Look, we all have a go-to Chinese chain. Maybe it’s the one in your mall food court, maybe it’s the drive-through spot you hit after a long Tuesday. But are you actually eating at the right one? I went through hundreds of online reviews, compared menus, checked prices, and stacked these chains against each other. Some of the results might sting. Here’s every major Chinese food chain in America, ranked from the absolute worst to the best.
12. Asian Chao
There’s bad, and then there’s Asian Chao. This chain, mostly found in malls and airports across Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Indiana, has earned a truly dismal reputation online. Reviews on Google, Yelp, and Tripadvisor are consistently terrible. Customers complain about tasteless food, tiny portions, long wait times, and poor service. Even Asian Chao’s signature Bourbon Chicken — which should be a layup — gets dragged. One Google reviewer found pieces of rock-hard chicken in it. Another said it was full of chicken skin and gristle. Multiple Yelp reviewers at different locations reported finding hair in their food. The chain is part of Food Systems Unlimited Inc., which runs several fast food concepts, and none of the sister brands are exactly knocking it out of the park either. If you’re stuck at an airport and Asian Chao is your only option, go hungry. Seriously.
11. Manchu Wok
Manchu Wok was founded in Canada in 1980 by Dr. Jack Lew and has operated more than a dozen U.S. locations over the past 40-plus years. You’ll find it in mall food courts and airports, which is fitting because the food feels like it was designed to be eaten only when you’ve got no other options. The menu has the usual suspects — Honey Garlic Chicken, Green Bean Beef, BBQ Pork — and most items run around $12 or less. Sounds fine until you actually eat it. Reviews are brutal. Food reportedly arrives either burnt beyond recognition or ice cold. Chicken sometimes comes with pasty, practically raw breading. Lo mein can be mushy to the point of being unrecognizable. The employees will lure you in with free samples of chicken at the counter, which honestly feels like a trap. Save your twelve bucks.
10. Chinese Gourmet Express
Chinese Gourmet Express is a nationwide chain with more than 50 locations in over a dozen states. The experience here is wildly inconsistent depending on where you eat. A San Jose location might leave you perfectly satisfied with typical, tasty Americanized Chinese food. A Salt Lake City location might serve you chicken that tastes off and bland everything else. One thing you can count on: your order will be ready fast — they really lean into the “express” part. Portions are bigger than expected for the price, and the BBQ Pork with its sweet Chinese barbecue sauce and the Broccoli Beef are decent picks. But the chain lands this low because rolling the dice on whether your location is good or bad isn’t much of a selling point.
9. Leeann Chin
Here’s a chain with an incredible origin story and a sad decline. Leeann Chin grew up in China, came to America in the 1950s, and was running a small sewing business from her home in Minneapolis. She’d cook traditional Chinese dishes for her customers, and they kept telling her the food was so good she needed to open a restaurant. By 1980, she did. Sean Connery — yes, James Bond — loved her dumplings so much he invested in her first restaurant. The chain grew to over 40 locations, mostly across the Midwest. Pricing is reasonable, with appetizers under $5 and entrees around $10. But Reddit threads from St. Paul residents tell a bittersweet story. People remember when these restaurants had stunning architecture and high-end food. Today, the quality has slipped. Yelp reviewers confirm the decline. Some locations still have loyal fans who praise the freshness and friendly staff, but this is a chain coasting on what it used to be rather than what it is now.
8. Chowking
Chowking was founded in the Philippines in 1985 and later acquired by Jollibee, the Filipino fast food giant. It has U.S. locations in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Washington. What makes Chowking interesting is its menu surprises — you can get dim sum and popcorn chicken at a counter-service chain, which is not something most competitors offer. The Filipino influence gives it a different vibe from the typical American-Chinese place. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s a solid and slightly unexpected option if you’ve got one near you. The problem is availability. Most Americans will never see a Chowking, and the ones who do might not know what to make of it.
7. Pick Up Stix
Pick Up Stix has been around since 1989 when Charlie Zhang founded it in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. It’s mostly a Southern California thing, with a few outposts in Nevada, Texas, and Utah. Dishes are cooked to order, which already puts it ahead of chains serving from steam trays. The handmade cream cheese wontons are a strong move, and the menu includes some premium choices like grilled teriyaki salmon — a rare find for a casual quick-service spot. You can also grab family-style meals with a generous spread of mains, sides, and fortune cookies. The weak spot? The General’s orange chicken. The pieces are cut too small, and the batter is so thick you’re mostly eating fried dough. Some Reddit users who moved away have gone looking for copycat recipes for the house special chicken, which tells you the highs are real. The lows just drag the average down.
