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If you never turned out to try Chinese cuisine, take your chance at this restaurant. You can share nicely cooked fried prawns, General tao chicken and wonton soup with your friends and spend a good time here. China House with takeaway dishes is suitable for those visitors who like to have dinner on the go. Most guests mention that the staff is knowledgeable. The terrific service displays a high level of quality at this place. You will pay attractive prices for your meal. When inside, the atmosphere is peaceful. This spot is ranked 4.1 within the Google grading system.
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N B
2 months ago on Google
Paid $98 for food that was worth maybe $30. 1 combo platter, 2 order chicken wing, and boneless ribs. Containers were half full and the food was plain. These people think they're selling gourmet food. Will never order from there again. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $50–100 Food: 2 Service: 2 Atmosphere: 3
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Rina Ellis
2 months ago on Google
The food is delicious, my family loves the takeout Service: Take out Meal type: Lunch Price per person: $10–20 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 3 Recommended dishes: Orange Chicken
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Denise L.
11 months ago on Yelp
As someone of Chinese and Filipino heritage, I'm particular about Asian food! I wouldn't normally leave a review for an Americanized Chinese joint, but I think this place deserves a bump up on its current rating given the limited options in this city. Granted, I've only lived in Lancaster a year, so I can't speak to what this restaurant was like before. But I will defend my choice to write this review for a few reasons! Those from the Chinese diaspora will know that there are many different regional styles, and the dishes you see on a menu will reflect a specific region or provincial identity. But most Chinese restaurants in the U.S. are truly a hybrid that dates back to the 19th century when indentured laborers from the Guandong province of southern China came to mostly California to mine for gold and build railroads. Some of the first Chinese restaurants in San Francisco introduced Cantonese-style food to Americans. Dishes were altered to cater to an American pallet, particularly in the midst of 19th century anti-Chinese racism! This is all to say that Chinese American restaurants have been around for awhile, and "China House restaurant" is truly amongst those cultural hybrids. General Tso's Chicken, fortune cookies, "chop suey", beef and broccoli, egg foo young? These are all American inventions! You won't find any of these dishes back in China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong. That said, the highest compliment I could pay to this tier of restaurant is that this isn't some glorified Panda Express. The only reason I came across this restaurant is because it was the only place that listed one of my favorite Cantonese dishes on their menu: beef ho fun (乾炒牛河). As my mom is from Hong Kong, this was always a really popular "yum cha" (literally translates to "drink tea" but refers to restaurants that serve tea and dim sum at brunch) staple. "Ho fun" is just the romanized spelling of how this dish is pronounced in Cantonese. You may have also seen it spelled as "chow fun" in other restaurants, because this is the Mandarin pronunciation for the same dish. The Thai dish "pad see ew" also uses these same wide flat rice noodles, but they make theirs sweet and ho fun is meant to be savory. If this were a truly Cantonese place, they'd ask you if you want it "wet" (in a soup or thicker gravy) or "dry" (stir fried, which is how this restaurant does theirs). That said, this is the only Chinese restaurant I found in Lancaster that makes it right and makes it well! (Your only other safe bet is finding the noodles at Asia Center Supermarket on Bennett Ave and make it yourself!) We also ordered their steamed dumplings, which was excellent and the only way to make it, in my opinion! The skin on this wasn't too thick (unlike other places) and retains the juicy flavor of the meat inside. 5 stars for the ho fun and dumplings! My brother-in-law really loves their General Tso's Chicken Combo with Pork Fried Rice. Though this isn't really a traditional Chinese dish, I know this is one that most Americans love. So, for those of you who like it, my brother-in-law thinks they do a good job! The batter on the outside isn't too thick, the chicken is moist and flavorful. Though my brother-in-law likes their fried rice, I personally think they use too much soy sauce. In my opinion, the only style of fried rice to speak of is yangzhou chao fan ("house special" fried rice) which is a combination of different proteins (pork, chicken, shrimp), scallions, veggies, and egg. This restaurant doesn't have it on their menu sadly, and I can tell by how their fried rice looks that they probably cater to Americans who think soy sauce is what gives it flavor. (Spoiler alert! It does not.) This isn't the best Chinese restaurant I've ever been to, but I gave this restaurant a 4 out of 5 because it is one of the better places I've been in Lancaster. I do think the previous low 1-star ratings from others is unwarranted, but perhaps because the food was truly different at the time they wrote their reviews. I've ordered through DoorDash and in-person for pick up in the last month, but I found staff to be friendly. I was even told by staff that you save more money ordering directly from their website for pickup rather than going through a third-party platform. The restaurant interior is kitsch and gives you the feel of an old school takeout joint from the 80s or 90s, but it won points with me because of how well they made some of these Cantonese favorites. I do want to support this business and think it deserves more props than it currently has on Yelp. So, go ahead and give some of these dishes a try!
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Address
2052 Fruitville Pike, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
Features
No booking
Сredit cards accepted
Delivery
Takeaway
Wheelchair accessible
TV
Opening hours
| SundaySun | 11AM-9PM |
| MondayMon | 11AM-9PM |
| TuesdayTue | 11AM-9PM |
| WednesdayWed | Closed |
| ThursdayThu | 11AM-9PM |
| FridayFri | 11AM-10PM |
| SaturdaySat | 11AM-10PM |
Website
Instagram
@kitchenkettle
