China Inn Restaurant

I love small businesses and there is truly not a harder business then food service. But a great operator needs to know when to call it a day. China Inn is way past it's prime. Dark, dingy and dirty dining room should have been my clue. But, I thought "it might be great, so give it a chance" It wasn't. It was nasty. Mostly ended up in the trash.I'm certain when Kmart was located next door and before that awful Panda Express across the parking lot opened up, China Inn was at the top of their game. Nothing wrong with calling it a day. You've earned a nice retirement.

Since most Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas Day a friend and I decided to have Chinese food for lunch. My friend chose China Inn because she had been there bofore and knew the owners. When we arrived at 11:30 am the place was empty with the exception of a few people stopping by to pick up carry out orders. This is a family owned restaurant (Mother & Son). To say the place could use a makeover is an understatement. We were greeted by Riley and his mother. Both were extremely welcoming. Since we were the only customers there we received Riley & his mother's undivided attention. At times a little to much (hee hee). Our meal consisted of egg rolls, hot and sour soup, shrimp with lobster sauce, fried rice, sweet & sour chicken, tea, and fortune cookies. Everything we had was very good and plentiful. We both took home enough food for the next two days. What this restaurant lacks in atmosphere it makes up for in service and hospitality.

Delicious food, we couldn't get enough! We ordered takeout on Easter Sunday, when most places were closed, and they didn't disappoint us.

Dingy place from top to bottom, with food and sauces splattered on the walls next to the dining booths. Cardboard boxes lined up in the hallway to the restroom, waiting for bugs and mice... Sink in Ladies room was filthy and water handles non-functional; adjacent wall, towel holder and door also dirty. Food was freshly prepared by owner, served in take-out cartons for some reason with a plate for mixing veggies and rice, satisfactory. However, I would never go there again.

We have driven by a few times and this time we decided to stop. It was a great decision. The food is so delicious. The service is great. Will definitely be back for more.

Very friendly...not impressed with food. I use to live in San Francisco and this was a huge disappointment after reading the positive reviews. Won't be back or giving referrals.

My daughter said she had been here before and was not very impressed. It must say I am not impressed with the inside of the place. Very dark and not kept up with. You would think they had plenty of time to clean and brighten the place before reopening. They do not wear gloves or masks much. That is not good but they have been locked up in the restaurant so I assume safe. I have to say it takes forever to get your order and they are very confused. But the older lady, grandma type, is friendly actually they are all friendlyThis would not be a place to go if yo-yo want up scale. No no scale hereThe food though is worth it. I had pork fried rice, great! We had orders of sweet sour port, fried chicken, egg drop all tasted great. Not a lot of vegetables but I think that made it better. I will go back again as the food was good, just will order and then go half hour later.

*Update* For all the no-goods out there who trash this place because of a certain employee's behavior, let me say this: How would you like it if you had a disability and people treated you like the plague or refused to patronize your place just because of it? Should we stop giving our business to companies that employ people in wheelchairs? Or are legally blind? Or have ADD? The list goes on... Get over your shallow, uneducated, pathetic selves already. That said, on to the review.Panda Express is right across the parking lot, but why would you go there when you can pay about a dollar more at China Inn for better quality, more options, and personalized service?This is the best place to get Chinese in ABQ. The menu is diverse with Mandarin and Cantonese options. Service also can't be beat: I came in for the first time in September with my boyfriend and then came in again just this week with some other friends. Riley remembered me and my name and asked where my boyfriend was. Amy remembered me too. They also sent us home with extra rice to go with our leftovers.Although it sounds unappetizing, the Pu Pu platter is a fun appetizer to share with a group. It comes with egg rolls, Beef Cho Cho (beef kabobs), cha siu (Chinese pork), fried shrimp, chicken wings, chicken legs, and cream cheese won tons all on a hot plate. The friend sitting next to me and I enjoyed the cream cheese won tons best!I also liked my friend's Pineapple Almond Chicken and wish I had ordered that instead. Tangy and slightly sweet, with vegetables and pineapple. The pan-fried chow mein is also as solid as you can get here in ABQ. They use a different type of noodle than what is normally used to cook this style of chow mein, but I suspect is because there aren't any carriers that come out here to ABQ since the demand isn't very high. SO, DON'T EXPECT THE FOOD HERE TO BE THE SAME AS CHINESE FOOD AROUND THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY WITH HIGHER CHINESE POPULATIONS, DUE TO DIFFERENT SUPPLIER DEMANDS AND REGIONAL TASTES.It can be on the slow side if you dine in, but they take great care of you. Ming Dynasty is the best place in town to get dim sum. For everything else Chinese, come here!

The portions are enormous. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I ordered the fried shrimp & chicken wings combination plate & the chicken chow mein combination plate and an order of egg drop soup. The total came out to about $23. Both plates came with a generous portion of fried rice and an egg roll. The chow mein slso csme with a portion of sweet & sour pork. The egg rolls are some of the best I've ever had. The rest of the food was delicious too. I'm definitely planning to go back.

This family- run restaurant features well- made, delicious meals. Take some time to enjoy your visit or order for take out. The ambiance is dim, comfortable, relaxing.I go every time I have a personal event to celebrate or when I can take my friends. I've been visiting irregularly since 2008, and I have come to consider the family my friends. I live quite a ways from the restaurant, but the effort is well worth it. My favorite meal is Shrimp in Lobster Sauce.Hi Amy! Hi Riley! Thank you for taking such good care of me. May you always be well taken care of.