6. Panda Express
Yeah, the biggest chain in the country is sitting at number six. Panda Express was founded in 1983 by Andrew and Peggy Cherng in Glendale, California, and has grown to over 2,300 locations. They sell around $3 billion worth of Chinese food per year. Their orange chicken is so popular that roughly a third of all customers order it — that’s more than 100 million pounds sold each year. And it deserves the hype. The bite-sized chicken pieces stay crispy under a sticky, tangy sauce that hits the sweet spot between sweet and savory without going overboard. The kitchen is visible, so you can watch food move from wok to plate. But here’s the problem: consistency. Some locations are great. Others serve burned chicken teriyaki and have 20-minute lines because the kitchen is understaffed. The honey walnut shrimp has textural issues that most fans will admit to. Panda Express is the definition of reliable-enough, which is why it’s in the middle of this list and not the top.
5. P.F. Chang’s
P.F. Chang’s started in 1993 when Philip Chiang and Paul Fleming opened what was meant to be America’s first upscale Chinese chain. Philip’s family actually owned a century-old restaurant in Beijing, so the pedigree is legit. There are over 200 U.S. locations now, and the menu has expanded into broader Asian fusion — Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese influences all show up. The crispy green beans, Chang’s Spicy Chicken, and shrimp with lobster sauce are popular orders. There’s a decent vegan selection too, including stir-fried eggplant and mapo tofu. The sit-down experience with full table service sets it apart from fast-casual competitors. But the orange chicken is a mess — neon-orange glaze that tastes more like Minute Maid than citrus sauce, with a thick batter that overwhelms the meat. For the price point, some dishes just don’t deliver. When P.F. Chang’s is good, it’s a nice night out. When it misses, you feel ripped off.
4. Pei Wei Asian Kitchen
Pei Wei originally spun off from P.F. Chang’s but has been independent since 2017 and honestly might be better than its former parent. The chain opened in 2000 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and now has more than 110 locations. It teamed up with Chef Jet Tila to develop dishes like spicy Korean BBQ steak, Firecracker Tofu, and Thai basil cashew chicken. The menu is massive — chicken pad thai, Mongolian green beans, mango habanero wings, poke bowls, even Thai wonton soup. Most entrees sit under $15. What people consistently praise about Pei Wei is the freshness. Food tastes like it was actually cooked that day, not reheated from a warming tray. The one knock is they overload every dish with vegetables. If you’re looking for a meat-heavy plate, you might feel shortchanged. But if you want fast Chinese food that tastes fresh and has real variety, Pei Wei is hard to beat at its price range.
3. Mr. Chow
Mr. Chow is the wildcard on this list. Created by artist and restaurateur Michael Chow, the first location opened in London on Valentine’s Day in 1968. The Beverly Hills restaurant opened in 1974 and almost immediately became a celebrity hotspot. Today there are five U.S. locations: Beverly Hills, two in New York City, Miami, and Las Vegas. This is fine dining — most entrees run over $50. The Gamblers Duck with plum sauce and steamed pancakes is a standout, and the Beijing Chicken with walnuts gets consistent praise. The food is exquisite, the ambience is beautiful, and the service matches the price tag. So why isn’t it number one? Because some Yelp reviewers feel the pricing is misleading and what you get doesn’t always match what you pay. At $50-plus per plate, there’s zero margin for error, and not every visit lands. But when it hits, Mr. Chow is a genuinely special experience that no other Chinese chain in America can match on atmosphere alone.
2. Lao Sze Chuan
Lao Sze Chuan was founded in 1998 in Chicago by celebrity chef Tony Hu, and it’s grown to nine locations including spots in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The menu is enormous and genuinely adventurous. You’ve got your standard wonton soup and fried rice, sure. But you’ve also got frog legs, pickled pig ear, and a whole oven-roasted Peking duck. The signature dry chili chicken gets rave reviews, and the atmosphere has a buzzy energy that makes eating there feel like an event. What pushes Lao Sze Chuan this high is that it serves real Sichuan cuisine alongside the Americanized classics, giving you the best of both worlds. The staff is welcoming, the food is consistent, and the range is unlike anything else on this list. The only thing keeping it from the top spot is that nine locations means most Americans can’t get to one.
1. Din Tai Fung
Din Tai Fung wins, and it’s not close on quality. The food is on a completely different level from every other chain on this list. The presentation is gorgeous — every plate looks like it was styled for a photo shoot, except it actually tastes as good as it looks. The Jidori Chicken Dumplings and Kurobuta Pork Buns are famous for a reason. The Braised Beef Soup is made with house-made egg noodles and topped with thinly sliced green onions and braised baby bok choy. The kitchen staff chops vegetables on-site and folds handmade dim sum by hand. Everything is deeply flavorful in a way that makes you wonder why other chains even bother trying. Yes, the prices are high. Yes, the portions aren’t the biggest. But the quality of food is simply remarkable on every level, and no other Chinese chain in America can hold a candle to it. If there’s a Din Tai Fung anywhere within driving distance, that’s where you should be eating.
