in the city.“

“Nice Chinese restaurant, I ordered the Vegetable Noodles. It had broccoli, with some grated carrots, sliced nappa cabbage, green onions, perhaps more. Most are under the noodles in the photo. Lots of sauce. Fast service. Food served hot off the wok.“

“Had the great pleasure of working next door to China Kitchen, It was my go to spot for lunch and I would alternate between the orange chicken and General Tzo chicken with crab Rangoon. They get the food out in a pretty reasonable time and it’s great for taking to go.“

“Delicious comfort food! 😋“

“Solid chop suey spot in the county. They are still serving up what I’m starting to think of as soul Chinese food. The box of rice we grew up on. It’s hot, reasonably priced, salty, and good. I hate how dirty the outside is and I wish they gave us a better experience but as long as the rice is good and the shrimp are clean, I’ll be back.“

“This is a great little hole in the wall but amazing Chinese restaurant! I stumbled upon it while having a craving for Hot & Sour soup. The location is easy to get to off Lindbergh. I was amazing how many locals were inside ordering food and taking it to go. It seems to be mostly a to go spot. I was given some recommendations right there from some of their most loyal customers. Hands down their general tso chicken was indeed great. And the soup I craved didn’t disappoint! I’ll be back.“